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Skylights give the shed a bright and open feel.
Jenny and Lance Roach in the goat barn.
The robotic feedpushers from GEA Farm Technologies in action. The components are mixed with water and pumped through the plant after each milking in a fully automated operation.
Wash cycle Greg says the automated wash system is installed to match the recommended wash programme and required chemicals for each day of the week. The manual vat wash uses a powdered alkali and liquid acid, with staff following the wash programme; they add the designated chemical to hot water, followed by a cold-water rinse again to finish. Greg says this is undertaken after each milk collection. The milking shed was designed and built by Te Awamutu Construction. Owner/operator Pat Gibson says he worked with the Roach family in the planning stage, tailoring the design to the current herd size while also catering for future growth.
FIL Area manager for Cambridge, Matamata, Putaruru, Greg Duncan, checking out the hot water component of the plant cleaning system.
“It is similar to a sheep milking shed,” says Pat. “The same principles, with rapid exit, apply.” Initial siteworks were undertaken on the former paddock by Te Awamutu Construction, with top-soil taken away and hard-stand area built up. Pat says the pit and amenities – plant room, milk room and staff kitchen – were then added. A feature is the roof which covers the entire yard as well as the milking area.
Wiring Work Putaruru Electrical completed all the wiring required for the new shed. Staff member Richard Keijzer says the goat facility was able to tap into the cowshed’s existing electricity supply, via underground cabling. His work extended to all wiring required in the bails including lighting, milk lift, milk
Lance Roach on the top tier of the farm, with the Waikato River in the background. pump and pulsators. In the milk room, Richard says he wired up the vacuum pump, hot water cylinders and vat wash, plus the vat refrigeration system. In the goat barn, Te Awamutu Electrical looked after the required lighting and power points. A combination of old and new was used in the shed by Matamata-based Compass Refrigeration. Owner/operator Phil West says a new refrigeration unit was needed for the supply vat, while the glycol system from the old shed was transferred over to the goat operation. Other refrigeration equipment at the former cowshed was past its use-by date, he says. Phil says the system was sized accordingly for the current goat herd and volume of milk produced, while also allowing for future growth.
Goats’ milk hits the vat at 6.3 degrees Celsius, he says, with the primary water source taking the initial hit before the glycol unit comes into play. Painting of anywhere where cleaning is required was undertaken by Hamilton-based Dairy Wall Coatings. Director Greg Fulton says an Acraflex dairy wall coating system was used in the pit and surrounding milking area, along with the milk and plant rooms. Along with hygiene, he says farmers also like to have a good working environment for themselves and staff. “There’s the feelgood factor.” The surfaces can be cleaned quickly, saving operators 30 to 45 minutes at each milking, says Greg. He says a brush/roll/spray method is used to apply Acraflex – seven applications including two coats of glaze to finish.
NATION WIDE
