Skimmed-milk Disposal from Small Farm Dairies

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 1, 15 July 1950, Page 31

Skimmed-milk Disposal from Small Farm Dairies

THERE mechanical means are ’’ not available the disposal of skimmed milk from small dairies can become burdensome to the farmer and a source of contamination of dairy produce. This article by E. Sigley, Farm Dairy Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Rangiora, describes a convenient device which provides sanitation and reduces the labour involved in the manual removal of this byproduct from the dairy.

'T’HE disposal of skimmed milk from the farm' dairy and its conveyance to the piggery, which is required by law to be 50yds. distant, are matters which must be faced by all dairy farmers who separate cream, and the amount of work involved depends on the method employed and the quantity of skimmed milk to be handled. In all farm dairies, both large and small, a sanitary means of skimmedmilk disposal is essential. Any method of disposal which entails the holding of sour and fermented skimmed milk, or its sour and unclean containers, at or too close to the dairy will cause intense contamination of milk and cream, particularly during the warm months of the main producing season. The quality of the dairy produce is affected by the bacteria of fermentation, while flavour is affected by the produce absorbing the unclean smell of such conditions. The majority of farm dairies are equipped with milking machines or have motive power for driving separators, and wherever such power is available the skimmed-milk pump should be utilised. Such an installation . not only provides the most

sanitary means of skimmed-milk disposal, but it completely removes the labour factor attached to it. This means of disposing of skimmed milk is recommended wherever possible, but in the small percentage of hand dairies at which the herd is too small to warrant the installation of motive power, some alternative means must be employed. The common methods of collecting skimmed milk in iron drums and wooden barrels located close to the separator room and of collecting the skimmed milk in buckets at the separator and transporting it manually to a distant receptacle are quite unsatisfactory and usually insanitary. The utmost care in the cleaning of the iron drums used in the first method does not give satisfactory results, because the acidity of the skimmed milk affects the metal to such an extent that it becomes very porous and gives off a sour, unclean smell despite the best efforts

of cleaning. A further objection is that the aggregation of skimmed milk in containers close to the separator room means that the skimmed milk must be lifted from this point and carried or carted to its destination, and in this process the spillage which results causes the air to become contaminated too close to the dairy and dairy produce. The second common method of collecting skimmed milk in buckets as it leaves the separator not only requires considerable labour but has the unsatisfactory effect of causing damage to the concrete floor of the separator room by the constant wear of buckets and more particularly by the spillage of skimmed milk, the acidity of which penetrates and ruins the concrete surface. A very satisfactory device for the handling and disposal of skimmed milk from small dairies has been devised

aud used in some districts of the South island for several years. By its simplicity and convenience it reduces the labour involved in skimmed-milk disposal to a minimum, and it is the most sanitary means of disposal in those cases where the installation of a skimmed-milk pump is not warranted.

Description of Convever r ' The device consists of a 22-gauge galvanised-steel drum of a capacity of from 20 to 40 gallons fitted to a wheeled conveyer as illustrated. The frame of the conveyer is made of l|in. x fin. flat iron fitted to wheels of approximately 18in. in diameter. While

being filled and during transport the container is held in an upright position on the frame and as its weight is supported at a central point by the rod-and-socket method, the container can be tipped as required and any quantity of liquid can be conveniently removed from the container. The container provides the utmost sanitation in manual skimmed-milk disposal with a minimum of labour, and provided the container is emptied immediately after each milking and washed and scalded similarly to the utensils of the dairy, it may be wheeled into the separator room and filled directly from the separator. Thus any spillage of skimmed milk on the concrete floor is avoided and the life of the concrete is extended. A further point in favour of this device is that the skimmed-milk container can be conveniently removed and a detachable wooden platform fitted to the conveyer, providing a simple and convenient wheeled vehicle for conveying the cans of cream manually from the dairy to the roadside for delivery. The usual dimensions of the conveyer and container are shown in the sketch on this page and many farmers will be able to have the device made up to their requirements. Its use is recommended for small dairies to provide greater sanitation and to reduce the labour involved in the disposal of skimmed milk.

New Officers of Y.F.C. Federation

MR. A. O. LLOYD, Western Bay of Plenty, was elected Dominion president of the New Zealand Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs at its 16th annual general meeting, held at Christchurch on June 14 and 15. The new vice-president is Mr. C. A. Macdonald, North Canterbury, and Mr. W. F. McLaren, Masterton, was reelected grand patron. Mr. Lloyd is a past chairman of Auckland Council, and Mr. Macdonald a past chairman of Canterbury Council. Both have been prominent in Y.F.C. affairs ' for a number of' years. Members elected to represent the movement on other bodies were Messrs. O. J. Osborne, Christchurch (Federated Farmers’ Dominion Council), J. V. Mclntyre, North Taranaki (National Pig Industry Council), and W. J. Symes, Mid-Canterbury (New Zealand Federation of Country Girls’ Clubs). Mr. K. J. Holyoake, Minister of Agriculture, and Mr. D. G. McLachlan, Masterton, were elected patrons. Present at the official opening were Mr. Holyoake and Mrs. Holyoake and Sir Ernest Andrews, Mayor of Christchurch, who welcomed delegates to the city. In his address before declaring the meeting open Mr. Holyoake briefly reviewed the growth of the Y.F.C. movement, recapitulated its main aims and showed how these were being attained, and recalled his own association with the federation. Mr. Holyoake reminded delegates that not only

were they the farmers of tomorrow, but that they were also the farm leaders of tomorrow. National Memorial The attainment of the federation’s goal of £20,000 for the national Y.F.C. memorial fund was reported, the sum in hand at the date of the meeting being £20,565, 9s. 4d. The suggestion of a national memorial to commemorate those members who lost their lives in the Second World War was first mooted in 1942 and the raising of the necessary money has been an endeavour of the organisation for several years. The next step now will be the provision of special buildings at the agricultural colleges (Massey and Canterbury) to accommodate Y.F.C. members for special short courses. The buildings will remain the visible evidence of the regard in which those who made the sacrifice were held, but in the achievements of members who will study there in the years to come will rest the true memorial. To keep in touch with the college authorities regarding the proposed buildings a national memorial administration committee was set up at the meeting. Land Settlement A report was given of the interview between the Minister of Lands, Mr.

Corbett, and a deputation from the Dominion Executive Committee concerning the Y.F.C. land settlement scheme. The Minister had indicated his agreement with the principles of the scheme and had stated that he hoped to be able to make some provision within 12 months for the settlement on the land of young farmers who were not ex-servicemen. Mr. Corbett had outlined steps being taken to speed rehabilitation settlement and was firmly of the opinion that the land settlement needs of those who were not ex-servicemen could not be long postponed. In his report the Dominion president for 1949-50, Mr. E. Rabbidge, stated that on April 30, 1950, there were 332 clubs, an increase of 16 for the year. Twenty-nine new clubs had been formed, but 13 had temporarily ceased operations. There were 37 clubs in post-primary schools throughout the Dominion. Consideration was given to every important aspect of the federation’s work and it was decided to continue all its national activities. These, which included the national debating contest, the national stock-judging contest, the national miniature rifle shooting contest (arranged on a postal basis), were conducted with considerable success in the past year.