After a lifetime of working hard on the farm, Alastair Steel did something radical.
In 2021, instead of upgrading his rotary dairy, he installed four dairy robots.
“Robots make life easier for older farmers,” Alastair said.
“With robots, I can run the farm myself and reduce the wear and tear on my body.”
Alastair is hosting Lely Center Gippsland at an open day on his farm outside of Orbost on Wednesday, January 24. It’s a great opportunity to come along and talk with the Lely robot technicians and experienced farm support staff.
The farm is only 10 minutes from Orbost. Drop in between 11am and 2pm for a low key, informal walk around Alastair’s set up.
It’s late lactation for much of the herd so cow traffic will be slow. However visitors will see how the robots are installed in existing sheds and yards which is a cheaper option than a greenfield site.
Wander about to see the interface on the vat, the workings inside the robots and the type of data that is generated such as health reports and daily task lists.
Alastair will be on hand to quiz too. He’ll explain the flexibility that robots give him.
For instance, his days start at home with a check of the robot reports on the computer. Then, in his own time, he heads to the dairy to attend to drafted cows.
“It’s like having your best milker on duty every hour, every day,” Alastair said.
After the dairy visit, Alastair can focus the rest of the day on other farm jobs or sneak in an occasional surf.
The bold decision of installing robots is working well for Alastair’s fourth decade of farming.
For purposes of light catering, please register your attendance online at the Lely Gippsland website.
