Dairy Illustrated® - 2023 Edition

About Dairy Illustrated ®

Dairy Illustrated was a premier dairy publication in the 1970s and 1980s, with the second highest circulation among dairy magazines in the U.S. If your family was dairying during this time, chances are they received a copy in their mailbox. GEA is excited to bring this publication back and carry on the tradition of sharing customer stories, management tips and new technology with today’s dairy farmers.

After a fire burned through their parlor facility in 2020, Double P Dairy in Marathon City, Wisconsin, came back stronger than ever. They’re experiencing improved milkouts and labor efficiencies with their new GEA DairyRotor T8800 rotary parlor.

“The biggest benefit I see with GEA’s DairyRotor is our ability to milk 60 cows in 8 minutes. And we’re seeing complete milkouts in 3 minutes, 15 seconds with 60% of milk harvested in the first 2 minutes,” says Miguel Garcia, parlor manager.

The Double P Dairy team has been milking 2,000 cows in their 60-stall DairyRotor with an automated teat scrubber for cow prep and an automated post-dipping arm since October 2021.

The biggest benefit I see with GEA’s DairyRotor is our ability to milk 60 cows in 8 minutes.

Q&A with Miguel Garcia

What is your role on the dairy?

I started working here a few years ago as a herdsman, then got promoted to parlor manager. My role is to work with the milkers, train them and ensure they’re following our protocols. I also make sure the parlor and milking equipment is working properly.

How does the DairyRotor compare to your previous parlor?

This GEA rotary is the most advanced conventional parlor I’ve ever seen. It milks cows quickly and properly.

The FutureCow Prep System properly stimulates and cleans the cows. The Udder Mister spray arm applies post-dip to the cows — we don’t have to worry about post-dipping because it does the job for us and does an excellent job.

How long does milking take?

We are milking 2,000 cows in about 6 hours and 30 minutes. We work three shifts — milking five pens 4X and three pens 3X. And we have enough time for the wash cycle to run.

What’s the milking process like?

It’s very quick and simple. As cows enter the parlor, they get cleaned using the FutureCow brush. Every employee cleans and dries the teats the same way so the cows don’t get confused. The time from prep until milking unit attachment is about 90 seconds. After cows complete milking, they’ll continue around the rotary until they reach a sensor that initiates the teat dip spray arm, then the milking process is complete.

What kind of liners are you using?

We went with the GQ silicone liners from GEA. The material is soft, flexible and more resilient, making them last longer than rubber. They seem to be treating the teats better and milking the cows faster. They’re working well and we like them.

Can you describe your new milking routine?

Milkers stay in one position — they don’t have to be moving — unlike a parallel parlor where they’re constantly running back and forth. It gives them the chance to do a better job with less effort. And because they rotate to a different station between cow groups (throughout their shift), it allows everyone to relax. Milkers float around when they are not prepping or attaching the units.

What was the transition like for your team? What about the cows?

In the beginning, working in this kind of environment with high technology was intimidating. After the employees understood how the technology works

and experienced how it made their work easier, they were happy with it. It took the cows a little time to get used to getting cleaned with the brush and a different feel of massage and stimulation. They’ve adjusted well and you can tell they like it because they don’t move during milking — and it’s easier to work with them.

What are the biggest benefits of the new parlor?

One of the benefits of working in a parlor like this is that our employees are here forever — they don’t want to leave. Another advantage is cows are getting milked faster with less effort, making our job easier.

How has the DairyRotor been performing?

Being able to milk 60 cows in 8 minutes is so impressive. With the advancement of technology, I could immediately see how much faster flow rates were with the FutureCow brush doing the cleaning

and stimulation. And the pulsation is much faster at the start of unit attachment. The cows milk faster and in a lot better way.

How is your milk quality?

Bacteria counts have been excellent. Our somatic cell count is around 80,000–100,000 with a 90-pound milk average per cow.

What do you enjoy the most?

We are working as a team. A good work environment makes things easier for everyone and we’re getting great results — everyone is happy.

“This GEA rotary is the most advanced conventional parlor I’ve ever seen. It milks cows quickly and properly.”

MIGUEL GARCIA PARLOR MANAGER, DOUBLE P DAIRY

How does Double P Dairy do it?

With a parlor designed for milking efficiency using innovative technology to reduce labor.

Double P Dairy is redefining parlor efficiency and achieving consistent performance with their 60-stall, DairyRotor T8800. They paired their conventional rotary parlor with automation technology to reduce the amount of labor needed to milk cows. They’re maximizing throughput with a system that facilitates fast cow flow with easy, ergonomic operator functions.

“We toured several rotaries when planning our new parlor. When we walked into the GEA parlor, it seemed like it made it easy to milk cows.

I really like the arms — they have a more natural movement (to attach). And there are no buttons to push — which doesn’t seem like a lot until you start doing it 8–9 times a minute for an hour at a time. The ergonomics make it almost effortless for the milkers to milk.”

— AJ LEONARD

Dairy manager, Double P Dairy

“When Double P Dairy purchased this parlor, the goal was to have good milkouts and decrease milking labor. Two features that really help with this process are the FutureCow teat scrubber and the Udder Mister. The Udder Mister is an automatic post-dipping system that eliminates a person on the backside of the parlor.

What amazes me about this system is we’re seeing a performance that I never expected in my 23 years of industry experience — 3-minute and 15-second milkouts. I never expected to see that much milk flow through a parlor. It blows my mind.”

— STEPHEN BRILOWSKI

Kozlovsky Dairy Equipment Inc.

Milking Units

Built for Speed

Double P Dairy is achieving superior milking performance with a milking unit and liner combination that can handle the highest flow rates and deliver milk from the teat to the pipeline with exceptional speed.

DairyRotor rotary parlor

The DairyRotor rotary parlor is designed to push milking performance at every turn to efficiently milk hundreds of cows per hour, 24/7.

• Fast, smooth cow flow thanks to low-profile rotary stall design

• Superior hose support arms facilitate fast, button-free attaching

• Superior rotary control allows you to adjust the turning speed based on group

FutureCow ® Prep System

The FutureCow Prep System performs all pre-milking procedures in one easy step. The mechanical brush gently washes, disinfects, stimulates and dries teats all in one cow visit.

• Improves parlor efficiency by increasing labor productivity

• Consistent prep can help increase production and improve milk quality

• Superior stimulation helps increase flow rates and reduce milking time

• Ensures proper cleaning with multi-layer brushes that scrub teat-ends

Udder Mister

The Udder Mister is an automated teat dip spray arm for rotary parlors. Sensors ensure accurate spraying to coat and protect teats from mastitis-causing bacteria.

• Reduces labor by eliminating manual dipping

• Delivers consistent dipping coverage for mastitis prevention

• Quick installation with a footprint that doesn’t take up a lot of space

Classic 300E milking units

The Classic 300E is an industrystandard unit designed for today’s udder conformations.

• High capacity handles high volume milk flow while maintaining vacuum levels

• Stainless steel and composite materials are the strongest in the industry for reliable durability

• Works with any size udder and is easy for operators to adjust under the cow

GQ silicone liners

GEA GQ liners promote gentle milk harvest with shorter unit on-times.

• Excellent teat fit thanks to unique material properties and innovative engineering

• Superior parlor efficiency with shorter unit on-times — get cows in and out of the parlor faster

• Long service life — up to 6,000 milkings

• Anti-twist features lock liner and shell in the proper position

• Efficient unit attachment with ergonomic shell design

Getting

Rapid

Exit allows for smooth cow flow Clearance

When it’s planting season or the skid loader breaks down, or any one of a million day-to-day priorities come up, it’s easy to put cow comfort efforts on the back burner. Sticking to the basics, listening to your cows and focusing on efficiency will help you stay on top of what matters most.

Here are a few fundamental cow comfort strategies:

Make tasks easy

Cleaning out stalls, pushing up feed, teat dipping, running the foot bath — the easier something is to accomplish, the more often and more accurately it gets done.

Review your management protocols and identify pain points. What’s getting in the way and making tasks more difficult?

Walk through the barn like a cow would, from freestalls to the holding areas to the parlor and back again. Is it easy to maneuver, both for the animals and the employees?

Consider investing in tools that make tasks easier for employees, such as attachments for skid loaders and tractors, dump waterers, bedding spreaders, grooming tools, etc. These changes can make a big difference without breaking the bank.

Stay on routine

Cow comfort is all about routine — not just for the cows but also for employees. When employees get off routine, they may skip a task or rush through jobs, impacting cow comfort and, ultimately, milk production.

Ensure employees are clear on expectations when it comes to cow comfort in all areas of the dairy. Explaining the “why” during employee training can help emphasize the importance of each task and the employees’ role in the overall profitability of the farm.

The cleaner you keep things, the quicker and easier it is to maintain. It’s like doing the dishes — if you don’t do them right away, dirty dishes pile up in the sink. When you finally tackle “dish mountain,” it’s a much bigger task to accomplish than if you had washed them right away.

Listen to your cows

If milk production or animal health is lagging, your cows are trying to tell you something. Combining data and visual evaluation can help you make the best decisions on cow comfort improvements.

Activity monitors and other tools can help guide you in the right direction. However, you still need to use your senses and visually evaluate your cows. Get out in the barn and see what your cows are telling you via their feet and legs, body motions, eating and lying times.

Rely on your team

Cow comfort is a team effort. Veterinarians, nutritionists and milking equipment dealers have a vested interest in supporting cow comfort on your farm because it makes their jobs easier and helps them achieve your goals. Your team of advisors can perform on-farm training and review key performance indicators and expectations with your staff. Even when things are going smoothly, a second set of eyes can help identify opportunities for improvement. We can all get entrenched in our routines or walk past that dirty waterer so often it becomes invisible. A consultant or trusted advisors can bring a new perspective, share successes from other farms and generate new ideas.

The small things can make a big difference for cow comfort. By getting back to the basics, you can ensure optimal cow comfort to support production and profitability.

DELEGATE MILKING LABOR TASKS to partial automation

Address growing labor challenges by delegating parlor tasks to automation.

Your best employee just left for a job in a different industry. Or you’ve been looking for a new parlor manager for what feels like forever and can’t find the right fit. Sound familiar?

Finding labor is a challenge, and not just in dairy. Delegating milking tasks to partial automation technology reduces the stress of finding labor, helps retain current employees by making their jobs easier and adds value with improved consistency and milk quality.

Calculate ROI

Start by deciding what’s the right path for your goals. When considering partial automation technology, balance the cost of labor versus the cost of investing in new technology.

Calculating return on investment (ROI) is about more than just what you can save in labor costs. Better consistency in milking processes can translate to improved milk production, reduced somatic cell count and improved milk quality. These benefits to your milk check and herd health can’t be overlooked.

Depending on your parlor type, improved consistency and efficiency with partial automation can increase parlor throughput and allow you to

Determine

Automated teat dip spray systems for rotaries:

Delegate the pre- or post-dipping task to an automated arm on the front or back side of a rotary parlor. Options today have simpler mechanics, don’t take up a lot of space and provide quick ROI. An automated teat dip spray system helps ensure cows are dipped efficiently without slowing down the rotary — reducing the number of people needed each milking.

Walk-over sprayer:

A walk-over sprayer automatically applies pre- or post-dip in the entrance and exit lanes. These work with any parlor configuration with single-lane cow traffic in the entry or exit area, allowing farms to utilize parlor staff for more critical milking tasks.

Teat prep scrubber system:

An all-in-one brush system cleans and stimulates teats before milking. While these systems require an employee to operate, they greatly speed up the teat prep process to improve throughput and consistency for better flow rates and teat end health.

Automated postdipping milking units:

After milking is complete, post-dip is automatically applied in the liner head, and the unit is detached without further interference by the milkers. This allows employees to focus on prep tasks and helps ensure each teat is dipped properly at every milking.

milk more cows in the same size parlor. Milking 5-10% more cows in your existing parlor could be a huge advantage.

Plan for the future

Partial automation technology can be a great stepping stone if you’re considering robotic milking but aren’t ready to invest. With robotic milking, you may need to build a new facility or tackle a retrofit project. With partial automation technology, you can make small upgrades to existing facilities.

Partial automation technology also helps you prepare for the next step into robotic milking. You can improve your shortterm ROI and get accustomed to using and managing automation equipment to create a smoother transition to robots.

Train employees

Create a training plan before installing new equipment. Your dealer can help train employees on the equipment and work with them for the first few days to ensure procedures are followed correctly.

Be open with employees about why you’re making this change. If employees feel you’re replacing them with automation, it can create a toxic culture on-farm. Ensure employees feel part of the transition and explain how the technology will benefit them — making their jobs easier and more consistent — and how it will benefit the farm in improved milk quality.

what type of automation is right for you

Identify hurdles in the parlor with labor or milk quality and work with your dealer to find the right partial automation technology to address challenges.

The most common partial automation technologies for the parlor are:

BETTER WITH ROBOTS

CHARLES ZIMMERMAN

Skull Hill Dairy — 5 DairyRobot R9500 boxes

We previously milked in a double-10 GEA Magnum 90i parallel parlor and retrofitted our barn with five GEA R9500 robots in 2021. My wife and I watched YouTube videos of all the different robots as our ‘date nights’ to research the options. We thought we wanted a different brand until we saw GEA’s box times and In-Liner Everything — it’s impressive.

The removable service module also stood out. You don’t tear apart the whole machine to fix something. You slide a module out for service and put another module in to keep milking. And the R9500s have similar components as our old GEA parlor — the same pulsators and meters. Since startup, the R9500s have saved us labor costs, made us better managers and helped us produce better quality milk. We have more reports and information — like individual quarter data for somatic cell count — to make better decisions with our cows.”

— Charles Zimmerman

DE JONG FAMILY

A.H.E. Dairy —  5 DairyRobot R9500 boxes

We went with GEA robots because of the quick one-time attachment and consistent In-Liner Everything prep system. Since the camera is only used once per cow for each milking, it allows for quicker box times. And the in-liner prep system provides greater consistency for the cows’ milking experience.

Robotic milking reduces the extra labor we would have had to perform ourselves or hire. It provides a greater level of precise management, enabling us to meet each cow’s needs. And it allows for more flexibility in day-to-day scheduling with other farm tasks.”

— De Jong Family

JASON HOLSCHBACH

Cloveredge Farm LLC — 5 years with 8 GEA robots

Five years ago, we were at a crossroads in our dairy business  — we needed to make improvements to the milking system, housing facilities and management. We installed 8 GEA robots and built a 4-row freestall barn. Our expectation, which we are meeting today, is to see a seven-year return on the labor alone. We’re also getting more longevity out of our cows. Production-wise, we run a 90-pound tank average with 3.8% fat and 3.15% protein content.

Everybody on our farm, is a ‘cow person.’ The robot’s data on each cow allows us to monitor herd health and catch potential problems much faster. Veterinarian expenses are down 15% from prior years because we catch early signs of mastitis, pneumonia and sore feet. We can focus on the cows, which we enjoy very much.”

— Jason Holschbach

CHRIS SNYDER

Early View Farm — 2 GEA robots

I remember vividly, my dad milking in the parlor asking, ‘How are you going to do this?’ To me, it was logical we automated. We knew labor was going to be a challenge and we needed something to address it. I told him the answer was robots.

My favorite feature is the app — it allows me to see a box history of cows that have been milked, cows that need to be milked and what the robots are doing at any time. I can prioritize the alarms to tell me only what I need to know to keep them going. The CowScout heat detection and rumination insights have helped us become better dairymen. And the attachment times are really fast.

The robots allow us to prioritize family, fieldwork and give us the flexibility to go on vacation. They’ve given us a quality of life that we wouldn’t have had in the parlor.”

— Chris Snyder

ALLEN HARTSCHUH

Hartschuh Dairy Farm, LLC — 3 DairyRobot R9500 boxes

We previously milked in a double-six herringbone parlor with the same number of cows. We selected the GEA robots primarily because of the all-in-one attachment and preparation of the cow. Finding employees was becoming more of a challenge. When we put the robots in, we were able to eliminate three full-time positions. Our total box time is averaging 6 minutes and 15 seconds with an average of 2.8 visits per cow per day. We installed the somatic cell count sensors as an update — they help determine which cows have mastitis and how serious it is. The robotic milking system is great. It’s been even more of a bonus than what we ever expected.”

— Allen Hartschuh

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GEA In-Liner Everything ™

GEA’s proven In-Liner Everything™ technology performs every step of the milking process — stimulation, teat cleaning, forestripping, milk harvest and post-dipping — in a single attachment.

This uniform, quick and comfortable process, all occurring within the teat cup, is key to harvesting excellent quality milk while maximizing the efficiency of your robotic milking facility.

Each step of the In-Liner Everything process is designed to:

• Ensure cows receive the best possible milk let-down process

• Deliver a fast, gentle, complete milkout

• Protect udder health

• Harvest quality milk and deliver it quickly to the milk tank

All milking procedure steps occur mechanically inside the liner in a safe and efficient manner.

NEW PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Targeted HERD management

DairyNet® herd management software provides groundbreaking ways to turn your dairy’s data into vital decision-making information. Stats are at your disposal with a click of the mouse or tap on your phone, thanks to the latest reporting technology and innovative mobile app.

With DairyNet you will benefit from:

• An intuitive user interface

• Individual cow information with one click

• Easily recording management actions via the app

• More focus on animal health and performance

• Better feeding and reproduction planning

• Detailed milking reports and analysis

Economical animal sorting

Quickly and easily sort cows after milking to achieve better cow flow with ‘sort on the fly’ technology. With the use of GEA ethernet Velos controls, no bifold gate is needed. This system requires less hardware for faster installation and decreased service and maintenance.

Velos controls offer advanced diagnostics and enable farms to connect their sort system with GEA herd management software.

3. 5.

Automate teat dipping on rotary parlors

The Udder Mister is an automated teat dip spray arm for rotary parlors. Sensors ensure accurate spraying to coat and protect teats from mastitis-causing bacteria. Models are available for rotaries turning at any speed. Why automate with Udder Mister?

• Reduce labor

• Help prevent mastitis and its associated costs

• Save money without sacrificing udder health

• Easy installation

• Quick ROI

Pre-dip tailored for walk-over sprayers

OxyPower™ HPC is a teat dip concentrate. When diluted with water on-farm, it yields a ready-to-use 1% hydrogen peroxide pre-dip. It can be easily mixed manually or in a blending system. The cleanability traits of OxyPower HPC help lift soil from the teat, maximizing cleanliness during the prep process. The fast, 15-second kill on the most common mastitis-causing pathogens helps protect udder health. This powerful, yet cost-effective choice for all teat dip application methods is particularly effective in walk-over sprayers.

Automate manure separator cleaning

Frequent washing of manure separators is required to maintain peak performance. Eliminate the labor needed for daily screen cleaning by automating it with the new GEA OptiClean™ system for SlopeScreen separators.

OptiClean uses pressurized water to remove fiber and includes an integrated chemical system to remove minerals and soil. It can be added to new or existing SlopeScreens.

Simplify scraper system maintenance

Make the most of your available space with GEA’s enhanced elevated stand for the SW cable drive unit. Mounting an SW drive unit over a cross gutter means less cleanup and easier maintenance. This option is available for new and existing drive units.

There’s another new addition to the GEA ProManure lineup, too. It is a tilting blade rubber shoe for alley scrapers. This new rubber shoe is more resistant to wear caused by sand in the alleys.

Skin

conditioners: A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF TEAT DIPS

Keep teats healthy and mastitis at bay.

Why are skin conditioners added to teat dips?

Teat dips must contain a germicidal ingredient such as iodine, chlorine dioxide, peroxide or peracetic acid to fight off the constant exposure teats have to mastitis-causing bacteria. The downside is they can irritate teat tissue, especially during periods of cold weather or low humidity. In addition, surfactants, another necessary ingredient (to aid in wetting the teat surface) can strip off the natural oils from the teat skin. One or more skin conditioners are typically incorporated into a teat dip formula to help overcome these drawbacks.

Research shows that dried, chapped or cracked skin will promote irritation, and growth of bacteria, leading to increased cases of mastitis. On the surface of normal, healthy teat skin there are natural oils secreted by the skin and a mixture of weak acids such as lactic acid, free fatty acids and uric acid. This layer of film is known as the “acid mantel” — the skin’s natural mechanism for drawing moisture to the skin surface and inhibiting bacteria growth. When the teat skin becomes chapped and irritated, the protective acid mantel may be removed, exposing the skin to the harmful effects of bacterial colonization.

The combination of chemically induced irritation caused by the germicides required in teat dips, along with certain environmental conditions, makes it important that skin conditioners be formulated into all teat dips. And the percentage of skin conditioners in the dip used on farm should increase as the cow’s environment becomes more challenging. This is necessary to keep teats soft and smooth, and to prevent mastitis-causing organisms from finding a home on the surface of the teat skin.

How do skin conditioners help protect teat skin?

Skin conditioners work in two ways by acting as:

1. Humectants — attract and absorb water molecules from the outside environment into the teat skin to help keep it soft, smooth and healthy.

2. Emollients — form a protective layer on the teat surface to prevent water molecules from leaving the teat skin through evaporation, especially when the outside environment is unfavorable (i.e., low humidity, cold, windy).

What do different skin conditioners do?

• Glycerin — a humectant that absorbs moisture from the air and deposits it on the teat skin.

• Propylene glycol — another humectant that draws moisture from the air, even at low humidity.

• Lanolin — occlusive emollient leaves a protective barrier on the skin to prevent the evaporation of natural water from the lower epidermal layer. It replaces natural sebum and restores the correct moisture balance.

• PVP — a film forming humectant. At 80% humidity, it will absorb more than 50% of its weight of water.

• Aloe Vera — a moisturizer that helps to heal minor skin injuries.

• Allantoin — helps prevent chapped, chafed, cracked and windburn skin. It also provides temporary protection for minor cuts, scrapes and sunburn.

Annular folds (Furstenberg ring) Outer longitudinal Inner circular

Dermis

Smooth muscle:

Submucosa

Mucosa

Epidermis Wall layer (outer to inner) Teat cistern Teat canal

Did you know?

The teats of cows, like the fingers and hands of humans, are far outside the body cavity, making them especially susceptible to temperature changes, resulting in dehydration and chapping. So, the next time the weather changes, and you are putting lotion on your dry hands, think about how cows’ teats are needing the same treatment — through skin conditioners in the teat dip.

A GEA DAIRY FARMING PUBLICATION • 23

New SlopeScreen ™ with OptiClean ™ technology

ADAPTS TO NEEDS OF THE FUTURE

Achieve outstanding performance with new stainless steel, user-friendly design and automatic cleaning system.

For over 20 years, sloped screen separators from GEA have been used on farms worldwide. As manure management progresses, the GEA SlopeScreen separator is evolving with it.

The newly redesigned SlopeScreen delivers enhanced functionality and performance. Achieve outstanding efficiency with the new stainless steel construction featuring a unique wedge wire screen.

“The new SlopeScreen brings opportunities to our industry as we work towards creating more sustainable waste handling practices,” explains Jeramy Sanford, head of product management and support for GEA manure equipment. “On top of being stainless steel, it’s more user friendly and cleans itself with the new OptiClean automatic cleaning system.”

The GEA SlopeScreen has a modular design that can grow based on customer needs. The separation surface can be adapted to different flow rates and animal numbers, and ranges from 32 to 96 square feet. It can be configured in a single stage (screen only) or a two-stage separator with the addition of a roller screen and press for more water capture and drier solids.

SlopeScreen separator benefits include:

• Throughput: The screens can handle flow rates up to 1,000 gallons per minute depending on the configuration.

• Adaptability: Customers can upgrade their separation screens or add a roller press system if their needs change over time. Rightor left-hand drives can be selected on site.

• Reliability: Simple design contains no moving parts on the single-stage systems and minimal moving parts on the two-stage system for easy maintenance.

• Accuracy: A laser level sensor is integrated into the new design to provide the most accurate readings of levels in the hopper.

• Efficiency: Single-stage screens require no electrical horsepower. The two-stage screens require a 1.5-horsepower motor.

Low power consumption helps reduce carbon emissions, an important commitment from GEA and the agricultural industry.

• Longevity: Grade 304 stainless steel construction is built to last in highly demanding and corrosive environments.

“Our previous screen separators were known to work trouble-free for over 10 years and this new model is sure to extend those numbers,” says Sanford.

Automate cleaning with GEA OptiClean

Frequent washing is required to maintain peak separator performance. Eliminate the labor needed for daily screen cleaning by automating it with the OptiClean system.

OptiClean uses pressurized water to remove fiber and includes an integrated chemical system to remove minerals and soil. It can be added to new or existing SlopeScreen separators and is programmable for site-specific conditions.

“The powerful combination of the GEA SlopeScreen and OptiClean offers industry-leading performance,” says Sanford. “It also reduces waste and lowers environmental impact — all while using less labor.”

OptiClean at work on a Wisconsin dairy

Dave Styer of Alfalawn Farm in Wisconsin has been using the GEA SlopeScreen on his dairy farm for 7 years. After years of manually cleaning his separator system with a pressure washer, he transitioned to an automated circular spray bar system which ran every two hours. He still wasn’t satisfied with the job that it was doing and was looking for something better. That’s when he discovered the new OptiClean automated cleaning system from GEA, which he’s been using for almost a year.

Here’s what Dave had to say about it:

How has adding the OptiClean changed your cleaning process?

It’s a very thorough cleaning system. I can notice a substantial difference when it’s done cleaning — the amount of material that’s going through the screen and separating out is much higher. Right now, we’re running it four times a day.

How does it compare to your previous system?

It is a cleaner washing system. With our other system, we’d get a lot of debris that’d blow off the screen onto the outside edges. Because of the shielding on the OptiClean system, it doesn’t make a mess.

How is it helping your dairy?

Our flume system operates on good water quality — the cleaner the water is, the better it performs. OptiClean helps increase the performance of our flume system by improving the water quality.

What’s your favorite feature?

I don’t have to worry about it — it takes care of itself.

Scan to see the slope screen in action

Inspired by the Industrial Revolution, inventors began to devise machines to take the place of manual labor whenever possible. Fortunately, that included the cow milking process. By 1920, it was clear that machine milking was here to stay.

Technology in its prime Then & Now

Today’s rotary parlors are designed for an efficient and comfortable milking experience for both the cow and the milking operator. New technologies, such as automated teat prep and fully automated teat dipping, further reduce labor and deliver operational consistency.

Stay connected with us!

Better starts now.

Better efficiency. Better milk quality. Better cow comfort. Better labor management. We know your dairy’s future profitability depends on it all. That’s why the team at GEA is here for the better. We’re dedicated to bringing you cutting-edge technologies, reliable dealer service and trusted industry experience.