Herringbone Sheds For Efficiency

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 7

Herringbone Sheds For Efficiency

A SURVEY carried out in ■* *“ the North Island of dairy farmers milking in herringbone sheds and orthodox straight-through sheds had shown that there was a significant increase in the num- ; ber of cows that could be milked in an hour by a man under the herringbone system and the greatest increase was in one-man sheds, said Mr H. J. Clifford, extension officer of the Dairy Production and Marketing Board, at the field day for dairy farmers held in ' conjunction with the Lincoln ; farmers’ conference. The field day was held on ; Mr M. Foster’s property at

Ladbrooks where his new ’ herringbone shed was ex- ' amined in detail and on Mr . R. G Humm’s Tai Tapu farm. Mr Humm also has a herringi bone shed but the main interI est was in his modern loafing ! bam. The value of loafing barns in maintaining winter ' production and saving pasture i from damage was one of the

Mr Foster’s new shed exemplifies the new face of the Christchurch town milk industry. It is well designed and constructed in concrete blocks. This farm is one of the 50 local town supply farms that are now on tanker collection. The turning circle for the tanker has been matched with a circular yard and a small area of lawn and shrubs has been planted nearby to make the shed a showpiece. Unlike the majority of North Island herringbone sheds, Mr Foster’s does not have open ends with separate yards. The cows are kept up to the entrance ramp by an electrically-operated gate which moves around the yard controlled by a switch in the pit between the two rows of cows where the milker stands. The cows walk up two ramps to the milking level which is several feet above the ground and after milking move to the end and turn out of a side doorway to a race which takes them back to the circular yard. The cows which have been milked then occupy the area behind the moving gate and by doing this Mr Foster has saved the cost of another yard. Cleaning up is also simplified and there is only one area to be brushed and hosed down. Mr Clifford gave a detailed summary of the results of the North Island survey and said that two farmers in one-man sheds were achieving milking rates of 85 cows an hour, although the average was somewhat less. Farmers in the survey who had changed over to herringbone sheds had increased their herds because of the time saved in milking An interesting side-light to the field day was the arrival of one of the Canterbury Dairy Farmers. Ltd.'s tankers which collected the milk from the refrigerated vat in a matter of minutes. After the tanker had pumped out the vat Mr J. G. Wright, the company’s chief chemist, gave a brief address on the cleaning of vats.