Robotic Milker Price

Milkcow365

Member
Location
Sw Scotland
But how long will the bots last before there obsolete or they stop software updates
We here alot about people taking out old models to put in new models, is this factored in to the cost and when would this happen(years)
The swing over I milk in could last til a time that the steelworks rust away
Even then couple of grand and your steel works fixed
 
Have a job to destroy the DeLaval metal work given that it is entirely stainless steel. Pressure wash the stuff off and its good as new?

Whats a herdsman or assistant going to cost over 20 years assuming pension provision and NI contributions because I dont see the self employed caper running for much longer.

Unless you have a herd size that can attract an actual team of people that arent slogging their guts out then robots are a no-brainer to my mind. Staff will be the main issue to contend with going forward as I've said before unless people are prepared to make them partners in the business and Im guessing here but that will probably be as popular as amateur metal detectorism.

The blue team are apparently going to install 28 robots on a farm in the UK in the near future and plenty more in the pipeline. Make what you will of that.
 
£500 per robot per month with delaval as a ball park, for a 200 cow system with 3 robots that's £360000 over 20 years without inflation, chemicals and breakdowns/parts.

Makes 120k in maintenance for my rotary over 20 years look cheap and it will have had 8 million cows milked through it by then. It’s like buying a house with cash and then having a mortgage for the same amount again buying robots
 

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Have a job to destroy the DeLaval metal work given that it is entirely stainless steel. Pressure wash the stuff off and its good as new?

Whats a herdsman or assistant going to cost over 20 years assuming pension provision and NI contributions because I dont see the self employed caper running for much longer.

Unless you have a herd size that can attract an actual team of people that arent slogging their guts out then robots are a no-brainer to my mind. Staff will be the main issue to contend with going forward as I've said before unless people are prepared to make them partners in the business and Im guessing here but that will probably be as popular as amateur metal detectorism.

The blue team are apparently going to install 28 robots on a farm in the UK in the near future and plenty more in the pipeline. Make what you will of that.

Robotic attachment arm in a herringbone will sort the staff issues,unfortunately the robot sellers are making good money out of the single box system so they aren’t keen on pushing the concept.

It wouldn’t need anything fancy just run on a rail and attach units,the milker would clean and deal with all the problems.

I hope the 28 de-laval robots do better than the ones locally,I certainly wouldn’t have them,they’re in for a big big shock.
 

Spear

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Devon
Is it me or are there as many bots being took out as put in???

There is a lot being taken out. Many farmers want to expand herds and finding it too expensive. With a parlour you just milk for an extra hour or two a day as herd expands.

Robots = £100k + all the others costs such as housing, etc.

Larger herds with several robots can sell them and put in a large parlour for less cost
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
Nobody answered my last question
How long is it before a bot is obsolete
Is it like a computer that obsolete the day you buy it
Alot will depend on how well maintained it has been and looked after, it's a similar principle to machinery renewal, there will come a point when it makes better sense to carry on running them because there will be plenty of 2nd hand bits about at sensible prices.
I hope that my bots will see 10 yrs plus but it may be that we look at swapping them before then.
 

Agrifool

Member
Quite a lot of robots being pulled out,both red and blue. Quite a lot of the posts here have quoted service costs but as I know from some users this doesnt always cover parts so be prepared for eye watering bills over and above the monthly service contract.
 
I know at least 3 farms with blue robots and 2 with red. Two of them have had robots for at least 5 years and one has doubled up from 2 to 4. No complaints from anyone.

20,000 quid a year less labour can soon pay serious service bills.
Your the only one who says less labour, most say that in reality you just need as many people.
 

Macus3

Member
Location
Northern Ireland
LKL did a study on their robot farms a couple years ago - they had 60 I think. Not one had dropped a labour unit.


That may well be the case. However here in northern Ireland 99% of farms will be family farms. In my case I am running 2 robots and manage to look after cows and do all work involved and field work for grass and arable except harvest. Its perhaps not a case of dropping a labour unit but what is that labour doing? Cows and calves get their TLC and fed in the morning routine and leaves the rest of the day for other jobs.... unless there is anything specific needing extra attention in the evening,the robots take care of the milking.

As a smaller farm its getting incredibly difficult to find labour, both good full time and someone to relief milk ... in my case the robots give flexibility and the ability to have a decent work life balance.
 
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No papp would disagree he would have a herdsman/ milker if he didn’t have bots

In a son and father situation milking 100-180 cows on bots is ideal enough labour for time of and holiday cover

Who covers holidays though?

Fullwood robotic guy in Cheshire Told me he wished he hadn’t done it, at least before he could ring LKL and get relief holiday cover, now he’s got no one to ring, he’s now tied to the farm permanently
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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