Two years ago the Curtin brothers were in the final planning stages for construction of their new dairy near Cassville, New York. Jack, Bob, Tom and Jack's son Dan were confident in the decisions they were making, including the one to build a double-30 herringbone parlor. In fact, they even ordered the new system from their local Bou-Matic dealer and were eagerly anticipating construction of the new facility and the move from their two outdated, herringbone parlors.
But before the equipment ever arrived the brothers changed their minds. The new generation of rotary
parlors had piqued their curiosity enough to put construction on hold.
Because so few new-generation rotary parlors existed, the brothers spent a lot of time researching the idea. As part of that research they visited other dairies — some with older-style Bou-Matic systems, and some with competitive brand systems.
Two especially beneficial trips were made as part of Bou-Matic's annual Super Tour to California. This opportunity to visit with producers and tour their facilities proved extremely valuable in helping them determine what features to include."We really saw and learned a lot during the tours," says Bob, who participated in the tour last year. Jack traveled to California the previous year. "It was very beneficial to see the parlors in operation."
The brothers were especially interested in how other producers managed large volumes of cows, and how they could design a facility that was easier and more comfortable to work in. Based on what they learned they concluded that a switch to a rotary milking system was right for them. One of the main reasons why was cow handling."We really like how cows are handled in a rotary parlor," says Bob."They come and go one at a time. It just seems to work very smoothly, especially with an automatic sort system and sort gates."Content with their decision, the brothers
sat down again with their local Bou-Matic dealer— Fisher Farms in Canastota, Dick Potter, executive director of sales and operations at Bou-Matic, and his team of Bou-Matic experts — to design a parlor that featured a rotary milking system. Bob admits that it was more difficult to design a rotary parlor versus a herringbone.
"There weren't any Bou-Matic rotary parlors in operation in our area," he says. "We had to have complete faith in our dealer, which we had because he has done a good job for us in the past."
The final plans showcased a fully automated 60-stall Bou-Matic Daytona rms-x. The external rotary milking system is currently used to milk about 850 cows. They anticipate expanding to about 2,000 cows.
COMFORT COUNTS
It's still early in their transition, but Bob is very pleased with how well the cows have adjusted to the new
parlor and he's quick to show visitors how relaxed cows are during milking. In fact, he says that they've had to make some adjustments to
eliminate some second-time-around riders. "This is the fifth parlor we've built," he says. "Moving into this one has proven to be the
smoothest transition yet. The cows are very quiet and content during milking with a lot of them chewing their cud."
That's a great relief to the Curtins since cow comfort was a major consideration in the design of the entire facility.
To enhance comfort in the freestall barn, they installed specially designed mattresses for cows to rest on. And to minimize the amount of time cows spend standing on concrete, they positioned rubber mats at the feedbunk. The Curtins also eliminated headlocks in the barn. Instead of treating cows in the barn, they automatically sort any cows needing special attention to a separate holding area as they leave the parlor. Bou-Matic's automatic cow identification system and automatic sort gates give them the ability to accomplish this with ease. Before hot weather sets in next summer, the Curtins also plan to install fans in the barn. The curtain sides which can easily be opened and closed based on the weather allow for maximum natural ventilation.
Operator comfort was another important consideration for the Curtins."Our employees are important to our operation," says Bob. "Many of them made the move with us to the new facility. They're very good employees and we want to ensure that they're comfortable working here. We don't want to lose them." To accomplish that, the Curtins designed the parlor to be spacious and bright with a lot of natural light and ventilation. In fact, two sides of the parlor are almost entirely glass, which was a suggestion put forth by the contractor, Vista Builders in Lafayette. These walls of Windows add extra warmth on cold days; yet can be opened to take advantage of cross breezes on warmer days. In-floor heat throughout the parlor, offices and milkhouse areas add to the comfort level.
The Curtins also added an observation room to one corner of the parlor to help eliminate unnecessary commotion and confusion for both cows and people during milking. Since this rotary is the first of its kind in the area, the Curtins expect a lot of visitors. In fact, it's already generated a tremendous amount of interest. At an open house held a few days prior to the first milking, about 6,000 people — some from as far away as Virginia — toured the facility.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Since the parlor has only been in operation a short time, the Curtins are still in the process of making
adjustments to improve efficiency and productivity. One thing they changed almost immediately was the udder prep program.
During the first month they used a traditional program that utilized an iodine-based pre-dip. Teats were wiped clean, then units were attached. Then Tom Lorenzen, Bou-Matic's milk quality educational specialist, was brought in to conduct an onsite training program about the importance of the prep program and how it influences the quality and quantity of milk produced. And he introduced them to a one-step program that focuses on the use of Kleen & Dri™ one-step pre-prep towels. Within the first milking cows responded positively. Peak milk flow rates were up — in some cases as high as 8.4 pounds per minute. Milk letdown also improved, especially in cows that were particularly slow to let down.
While throughput will likely improve with the new prep program, Bob admits that it's a bit early to make any concrete predictions about it. Three operators (one each for udder prep, attach and post-dip) currently milk about 250 cows per hour. Since platform speed is adjustable (current rotation time is about 12 minutes) Bob expects that in time throughput will increase to about 300 cows per hour. "It will take time to build up to that, though," he says.
As cow throughput increases, Bob also expects to gradually expand to about 2,000 cows. But that number isn't set in stone. "Much of it will be determined by throughput in the parlor," he says.
Operations continue to improve with each passing day in the new facility. And although plans were waylaid for a time, in the long run, the Curtins are very pleased with their decisions.
Finding The Right Direction
For this New York dairy that means going around in circles.
Seehafer Refrigeration, Inc.
M402 Mann Road Hwy. 97 North
Marshfield, WI 54449 Phone-(715)387-3789 or 1-800-700-Doug
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