Edward O’Sullivan runs a dairy herd in Kilcummin, Co. Kerry with his wife, Sinead, and their three children, Grace, Daniel, and Aoife.

The farm, which up until 2014 was a suckler enterprise, is now home to 90 spring-calving high economic breeding index (EBI) crossbred cows.

Edward prides himself on operating a simple system where the milking cows are the only animals grazing the 71ac platform. Calves are sent to a contract rearer near Kilbrittan in Co. Cork at just two weeks of age and return for winter housing at 20-months-of-age.

One of Edward’s biggest challenges on the farm was how labour intensive it was and to help elevate this, he milks once a day for the month of February and again from October until drying off.

However, in 2020 when Edward was carrying out the laboursome task of scraping cubicles and slats twice a day, he started to question how there might be an easier way.

This, along with the results of a milk sensitivity test which showed environmental contamination present in the milk are what prompted Edward to explore some options.

“I spoke with a neighbour who had invested in a Lely Discovery 90 S and knowing he was pleased with its performance and reliability on his farm, I made an enquiry to the Lely Center Mitchelstown,” Edward explained.

“The main driver in the final decision is the fact that the Lely Discovery is so versatile and could manoeuvre around all the areas that I needed it to.

“I wanted a solution that would do all three cubicle sheds and the collecting yard. Initial conversations indicated that the Lely Discovery 90 S could do all of this for me,” Edward said.

Once the decision was made, the installation of the Lely Discovery was taken care of by the team in Lely Center Mitchelstown. Edward explained that while there was some preparation work required so that the Lely Discovery could travel freely between the collecting yard and three cubicle sheds, the rest of the process was very straightforward on the farm.

“We had to lift gates, cut some doors, put in slopes and boards to guide the Lely Discovery 90 S but on the larger scheme of things it was well worth the preparation work," he said.

“On this farm, the Lely Discovery runs every two hours and keeps the verges along the cubicle beds clean, so the cows aren’t dragging muck up onto their cubicle beds,” Edward said.

Edward now only scrapes down and limes the cubicle beds once a day. The Lely Discovery 90 S has completely cut out the necessity for Edward to scrape the entry and exit points to the parlour, saving time both in the morning and evening.

"Since getting the Lely Discovery, we have significantly reduced mastitis instances and SCC levels on farm, so there is a huge cost saving there," he said.

In terms of the cow’s reaction to the robot, Edward was surprised by how quickly they got used to it.

“The in-calf heifers returned to the farm having been with the contract rearer prior to that and within three days they were taking no notice of the scraper and were completely at ease,” Edward said.

The upkeep of the scraper is described by Edward as minimal. He rinses the sensors every five to six weeks.

“The rubber scraper does get worn from the concrete, so I just call the Lely Center in Mitchelstown and order a new one which I easily replace myself every eight or nine months," he said.

Edward said he is beyond pleased with his investment in the Lely Discovery 90 S and explains how he wouldn’t be without it.

“I would highly recommend it to any one in a similar situation or anyone looking to make their life easier,” the Kerry farmer added.

For more information on the Lely Discovery 90 S or any other Lely farm solution, contact the Lely Center Mitchelstown on; 025 41665.