10 YEARS ON
Page 4
Coast & Country
Dairy still looks as good as new Latto
There’s virtually nothing Rex Latto would change about the dairy he and his father built on their Morrinsville dairy farm 10 years ago.
There are few environments – both inside and out – as harsh as those endured by a cowshed but the years, and its owners, have been kind to the Latto dairy at Tauhei near Morrinsville. In fact, the complex looks so good it’s hard to believe the 54-bail rotary and the building it stands in is 10 years old. The dairy was among those featured in the first edition of New Farm Dairies in 2005 – and with 2015 marking the publication’s 10th anniversary we decided to return to see how the building and its Yarroweyah rotary platform has performed. “There’s really nothing I’d change about the platform or the building and yards,” says Rex Latto, who with his father Roland, carried out extensive research before deciding on which rotary to install. “If anything I would like the platform around 50mm higher, but that’s just because of my height. I’m very happy with the way the whole
Ten years on the Latto dairy, built by Chapman Builders, still looks as good as new.
The Yarroweyah platform designed to carry cows weighing up to 750kg.
shed operates and have been from the start.” Rex and Roland visited dairies in both New Zealand and Australia before deciding on the Yarroweyah platform because of features including the 100 nylon roller track system which requires no greasing and the fact the platform is designed for a 750kg cow, meaning it’s almost over-engineered for the average 400kg New Zealand cow.
Nearly 80 cows
“We have it serviced once a year and recently some of the rollers were replaced but that’s the only repairs it has needed,” says Rex. That’s despite 10 years’ of milking up to 800 cows. Don Chapman Builders constructed the dairy building and yards and the quality of the design, cladding and finish – and rigorous after-milking cleaning – means it continues to look modern, clean and functional. The dairy is spacious, partly because the 54-bail platform is bigger than usual, and it also houses a storeroom, office, pump room and toilet. All the steelwork is galvanised and the
polypanel walls have Coloursteel cladding which is easily cleaned. The roof features a lighted ridge, while windows add extra light and fresh air on hotter days.
Feed pad
The yards provide compatibility for feeding and milking the cows, while working in with the existing farm races, which come from two directions. The feed pad is directly accessible to the circular holding yard and two backing gates enable workers to deal with three herds. While the dairy can be operated by one person, Rex says in reality it requires two to check cows leaving the platform for any lameness, mastitis, or any which have kicked the cups off too early. The platform is hydraulically, not electrically driven, and the milk lines run on the outside making it easily seen and eliminating the need to go into the middle. The Westfalia AutoRotor rotary is fitted with electronic cup removers, cow tension arms and with a forward-sloped platform design so any water washes away from the operator. An addition to the original
milking plant is an ADF Teat Spray and cup cleaning system. Rex particularly values the fold-down platform which vets use during milking, which also makes the Artificial Breeding technician’s job much simpler, with everything within arm’s reach in the lockable cabinet. The outside, undercover vet bay, complete with holding pens, is also an asset. Yard wash time is reduced with a Dungbuster on the backing gates, while a flood wash system cleans the adjoining feed pad.
Today
Today the dairy and farm are operated by Rex and wife Suzanne, along with staff members Nestor Sora, Charlie Hooper and Brendan Wilson. Roland, who purchased the original Tauhei property in 1980 no longer lives on the farm, but visits to help out most days. In 1990 Rex and Suzanne joined Rex’s parents as sharemilkers and today own the herd of 800 cows which are mainly Friesian-cross, a departure from the Friesians of the original herd.
By Elaine Fisher
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