Retrofitting Milking Robots
Cost-Effective Path to Automation
Explore The Possibility of Retrofitting
Thinking about automation? Retrofitting your barn is a smart way to use your existing infrastructure while lowering installation costs and minimising disruption to your farm. By working with your local Lely Center, you’ll have access to expert Lely Farm Management Service and Lely Technical Support teams who can help ensure a smooth transition to automation.
What are the benefits of a retrofit barn?
Cost Savings
Building a new barn can be expensive. Retrofitting focuses on upgrading what you already possess, therefore making automation more affordable.
Preserve Infrastructure
Make the most of your existing facilities. Retrofitting optimises the use of your current barn, reducing waste and its environmental impact.
Flexible for the Future
Retrofitting provides flexibility to adapt as your farm evolves. It enables more gradual growth, better aligning your budget and goals with your robot expansion.
Easy Adoption for Cows
Because cows are already accustomed to being milked in the barn, transitioning to robotic milking through a retrofit arrangement is often easier and less stressful.
Before and After
Brian Deutmeyer - Eastern Iowa
Customer Testimonial
Wagholm Farms Among the First to Retrofit Their Barn
New Hamburg, Ontario
Wagholm Farms in New Hamburg, Ontario, was among the first to show how a tie stall barn can successfully make the leap to automation. Six generations of Wagners have milked cows on the farm, and in 2022, they proudly celebrated 20 years of robotic milking.
Product used
Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system
Darcy and Vanda Wagner, along with their son Carson, were early adopters of Lely technology in North America. In 2002, when their 160-year-old bank barn needed an upgrade, they chose to retrofit it with a Lely Astronaut A2 automatic milking system instead of building a new parlour.
We went to an open house and I can still feel the hair come up on the back of my neck when I first saw that robot,” Darcy said. “It didn’t require a holding area and it could fit in our barn. It just felt right from the beginning.”
The switch allowed Wagholm Farms to modernise without rebuilding, a decision that paid off not just financially but operationally. Startup began in January 2002, and though transitioning from a tie stall barn to a facility with free cow traffic and robotic milking had its challenges, the Wagners stuck with it and the long-term benefits were clear. Darcy even credits the system with keeping him in dairy farming longer.
Disclaimer: Results have not been verified by Lely or an independent party. Your results may vary.
Disclaimer: Results have not been verified by Lely or an independent party. Your results may vary.
Read more about retrofit barn design
Milking robots aren’t solely for new barns. They can often be integrated into existing structures. Retrofitting offers a practical, cost-effective means of introducing automation to your dairy without beginning anew.
Retrofitting your barn for automation can serve as a wise alternative to new construction. By prioritising cow comfort, barn flow, and labour efficiency, farmers can successfully adapt existing facilities, or design new ones, to work seamlessly with Lely’s automated dairy systems.
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