Square liners pay off in milk quality

They change the milking liners irrespective of the payout; this year has been no exception. And it shows in their milk quality.

Their 550 cow, once a day (OAD) farm is in the picturesque Maruia Valley 350m above sea level, 40 minutes south of Murchison.

The pair are in their second season on the farm, with a 210ha milking platform, owned by Peter and Margaret Brooker on the Lewis Pass highway.

Andrea says they've brought with them the habits that have served well on previous properties, particularly in the 40 bail rotary dairy.

Cow behaviour for the whole herd is watched carefully at milking, and close attention is paid to udder and teat condition.

"We love our cows, and we make a point of knowing them well. With a herd this size you can do that; you can pay attention to how they act in the shed and what their udders look like. If I see anything that looks a bit out of character at milking I mark the cow and make sure I check her next time she's in."

Any sign of bulk milk somatic cell counts (BMSCC) going over 150,000 and they immediately strip the herd and look for the cause. "Our SCC has always been around 100,000-120,000 and that's the way we want it. It's easier to keep control of it from day one rather than trying to stop a problem after it has developed," Andrea says.

"Last year was the first whole season OAD milking for us and our new herd. SCC was kept under 150,000 fairly easily until late summer and we still achieved a grade free season for Westland Milk Products."

Now that they and the cows are used to OAD, 2015-16 has started better, with only a handful of mastitis cows. "Last year was a challenge learning the new farm, the area and getting to know the cows, but this year it's a breeze by comparison."

Budgeted production on their system 2 is 195,000kgMS for this season and though money is tight they do not buy cheaper dairy rubberware or try to make milking liners last longer than they're supposed to.

Andrea got her first experience of Skellerup VacPlus Square liners as a farm worker earlier in her career, and says after seeing the difference they made she wouldn't use anything else.

"We had a lot of cup slip and teat end damage at that farm. Once we started using the squares we immediately shaved 30 minutes off our milking time by speeding up the slow milkers. Teat end damage disappeared and cup slip stopped.

"It's worth paying for them, especially here, with automatic cup removers. They last the distance. I'd rather spend a bit more on rubberware and know we're going to save on animal health costs later on because we have better udder health."

It's the same with changing liners at the industry recommended interval of 2500 milkings. She and Jason have seen positive results from this on previous farms, and they're sticking to it themselves. "You can tell from the way the cows act and milk out when the liner's wearing out. It's easier to change them before you get a problem."

Worn out rubber can harbour bacteria, which affects milk quality. It also feels bad on the cow's teats, so she is more likely to kick the cups off, and it doesn't flex properly, leading to incomplete milk out, cup slip and potential teat end damage.