Gippsland dairy farmer invests in robotic milking transformation
A third-generation dairy farmer has invested $2.4m in robotic milkers to future-proof his family's Leongatha South farm, expanding the herd while reducing labour costs.
Benjamin Vagg has led his family’s dairy operation into the robotic age as part of a carefully planned succession strategy at Leongatha South.
The 37-year-old has managed the dairy for his parents since March 2020 and installed eight robotic milking units in May after recognising the technology was essential for the farm’s viability going forward.
“For me as the next generation to be able to buy the farm and make a profit we needed to milk over 600 cows,” Benjamin said.
The investment has delivered on that target, with the herd increasing by 100 cows since installation while also reducing labour requirements by one full-time position.
FIT-FOR-PURPOSE
The 260 hectare property has been in the Vagg family for three generations, with Benjamin’s father Gordon managing the operation for 55 years with wife Sylvia.
The milking herd is predominantly Jersey with a smaller portion of Friesian-cross. They have a split calving – 70 per cent spring and 30 per cent autumn.
The previous 28 swing-over dairy presented significant challenges for the expanding operation.
Located on a busy highway corner of the farm, conditions were dangerous for milk tanker access.
The daily routine required nine hours across two milkings plus calf feeding.
“The existing herringbone was built for a different time and was no longer fit-for-purpose,” Benjamin said.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Rather than retrofitting the existing facilities, the Vagg’s chose a greenfield site one kilometre from the old dairy.
They compared new rotary dairies with robotic options but key person risk emerged as the decisive factor.
“When push comes to shove, key person risk is astronomical in our operation because if I don’t have a senior staff member available, and something happens to me, who will sling the milk cups?” Benjamin said.
The robots offer operational security even if Benjamin becomes incapacitated.
“With the robots, I can still direct and run the shed while someone pushes cows in for me if need be,” he said.
Staff management also influenced the decision.
Benjamin said robotic technology was more appealing to young workers than conventional milking systems, helping address workforce challenges.
“The next generation – you give them a computer screen and they’ll show you how it drives,” he said.
TECH TAKE OVER
The Vagg’s invested about $2.4 million in eight GEA robots, with individual units costing $275,000 to $300,000 each.
The choice of GEA over competitors came down to practical considerations and local support.
“I prefer the design of the GEA – I still wanted to be able to get in behind the cows and put the cups on myself if I had to,” Benjamin said.
The new dairy was built with capacity for 12 robots so infrastructure was ready for four additional units should the Vagg’s wish to expand.
Construction took 18 months and Benjamin employed a strategic transition plan – splitting the herd and training spring calvers first before moving autumn calvers across.
However, the real test came when introducing the whole herd to the new technology.
Initial cow adaptation presented challenges.
The concrete and welding odours from construction initially deterred cows.
“Once it started to smell like a dairy the cows were happy and their behaviour changed dramatically,” Benjamin said.
“By the fifth day, every cow walked into the robots.”
Some cows are currently still over-milking at 4.4 times a day, while the herd average sits at 2.1 milkings.
“They reckon it takes the cows 12 to 18 months to get used to the new grazing system,” Benjamin said.
The robots have delivered mastitis detection improvements, with bulk milk cell counts dropping by 25,000 to average 115,000 to 135,000. Individual udder quarter management has also increased efficiency.
CHALLENGING SEASONS
The farm spans varied soil types across its 240 effective hectares, with 24ha of heavy red soil and the remainder grey loam.
Humped and hollowed drainage improvements have proven successful in past years for managing wet conditions.
“Dad has seen droughts but now that we are pushing the system and trying to milk a cow per acre, you don’t have the reserves anymore,” Benjamin said.
“It was really tough the last 12 months.”
Despite normally having plenty of fodder reserves, the Vaggs ran out.
“We had to buy heaps in – cereal hay from central NSW and straw from Queensland – it was terrible quality but we needed fibre for the cows,” Benjamin said.
The robot system also forced changes to summer feeding.
Traditional turnip strip grazing became impractical due to variable cow residence times in paddocks.
Maize silage now provides controlled nutrition delivery.
OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT
Benjamin views his pasture-based system as environmentally optimal.
Increased cow density has improved carbon efficiency per litre of milk produced, while tree planting programs and native bushland protection work continues.
Future plans include solar power installation to match robot energy requirements.
The operation required a sophisticated water treatment system with reverse osmosis to convert previously unusable bore water into the high-quality supply robots demand.
“Robots do use more water per cow – they like to keep themselves really clean and need much cleaner water,” Benjamin said.
The system reduces town water costs while improving milk quality through better water standards.
Benjamin said the robots substituted physical human energy with mechanical energy, with efficiency gains and milk quality improvements helping offset higher power and water costs.
Expansion plans include a dairy shelter and feed pad at the robot site, along with tractor and hay sheds, and a silage bunker.
Virtual herding technology may be adopted in the future, although integration with existing robot systems requires further investigation.
Benjamin said there were no regrets in embracing technology.
“It is all about saving time and increasing efficiency,” he said.
