Mark Hotton writes in The Southland Times about a new, Australian-developed system which is helping dairy farmers reduce their milking time.
Rather than focusing on milk flow rate to decide when to stop milking, the system uses time, and also targets slower milkers.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Mrs Roskam told workshop attendees at the South Island Dairy Event last week it took about two weeks to adjust to the system, but was worth it because of the time they saved, which could be spent on other tasks on the farm. The system did not have a significant impact on milk yields, composition, mastitis, or somatic cell counts (SCC), she said.
“DairyNZ senior scientist Jenny Jago said slow-milking cows could harm farm operations, particularly those with large herds. The aim was to speed up the process, without any impact on milk quality, animal health or putting staff at risk.”