Fresh grass, quiet robots, and cows that choose their own breakfast. That’s the unexpected picture that emerges when grazing meets automation on modern UK dairy farms. We sit down with Matthew Senior, Farmer & Robot Grazing Consultant and George Dalton, Farmer, who prove robotic milking doesn’t end pasture; it strengthens it, from ABC grazing schedules to leaner labour and sharper decisions.We unpack why a shift from spring to autumn block calving can fit dry summers, wet winters, and evo...
Fresh grass, quiet robots, and cows that choose their own breakfast. That’s the unexpected picture that emerges when grazing meets automation on modern UK dairy farms. We sit down with Matthew Senior, Farmer & Robot Grazing Consultant and George Dalton, Farmer, who prove robotic milking doesn’t end pasture; it strengthens it, from ABC grazing schedules to leaner labour and sharper decisions.
We unpack why a shift from spring to autumn block calving can fit dry summers, wet winters, and evolving milk contracts. The conversation follows the practical steps: planning lanes and gates, sizing paddocks, sticking to entry covers around 2,800–3,000 and residuals at 1,500–1,600, and letting the grazeway gate cue movement every eight hours. The cows’ driver isn’t sweets in the stall; it’s fresh pasture on the other side of the robot. Average visits hover around two per day, robots stay free for heifers and fresh cows, and the yard stops feeling like a twice-daily stampede.
We also dive into self-feed silage for autumn herds: building a wide pad, layering grass cuts, topping with maize and rape meal, and training cows to eat over a wire without waste. It’s not no work, it’s different work—periodic unsheeting, tidy faces, good wire geometry—and it cuts reliance on mixers and daily diesel. On the data front, collars and robot software deliver fast, focused insight: daily milk records, rumination, activity, and health and heat lists that you act on with judgement, not panic. Many alerts self-resolve; late-lactation cows don’t need three milkings; breeding gets simpler when the gate auto-segregates cows for AI.
The real win is balance. Yields rise with targeted cake, antibiotics fall, and days become more flexible. Visitors see cows roaming by choice, a powerful story for animal welfare and transparency. If you’ve ever wondered whether robots and grazing can coexist, this is a clear, practical roadmap that shows how to get more milk from grass, protect soil and lanes, and reclaim your time.
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This was recorded in January 2026, and all information was correct at the time of recording.
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