Lomax family commissions 10-box GEA robotic dairy in Australia
The conversion is among Australia’s largest robotic milking installations serving a grazing herd, according to Dairy News Australia. The Lomaxes hosted the visit alongside GEA Farm Technologies Australia, Future Dairies Gippsland and Westfalia Warragul. Visitors examined how the equipment operates within a pasture system, including cow movement, monitoring technology and changes to the family’s working arrangements.
The family chose automation rather than installing another conventional rotary. Addressing labour constraints across generations was one of the aims of the project, while retaining the farm’s grazing system. The change involved redesigning the layout around cows moving voluntarily between paddocks and milking equipment, supported by routes connecting the grazing areas to the dairy.
Access routes and sorting gates were repositioned to guide animals between their allocated pasture and the robotic units. This removed the task of driving cows towards milking with quad bikes. Animals can approach the robots and receive supplementary concentrate feed at their own pace. Dennis and Erin Lomax reported better foot health and changes in behaviour after the conversion, with cows no longer spending lengthy periods waiting in concrete holding yards.
The installation combines GEA CowScout monitoring collars with sensors inside the milking robots. Together, these track rumination, changes in activity associated with heat, milk conductivity for individual udder quarters and patterns in milk yield. The continuous measurements support herd-health management, including identifying subclinical problems. Monitoring and voluntary movement formed part of the operating changes examined during the farm tour.
Automation also removed the family’s fixed morning and afternoon milking shifts. The owners can organise other daily responsibilities more flexibly while maintaining production performance. These working arrangements were part of the open day’s focus, alongside the practical requirements of adapting a large grazing herd to a system in which cows choose when to visit the milking units.
John Van de Burgt, a director of Future Dairies Gippsland and Westfalia Warragul, addressed visitors about preparation and servicing. The dealership network engineered the installation and provides its technical support. He stressed the need for extensive feasibility work and reliable local assistance when adopting high-capacity robotic systems. He advised farmers considering a conversion to inspect operating farms and assess dealers’ servicing capabilities before choosing equipment.
