Reynould Stegeman ‘I have much better insights into my herd’

Reynoud Stegeman owns a farm in Vinkebuurt together with his father and brother. In addition to 150 dairy cows, the family also has 2,000 pigs. They take on contract work and have an arable farm too, so there’s always a lot to do! This was one of the factors behind Reynoud’s decision to replace the milking system in his recently renovated parlour by installing three M²erlin milking robots from Fullwood in 2023. He tells about what’s changed since then.

Flexible scheduling 

As their workload increased, mostly due to the growing amount of contract work, the family had less and less time for milking. ‘We were always pressed for time,’ says Reynoud. ‘If we were running just slightly late on the contract work, we might not get back in time for milking. And milking is quite a time-consuming process. Each milking takes at least two hours, and that’s with two people doing it. Now that we have three M²erlin milking robots, I can do it myself in an hour.’     

Reynoud says he now has more flexibility when it comes to scheduling. ‘We’re no longer tied to set times, and the scheduling for the contract workers also works out better on the weekends. Now, it’s mostly a matter of monitoring, fetching a cow occasionally, and cleaning the robot. 

More time to observe

‘In a traditional milking parlour, you think you’re getting good insights into how your herd is doing because you see them all pass by,’ Reynoud says. ‘But in reality, you’re more occupied with milking. It’s only since we started using the robots that I’ve really been able to pay attention to the cows. The system frees up so much time for you to observe them.’ 

Space and calm

Reynoud has noticed that the cows are much calmer since he started using the M²erlins. ‘They used to get straight up in the mornings because they knew they had to be milked. Now they’re content to stay lying down and decide for themselves when to be milked.’     

Moreover, Reynoud is convinced the cows actually like using the robot. ‘Even when they’ve just calved, they come back to it quickly. I think it also has to do with the fact that they don’t feel as confined as in other brands. Our cows have all the space they need in Fullwood’s M²erlin.’     

Cows are milked more often and more effectively in the M²erlin milking robots. ‘And that’s good for udder health,’ Reynoud believes. ‘Once a teat is fully milked, the robot detaches it. In a conventional milking parlour, you might keep pulling on that teat, which could lead to an udder infection. We have very few cases of that now.’ 

Timely alerts 

The M²erlin milking robots are controlled by FULLSENSE software, which converts complex data into clear information and advice. ‘The software is very clear and easy to use,’ Reynoud explains. ‘You can see what needs to be done at a glance, like refilling the detergent or fetching a cow that’s overdue a milking.’     

The system provides farmers with a wealth of useful information. ‘It shows failed milking alerts, for example. These error messages tell you the robot can’t find a teat, for example, because the teat is damaged. Having that kind of information promptly allows you to respond in time. With FULLSENSE, you can see very quickly when there’s a problem with a cow and take immediate action.’