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Brian and Margaret Schnell.
Brian and Margaret Schnell bought their Bunnythorpe, Manawatu dairy farm in 1984, and were joined by their daughter Amy and husband Greg Gemmell, who became sharemilkers in 2003.
Fast forward to 2016, when they decided to replace a tired 24-aside herringbone set-up with three Lely Astronaut robots, meaning labour requirements dropped from 1.5 to 0.5 units, and a change from being milkers to supervisors.
The Schnell and Gemmell Partnership farms 240 Friesians, split 75:25 between spring and autumn calvers, now producing about 390kgMS/cow on an all grass system, and expected to rise to 450- 500kgMS/cow within three years.
The Gemmells suggest this can be explained by general improvements in overall health, fewer cases of mastitis – only three this season so far – and a general ‘calmness’ about the herd. Greg Gemmell says this calmness results in less stress for the cows, which seem to thrive on being left to their own devices.
At the robots the cows patiently wait their turn, and on entry they step onto the platform which measures their weight while a rotary brush system cleans and stimulates their teats. Next a robot arm moves under the cow and laser guidance is used to attach the cups to the appropriate teats and milking commences.
As each quarter is milked out the teat cup is removed so there is no risk of over-milking. During the process milk is held in an interceptor vessel, with individual they will milk themselves more frequently and subsequently control the problem.
The system is giving Greg a permanent break from standing on concrete – a relief after 25 years of it – and more time to be with his three boys all under nine and, most importantly, show them how to play rugby properly.
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The first weeks of a calf's life quietly shape the future of the entire herd.
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