NO HAND STRIPPING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7101, 31 August 1949, Page 9

NO HAND STRIPPING

REVOLUTIONARY METHODS ADOPTION ON WAIKATO FARMS Something in the nature of a revolution has occurred in the milking methods of New Zealand herds. Hand stripping, which was formerly regarded as a most important procedure in the milking shed, for instance, has been exposed as an. unprofitable practice. Dairy Board surveys were responsible for gathering a wealth of most useful information in regard to milking methods and as a result of these surveys milking has become a speedier and more efficient practice in the majority of Waikato milking sheds. Perhaps the most important point that emerged from the surveys was the fact that no hand stripping could reduce milking time by some 30 or 40 per cent, without loss of production. and with a reduction in the time the cows have to be around the milking shed. The war undoubtedly accelerated the abandonment of hand stripping in many herds and the continued scarcity of labour since the war has fostered the movement away from the practice. One of the highlights of the Ruakura farmers’ conference week was an address on milking methods by Mr A. H. Ward, Director of Herd Improvement, who was in charge of the Dairy Board’s surveys. The following article covers some of the important points raised by Mr Ward. Criticism of Industry

With the first whispers of nonstripping, and suspicion on the part of the farmer that here again was a method which might play havoc with the efficient milking of his cows, considerable criticism arose in the industry. Published articles drew a heavy fire of adverse comment and claims were made that the practice would result in early drying off of cows, increased mastitis through milk being left in the udder and so on. In 1942 a combined survey by the Dairy Board and the Department of Agriculture was undertaken to investigate these criticisms. Thirty herds were found in the North Island which were non-stripped and the results of the survey indicated that there was no more and no less mastitis in these herds than in the average herd and that the adoption of non-stripping had not had any depressing effect on the herd level of production. The publication s of these results, the terrific impact of the war on manpower on dairy farms and the necessity for economising in shed labour led many farmers almost in desperation to give this practice of non-stripping a trial. In 1944 another survey was carried out and this time tKere was no difficulty in finding 260 herds which had at that time adopted non-stripping for at least one or more seasons. At this point it was estimated that approximately 10 to 15 per cent, of herds in the Dominion were following the practice of no hand stripping. Further Surveys In 1948 a further survey was made to check up the effect of no hand stripping on production- and again the results proved to be quite satisfactory. The percentage of herds adopting no hand stripping had risen to between 30 and 40 per cent. Following the visit of Dr W. E. Petersen, the American authority, the methods being followed in New Zealand sheds were investigated more thoroughly and in greater detail. Surveys on a widespread basis indicated .that some 40 to 50 per cent, of dairy- farmers were following the practice of no hand stripping. The importance of a proper study of milking methods needs no emphasis, particularly to anyone who milks cows twice a day for the greater part of the year and realises that some 30 to 40 per cent, of his working time is spent in the- milking shed. Probably the greatest drudgery in farming is the constant sitting down to each cow in the herd after the machines have been removed to carry out stripping particularly in very hot or very wet weather. The majority of farmers who have compared the two systems will at least agree that the greatest drudgery in the milking shed is removed when hand stripping is abandoned. Much Speedier In the 600 herds in which the investigations were made it was found that the average number of cows milked per labour unit per hour in hand stripped herds was approximately 18; in machine stripped herds

it was between 25 and 26 and in completely non-stripped herds it was between 29 and 30. There was no difference in average production between the herds in these various groups.

It was clear, therefore, that in the non-stripped herds one man was turning out on the average 60 per cent, more butterfat per hour than in the hand stripped group. Expressed in another way no hand stripping could reduce milking time by some 30 or 40 per cent, without loss of production and with a reduction in the time the cows have to be around the milking shed. The question of reducing milking hours in the shed so as to enable the farmer to spend more time on normal farm maintenance and perhaps reduce his working hours somewhat means that every advantage must be taken of factors which will increase milking efficiency. Contentment of Cows It is clear that the first approach is the contentment of the cows. If they are not in the mood to be milked, completely satisfactory milking is not likely to be achieved, and they will certainly not be in the mood to be milked if they are crowded into a yard under conditions of considerable irritation from the more aggressive members of the herd. Secondly, the milking machine must be in good working order and capable of handling with complete efficiency the number of cows for which it is equipped. Under these circumstances there is no need to go back to the cow after the machine has finished the job. Any further progress in milking efficiency thereafter must be achieved by concentrating on breeding cows with good milking temperament and here it is hoped to introduce a scheme which will help to concentrate attention on strains of pedigree cattle with characteristics for good milking temperament as measured by speed of actual milking. For instance, it should be ensured that bulls from pedigree herds are from easy milking strains so that they will be more likely to pass on easy milking qualities to their daughters. Problem Cows

The question of correct hulking cannot be fully discussed without the question of problem cows being raised and it was found in herds where hand stripping had been abandoned that in some 15 per cent, there were still a few cows (approximately 12 per cent.) which had to be hand stripped. * It would be entirely wrong, said Mr Ward, for anyone to advocate complete abandonment of hand strippings and for any farmer to adopt it unless it was clearly understood that some cows might have to be sacrificed in the process. Whether a cow was worth stripping depended upon her level of production and whether the process of stripping compensated for the extra production over and above the herd average.

Many' farmers would argue that the cow that had to be hand stripped was too much of a nuisance and was better out of the herd anyway. It would be easy to allow problem cows to become a real nuisance. The cow is an individual and the problem cow must be treated as an individual. The important point is this. In the average herd at least 75 per cent, of the cows will milk out cleanly to the machines if the machines are in good working order and the cows are properly conditioned to milking. The amount of stripping given by the other 25 per cent, will vary from perhaps a cupful upwards. Those giving not much more than a cupful would probably respond to training and what happens to the rest must still remain the decision of the man who dtes the milking.