With a constant focus on improving their business, the introduction of robots has allowed one multigenerational farm in Cumbria to refine and improve their enterprise. Emily Ashworth finds out more.
You could be forgiven for not realising that there is in fact a thriving dairy enterprise at Catterlen Hall. Driving towards the historic 15th century site in Catterlen, Penrith, the surrounding views are impressive, but the Grade 1 listed building is now the backdrop to the Dent familys farming business, since Jim and Mary Dent moved here in 1964. Son Michael and his wife Joanne, with grandson Tom and his wife Helen, now run the farm. Over the years, much to Jims delight, it has improved, progressed and is now focused on efficiency. The family runs 200 cows, predominantly Holsteins, milking 180. Up until August 2020, they had been using the floating rotary parlour that Michael and Jim installed.
After much deliberation, the decision to switch to a robotic system has proved to be a successful one.
Tom says: It was approaching 30 years old - it worked fine mechanically, but it was more the labour side and getting help for relief milking. We wanted to stick with the Holsteins and they are more suited to the indoor robotic system as opposed to the twice-a-day milking and grazing. We looked at a few options and it was hard to fit the robot into the old shed, so we decided on a purpose-built one.
Changes
Moving the cows inside all year round was, says Tom, a big change, but the improvements they have seen support their decision given that yields have increased on average from 9,500 litres per year, to 11,500 litres per year. The average milking is 3.2 times a day and weve seen a butterfat increase, says Tom, 29. Toms wife Helen is also involved in the business, but hails from an arable farm near Carlisle.
Helen is helping to bring her own passions through, most recently turning her attention to carbon auditing. This is particularly useful as she has recently started her new job role at Carbon Metrics, helping farmers and farm businesses look at their carbon footprint.
We did a carbon audit in 2020 and it was just below average, says Helen, 27.
Weve recently done another one to see if the robots help, as energy use has gone down while milk production is up.
Carbon has gone down from 1.43kg to 1kg per kilo of milk since changing systems. The focus is to produce [milk] as efficiently as possible. At my family farm, as there is no livestock and weve got renewables, we are carbon neutral.
The industry can be net zero, but I do not think every single farm can be.
Tom agrees, but by monitoring such aspects it is, he says, a good way to benchmark against national averages. Their all-year-round calving system has changed quite dramatically too.
Tom says: We used to calve outside where possible but have changed since the robots came and we have extra shed space having altered existing buildings. Through the summer we turn out dry cows and they are brought back in three weeks prior to calving and put back on the calving ration. Calves are taken straight off the cow and placed in single pens for the first two weeks, before moving onto an automated calf machine.
We have also moved to using an all-sexed semen system, targeting the best genetics in the herd and using data from the Lely system. The lower end of the herd is put to Wagyu semen, which we have used for a number of years.
Now we have the shed space to cope with storing more replacements and Wagyu beef-stock, as before we would not have had the room. We used to send in-calf heifers out for winter, but now we have space to keep them at home and we take the Wagyus up to 21 months old. We then take them to a local rearing unit which takes them to finishing age.
Environment
It is still an all-grass-based system across their 150 hectares (370 acres). Environment is next on the agenda, with Catterlen part of the Mid-Tier stewardship scheme. A total of 28ha (70 acres) is used for summer grazing youngstock on a low input system, keeping the stocking rate low and taking them off in winter. They also want to start looking at organic matter and carbon in the soil.
Tom says: The soil type and management practices mean there should be good levels. We also apply all our slurry with a dribble bar. We have concreted the yard to divert clean and dirty rainwater. This year we will be building fence boundaries and hedgerows, to link current hedgerows up.
They are certainly reaping the rewards of their new system and not just in terms of milk production. Time is key and what used to take three hours morning and night, is now a different scenario and is, says Michael, leading to a totally different way of life. Herd health is more of a focus than ever as well.With this system it is not just milking anymore,
Tom says. The data is the biggest thing. You start in the morning and the first thing you look at is the computer to see what has gone on through the night. You can make more informed decisions. We do selective dry therapy now, using cell count and lactation history, to see which cows are going to benefit from antibiotics. We are always trying to move forwards.
Growth
Rising costs and balancing that with becoming environmentally friendly are two challenges they feel they are facing, and there are improvements still needing to be made although Tom, it seems, is not one to let the business stand still.
He says: We are always trying to improve standards or get ahead of them, while making sure we are portraying the correct image to the public. Calf buildings need improving, and hopefully this year we can upgrade the internals and improve floor drainage and ventilation.
Slurry storage is something else. We can just about hold it now throughout winter, but rules are becoming tighter. We want to be able to apply it at the best time, instead of having to use it because we are full up.
With Toms granddad joining him and Michael in the new shed, the fact the family is continuing the business and pushing it into a new era is something Jim embraces, and, more so is proud of. He was, in fact, one of the first to bring Holsteins over from Canada, including the Blossom cow family, whose genetics are still performing well within the herd.
What does Jim make of the new age of technology? I think it is marvellous and it is nice to see the next generation taking it on, he says.
Farm facts
- Runs 200 predominantly Holstein cows, milking 180, across 150 hectares (370 acres)
- Installed Lely A5 robot system in August 2020
- Yields have increased on average from 9,500 litres per year to 11,500 litres per year
- Contract with Yew Tree Dairy
- Grass-based system with calving indoors all year round
