From Problematic Robot Milking to a Simple Milking Parlour That Works Every Day

Mathias Hedegaard Hansen stands in the milking pit of his Dairymaster Mobistar 12’ swing-over milking parlour at Enegaarde on Djursland. Just a few years ago, his everyday life looked very different.

Worn-out milking robots, constant alarms and technical failures pushed the young farmer to rethink his entire milking setup. Combined with challenging barn conditions, the situation forced him to make a decisive change on his newly taken-over farm.

Enegaarde, Djursland

Enegaarde is located in Balle on Djursland, where Mathias Hedegaard Hansen has been farming since 2019. The farm consists of around 180 cows and the same number of young stock, supported by 160 hectares of land. In addition to his own farming operation, Mathias manages grazing areas and carries out some contracting work.

The daily work is handled with help from a trainee, the farm’s former owner and a few hourly employees.

Happy with robots at first – until the problems began

When Mathias took over the farm, it was equipped with two milking robots and around 120 cows. Initially, the plan was to continue with robot milking for a few years. At first, the robots worked well and met expectations.

Over time, however, the problems started to pile up. Alarms went off day and night, failures became more frequent, and the robots showed clear signs of wear after more than a decade of operation. Eventually, Mathias realised robot milking no longer matched his mindset or the way he wanted to manage his herd.

“I chose a milking parlour because it suits me and the way I think about working with cows,” he explains.

From RDM to Jersey – and a bigger herd

Switching from robots to a milking parlour also marked a major change in the herd. Mathias expanded from 120 to 180 cows and made a complete breed change.

The cubicles in the barn were too small for RDM cows, which led him to replace them with Jersey cows. Looking back, it is a decision he is very satisfied with today.

A simple solution that works – every single day

Today, Mathias has been milking with his Dairymaster Mobistar swing-over 12’ milking parlour for more than two years. The former robots were 11 years old and increasingly unreliable, with electronic faults and frequent breakdowns.

At an agricultural trade fair, Mathias came across Dairymaster Denmark (Milcotec) and was introduced to the Mobistar milking parlour concept. After careful consideration, he realised it could be a strong fit for his farm. Milcotec visited the farm, prepared layout drawings and helped turn the idea into a practical solution.

The result is a setup where 160–165 cows are milked in around two hours by one person. Milking takes place twice daily, somatic cell counts are well under control, and the Jersey cows produce approximately 33–34 kg EKM.

What ultimately convinced Mathias was the simplicity:

“It’s incredibly simple. Easy to maintain, easy to operate – and it works twice a day, every day.”

A demanding rebuild – but worth it

The transition from robots to a milking parlour was intense. While waiting for the new Jersey herd to arrive, the farm stood empty for a short period — and that week was used to the fullest.

The old robots were removed, the area was rebuilt, concrete was poured, walls were constructed and the Mobistar parlour was installed. Much of the groundwork was done by Mathias and his team themselves. The parlour was lifted into place using a crane, after which Milcotec completed the final installation, including milk and wash lines.

According to Mathias, if cows had already been present, milking could have started within eight hours of installation.

The Mobistar milking parlour was purchased used but fully serviced, effectively as good as new. The purchase price was DKK 350,000, with installation costing approximately DKK 77,000. In his view, it was a cost-effective way to move forward.

More freedom and peace of mind

Daily life at Enegaarde has become noticeably easier. Milking is efficient and predictable, and there are no nightly alarms and no constant monitoring of complex systems.

Perhaps surprisingly, Mathias feels he now has more freedom than he did with robots. If he needs a day off, a helper can take over milking without complications.

“I have more freedom and peace of mind this way. But it also depends on who you are as a person.”