WILTSHIRE College & University Centre’s Lackham campus may have fallen silent after the students have departed for the summer but one quiet corner will be as busy as ever.

The 100 Holstein Friesian cows in the college’s Robotic Dairy at Home Farm will continue producing more than 35,000 litres of fresh milk every week under the watchful eye of Farm and Estates Manager Philip Steans and his handful of staff.

The completely automated dairy, which is approaching its fifth birthday in November, was one of the first in the country to be installed at a college. Philip believes they are part of farming’s future so it is essential agricultural students understand them and their benefits.

The automation allows the cows to live an almost independent life. They are free to roam where they like within the tranquillity of the dairy’s cool and airy barn, which is roughly quarter of the size of a football pitch.

Their feed is kept fresh and available automatically and a robot cleaner weaves its way across the non-slip floor to scrape away slurry. The cows decide when they want to be milked and wander into the milking stalls, where a sensor guides an attachment on to each teat.

During milking the computer-controlled system measures the milk flow as well as the amount of milk produced from each quarter of the udder and the time it has taken. All of these statistics can be used to determine likely health issues.

There are even brush scratchers that look like car wash brushes they can rub against to relieve unreachable itches.

Almost every aspect of the operation focuses on the welfare of the animals. While they are being fed they can be tested for TB and other ailments, and collars fitted around their necks monitor rumination and fertility.

It means at any moment, a farmhand can get a complete overview of the herd’s health. A vet visits weekly for any additional routine checks that are needed.

Because most of the practical care is automated, it leaves time for observation. “We can look after more cows because we’re not doing the manual work,” said Philip.

“That’s what we want to teach students, that it’s important to watch the cows, to see how they are walking, and behaving around the yards, whether they are being bullied by the others, if they are feeding, lying down, standing for long times and having the right number of chews per cud.”

Philip said the fact the unit is so calming for its residents makes it an ideal place for learning. “This unit is really all about learning cow behaviours,” he said. “The cows are pretty chilled in here and the students are able to spend time watching what happens. They’ll learn much more by observing than they would pushing a wheelbarrow and shovel around.”

He said although it may seem unnatural to keep the cows indoors, they prefer it. “These cows occasionally go out to grass but not during the lactation,” he said.

“If you left the gates open, they’d run out to start with because it’s something different but on a hot day or if it is raining they’d be back in here because it’s nice and cool and dry.

“If they’re out in a field with a tree in the middle they’d all be congregating around it for the shade because our cows are mainly black and they absorb the heat. They will eat less grass on a hot day whereas in the unit it’s comfortable for them and they are happy.”

Around 25 per cent of UK farms now have similar automated dairies. “With the difficulties in recruiting farm labour now, people don’t want to get up at 3 or 4am to do the milking so this is ideal,” said Philip.

“It runs 24/7 and we have an app that alerts us if there is a problem during the night. It is much less labour intensive.”

Home Farm is part of the Selkley Vale Group, a co-operative that negotiates a good price for its members’ milk. They supply a major national retailer and have just signed a new agreement until 2029.

“It’s a good deal for us and we get a better price than if we were selling independently,” said Philip.

The farm also has part of its Holstein Friesian herd farmed the traditional way but Philip firmly believes this new way is better. “From the herd’s point of view I think the important thing is health and welfare and the cows look well and are happy,” he said.

“They have food and they have the ability to milk 24/7, so they are looked after in the best possible way.”

Interested in the future of farming?