My understanding is the volume of water needed is an issue as well. If it public water off a meter it's a significant cost, even from your own well it costs. And then you have to get it spread as well.
But that is not necessarily money in your pocket unless you are reducing physical labour costs. Even at that if a lad was coming in milking he hardly knock 10-15 off his charge just because he was 30-40 minutes faster. All.it might do is make it easier to find a relief milker
I heard whelan is milking 240 and has 100 pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows and the hubby has 50 trucks
In terms of water use one way to make it more efficient if not reduce it is using it for more than one use before it has to be spread. As in collecting water from the plate cooler to be used for the volume washer, perhaps alongside rainwater, and then using the washings from the parlour to flush down the collecting yard. Obv all these systems cost a bit as well but do make it more efficient in terms if water use. Agree that all these things have to be thought of but tbh when you go over the 7 or 8 rows the extra standing time for cows can start gathering more slurry anyway as well as being more stress on man and beast.
In terms of the labour saving or cost of it, some put a value on their own time or indeed that time could be put to use elsewhere finishing the day earlier, etc. Plenty ways to look at it but imo would be remiss not to put a value on it.
Wait what's paid for in 2 years? 😅
I wet clusters with power hose at end of milking when their on the jets, rub them with hands s minute later and then power wash again. Takes only 2 minutes for a 20 unit acr and clusters are very clean, prob takes another 10 minutes to power hose down rest(wash is circulating in meantime) Machine is turned off afterwards and another 1 to 2 minutes dropping clusters and putting switches the right way for next milking. Good episode on dairy NZ this week on time savings and efficiencies, milking parlour and small efficiencies were the big time savings
😄😃👍👍👍👍
Some man lad
Couldn't care less what anybody else has tbh. Never did and I doubt I ever will at this stage.
Slow part of milking here is bringing them in, hilly land . Find milking in spring as well with slow cows, heifers et. You won't know urself Whelan , huge difference to day and mentality. Also it will keep next generation more interested... I'd second mats in the pit also on the knees and feet. My biggest issue with the newer parlours are maintenance costs but I see it as their only major downside. My biggest problem here is cow flow leaving parlour, like a traffic jam!
Post up a link to that Kev if you can find it handy.
lot of farmers going for collars and drafting for time savings also..out of my budget for a few years tho
I find that if you give the clusters a wash of the wash down house each row there isn't much to do at the end.also when you putting on the cups on the cows as you take your hand off each cup run your fingers along the side of the liner thats faced away from you.
I have a pressure washer for my clusters. Leaves them sparkling.
Thanks a million
You wouldn't want to take to heart how the top 1% of lads breeze through their dairy farming careers, you'd only end up in the mental rocking in a corner questioning just how big a failure you are haha
Learnt that from you
I've a simple question for ye that everyone gives me a different answer. When do you ye decide to dry off your cows ? I just go by litres and when they are due to calf. Do any of ye look at anything else ?
Cows here doing 10 litres, early calvers nearly dry up themselves!
8 weeks out from calving for cows, 12 weeks for heifers.
3 really. Mid 2021 started, finished mid 2022. (Few hold ups with covid and materials) And we’re a year on now. Grant and vat were 2 chunks. Hit 2 good years of milk and paid fair bit as we went. No other farm borrowing. Took out the standard 15 year loan. Could possibly wipe it next year but if there’s a few jobs to be done with any cash flow (milk price dependant) we might let it run to 2025. Interest rate started low 3’s now in the 7’s. 🙈
The we're part is important, I work independently financially of the father here and his contribution was is the land base/maybe 15 hours of help a week but for the pleasure of farming it, he's pulled the guts of 40-50k out of the place a year the past decade saddling us with alot of debt ordinarily I shouldn't have to be carrying
I've re-read that a couple of times, And I haven't a notion what you're talking about.
Are you suggesting that an investment that size has been paid off in the last 2 years?
60 days to calving or milking under 10 litres for a week ….after that high cell count
4 years will see it paid off. Counting this year as the 3rd.
Well that's a harsh response!
To a mere pun whose only purpose was to dampen your anonymous condescending sarcastic remarks towards one who honestly, freely, and bravely, share his progressive and successful farming system and figures publicly.
Defensive much, maybe even projecting? I hope you're feeling better today.
I saw a friend of mine using a fake tan mitton to clean clusters. It works well as your milking gloves can leave residue on the shells I find. In saying that most days I don't wipe down the clusters just wash them well.
I'm thinking of installing another scraper c. 100ft from the control box. Is that too far? Control box is new enough. Price of scrapers gone up a lot since.
When you're putting in the new scraper a good idea is to put a lever valve on hydraulic hose as it leaves the control box so if that hose ever breaks you can shut off the oil supply to it, and your other scrapers can keep working until you get repair done.
No, I have them that far here without a bother.
Does he see it as doing you a favour with the tax man.
It's purely financial driven, sees it as his pension pot, tax was never a issue with us, have ridiculous allowances for depreciation built up, personally have well North of 600k borrowed/invested into the place since 2012
