connecting to the cow
MILKRITE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 2 / JUNE 2014
welcome TIM GULLIFORD UK AND IRELAND TERRITORY SALES MANAGER Welcome to this, the second issue of our newsletter. The first issue was received very well judging by the responses, and the green card entries to be part of our Elite farm group was good. We will be looking for more Elite farms from this edition, and if you would like to consider joining the group, and also have a chance of winning a parlour of Impulse Air liners and shells, please fill in the card and send back to us. Much of our focus is with the launch of the IP20 range of liners during May. Details of the features and benefits can be found below. Hopefully, you will have an opportunity to visit us at this year’s Livestock Event at the NEC in Birmingham where you can view all our products and talk to the Milkrite team. As always, we welcome your views of our products, and indeed our newsletter.
the perfect fit
IP20 Series
Current modern high yielding Holstein herds require optimal milking and Milkrite’s Impulse Air IP20 Series has been designed with this in mind. The IP20 series is a range of triangular liners with a unique mouthpiece vent to reduce congestion and risk of cross contamination during the milking process; it is specifically designed to meet the demands of the high producing herds. Triangular liners have the advantage that they will fit a much wider range than conventional liners - this is to do with the way they grip the teat. Even so - the Impulse Air range comes in two generic size types. The IP10 series is designed for a wider teat range which is a feature of many European herds. The IP20 series is a smaller bore liner specifically designed for easy milking cows with a high milk flow rate. Performance is significantly improved when we can make the liner more closely match the average teat size. The IP20 Series provides the proven benefits of Impulse Air technology including optimum cow comfort and animal health conditions. The IP20 Series was launched at the beginning of May, please contact us if you would like some more information.
RIGHT ON FOR YOUR HERD
DID YOU KNOW? A liner will perform most efficiently when the barrel size is within +/-1 2mm of the average teat diameter of your herd.
Matching the size of your liners to your cows teats delivers effective milking James Allcock, technical director at Precision Milking, describes how different teat sizes can have an impact on herd performance... DOES YOUR MACHINE FIT YOUR COWS? Since the advent of artificial insemination, British dairy farmers have been able to develop their herds using genetics sourced from across the world. In the UK there has been a strong move towards the American Holstein style cow. This change has led to some significant challenges with regard to effective and efficient milking. UK milking technologies are generally driven by companies based in mainland Europe where cluster designs are still based on a traditional cow with large ‘carroty’ teats with a wide placement position on the udder. Meanwhile US developments have gradually adapted their cluster design to suit more closely positioned teats and the smaller dimension teats that are now quite typical of the American Holstein. Genetic turnover of cattle is much higher in the US which results in a significantly higher proportion of first lactation animals being milked in American dairy herds. This also contributes to a situation where the average teat size of cows in the US can be significantly
smaller, both in length and diameter, to that which prevails in the typical European dairy herd. In the UK, our cows are caught in a rather uncomfortable trap. UK Farms that have focussed on rapid genetic progress can frequently have a high number of cows with small teats which can be located quite close together on the udder. However the machinery, in terms of cluster, shell and liner dimensions, that we use to milk our cows has remained stubbornly unchanged for year after year. WHY DOES THIS MATTER? The critical component of safe and effective milking is that the liner should apply regular and firm pressure to each teat throughout the duration of cluster attachment. It does this during the collapse phase of pulsation and the forces created squeeze spent tissue fluids out of the teat prior to the liner opening in the next phase of the pulsation cycle. If a teat is too short for the liner and shell that it occupies, then the teat barrel and even the teat end may not be subjected to the correct pressure forces during liner collapse. If the teat doesn’t extend well down towards the mid point of the shell then it is likely that the normal massage force of effective pulsation will not be applied.
TOO SHORT OR TOO NARROW? Milking machine research specialists believe that the critical dimension for effective pulsation is teat length. If the tip of the teat cannot reach well below the ‘shoulder’ that lies between the ‘hood’ area of the liner mouthpiece and the walls of the liner barrel, then there will be open communication of vacuum between the areas below the teat and the hood area that surround the base of the teat where the teat attaches to the udder. When this occurs the normal forces of liner massage will be ineffective and the base of the teat can be exposed to excessive vacuum through the entire duration of milking. Circulation within the teat is disrupted and udder infections become much more likely. THE FUTURE It is hoped that machine manufacturers will begin to focus again on matching their milking systems to the changes that have occurred with cows themselves. There has been some amazing progress in automation and milking technologies with regard to machine milking but little attention has been paid to where the machine meets the cow. It is hoped that some of the research and development led by companies such as Milkrite will lead to more innovation in this important part of machine milking.
Last issues competition winner announced!
Meet the Milkrite Customer Service Team
Thanks to everyone who entered our newsletter competition for a free parlour of Impulse Air liners. Mr Raffe based in Holsworthy, Devon was the lucky winner and his parlour is being fitted with brand new Impulse Air liners, shells and weights in the next two weeks.
Here is our Customer Service Team; Sylvia, Steve, Maria and Claudine.
Congratulations Mr Raffe!
We are happy to announce we are implementing a new IT system which will make order processes easier and quicker. We are always happy to help so give us a call if you have any questions.
DID YOU KNOW? The teat length of the animal needs to be longer than the mouthpiece depth of the liner this ensures the teat end is massaged by the liner closing action
Many people are enjoying the benefits of the Cluster Exchange Service through Milkrite. The scheme has been running successfully for more than 5 years and we welcome the feedback from our members to improve the scheme. The comments from our members are: ‘The scheme is so simple and it saves me time and money’ ‘No hidden costs for broken parts, such as claw bowls etc.’ ‘The change time is managed, so I don’t need to remember when the change is due’
Cluster Exchange is really starting to take off throughout Europe! Here’s a picture of our first installation in Portugal
However, some farmers have decided not to join the scheme because of the initial sign-up fee.
Good news! As of 1st June 2014, we are making it easier for new farmers to join the scheme, by dropping the sign-up fee, and keeping a regular fee invoiced from your dealer. This makes it more accessible for anyone who is interested in seeing the benefits without the financial commitment. We are convinced that once converted on the scheme, the benefits will reap rewards for new members.
HOW DOES THE SCHEME WORK?
Meet our Cluster Exchange Team Meet Paul and Jason, our Cluster Exchange Team. They work together to answer your questions and ensure your clusters are always delivered on time
1. The farmer provides information on the parlour type, number of points, number of milking cows in herd, frequency of milking. 2. The farmer chooses the product type ( liners available) and the claw option.
and
3. At the first change, the farmer receives a brand new cluster including liners, shells, weights, pulse tubes and claw. 4. The farmer fits the new cluster and returns the used clusters in the plastic boxes provided - then calls us to arrange pick up. 5. We handle all transport cost and arrangements 6. We inspect all liners to assess the washed conditions and issue a liner scoring report. This allows the farmer to check the efficiency of their wash system 7. When the next change is due we automatically send a full cluster with clean and refurbished equipment with new liners and pulse tubes. 8. The farmer fits the new refurbished clusters and puts the used clusters in the plastic boxes provided. Then calls us, and the process starts again
WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SAY ABOUT CLUSTER EXCHANGE? CLIVE PRITCHARD
FARMER IN MONMOUTHSHIRE, UK Clive has been on the Cluster Exchange Scheme for over 5 years. So what has kept him on the scheme for so long? ‘Cluster exchange is a great invention! Every 3 months our clusters are exchanged, they turn up on farm in a box, we exchange the old for new and it takes no more than 20 minutes then the job is done’
DID YOU KNOW? US and European high yielding herds have very similar teat size and demographics.
Spotlight on Our Partners Bayley’s Ltd is a family run Dairy Engineering and Agricultural Supplies business based in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, covering farms across the Midlands. Established in 1969, Bayley’s became pioneers of precision engineering within the Dairy Sector. Innovation within the industry has rapidly evolved so as a company we always strive to be one step ahead, priding ourselves on our exceptional level of customer service, adaptability and flexibility. With over 45 years electrical and mechanical engineering experience our team of 8 qualified engineers are on call 24 / 7, 365 days a year as we supply, install, maintain and service all parlours from robots to rotary’s, herringbone to abreast. We are the main dealership for the leading companies in milking machines and milk cooling technology within the Midlands region so no job is too large or too small. Bayley’s also offers a monthly on farm delivery / consultation service working with the dairy farmers to find solutions to the routine dairy hygiene challenges they face such as high SCC, bactoscan and mastitis incidence whilst providing them with additional dairy chemical supplies which are required to run their unit. For further information on our products and services, please contact our friendly team who will be more than happy to help on 01335 370864 or visit www.bayleysltd.co.uk
We have just installed Impulse Air on one of the biggest dairy farms in Europe. The farm in Turkey is a 2 x 50 (100 points) and thousands of cows will be milked using the system. Many thanks to our dealer CETAS, Turkey and to our technical support for making it happen.
JOIN MILKRITE’S ELITE FARM GROUP Milkrite is putting together an Elite Farm Group to demonstrate the benefits of Impulse Air. If you are interested in joining this group and benefiting from direct Milkrite support then contact us using the details on the return card.
TIME FOR A SPRING CLEAN? VISIT US AT THE LIVESTOCK EVENT! 2ND - 3RD JULY www.milkrite.co.uk
Take advantage of our 25% off Ultraclean this June and July. Revolutionary dual layer milk tubing Please call 01225 896336 for more information