Stradbrook Farm, Ashburton


Farm Facts:
Herd size:	300 Holstein-Friesian cows
Number of AMS:	4 Lely A3 Astronaut robots
Calving pattern:	Year round milk supply
Commissioning date/year:	September 2008
Labour:	Two assistant managers
Technical Support:	Winslow Farm Technologies
Features:	- Pivot irrigated - 75 effective hectares converted cropping block - Pellets fed in the AMS - Flat contour, two centre pivot irrigators - 4 graze-way selection units (A B C grazing) - Single milk vat with a rapid wash facility

Trial and error has allowed the staff at Stradbrook Farm to get the most from their automatic milking system.

The system has milked the farm’s 300 Holstein Friesians on a 75 effective ha property since September 2008.

Stradbrook Farm is owned and operated by the Carr Agricultural Group. Subsidiary company Winslow Feeds operates the Lely centre that supplies and services Lely technology in the Central Canterbury region. Ryan Carr has been involved in the farm from the start.

“If we were going to provide this equipment for farmers then we needed to be confident in how it works. Getting hands-on experience was the best way to achieve this,” says Ryan.

The pasture based system has produced some unique challenges.

The farm is fenced into 1.7 – 1.9 ha paddocks with the milking shed centrally located and four graze-way selection units used (A B C grazing).

The goal is to get a constant cow flow through the shed.

“The tough bit is getting the residuals and feed allocation right so that you are not getting the whole herd through but are getting enough through to keep the shed full.”

“The cows know when the gates are going to change, they will line up and if they do this two hours ahead of time this indicates they haven’t been given enough feed. The next day you need to give them a bit more.”

A manager has been employed to run the farm. He has been given training to allow him to carry out the maintenance on the robots, saving on time and money spent on using a service tech.

It is crucial to spend time on maintenance, says Ryan.

“By spending half an hour or an hour servicing the machines in the morning it will cut down on call outs for mishaps like a split hose.”

For Ryan the biggest positive is the lifestyle provided by the automatic milking system.

“It is easier to attract staff because of better flexibility in their jobs that allows them time out during the day for activities such as kids’ sports instead of milking.