JAVA FARMS
Page 92
Smart planning in South Taranaki
A beautiful view of Mt Egmont/Taranaki is visible from the Le Prou’s shed.
Careful research and smart planning have given Jacques and Vanessa Le Prou a shed that they are justifiably proud of, and which sets a great platform for future growth. The Le Prous are equity partners with Jacques’ parents in the 150 hectare farm that sits midway between Mount Egmont and the coast in South Taranaki. They did comprehensive research on key aspects of the new dairy to ensure everything installed was in keeping with their philosophy of “low water usage, low labour, low mechanical and low energy usage”. “We wanted to build a shed that was labour, water, and energy efficient. Going forward those are the big expenses for any farming system,” says Vanessa. Currently milking 490 cows, they expect to move to a herd size of 600 within the next two-four seasons; and the shed has been designed and built with this capacity in mind.
Jacques says they haven’t had a single case of mastitis since they started milking in the new shed in July 2014, which he attributes to the SmartSPRAY system that sprays all four teats three seconds after cup removal, while the teat orifice is still open. “Most sheds we’re doing now include the SmartSPRAY system. It’s very effective,” says Brian. Stage two of the farm’s development, which is expected to occur next season – in 2016/2017 – will include an automated herd management system.
In-shed feeding
Java Farms
Jacques Le Prou changing a filter sock as he gets ready for the next milking.
Staged development The Le Prou’s choice of milking plant was guided by the fact that their new dairy would be developed in stages as time and resources allowed. They selected a Waikato Milking Systems plant because it could be easily and cost-effectively upgraded without any need to change what had been installed in earlier development stages. Waikato Milking Systems’ area sales manager Brian Luff says their gear is essentially ‘plug and play’. “We’ve got as much or as little as you want, and it all fits together seamlessly, so you can easily add additional modules as needed.” Labour-saving features were the priority for stage one and automatic cup removers and the SmartSPRAY automatic teat spray system were installed onto the new 60-bail rotary platform.
Coast & Country
Central Silo Systems’ in-shed feeding equipment was also part of the initial build. “They were competitive on price, flexible on terms and have a local Taranaki installer, so in the end it was an easy choice to go with Central Silos,” says Vanessa. Two silos were installed to provide flexibility to feed two different supplements if needed, and the Le Prous opted to add an extra silo ring to the standard 16 tonne silo to increase the capacity to 18 tonnes, which gives them 10-12 days of feed capacity from each unit. Central Silos Systems’ local installer and service engineer Damian Bellve says each silo is fitted with an automated vibrator to detect when feed isn’t flowing – or bridging – it then initiates a series of vibrations to help dislodge feed to get it flowing again.
Local is important Labour-saving devices like automatic teat sprayers and cup removers mean only one person is needed in the Le Prou’s new 60-bail rotary, as shown by Jacques Le Prou.
Vanessa Le Prou hoses down a small area to clear the floodwash outlets of muck and debris.
Suppliers that offer local servicing were an important consideration for all the major parts of the plant, says Vanessa. “We’re not mechanical people. If something breaks, we need it fixed quickly and you’re going to get a better response time from someone local.” Opunake-based Elite Farm Solutions, which installed the Waikato Milking System plant and machinery, is 10 minutes’ drive from the Le Prou’s property.