New information sheet on line

[Kendra Davis]

Hi everyone

I have just uploaded a new information sheet on robot utilisation onto the FutureDairy Google Group website.  You can access it by going to:

http://groups.google.com.au/group/futuredairy

and then clicking on "files" on the right hand menu.  Here you will find a number of information on different topics including:

• A general AMS info sheet
• AMS advances
• Camden system performance
• Farm layout
• Impacts on labour
• Auto mastitis and heat detection

Take a browse when you have a chance and feel free to post any queries that you have.  Remember if you have questions then the whole group may benefit from the discussion generated around the given topic.

 

Kind Regards             Kendra   Dr Kendra Kerrisk
FutureDairy AMS Research Leader www.futuredairy.com.au			Faculty of Veterinary Science The University of Sydney
0428 101 372 (mobile) 02 4636 6327 (dairy office/fax) ken...@usyd.edu.au

 

 

[Juergen Steen]

Dear Kendra,>

I just read through the new info sheet, somehow I can't get the figures of
the system performance table to add up.

Can you explain what is measured exactly by the "average machine
utilisation" ?





best regards,

Jurgen Steen
Manager Dairy Equipment South West Pacific
Lely Australia PTY LTD
48 Mackay Street, Rochester
3561 Victoria, Australia
Phone: +61 354 844000
Fax: +61 354 841 513
Mobile: +61 417 102 303
jst...@lely.com
www.lely.com




"Kendra Davis"
<kendra.davis@usy
d.edu.au> To
Sent by: <futur...@googlegroups.com>
futuredairy@googl cc
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Subject
[FutureDairy] New information sheet
03/08/2009 01:09 on line
PM


Please respond to
futuredairy@googl
egroups.com

Hi everyone
I have just uploaded a new information sheet on robot utilisation onto the
FutureDairy Google Group website. You can access it by going to:
http://groups.google.com.au/group/futuredairy
and then clicking on "files" on the right hand menu. Here you will find a
number of information on different topics including:
A general AMS info sheet
AMS advances
Camden system performance
Farm layout
Impacts on labour
Auto mastitis and heat detection
Take a browse when you have a chance and feel free to post any queries that
you have. Remember if you have questions then the whole group may benefit
from the discussion generated around the given topic.

|----------------------+------------------------------------+ -------------+-|

|Kind Regards | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Kendra | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Dr Kendra Kerrisk | | | | |

|----------------------+------------------------------------+-+-------------+-|
| FutureDairy | | |Faculty of | |
| AMS Research Leader | | |Veterinary | |
| www.futuredairy.com.a| | |Science | |
| u | | |The | |
| | | |University of| |
| | | |Sydney | |
|----------------------+------------------------------------+-+-------------+-|

| | | | | |
|0428 101 372 (mobile) | | | | |
|02 4636 6327 (dairy | | | | |
|office/fax) | | | | |
|ken...@usyd.edu.au | | | | |
| | | | | |

|----------------------+------------------------------------+-+-------------+-|

[Kendra Davis]

Hi Jurgen

Average machine utilisation is the proportion of the day that the machines are doing something - either milking cows or carrying out system rinses/washing.  The remaining percent could otherwise be expressed as an idle time.  For example if the Typical European System has a potential average machine utilisation level of 90% then it would equate to an average of 10% idle time per day = 144 minutes/day.  Readers need to realise that utilisation time is affected by the number of washes a machine does per day - ours generally do two full system (hot) washes per day and a rinse of the machine after any antibiotics or colostrum cows.

 

The typical European system figures are not reported from any one farm but are figures that are often seen on indoor farms.  Remember these are potentials not necessarily annual averages. 

 

The Australian pasture based system, Camden: peak of season is data generated during spring 2008 when we peaked at 161 cows in milk.  The amount of pasture in the diet through this period averaged 60-85% with cows being supplemented on the feedpad throughout most of the period.  These numbers would be difficult to hold for extended periods and could only be achieved throughout the year in a very well managed and year-round calving system.  In a seasonal calving system such figures may well be achieved for a period through the peak of lactation.  The numbers in this column were not sustained by us for long periods in fact our monthly averages during the peak were not this high - however, remember that we only have the ability to have two way grazing, three way grazing may allow for slightly higher throughput levels.

 

The Camden annual average figures were actual averages calculated for a 12 month period and take into account periods when the herd size dropped as low as about 110 cows.  Throughout this period the monthly average milking frequency sat mostly between 1.6 and 1.8 milkings per cow per day (remember at any point in time we have early mid and late lactation cows) and the monthly average time per milking ranged from 6:10 to 7:40 (minutes:sec). 

 

I hope this makes more sense now.

Kind Regards
Kendra Kerrisk (nee Davis)
Senior Scientist
FutureDairy
University of Sydney
Private Mailbag 3
Camden, 2570 
NSW
AUSTRALIA

Mob:      0428 101 372
Dairy:    +61 2 4636 6327
ken...@usyd.edu.au
www.futuredairy.com.au

 

[Juergen Steen]

Dear Kendra,

thank you for the explanation. That still leaves a question open:

1. the peak performance is 2000L with 80% utilisation
2. the annual average utilisation is 1384L with 67% utilisation

If everything else is kept the same in scenario 2 the 67% utilisation
should equate to 1675L (= 2000L / 80 x 67). This means that the time
utilisation/ or milk harvesting efficiency in spring is 20% higher. I think
it would be beneficial for the reader to find our what is driving the
better utilisation in spring because there is a lot be learned form those
differences.

best regards,

Jurgen Steen
Manager Dairy Equipment South West Pacific
Lely Australia PTY LTD
48 Mackay Street, Rochester
3561 Victoria, Australia
Phone: +61 354 844000
Fax: +61 354 841 513
Mobile: +61 417 102 303
jst...@lely.com
www.lely.com




"Kendra Davis"
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d.edu.au> To
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Subject

[FutureDairy] Re: New information
04/08/2009 08:58 sheet on line
AM

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[Kendra Davis]

Hi folks
Jurgens question relates to the higher efficiency associated with milk
harvesting in spring. I wish I could answer this simply and briefly but
the answer is that there are many things that impact on the utilisation
efficiency.

The yield of a cow at any milking session will impact on the milk
harvesting efficiency at that milking. More milk = more litres
harvested/minute.

During spring our cows were milking at slightly reduced average milking
frequencies as we were forced to limit the number of milkings/cow to
ensure that all cows were milked at appropriate intervals i.e. we didn't
have the capacity to allow any cows to milk 4 times/day and low yielding
cows were not allowed to milk over twice a day. Therefore the reduced
milking frequency improved the milk yield per milking and therefore the
efficiency.

During spring a higher proportion of our cows were in early lactation -
therefore higher average daily yields - coupled with the slightly
reduced milking frequency this resulted in a higher milk harvesting
efficiency.

We use a setting that says that if any one milking station sits idle for
20 minutes - it should carry out an automated rinse to ensure that milk
is not allowed to dry in the plant and lines. As a result the more idle
time we have, the more of these washes we see carried out. Each of
these rinses effectively relocates minutes from "idle" to "utilised",
but at the same time reduces the litres harvested/minute of utilisation
- i.e. reduces efficiency.

During spring we also found that the cows were entering the dairy in a
very clean state and used teat preparations sparingly (all the time
monitoring for any adverse effects on milk quality). We only had a
handful of cows that "tended to be dirtier" that were permanently on
teat cleaning. At times of lower throughput we often use blanket teat
preparations over the entire herd but we understand that this reduces
the milk harvesting efficiency - we can accept this when there are less
cows in milk.

I think I have captured most of it. There may be a few other minor
factors that aren't springing to mind. Be sure to post a question if
any of this is unclear or confusing.