The contract milking couple, who work on a 265ha farm near Pongakawa in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, now use a MaxT system that sees cows milked toa pre-determined time based on their milk volume.
Under this system, farmers can set their optimal milking time and a timer will flash green when cups need to be changed. Past milking information can be downloaded so they can review time taken to milk each row. The MaxT system, developed in Australia and refined in New Zealand by DairyNZ, reduces overall milking time, which means more time for other tasks such as improving teat spraying.
It also sees 80% of cows fully milked and 20% left partially milked, deferring what's left to the next milking where it can be harvested more efficiently. This means less time in the shed for cows and farm staff, and milk production and udder health is less impacted.
Any farmer can improve their milking efficiencies by following a few steps:
• Determine your MaxT time with DairyNZ's Milksmart app. Simply enter the number of litres, the number of cows and your milking start times, and the app will calculate the average milk volume per cow for each milking, and the appropriate MaxT time.
• Once you have your MaxT time, choose which system you'll use to keep track of it when milking. The most common options are using the first cow in the row to time the MaxT time for all the cows or setting a maximum milking time with automatic cup removers.
• Once the MaxT system is being implemented, monitor five groups of 10 cows each week at an afternoon milking. Watch the cows as cups are changed. If most groups have less than two cows being shortened, reduce the MaxT time. If most groups have more than two, increase the MaxT time. If most groups have two cows in every 10 being shortened, no changes are needed.
This is Chris and Karly's first full season using the MaxT system, and the amount of time they've saved has come as a pleasant surprise. "We hoped we'd save time, but initially I thought there was no way we could milk faster than we do," Chris says.
Chris and Karly use a 40-aside herringbone system for the 670 cows. Chris says they had an endless mastitis problem with their cows, and this was part of what prompted them to introduce the MaxT system. "We were working through a lot of things. The change has certainly helped - mastitis has improved, cows are health and our milk quality has improved because we're not over-milking. The cows are healthy and the milk quality has improved because we're not over-milking."
Over-milking can damage cows' teat ends and increases the risk of bacteria being sucked into open teats while the cups are attached. Both problems can lead to mastitis.
Saving more than time
The change to the MaxT system has also reduced the farm's power costs.
Chris and Karly have been on the Pongakawa farm, owned by Andrew and Jennifer Natusch, for 11 seasons. As well as 200ha of effective dairy land, the farm has 30ha dedicated to kiwifruit. Given the improvements, the future looks bright for Chris and Karly, who are now looking at buying all the cows on-farm and entering into a 50-50 sharemilking arrangement.
Improving milking efficiency doesn't cost a lot but can make a huge difference to everyone on-farm. Consequently many farms are following Chris and Karly's example. If you plan to do so too, it's worth considering the below tips:
• Explore opportunities to refine milking machine settings and implement strategies to control total milking time. Shorter milkings can improve staff satisfaction and reduce mastitis and lameness risks.
• Improve the milking routine to maximise the time cups are on cows. If you experience waiting during milking, start considering changes to milking duration.
• If you are removing cups with no milk visible in the sight glass, or automatic cup removers are coming off before you get to them, start reviewing milking routine.
Most changes are easy to implement and don't cost a lot. It might mean a time saving of mere seconds per cow, but that time adds up. Just ask the Deeds.
To find out more about the MaxT system and milking efficiency, talk to your Farm Source Area Manager or visit dairynz.co.nz/milking/milking-efficiently/milking-duration.