GOREY
PH 07 578 0030
Cows calmly backing out of the bails (foreground) as cows enter (background). Shane, Conor and Paddy Gorey. “We complemented the platform with SmartECRs (automatic cup removers), SmartSPRAY, BailGate straps (to hold longer milking cows on the platform), SmartWASH (automatic washing) and a vet stand.
Shipped in “˜ e whole parlour was packed in a 40foot container in Hamilton, New Zealand, and shipped over to the Port of Cork in Ireland, from where it was trucked to the farm. “In contrast to most dairy parlours over here, which run three phase electricity, the Seanchoill Farm had a single-phase electricity connection but this wasn’t a problem for the installation team, who set up the new parlour using the single phase connection.” ˜ e new parlour was commissioned in March 2020. Moving from a herringbone to a rotary can disrupt cow ° ow but Shane recalls the herd
only took about two milkings to get used to the new rotary system. “It was very easy. We were calving in February so we had some cows on the rotary ÿ rst, and they trained the next cows. “˜ e real bonus with the new parlour is the savings we make on time to milk the herd. “˜ e new parlour has halved the time we are spending in the parlour at milking time – from two hours 15 minutes in the old parlour to 50 minutes with 15-20 minutes to wash up.” Shane says the time saved is used on other important jobs around the farm, or as time o˝ . “If you take into account the time you are saving at each milking, twice a day, seven days a week and over a year, that really adds up big time. We can now get the ÿ rst cow into the parlour and the last one back to the paddock within an hour and that’s really important for increasing yield.” It also means cows spend less time standing
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The new collection yard with the new parlour in the background.
around on a concrete collection yard before heading back to the paddock, says Shane. “˜ e vet stand is particularly useful for scanning cows, tail clipping, vaccination and AI. “And if we didn’t have the automatic cup removers (SmartECRs), we would be a twoman shed and that would defeat the purpose of installing a new milking system, so that was a must.” Shane says using the SmartWASH and SmartSPRAY added to the new parlour’s ability to increase e˙ ciency and reduce milking time. Future-prooÿ ng the new parlour is enshrined by the fact that Waikato Milking Systems’ parlours and technology can easily be upgraded.
Future add ons “Adding Electronic Milk Meters and SmartD-TECT are just two items of technology we might consider in the future, allowing us to conduct milk recording on
the herd and measure somatic cell counts on each cow.” SmartD-TECT measures the conductivity of each quarter separately to provide early warning signs of udder health problems, as well as stimulating pre-milking routine, to reduce milking time further. Electronic Milk Meters provide accurate milk data for each cow and allow the operator to compare a cow’s milking performance over time. Servicing for the new parlour is provided by Courtwood Dairy Services located in Ballybrittas, County Laois. Re° ecting back to his ÿ rst impressions of Waikato Milking Systems’ parlours in 2012, Shane admits he had high expectations of what the new system would do for his farming operation. “˜ e new parlour has transformed the entire milking operation. We’re very pleased.”
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