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The Kneller brothers - Chris 44, Keith 43, Mike 42.
Farm/dairy name: Middle Burrow Farm
Owners: Kneller Brothers
No of dairy cows: 350
Housing: New cubicle building
Milking system: DeLaval Voluntary Milking System (being installed)
Work is nearing completion at a dairy enterprise in Devon that will place Middle Burrow Farm, East Worthington at the leading edge of technology in robotic milking…
Brothers Chris, Keith and Mike Kneller are installing the innovative DeLaval voluntary milking system at their 220 hectare farm and, when it comes on stream in about ten weeks time, the DeLaval VMS will be one of the first such system to be implemented in the South West.
Research
“We did our homework and research thoroughly travelling to both Sweden and Holland, as well as dairy farms in the UK to see different robotic systems in operation, says Mike the youngest of the three Kneller brothers. “We recognised the DeLaval system as having the greatest opportunities for our own dairy enterprise”.
Pedigree Herd
The brothers Chris 44, Keith 43, and Mike 42 have built up their present 350 Holstein Friesian pedigree dairy herd from just 40 cows, when their father first bought the farm in 1983. Today they grow 100 acres each of maize and whole crop wheat for feed, as well as caring for some 60 acres of common grassland. They also rear all their own replacements – some 150 calves each year. Currently the herd, which is housed inside, is milked twice daily by the 20/20 Herringbone system.
Better Lifestyle
“It was a ‘better lifestyle’ theory for both our animals and ourselves that first prompted us to investigate a robotic milking system for the farm”, admits Mike.
“There will be no twice daily milking routine once the VMS is installed. Instead the cows will have voluntary access to the milking robot as they return from feeding –something they do 12 times a day on average. We believe this will be better for animal welfare and we hope allow more time for better management and animal husbandry. The new barn, which is of Dutch design, is well ventilated and is fitted with a slatted floor where dung will drop into an underground channel that gravitates to a pit”
The Knellers’ are currently putting the finishing touches to the new building in readiness for the robotic system to be fitted. “We will begin by milking half the herd with the VMS”, says Mike, who with his brothers will be attending an intensive training course in the art of using the new system.
He adds: “Currently our cows produce an average of 7,900 litres of milk and with the new system we are hoping for to increase yield to around 10,000 litres.
“The DeLaval system has been a huge investment for us as a family and realistically we are looking at a ten year period for a return on our money. However we are confident that we have made the correct decision and look forward to the future…
Many thanks to "Milk Matters" for permission to use this article .
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