Robotic Milker Price

[Magners]

That would take a lot of the scary out of it for many people?

I believe in robots, that's why I'm offering to lease them. We have 2 on our farm and we're organic and grazing.

 

[Beef farmer]

OK. What about a new offer?
£10k per vms as deposit and cover install. Then £50 a day to lease the robot? This includes all parts and labour for breakdowns and service., all consumables and all cleaning chemicals and teat sprays?
If you're interested take a look at this. https:/adrianjose.co.uk

How many years? Any final payment?

 

[Sid]

OK. What about a new offer?
£10k per vms as deposit and cover install. Then £50 a day to lease the robot? This includes all parts and labour for breakdowns and service., all consumables and all cleaning chemicals and teat sprays?
If you're interested take a look at this. https:/adrianjose.co.uk

Looks very interesting

Is that classic or 300?

 

[Magners]

Looks very interesting

Is that classic or 300?

It's with a classic, but I do have V300 coming available later on this year.

 

[Magners]

How many years? Any final payment?

No, no final payments as the vms is ours, we would review things every 5 years. But as long as both parties are happy we'd just continue, I would want that robot to stay with you for as long as possible, so our support will be very important, we need to keep you happy.

 

[stablegirl]

Very interesting, so lets say the £10,000 covers 5 years?

That adds another £5.50.

So total £55.50/day.

If you had 50 cows on the robot producing lets say 35 litres per cow total produced by the robot 1750 litres.

So you would be charging 3.17ppl for the Robot, the parts, the labour, depreciation on the robot and interest on the money invested effectively. Sounds very reasonable to me, and i have very little interest in robots!

Get to 55 cows doing 40 litres and those costs come down to 2.5ppl.

 

[yin ewe]

Very interesting, so lets say the £10,000 covers 5 years?

That adds another £5.50.

So total £55.50/day.

If you had 50 cows on the robot producing lets say 35 litres per cow total produced by the robot 1750 litres.

So you would be charging 3.17ppl for the Robot, the parts, the labour, depreciation on the robot and interest on the money invested effectively. Sounds very reasonable to me, and i have very little interest in robots!

Get to 55 cows doing 40 litres and those costs come down to 2.5ppl.

Getting 55 cows to average 40l for 365 days a year would be quite an achievement. Assuming a 365 day calving interval and 2 months dry, you'd need 5/6 cows calving each month to keep 55 milking. Not saying it can't be done but would certainly be very difficult.

Our robot is costing us just under £50 a day in finance and servicing (doesn't include breakdowns) but we did not pay a deposit at the start. The difference I see is that in 18 months we will have it paid off and can decide whether we want to change it, while the old one still has some value, or carry on milking with it and put £50 a day into a new Fendt.
This lease deal means you keep paying and never have anything to show for it, might be fine for some people but I like to have an end date to work to, then I can decide my next move.

 

[kill]

I would want that robot to stay with you for as long as possible, so our support will be very important, we need to keep you happy.

Wish my installers understood this point.

 

[pappuller]

No, no final payments as the vms is ours, we would review things every 5 years. But as long as both parties are happy we'd just continue, I would want that robot to stay with you for as long as possible, so our support will be very important, we need to keep you happy.

One piece of advice to you, if you are offering the full maintenance/service/purchase package you may find that the customer finds it easier to have your no on speeddial for absolutely any issue however small or minor. This is one reason why Lely are not actively pushing their master contract nowadays or it comes with a very hefty premium

 

[ollie989898]

VMS 300 is the one to have.

 

[Magners]

Very interesting, so lets say the £10,000 covers 5 years?

That adds another £5.50.

So total £55.50/day.

If you had 50 cows on the robot producing lets say 35 litres per cow total produced by the robot 1750 litres.

So you would be charging 3.17ppl for the Robot, the parts, the labour, depreciation on the robot and interest on the money invested effectively. Sounds very reasonable to me, and i have very little interest in robots!

Get to 55 cows doing 40 litres and those costs come down to 2.5ppl.

Yes stable girl you have got it spot on. I have put on my website it will cost between 2.5 to 4 p per litre. on my system I am organic and I'm block calving. Our cows are currently averaging 26 to 27 litres, 227 DIM. they have milked pretty flat through out the lactation and peaked around 30 litres per day. I have 20 jersey's so they keep the averages down. but the point I'm getting at is i'm roughly averaging 1300 litres per a robot per a day as I have 2 VMS with 97 cows. so mine works out at about 4p per a litre. Can you run an parlour and pay someone to milk you cows 365 days a year for 4 ppl ? oh and include all the parlour servicing chemicals and teat sprays etc !
It's a doddle to look after. I have so much spare time on the robots, so if I have a breakdown I have 2 hours at least to play with. If I get an alarm at night I don't worry too much about it. They have been out grazing full time since March 26th and are still averaging between 2.6 to 3 milkings per a day.

 

[Magners]

One piece of advice to you, if you are offering the full maintenance/service/purchase package you may find that the customer finds it easier to have your no on speed dial for absolutely any issue however small or minor. This is one reason why Lely are not actively pushing their master contract nowadays or it comes with a very hefty premium

Thanks for the advice Pappuller , Yes you are correct but If they want to keep the robot in 5 years time than they will need to sensible. It';s a partnership. a bit like a marriage, there has to be give a take, ( A friend of mine said to me, I wish marriage was like that that, every 5 years you can decide to stay of leave)

 

[Magners]

Getting 55 cows to average 40l for 365 days a year would be quite an achievement. Assuming a 365 day calving interval and 2 months dry, you'd need 5/6 cows calving each month to keep 55 milking. Not saying it can't be done but would certainly be very difficult.

Our robot is costing us just under £50 a day in finance and servicing (doesn't include breakdowns) but we did not pay a deposit at the start. The difference I see is that in 18 months we will have it paid off and can decide whether we want to change it, while the old one still has some value, or carry on milking with it and put £50 a day into a new Fendt.
This lease deal means you keep paying and never have anything to show for it, might be fine for some people but I like to have an end date to work to, then I can decide my next move.

Well that's an interesting post. So how long have you been paying the £50 per day ? how much a month do you pay for all your chemicals ? (robot cleaners, teat sprays and chemicals for teat brushes etc) consumables ? Liners, Acr ropes, teat brushes , milk tubes, milk filters milk pump seals etc) Breakdowns ? (Labour and parts ?)
I'm not saying you are wrong, you were lucky enough to get finance on your robots, not everyone is. Just think if you are a young couple getting into farming, there's only so much money you can borrow, if you're a tenant farmer, you may have a similar problem.

 

[Magners]

I think a better question would be to ask how many would knowing what they know now do it all again from scratch.

My own personal experience would be they don’t live up to the sales hype.
They milk cows much better than a poor milking employee but not as well as I used to.
Main benefit for me is not being tied to that afternoon milking. If I want to go somewhere I can and I get my evenings with my kids.
Downsides are running costs and very hard to get away for a holiday as have no cover that can deal with minor problems occurring with robots (which always happen when you go away)

From a cow point of view their lifestyle couldn’t be much better. Everyone comments on how calm,quiet and relaxed the whole environment is. (Cow looking over my shoulder now trying to see what I’m up to).

Would I do it again?

Not sure but I certainly wouldn’t have carried on milking in a parlour.

I totally agree with this post, robots aren't for everyone, I have seen robots go on farms where they should never have been installed.
Would I personally do it again.(put robots in) yes I would, and yes I have ! this is my second attempt. I sold up last time in 2005 (Kept the farm) and have learnt a lot working for DeLaval in the last 10 years. what have I done different ? 2 robots with less cows rather than 1 robot with 65 cows. that is probably the biggest difference and biggest improvement, things are so much more relaxed. I have a different make of robot, yes that has made a difference, but it's also newer technology.

 

[Magners]

I don't know any farms that employ foreign milker, there are plenty of local people, I have two and they are ultra reliable and very good at picking up problems.
If farms are putting In bots then they need to be taking a look at their attitude towards staff and questioning if spending large amounts of money in order to get milk out of cows is wise, also all farms I know of have had to go 24/7 confinement, with all those extra costs.

It's funny that a lot of these forums end up with the robot guys arguing with the conventional guys. I'm just not sure why, it's 2 totally different systems.
This is my personal views.
The conventional system is the cheapest way to produce milk !. If you are able to to find someone to milk your cows well and your happy to let someone else milk your cows, brilliant, good on you. If you enjoy milking your cows and it's not a tie, Brilliant, don't stop, keep going. This system you have more flexibility, as in, if you need to expand you can, just stand in the pit longer and milk them , as long as you or your staff are happy to do so. If you want to put your cows across the main road to graze. you can.
Once the milking is stopped , you can forget about milking the cows !
But, you or someone has to be there to milk the cows at that time every day. not a problem if you enjoy it or you can find staff to do so. If the staff are ill or if the staff want time of off you can do the milking yourself. not a problem. I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot.

But I have chosen the robot route, Because i love robots, I love the way they are there 24/7 365 days of the year. allowing the cows to get milked when they want to. Yes they are more expensive to run. that's fine with me, as long as I have a life and make a profit, what more do I need, after being on the roads with DeLaval for last 10 years being told what to do, it's a brilliant lifestyle. Yes there is one negative, If I want to go abroad for the weekend or a 2 week holiday, I would struggle. But that's farming, it is difficult with both systems, probably slightly harder with the robot system. I am trying to change this as well, I'm trying to find people who used to have robots who will look after our farms while we go away. I'm hoping to dry the cows off an shut the VMS down for a couple of weeks to get away, (The joys of block calving) but we will see.
*(I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot) In reply to to this statement I made above. A robot will probably milk the cows more often, will probably get more milk per a cow, the teats will probably be in better condition as robots will milk each quarter individually so you get less teat damage (If you have cows which give more milk in some quarters than others). which will in most cases result in less mastitis. How ever, not every cow will get every teat milked at every milking. The DeLaval robot will milk as any teats it can find and if it can't find a teat that cow will be flagged up as incomplete and will be allowed to get re-milked sooner and I'm sure on the next milking the teat which was missed will get milked this time.
Attachment, We started with 99 heifers. I haven't sold any animals due to attachment problems, 2 years on I still haven't.
Yes with a robot you are on call 24/7, like I said earlier less cows per a robot lowers that stress, but robots are a lot more reliable these days. If they are serviced you shouldn't get more than 1 night call every 2 months.
I have missed out a lot of good and bad for both systems. but at the end of the day do whats right for you and your farm. Probably too long a post ! :I sorry

 

[pappuller]

Thanks for the advice Pappuller , Yes you are correct but If they want to keep the robot in 5 years time than they will need to sensible. It';s a partnership. a bit like a marriage, there has to be give a take, ( A friend of mine said to me, I wish marriage was like that that, every 5 years you can decide to stay of leave)

If you decide to keep the robot is there any extra payment to be made ?
Is water and electricity costs included in your 2.5-4ppl ?

 

[pappuller]

I totally agree with this post, robots aren't for everyone, I have seen robots go on farms where they should never have been installed.
Would I personally do it again.(put robots in) yes I would, and yes I have ! this is my second attempt. I sold up last time in 2005 (Kept the farm) and have learnt a lot working for DeLaval in the last 10 years. what have I done different ? 2 robots with less cows rather than 1 robot with 65 cows. that is probably the biggest difference and biggest improvement, things are so much more relaxed. I have a different make of robot, yes that has made a difference, but it's also newer technology.

What colour robot did you work with last time ?

 

[applejack]

It's funny that a lot of these forums end up with the robot guys arguing with the conventional guys. I'm just not sure why, it's 2 totally different systems.
This is my personal views.
The conventional system is the cheapest way to produce milk !. If you are able to to find someone to milk your cows well and your happy to let someone else milk your cows, brilliant, good on you. If you enjoy milking your cows and it's not a tie, Brilliant, don't stop, keep going. This system you have more flexibility, as in, if you need to expand you can, just stand in the pit longer and milk them , as long as you or your staff are happy to do so. If you want to put your cows across the main road to graze. you can.
Once the milking is stopped , you can forget about milking the cows !
But, you or someone has to be there to milk the cows at that time every day. not a problem if you enjoy it or you can find staff to do so. If the staff are ill or if the staff want time of off you can do the milking yourself. not a problem. I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot.

But I have chosen the robot route, Because i love robots, I love the way they are there 24/7 365 days of the year. allowing the cows to get milked when they want to. Yes they are more expensive to run. that's fine with me, as long as I have a life and make a profit, what more do I need, after being on the roads with DeLaval for last 10 years being told what to do, it's a brilliant lifestyle. Yes there is one negative, If I want to go abroad for the weekend or a 2 week holiday, I would struggle. But that's farming, it is difficult with both systems, probably slightly harder with the robot system. I am trying to change this as well, I'm trying to find people who used to have robots who will look after our farms while we go away. I'm hoping to dry the cows off an shut the VMS down for a couple of weeks to get away, (The joys of block calving) but we will see.
*(I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot) In reply to to this statement I made above. A robot will probably milk the cows more often, will probably get more milk per a cow, the teats will probably be in better condition as robots will milk each quarter individually so you get less teat damage (If you have cows which give more milk in some quarters than others). which will in most cases result in less mastitis. How ever, not every cow will get every teat milked at every milking. The DeLaval robot will milk as any teats it can find and if it can't find a teat that cow will be flagged up as incomplete and will be allowed to get re-milked sooner and I'm sure on the next milking the teat which was missed will get milked this time.
Attachment, We started with 99 heifers. I haven't sold any animals due to attachment problems, 2 years on I still haven't.
Yes with a robot you are on call 24/7, like I said earlier less cows per a robot lowers that stress, but robots are a lot more reliable these days. If they are serviced you shouldn't get more than 1 night call every 2 months.
I have missed out a lot of good and bad for both systems. but at the end of the day do whats right for you and your farm. Probably too long a post ! :I sorry

Top post, well balanced view.

 

[Seasider]

It's funny that a lot of these forums end up with the robot guys arguing with the conventional guys. I'm just not sure why, it's 2 totally different systems.
This is my personal views.
The conventional system is the cheapest way to produce milk !. If you are able to to find someone to milk your cows well and your happy to let someone else milk your cows, brilliant, good on you. If you enjoy milking your cows and it's not a tie, Brilliant, don't stop, keep going. This system you have more flexibility, as in, if you need to expand you can, just stand in the pit longer and milk them , as long as you or your staff are happy to do so. If you want to put your cows across the main road to graze. you can.
Once the milking is stopped , you can forget about milking the cows !
But, you or someone has to be there to milk the cows at that time every day. not a problem if you enjoy it or you can find staff to do so. If the staff are ill or if the staff want time of off you can do the milking yourself. not a problem. I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot.

But I have chosen the robot route, Because i love robots, I love the way they are there 24/7 365 days of the year. allowing the cows to get milked when they want to. Yes they are more expensive to run. that's fine with me, as long as I have a life and make a profit, what more do I need, after being on the roads with DeLaval for last 10 years being told what to do, it's a brilliant lifestyle. Yes there is one negative, If I want to go abroad for the weekend or a 2 week holiday, I would struggle. But that's farming, it is difficult with both systems, probably slightly harder with the robot system. I am trying to change this as well, I'm trying to find people who used to have robots who will look after our farms while we go away. I'm hoping to dry the cows off an shut the VMS down for a couple of weeks to get away, (The joys of block calving) but we will see.
*(I will also say that if you are a good milker , you will probably milk the cows better than a robot) In reply to to this statement I made above. A robot will probably milk the cows more often, will probably get more milk per a cow, the teats will probably be in better condition as robots will milk each quarter individually so you get less teat damage (If you have cows which give more milk in some quarters than others). which will in most cases result in less mastitis. How ever, not every cow will get every teat milked at every milking. The DeLaval robot will milk as any teats it can find and if it can't find a teat that cow will be flagged up as incomplete and will be allowed to get re-milked sooner and I'm sure on the next milking the teat which was missed will get milked this time.
Attachment, We started with 99 heifers. I haven't sold any animals due to attachment problems, 2 years on I still haven't.
Yes with a robot you are on call 24/7, like I said earlier less cows per a robot lowers that stress, but robots are a lot more reliable these days. If they are serviced you shouldn't get more than 1 night call every 2 months.
I have missed out a lot of good and bad for both systems. but at the end of the day do whats right for you and your farm. Probably too long a post ! :I sorry

Interesting and spot on AJ, you may of heard that mine is coming out this Autumn, Covid 19 permitted .Son is now 21, can you believe, and much prefers milking ( milks 600 next door) Ours Ayrshire and Red Holstein now grazing 24hrs plus Zerograze and a mouthful of silage plus concentrate shown on monitor board attached. 4.59% fat 3.51% protein. DH

 

[yin ewe]

Well that's an interesting post. So how long have you been paying the £50 per day ? how much a month do you pay for all your chemicals ? (robot cleaners, teat sprays and chemicals for teat brushes etc) consumables ? Liners, Acr ropes, teat brushes , milk tubes, milk filters milk pump seals etc) Breakdowns ? (Labour and parts ?)
I'm not saying you are wrong, you were lucky enough to get finance on your robots, not everyone is. Just think if you are a young couple getting into farming, there's only so much money you can borrow, if you're a tenant farmer, you may have a similar problem.

We will have been going 8 years this August, paying it on hp, although service is paid direct to our lely center. Breakdown is £95 call out and £30/ hour once in the yard, but I can't honestly remember the last time I had a call out (I know I have just jinxed myself). I can sort most breakdowns and usually meet an engineer somewhere to pick up the parts. Not sure what chemicals cost/ month as I haven't looked at it, you need dairy chemicals, teat spray etc regardless of your milking system.
I know that there are different reasons why people can't or don't want finance, but I don't see the point in leasing something for around the same price of hp and not have anything to show for it at the end.