One Cumbria-based partnership has swapped beef and sheep for a dairy enterprise, investing more than £1 million to create a high-welfare robotic dairy system.
TEXT SARAH ALDERTON
Roy and Charlotte Ashley always intended to milk cows on their 81-hectare unit after buying the farm in 2016. And in May 2024 the couple, who farm near Bolton, made their long-held dream a reality, replacing their 50-cow Limousin cross and British Blue cross suckler herd, and 100 Lleyn sheep, with a herd of 137 milking Jerseys.
“We always wanted to set up a dairy when we came here,” says Roy. “The person we bought Laitha Farm from had Jerseys, and that stuck with us. But we wanted to do it right, and we’ve been planning this move for many years.”
The couple’s decision to choose Jerseys stemmed from the breed’s economic advantages and ability to produce premium-quality milk. An article Roy read in The Cumberland News, back in 2012, about the Farlam Jersey herd, which is based near Brampton, helped solidify their plans.
“It made sense to go for a smaller cow that produces better quality milk that commands a premium price,” says Roy, adding that back in 2012 the article stated that Jersey milk secured an additional 12.5ppl.
Local vet Neil Frame also played a role in shaping the couple’s breed choice. “Neil suggested we find a niche. The Jersey breed ticked all the boxes and allows us to carve out a distinct market for high-quality milk.”
Farm infrastructure
Before investing in their herd, the Ashleys first focused heavily on improving farm infrastructure, for several years, to ensure a smooth transition into dairying. Their primary focus was on building a 150ft-long by 100ftwide cubicle house tailored to Jerseys. The barn features 160 Mayo Cow Comfort cubicles and mattresses, which are designed specifically for the breed.
Charlotte says they took some of their inspiration for the shed from Menai Jerseys in Anglesey after seeing videos of their herd and unit. “We liked the design of the shed, how light it was, and the airflow.”
They also opted for extra wide passages, approximately four metres, to provide the cows with plenty of space and to minimise any hierarchal or ‘bullying’ issues. The building has Yorkshire boarding on one end, with open sides. The other end has a solid top line instead of Yorkshire boarding, as sunlight coming through boarding can affect cows going to the robot due to the intensity of light.
Another notable addition was a FeedStar conveyor feeding system, supplied by Tim Gibson. Due to a four-metre drop on one side of the shed, traditional feed delivery methods were impractical. “The cost of aggregate and concrete to overcome the drop would have surpassed the cost of the FeedStar,” explains Roy.
The £20,000 system allows feed to be loaded at one end and delivered along the feed face via a conveyor belt. This ensures cows always have access to fresh feed while keeping the eating surface clean. Roy says the FeedStar is handy for farms with access issues or where producers are trying to reinvigorate an old shed without space for additional feed troughs.
The Ashleys also opted for robotic milking, driven by high welfare standards and the convenience of cows being able to milk ‘themselves’, so to speak, without needing to employ additional staff. The unit’s two Lely A5 robots provide critical health data for individual cows, such as somatic cell counts and early mastitis detection, as well as eliminating the requirement for labour-intensive milking routines.
“I can’t understand why anyone would want to stand in a parlour for several hours a day. Having robots frees up more time for us to spend with the cows to focus on management and other day-to-day husbandry tasks.”
Labour shortages were another factor in their decision to take the automated route. “We were keen to keep the labour requirements to just the two of us,” says Roy, adding that the building also has cow brushes and LED lighting to maximise cow welfare.
Dairy investment
The couple’s investments have been substantial. As well as the robotic milking system, which was partly funded by a 40% grant, the Ashleys have built a dedicated calving shed, a calf shed where calves are initially housed in pairs on straw before being moved into groups of five, and a roofed handling system. Roy conservatively estimates that these upgrades, in addition to the farm purchase, have exceeded £1 million.
Their latest investment has been the arrival of the Lely Discovery Collector 2, a robot that vacuums manure from the floor. Charlotte says scraping with a tractor is labour intensive, and they dismissed rope scrapers due to injuries they can cause to animals. The collector cost £37,000 but they hope to recoup their money by keeping cows cleaner and reducing cases of digital dermatitis and lameness, which are currently quite high. They believe this is partly as a result of the unit’s new concrete flooring.
The buildings stood empty for almost two years before any cows arrived, with the couple waiting for the right opportunity. During this time, they managed to secure a milk contract to supply Graham’s Family Dairy after visiting the company’s stand at the Royal Highland Show in 2023.
Jersey herd
The stars finally aligned in May 2024 when the Clitheroe-based Ribble Jersey herd, owned by Paul Ingham, came up for sale. The cows, of high pedigree status, had all been genomically tested and were being milked on two Lely A4 robots, making the fit even more perfect.
The Ashleys purchased 137 milking cows through Norton Brooksbank and have since bought a further 64 youngstock and in-calf heifers from the same herd, paying more than £200,000 for the stock. They also opted to buy the Lely collars that the cows were wearing, which gave them a seamless start to milking.
“The cows literally walked off the lorry and into the building and started milking. It was a seamless transition, and we had no labour costs as the collars were already on the cows and the herd was already familiar with the robots. Milking – and milk production – began immediately,” says Roy.
Milking cows are housed, with dry cows turned out to grass in the summer. The all-year-round calving herd is fed a TMR, with concentrate fed to yield through the robots. Initially, the couple intended to allow cows out to grass using a Grazeway gate – something they invested in.
But, after nearly a year, they believe the cows are better suited to being managed inside in a controlled environment. The Grazeway gate will now be used to segment cows that need close attention.
Cows are being milked on average 3.3 times a day, yielding 23.5 litres at 6% butterfat and 4.3% protein. Average somatic cell count is currently below 150,000 cells/ml, with Bactoscan below 100.
Charlotte says the data from the robots allows them to keep on top of cow health, with the robots alerting them to potential problems before any clinical signs.
“You can stop mastitis on the day it starts,” she adds. Plans are in place to continue genomically testing the herd to aid breeding decisions. Roy and Charlotte currently select their best cows using robot data on yield and health, as well as NMR records, to identify the top 25%.
These are put to sexed semen to breed replacements, with the rest of the herd bred to Aberdeen Angus sires, which they plan to rear on.
Johne’s-disease testing
Any Johne’s-positive cows are removed from the herd. “We want to stamp out Johne’s disease early on,” says Charlotte, noting there are very few Johne’s-positive cows in the herd. The couple have also established their own herd prefix, Luz Beck, named after the local stream running through the farm.
Some cows arrived in-calf to Beef Shorthorn sires, but they had problems calving, which is why Angus is now the preferred breed. “Angus calves are just slipping out,” says Roy.
As well as investing in infrastructure, the duo has been reseeding around 10 hectares each year with conventional ryegrasses to optimise grass yields. Some of their land is in a stewardship scheme, which ends this year. But with a desire to farm for productivity rather than being tied to environmental constraints, they are deciding whether to renew or farm the land as they wish.
There is room for expansion on the unit, but the couple plans to fine-tune the current setup during the next few years before making any further expansion decisions
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