October 13, 2014

 

New Zealand's robotic dairy one of world's largest

 

 

One of the world's largest robotic dairies measuring 13,000-square meters has been established in Makikihi of South Canterbury, New Zealand.

 

Owned by Aad and Wilma Van Leeuwen, the NZD22 million (US$17.3 million) cow barn began milking 740 Friesian cows using 12 DeLaval robots on September 25.

 

The barn, which currently operates at half its capacity, has as its key features rubber-floored stalls and lanes for cow movements, as well as multiple concrete feed lanes on which corn and lucerne silages, and protein additives are distributed.

 

Cows are milked through the DeLaval voluntary milking system and by robots with hydraulic arms guided by optical cameras and dual lasers.

 

''We decided it would be viable to have a large herd under a roof if constructed properly and managed properly,'' Aad Van Leeuwen said. 'This barn environment enables optimal feed management, cow comfort and access to comprehensive herd information in order to make crucial decisions on farm."

 

According to the Van Leeuwens, cows had adapted well, with all 725 cows milking successfully within one week. It was hoped that the other half of the barn, with an additional 12 robots and 750 cows, would be fully functional by Christmas.

 

In addition, 1.2 million kilogrammes of milk solids are expected to be produced in the next few years.

 

The Van Leeuwens own several dairy farm holdings in South Canterbury. The Makikihi facility marks the third robotic freestall milking barn in the Van Leeuwen Dairy Group portfolio, and is a response to labour shortage and the premium price paid for winter milking.

 

The project was also DeLaval's largest commission to date.

 

DeLaval's managing director, Richard Alderton, said that the robot/barn combination is in line with the company's vision of sustainable food production.

 

"With robotic milking, labour can be diverted to more value-added activities on farm, such as feed production", said Alderton.