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Speeding Up Slow Good Milkers

When is a slow milking cow a good cow? When she has a good milk yield, the right temperament, fertility and you don’t need to milk her for too long!

By Department of Primary Industries - 30th January 2006 - Back to News

Researchers from the National Milk Harvesting Centre (NMHC) at DPI Ellinbank use the catchphrase: "You don’t have to wait around to get the last few drops of milk out of every cow."

Australian labour productivity surveys showed that the ability to milk batches of cows quickly was a key trait of farmers with high milk harvesting labour productivity.

Overseas farmers are raising the threshold of their automatic cluster removers (ACR) in an attempt to improve cow milking speed.

However, one of the Ellinbank scientists had a hunch that this may not be the best way to deal with those problem cows that produce a lot of milk, but tediously dribble on with low flow rates. They wished to find a universal solution to slow milking and one that could work on the many Victorian farms that do not have ACRs.

NMHC scientists cautiously started their research by using groups of slow milking cows and tested various milking regimes to curtail long drawn out milkings. These regimes included pre-milking teat stimulation, high ACR threshold settings and early termination of milking. They all produced a measurable improvement in milking duration without reducing milk yield.

However, according to the above ‘hunch,’ the simple early termination of milking treatment proved to be a more effective way of reducing milking duration. Results showed up to 35% reduction of the group time.

DPI Ellinbank research has shown that by limiting the milking duration to a defined maximum time according to expected milk yield is a potent means of getting ‘slow milking cows’ to consistently milk more quickly.

The scientists also investigated the possible effect of these shorter milking times on clinical and subclinical mastitis, and somatic cell count.

The resultant new milking regimes are applicable to all dairies, regardless of the level of automation, where operators find themselves waiting for cows to finish milking.

Over the next few months, Ellinbank scientists are aiming to work closely with several local farmers to pilot shorter milking routines as forerunner to a wider extension program due out in early 2007.

For further information contact Tim Clarke at the National Milk Harvesting Centre, DPI Ellinbank on 5624 2222.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com