In the dairy business, we define and accomplish efficiency in many ways. When it comes to performance in the milking parlor, what improvements can help your farm be more profitable and more efficient? Here are five ways to help you ReCharge your milking system, moving you closer to achieving your performance goals.
- Select a liner that meets the needs of your herd and goals. The choice of liner should fit a majority of the teat sizes in your herd, and it should deliver on your preferred balance of milking speed and teat treatment. Look for a liner that offers complete, fast, hygienic milking, helps protect teat health and optimizes your investment. DeLaval LS-01 & Clover liners deliver high performance with gentle milking.
- Size tubing correctly. Using the right tubing size and length promotes better cluster positioning during milking and helps ensure optimal milking performance. If hoses are too large in diameter, the weight of them can lead to misalignment. Short hoses can cause pulling pressure on teats leading to over-milking and possible teat damage. Hoses that are too long can cause kinking and milk slugging.
- Optimize your vacuum system. System vacuum should be set based on the average claw vacuums tested on numerous cows, and the ideal claw vacuum is set based on the liner chosen. Today, we can control vacuum for individual cows based on actual flow rate. Once a set flow rate has been reached, the vacuum level for that cow can be increased to speed the milk flow through the system and away from the cow. Low-flow, slower-milking cows would not experience the higher vacuum level.
- Automate tasks with a remote monitoring system. Simple tasks like milk filter or tank switching can now be done automatically, leaving employees to focus on the more strategic and management-related tasks. A remote monitoring system also keeps watch on the various components connected to it, enabling replacement of a failing component before it becomes a failed component in the middle of the night. Using various remote access platforms, dealer technicians and on-farm maintenance personnel can remotely monitor all functions and performance of the dairy operation.
- Minimize downtime with a preventative maintenance plan. To help you stay in front of potential disruptions to the milking process, consider engaging your equipment dealer in a plan for preventative maintenance. When your milking equipment is serviced regularly, you are ensuring its optimal performance, protecting your investment, and minimizing the risk of unwanted emergency service calls.
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Learn how DeLaval can help you ReCharge your milking system by visiting our website and completing a short form here. Simply by sharing your information, you will receive a FREE box of premium DeLaval milk filters. This offer is available to the first 50 participants—so hurry and get yours today!
