Operating from a farm in the deep south of New Zealand, we milk our (predominantly) Jersey herd through four Lely Astronaut A5 robots.

Prior to this, we used A4 robots and before 2013 we used a 26 aside and then a 36 aside herringbone shed.

Our farm is flat and while the girls are fed a mix of nuts their diet is 80-85% pasture.

Good legs and strong feet are important here as the girls generally walk further now than they did in a conventional system, albeit at their own pace and time of their choosing.

It would not be unusual for some of them to walk 5km a day – more or less depending.

Milk speed is also very important – no-one likes to see slow milking cows holding up fast efficient girls.

In the winter of 2023 the girls finally had access to the newly built wintering barn. It is a composting barn and used predominantly for wintering and calving only.