increase font size
Milk cooling accounts for 30% of total energy costs of the dairy.
Milk cooling affects milk quality: the quicker the milk is cooled after milking, the better the quality when it is collected from the farm.
Choosing the right cooling system for your farm has many good results.
Lower energy costs: milk cooling accounts for about 30% of the total energy costs of operating a dairy. Energy demand and farm dairy running costs can be cut by heat recovery from your cooling system.
Less risk of penalties due to milk temperature: raw milk grows bacteria rapidly above 7°C. Meeting the new milk cooling standards (in force from June 2018) may mean changes are required for your system.
New milk cooling standards: the MPI ‘NZ code of practice for the design and operation of farm dairies’ contains the new milk cooling standards.
The rules state that raw milk must:
a) be cooled to 10°C or below within four hours of the commencement of milking; and
b) be cooled to 6°C or below within the sooner of:
i) six hours from the commencement of milking, or
ii) two hours from the completion of milking; and
c) be held at or below 6°C without freezing until collection or the next milking; and
d) must not exceed 10°C during subsequent milkings.
Continuous or extended milking systems (AMS): in situations where there is continuous or extended milking, such as automated milking systems, the milk must enter the bulk milk tank at 6°C or below.
‘Continuous or extended milking’ is defined as milking for six hours or longer from the time the milk first enters any bulk milk tank.
Do you meet the new standards? Check the performance of your current plate heat exchanger.
Consult with your milk company to determine if your current system will meet the new milk chilling requirements.
Fonterra has a tool to estimate your vats; other milk companies may have similar resources.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.
As spring calving farmers around the country enter in the final stage of lactation, the incentive to keep the milk flowing is certainly there. A strong milk price and kind first half of the season has left cows in good nick and milking well.
Correct cluster attachment and removal is crucial during milking.
As a strong dairy cooperative, Fonterra understands the importance of providing comprehensive assistance to farmers, including a range of services at no extra cost.
Fonterra says its interim results show continued momentum in its performance, with revenue of $13.9 billion in the first half of the 2026 financial year.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
OPINION: The good news keeps getting better for NZ dairy farmers.
OPINION: With export of livestock by sea dead in the water, opponents of the Gene Technology Bill think they can…
