Dennis: 'We’ve known each other for a long time because of living and growing up in the same region and community. Our Lely relationship started through the electrical engineering company. We continued and strengthened that relationship when Jake and his family chose the Lely A5 Astronauts for their first farm in November 2021. I came on board to help with the installation, and then continued as a Lely service partner to support and maintain the A5s. Last year, I helped to install eight A5s on the second farm.
Jake and his family have championed the introduction of voluntary robotic milking on grass-based farms and are very strong defenders of the industry, both locally and nationally. They offer unconditional support to their colleagues in the area. It’s very rewarding for us to be involved in these two successful, well-run farms.'
How would you describe your relationship with this farmer?
Jake: 'It’s crucial to be realistic about what you can produce in a grass-based system. Our cows are our top priority. We never try to push them too hard, because our milk factors are influenced by the weather, and we can’t influence the climate. So, we don’t strive to get that last litre out of our cows; we have a realistic approach.
Besides, I strongly believe that grass-based farms play a crucial role in the dairy industry globally, not just in Australia. And with its European roots, Lely has traditionally been primarily focused on indoor farming. This sometimes means that things like technology and software updates need to be tailored to meet the unique needs of farms like ours. Since every farm is unique. Of course this brings challenges, but there also are many benefits to farming on a grass-based farm.'
What do you believe every Lely employee should know about grass-based farming?
Dennis: 'The environmental climate is unfortunately beyond our control, but the emotional and financial climate for farmers is within our control! When it comes to the Lely robots themselves, voluntary milking frees up labour and time on the farm for cow care and handling. However, the transition from conventional milking to automated robotic systems can be a big change for the farmer and the animals. Our team has enough solid all-round knowledge of all aspects of the farm environment to offer a complete package of services and continuous support, even beyond the robots, as the farmers’ needs change.'
How can Lely support the farmer with these challenges?
Jake: 'We are a fully grass-based farm, so our cows are outdoors every day of the year, grazing every blade of grass. Our main priority is to grow and utilise as much pasture as possible for direct grazing by the cows. However, we have relatively low rainfall – only 700 millimetres, and it all occurs within a six-month period. This means we only have good grass-growing conditions for half of the year. In the remaining six months, we face dry, hot summer conditions. Therefore, our biggest challenge is our climatic conditions; managing milk production, taking good care of our cows and ensuring voluntary movement during this extended summer period. As well as dealing with climate-related challenges like heatwaves and floods.'
Currently, what are the main challenges for your farm?
Farm facts
Farm name: Nangkita Dairies, a family-owned grass-based farm
Location: Mount Compass in South Australia
Start date: Lely customer since November 2021
Number of cows: Two farms, one with 450 cows and one with 350 cows
Lely robots: A total of 14 milking robots (all A5s)
Lely Center: Lely Center Fleurieu Peninsula
What are your ambitions on the farm for the next five to ten years?
Jake: 'My ambition is to maintain a profitable and sustainable dairy farm system based on robotic milking on pasture, with a heavy influence on voluntary milking. I believe the change to milk robots will support voluntary milking, which I believe is hugely beneficial, and probably even more beneficial for the cows themselves than we as farmers realise. Moving forward, that enables the next generation to join the business and have a sustainable future in dairy. We could potentially expand with a third dairy by replicating this system.'
Dennis Phillips (53)
Test & Service Engineer
Jake Connor (31)
Farmer and Sales Advisor at Lely Australia Pty. Ltd
GRASS-BASED FARMER
Besides working as a Sales Advisor at Lely Australia, Jake Connor operates two dairy farms – one with 450 cows and the other with 350 cows – together with his family in Mount Compass, South Australia. Both farms are what Lely refers to as ‘grass-based farms’, meaning that cows graze outdoors year-round without the presence of barns. We asked Jake and Lely Center colleague Dennis to tell us more about grass-based farming.
Dennis Phillips (53)
Test & Service Engineer
Dennis: 'The environmental climate is unfortunately beyond our control, but the emotional and financial climate for farmers is within our control! When it comes to the Lely robots themselves, voluntary milking frees up labour and time on the farm for cow care and handling. However, the transition from conventional milking to automated robotic systems can be a big change for the farmer and the animals. Our team has enough solid all-round knowledge of all aspects of the farm environment to offer a complete package of services and continuous support, even beyond the robots, as the farmers’ needs change.'
How can Lely support the farmer with these challenges?
Jake Connor (31)
Farmer and Sales Advisor at Lely Australia Pty. Ltd
What are your ambitions on the farm for the next five to ten years?
Jake: 'My ambition is to maintain a profitable and sustainable dairy farm system based on robotic milking on pasture, with a heavy influence on voluntary milking. I believe the change to milk robots will support voluntary milking, which I believe is hugely beneficial, and probably even more beneficial for the cows themselves than we as farmers realise. Moving forward, that enables the next generation to join the business and have a sustainable future in dairy. We could potentially expand with a third dairy by replicating this system.'
Dennis: 'We’ve known each other for a long time because of living and growing up in the same region and community. Our Lely relationship started through the electrical engineering company. We continued and strengthened that relationship when Jake and his family chose the Lely A5 Astronauts for their first farm in November 2021. I came on board to help with the installation, and then continued as a Lely service partner to support and maintain the A5s. Last year, I helped to install eight A5s on the second farm.
Jake and his family have championed the introduction of voluntary robotic milking on grass-based farms and are very strong defenders of the industry, both locally and nationally. They offer unconditional support to their colleagues in the area. It’s very rewarding for us to be involved in these two successful, well-run farms.'
How would you describe your relationship with this farmer?
Jake: 'It’s crucial to be realistic about what you can produce in a grass-based system. Our cows are our top priority. We never try to push them too hard, because our milk factors are influenced by the weather, and we can’t influence the climate. So, we don’t strive to get that last litre out of our cows; we have a realistic approach.
Besides, I strongly believe that grass-based farms play a crucial role in the dairy industry globally, not just in Australia. And with its European roots, Lely has traditionally been primarily focused on indoor farming. This sometimes means that things like technology and software updates need to be tailored to meet the unique needs of farms like ours. Since every farm is unique. Of course this brings challenges, but there also are many benefits to farming on a grass-based farm.'
What do you believe every Lely employee should know about grass-based farming?
Jake: 'We are a fully grass-based farm, so our cows are outdoors every day of the year, grazing every blade of grass. Our main priority is to grow and utilise as much pasture as possible for direct grazing by the cows. However, we have relatively low rainfall – only 700 millimetres, and it all occurs within a six-month period. This means we only have good grass-growing conditions for half of the year. In the remaining six months, we face dry, hot summer conditions. Therefore, our biggest challenge is our climatic conditions; managing milk production, taking good care of our cows and ensuring voluntary movement during this extended summer period. As well as dealing with climate-related challenges like heatwaves and floods.'
Currently, what are the main challenges for your farm?
Farm facts
Farm name: Nangkita Dairies, a family-owned grass-based farm
Location: Mount Compass in South Australia
Start date: Lely customer since November 2021
Number of cows: Two farms, one with 450 cows and one with 350 cows
Lely robots: A total of 14 milking robots (all A5s)
Lely Center: Lely Center Fleurieu Peninsula
Besides working as a Sales Advisor at Lely Australia, Jake Connor operates two dairy farms – one with 450 cows and the other with 350 cows – together with his family in Mount Compass, South Australia. Both farms are what Lely refers to as ‘grass-based farms’, meaning that cows graze outdoors year-round without the presence of barns. We asked Jake and Lely Center colleague Dennis to tell us more about grass-based farming.
GRASS-BASED FARMER
