So you want to update your dairy. But how?
Friday, October 29, 2021
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By Patrick Wiltzius, DeLaval solution manager, parlor systems There are many reasons to invest in new technology for your dairy — better throughput, increased milk production, reduced energy, or costs of various functions — but once you know what you want to achieve, the next step is to start thinking about how you’re going to do it. Can you add new technology to your existing milking system or maybe replace your current equipment and install a more efficient system? Do you have big expansion goals that require you to build new or retrofit your space? There are many ways to update your dairy, but here are a few considerations to help you start formalizing a plan: - Start sharing your ideas for improvement with your family, dairy farmer friends and farm support team. Collect as many ideas as possible. Chances are there are other producers out there who have done something similar and have thoughts on how to improve if they were to do it again.
- Use Google maps or other site planning tools to figure out the optimum location for your new parlor or expansion. Can you utilize the existing infrastructure?
- Do not be afraid to get creative with design thoughts. Why not put the rotary off the front of your old batch parlor and use that as your new holding area?
- Always keep cow flow and workflow in mind. Something may fit great in a location on your site, but if cow alleys have many bends or your staff needs to take extra steps to complete a work function, these issues will only become worse over time. This is another reason to get ideas and input for your design to help avoid issues down the road.
- If you are looking to use your existing milk transport infrastructure, make sure to do the math. You may be milking the same number of cows per day, but milk per hour may increase, which would result in needing to upsize cooling and other transport components.
If adding technology to your existing milking system aligns better with your farm's goals, there are any number of efficiency-enhancing solutions available. Rather than focusing only on the amount of milk harvested in the parlor, look for technologies that generate measurable improvements in these three areas: 1. Efficiency of labor and cow movement Stoplight technique: One of the most exciting uses of technology for cow movement in the holding pen is a traffic light to indicate the current position of the crowd gate to the barn crew. Automated crowd gate: Automated crowd gate technology encourages cows to continue moving forward. It reduces the amount of time spent away from milking to move cows, and it reduces the need for milkers to enter the holding pen. Rapid-exit systems: After we are done milking the cows in the parlor, we need to quickly get them out and back to eating, drinking and resting. Some rapid-exit systems also allow for gang exit or the release of smaller groups of animals to minimize cow flow bottlenecks at the parlor exit. Herd management automation: A producer can automate the sorting process and increase labor efficiencies by using cow identification, herd management data and sort systems. 2. Efficiency of the milking process Vacuum levels: Today, we can control vacuum per individual cow based on the actual flow rate. Once a set flow rate has been reached, the vacuum level for that cow can be increased to speed the milk flow through the system and away from the cow. Rotary speed: Almost every rotary needs the ability to automatically change speed based upon the groups’ average milking speed. For heavy-producing or longer-duration groups, the deck will slow down, and for lower-producing or short-milking-duration groups, the deck will speed up. 3. Efficiency of labor during milking Robotic technology: To help make the best use of labor on a dairy, consider the various technologies, from robotic teat spray applicators to fully robotic rotary milking systems. Automating a repetitive task reallocates man hours to a higher-value role or eliminates them altogether. Automated control systems: With the increasing use of plant status monitoring and control systems in dairy operations, the ability to automate and monitor various tasks and functions — like milk filter or tank switching — is almost limitless and allows employees to focus on the more strategic and management-related tasks. Choosing to update your dairy is a major financial decision that can’t be made without first identifying weaknesses and inefficiencies in your current system. If the addition of technology can improve those inefficiencies, it’s good to also consider the potential return on your investment.
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