Traditional setups no match for modern output

Dairy farmers are producing more milk than ever, but many are doing it with infrastructure designed for a very different era. This growing mismatch is creating new challenges across Southland & Otago farms, where incremental production gains are placing increasing pressure on the systems supporting modern dairy production, according to Cowley Gore branch manager Murray Wood.

“Many farms are producing significantly more milk than they were 20 or 25 years ago. That puts more pressure on power, cooling, water and effluent systems, so it’s important to identify those bottlenecks before they become problems.”

Identifying and addressing those pressure points has become an increasingly important part of Cowley’s work.

One recent project involved upgrading a 20-year-old herringbone dairy shed that utilised other-brand technology to new Waikato Milking Systems technology, including pulsators, automatic cup removers and vacuum plant equipment.

The challenge was that the farm milked year-round, requiring the existing plant to remain operational while the upgrade was completed.

“It was a reasonably complex job because we had to keep the plant running all the time, but we promised what we could deliver and got the job across the line.”

The work was completed within a week, with both systems operating during the transition.

Cowley also commissioned a new 70-bail rotary dairy shed in time for the start of last season despite weather delays during the spring of 2024.

“Farmers see value for money, ease of use and reliability in the Waikato technology. We’ve also been seeing more people retrofit existing sheds rather than waiting for complete rebuilds.”