Robotic Rotary Milking: Inside a $6M Investment Paying Off Faster Than Expected
The Dairy ProQ robotic rotary, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, has proven to be an impressive addition for Victorian farmers Paul and Marsha Smith.
The company says cluster removers deliver improved cupping efficiency, better udder health, time savings and reduced labour.
It gives the example of Waikato farmer Dries Verrycken, who milks 500 cows.
Verrycken noted a saving of 1-2 seconds/cupping with the iCR+, which adds up to 16 minutes in total cupping time at just one milking.
GEA New Zealand product manager Ben Morris says this means Verrycken could increase throughput by another 100 cows and still finish milking at the same time.
“Or be home 30 minutes earlier every day.”
Featuring unique EasyStart lift or pull vacuum activation, iCR+ helps to simplify and minimise workload, saving 1-2 seconds/cow at cups on alone.
It is designed to fit any parlour type or any make of milking machine, so can be retrofitted or added with a new parlour build.
Morris says the automated EasyStart is intended to support efficient cupping techniques and milking efficiency.
“With lift or pull vacuum activation, the milker has control over what works best for them. And with no need to push a button to activate the vacuum, they will save 1-2 seconds in cupping each cow.”
Morris notes that the iCR+ is already in use on local farms and the labour efficiency is evident.
“The iCR+ is a simple matter of lift or pull, cup and milk. Partnered with GEA’s market-leading Classic 300 E clusters, we believe we have the best solution for achieving the ideal cupping time of 4 seconds,” he says.
A cost-effective option with high-tech functionality, iCR+ can be set to fixed point, timed or milk flow take-off, ensuring over milking does not happen.
Clearly visible LED lamps highlight the milking status in each bail, quickly alerting staff of any problems during the milking process. Protecting udder health was also a key consideration in the iCR+ design. When milking is finished, the cluster is vented and the vacuum shut-off before retraction to ensure gentle removal from the teats.
Automation options create even better milking efficiency. In rotary parlours, drop-down activation means clusters will automatically drop out of the way below the bridge when milking is complete.
“iCRS retention straps can be installed to retain cows on the platform in the case of a milking alert. And iPUD automatic teat spray units are an excellent add-on for consistent post-milk teat spraying on every cow.”
For herringbone parlours, the iCR+ milking alert feature sees the cluster retracted and then lowered to hang in the pit area, so it is visible to the operator. The iNTELSPRAY2 walk over teat sprayer can be added too.
