Farming

On the Dairy Farm by W. J. Petersen Chief Field Supervisor, Head Office Once again the dairy season is coming to a close and the cows will be drying off and preparing themselves for another season of supplying the farmer with the milk which is his principal means of income. Whilst the dairy herd is preparing for another season, what is the farmer doing? Is he preparing also, or is he just happy to go along in the same old way as he did in the past? On the best managed farm there is aways room for improvement and better results from his dairy herd. Let us now ponder a while on the methods used in the milking of his herd. Is he using the right technique? Is his milking machines operating efficiently, and is his separator skimming cleanly, and is he satisfied with the results? Firstly I would like to discuss the methods which should be used in the milking of a dairy herd. The dairy cow is an animal of habit and like most females responds well to petting and careful handling in the shed and out of the shed. The cow should always be treated kindly and never knocked about and allowed to become upset. When getting the cows in for milking don't send the dogs out, teach the cows to come when called and even if they won't do this, walk around them quietly. Remember they are full of milk and you want all that milk. I said before that a cow is an animal of habit so if she wants to be first in the bail let her be first and if she wishes to be milked later, humour her and let her wait. It is useless to make her go into the bail against her will as she will not be contented and give down her milk freely. In all cases avoid having sticks or whips in the shed or yards. If you whip or hit a cow you are satisfying your own feelings but you are also depriving yourself of the milk which is the main reason for bringing your cows to the bail. Now you have most probably got a three bail cowshed with six sets of cups. The six cows are all standing in their bails and the chains are drawn around behind them. Don't have these chains too tight and make the cows uncomfortable when they are standing. If you must leg rope them pull the leg rope back gently and see that they are standing easily. Your cows are now ready for milking but don't just put the cups on and hope for the best. The most important part of milking is what is known as stimulation of the udder. This is done by washing the udder and teats with clean warm water, gently rubbing the udder whilst doing so and then by taking a squirt of milk from each quarter before putting on the cups. This encourages the cow to give down her milk freely and you are sure that the milk is clean. Don't waste this first squirt of milk, have a small bucket in each bail and squirt into that. To just squirt the milk on the concrete floor will not only make a mess but will in time eat away the concrete. When this stimulation has been done put the cups on gently and don't hang a heavy weight on the claw as this won't help you but will be a drag on the cow and will probably make her fidgety and start to kick. It is wise to start on one cow in each bail first and then come back on the other side cows after so that you are working on alternative sides all the time. You will be watching your sight glasses and as soon as the milk ceases to flow pull down gently on the claw for three or four pulsations and then the cups will come away clean and not with a big splash of milk which is often the case.

More Milk in the Vat I am sure that if you follow these instructions with milking your cows you will be pleased with the results and you will find that you have very little mess to clean up when your milking has been completed and what is more important you will have more milk in the vat or more cream in the can. To get the superfine grade cream your milking machines must be kept scrupulously clean and in good working order so when your milking is finished, first flush your machines and milk pipes with clean cold water. This is to be followed by the same flush with boiling water taken from your heater or copper. It is also a good plan to clean your milk pipe by letting a ball of horse hair flush through from the end to your releaser during the last flush. The keeping of your milking machines and cream separator in first class working order is also most important but this is really an expert's job. It is, therefore, wise to have these machines checked by an expert at least once each year to ensure that they are doing their work efficiently. This will not cost you very much but on the other hand you could easily be losing pounds in money each week by having inefficient separation.