FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

Harvesting high-quality milk involves interactions among humans, cows, milking equipment and the environment. Implementing and training staff on milking routine standard operating procedures can influence the outcome, but efforts in the parlour shouldn’t end there.

The health and productivity of any tracked machine starts with its undercarriage. Representing a significant portion of a piece of equipment’s purchase price, the undercarriage also represents a high percentage of a machine’s lifetime operating costs, so proper maintenance and operation practices are critical for protecting your equipment investment.

When working with dairies that are learning about robotic milking equipment, we always discuss maintenance costs. People tell me they’ve heard this cost is high. They want to know if this is true and, if so, why.

While rotary parlours have become a predominant choice for milking large herds, rotaries are not a new idea. They date back to the unveiling of the Rotolactor at the 1930 World’s Fair.

Teat-cup liners are one of the most important pieces of the milking system; it’s the only component in direct contact with live tissue. Choosing the right liner for your herd can be a difficult and confusing decision.

Robots are more and more popular in today’s dairy operations. Producers are looking for ways to increase the size of their herd, increase milk production per cow and improve the quality of life.