Taranaki dairy farms saved by $10/kgMS payout
Only this season’s $10/kgMS bumper payout has saved some dairy farms along the Taranaki coast from absolute disaster due to the present drought – dubbed as one of the worst ever for some.
Herd Navigator milk analysis, launched 2012 for DeLaval robotic milking customers, gives farmers a “head start on health, reproduction and profitability,” the company says.
The system works with DeLaval VMS robotic milkers to promptly identify problems with reproduction, mastitis, ketosis and feed balance.
“The system accurately identifies cows in need of special attention, and gives farmers clear information on what action can be taken. The early and specific alerts enable action – improving reproduction, production efficiency, profitability, animal welfare and food safety.”
Herd Navigator works by analysing milk samples during milking for indicators of reproductive disorders, heat, mastitis, ketosis and feed balance problems. The system then gives information and suggests actions to improve cow reproduction and health, reducing costs, production losses and deterioration of milk quality.
DeLaval’s Clover liner (launched in 2013) exerts even pressure on the teat and gives optimal teat massage. Benefits include protecting teats from exposure to high pressure, and less strip yield. “This results in gentler milking, helping reduce rates of subclinical mastitis and hyperkeratosis,” the company says.
Lactisan is a natural, non-irritant biodegradable concentrated teat spray formulated from lactic acid that occurs naturally in milk. “It provides a gentler way of protecting a herd from infection, by breaking down the bacteria’s walls to let the lactic acid do its work, achieving total kill in 30 seconds,” says DeLaval.
The company’s new Reduced Temperature Detergent for dairy clean-in-place (CIP) systems can reduce power consumption by up to 25%, helps reduce a farm’s environmental impact and safeguards milk quality. The dispersion technology is said to give the same CIP results at 65 deg C as at water temperature of 85 deg C.
The Swinging Brush developed for production animals is now available in a smaller form for, say, calves and goats. It promotes animal welfare, “boosting production, stimulating blood circulation, reducing the risk of skin disease, and keeping animals clean and calm.”
The new Cell Counter ICC gives a farmer on-the-spot somatic cell counts in milk, wherever he may be in country or town. The device is used with an iPod Touch and the DeLaval ICC app.
And keeping tabs on livestock and buildings is a function of the company’s Farm Monitoring Camera, for real-time monitoring via smartphones, tablets or computers. It withstands dirt, humidity and weather extremes and has a motion detecting and recording function, night vision and sound, and is a simple ‘plug and play’ set-up.
Tel. 07 849 6020
