Leongatha dairy farmer Benjamin Vagg reveals game-changing robotic switch

Gippsland dairy farmer Benjamin Vagg has transformed his 560-cow operation with robotic milking machines. Here’s why.

From slinging milking machines to dinging mobile screens, Benjamin Vagg joined dairy’s robotic revolution this year and wishes he started sooner.

In an age of milking staff shortages, the Leongatha region farmer installed an eight-stand robot dairy three months ago on a green field site away from his existing herringbone shed.

Running a herd of between 535-560 cows on more than 240ha, Benjamin had been contemplating the move to robotics since studying at New Zealand’s Massey University a decade ago.

“Seeing the rollout of robotic dairies first-hand in New Zealand was a real eye-opener,” the Dairy Farmers of Victoria committee member said.

“We’re talking about 10 years ago, so the technology has changed significantly since then but the fundamentals remain the same – freeing up time from slinging (milking) cups to focusing on your herd, pasture and business management.

“The pressure point for any dairy farmer, even in drought, is the milking hours of the day. “Whether that’s the pressure on yourself managing the milking, or trying to find staff to milk – it all gets pretty wearing, so this has been a massive positive.”

Benjamin Vagg, at his dairy, Leongatha South, Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Expense is often a dissuasive factor for farmers looking to make the switch to robotic dairies, with a single robot unit retailing in Australia in the $150,000 to $210,000 range.

But it was practical pressures that convinced Benjamin to make the switch and he said opting for a greenfield site, rather than retrofitting his existing milking facilities proved cost efficient.

“The existing herringbone was built for a different time,” Benjamin said.

“It’s right up to the edge of the Bass Highway, so it was no longer fit-for-purpose for modern-day milk tankers.

“We chose a green field site, starting from scratch, because it wasn’t just the herringbone that was out-of-date, it was the site itself.”

Benjamin said his herd adapted quickly to the robotic dairy and he plans to expand his herd to more than 600 as a result of the efficiencies gained in recent months.

“Anyone who’s worked with cows knows they get into a routine – most of the herd don’t need too much encouragement to be milked, they’ll just wander in,” he said.

“Dairy farming still means longer work days than the 9-to-5 worker, but it now means you’re not up at a ridiculous time to start milking. Plus, you can dedicate more of the working day to improving the other parts of the business.

“Our generation, people in their 30s, we grew up with VHS video recorders, then DVDs replaced VHS and then DVDs were replaced with streaming – so we’re more used to change.”

Benjamin Vagg, at his dairy, Leongatha South, Picture Yuri Kouzmin