Coubrough family uses robotics and cow collars to future‑proof Tirau farm

Brett Coubrough and his daughter, Linda, checking on their cows. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, RNZ, Country Life

By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ

The Coubroughs know their decisions today will determine the years to come.

Brett, whose grandparents originally bought the 76-hectare dairy farm near Tirau in 1907, runs the property with his two children, Tim and Linda.

Succession has been relatively straightforward for the family.

“We’re all on the same page - we want robotics to milk the cows for us,” Linda told RNZ’s Country Life.

“And that’s always been the plan.”

Linda said it was an “honour” coming back to the multi-generational farm, despite not initially planning to come back as a farmer, and she hoped they were leaving it in a better way for the next generation.

“Everything you do for the land is such a long-term goal,” she said.

“Our input now is changing what’s going to happen down the line, which is a whole different way of thinking.

“And all our different backgrounds help bring up different things and what we want from that.”

Dad Brett always planned on being a farmer, but “got sidetracked” with electrical engineering, a qualification which saw him travel all around the world for various projects.

It’s come in handy back on the farm, too, where he is chief innovator and inventor.

He said it was nice to be farming.

“It’s a different style of life, whereas I had to deal with customers or clients, and now my clients are the cows, and they’re much easier to deal with.”

Like Linda, it’s also taught him the value of taking a longer view.

Dairy farming's never been easier, with automation a key part of life on this Waikato farm. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, Country Life

“We come to the conclusion that you’re actually planning for over a year ahead all the time.

“It’s something I’ve never really thought about.

“You’re setting yourself up for the season ahead by what you’re doing now.”

The herd of 150 milking Kiwi cross wear cow collars, which provide valuable insights. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

One of the ways the family has tried to prepare for their future is by investing in wearable technology and automation on-farm.

“Dad’s an extraordinaire in creating things and adjusting things and automating as much as we can,” Linda said.

“Our shed, it’s push a button and it does everything.”

Brett's experience off-farm has been instrumental for today's operations and helping automate many of the jobs on-farm. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, Country Life

Automation in the cowshed includes automated drafting gates, cup removers, systems cleaning, and calf feeders.

“It’s set up now for a one-person operation - we still milk with two people - but it can be done,” Brett said.

Eight years ago, they also invested in AllFlex’s cow collars to help with heat cycling.

“We’re quite unique in that we’re one of the few smaller herds that has cow collars on.”

The data they get from the cow collars has helped improve animal welfare, and each year the technology gets better.

Some things the father and daughter still prefer to do the old-school way, like shifting stock themselves on foot or in the side-by-side.

- RNZ