Cows in charge at robotic farm

A cow uses a back scratcher on a robotic dairy farm belonging to Southlander Bill Overgaauw. Photo / Supplied

In 2008, Southland dairy farmer Bill Overgaauw set up a robotic farm with the cows deciding when to be milked and machines doing the milking.

Overgaauw is now in his third season and he's never going back. "No way for me," he says.

A conventional milking system would need the farmer to be up at 4.30am but the robotic operation only needs to be visited at 8am and about 6pm for cleaning and checking.

Cows decide when to be milked and make their way to the shed where a special collar identifies the animal, and the teats are washed and scanned before the milking cups are attached.

Details including the weight of the cow are gathered and when milking is finished the cups come off, the teats are sprayed and an automatic gate guides the cow out of the shed.

There is even an optional robotic back scratcher for an extra bit of bovine pampering.

Overgaauw, who also owns an adjacent conventional dairy unit, says that he installed the technology because it was more cow-friendly.

"I like to see the cows do the job more by themselves," he says.

"The cows are walking in by themselves and it's more cow-friendly and more cow-healthy."

The robotic dairy farm has 320 cows and can be handled by just one person, Overgaauw says.

The robotic milking system was about the same price as a traditional 50-bail rotary operation, cheaper to run and Overgaauw says he gets on average 20 per cent more milk production per cow - although this is more a result of grass quality, feeding and breeding.

"It works brilliant, we love it."

Overgaauw says this was the second robotic dairy farm in the South Island. The first year he set up people found it scary, the second year they said it worked well.

"And now the third year people start talking with the dealer, [asking] 'what's the options for me?' I can see more robotic farms taking off in New Zealand as farmers replace their milking sheds or convert to dairy."