Has your dairy farm building process been halted by the choice between the purchase of an automatic milking machine or hiring labour to do the milking? Do you have an ever-expanding traditional farm that needs milking machines to keep up with the demands? In these situations, the advantages and disadvantages attributed to each system should be weighed before making a choice.
Milking Machine Advantages
The number of farmers that use milking machinery should be a sign of how much an advantage they can be to dairy farms that want to gain the most profit while maintaining efficient operations.
Dairy farms can utilize larger herds with milking machines in order to boost their activity. Farmers can harvest better than they could with traditional methods because herds can be managed faster with Herringbone Milking Parlour, and the milk quality will still be optimal.
Farmers saving money on labour expenses is another advantage of milking machines. In order for a manual dairy farm with a lot of cattle to function, there needs to be no less than 12 employees working. Much fewer people are required at the firm with automatic milking.
Farms will have to depend on workers less with the use of milking machinery. Traditional farms depend on the skilled workers who are employed there, and if they take a leave of absence, either temporarily or permanently, then the farm’s milk production and sales will be negatively affected. A dairy farm can operate all the time when a milking machine is used, as anyone can be easily found that will be able to use the machine.
Milk isn’t the only thing that goes into a milk bucket during milking, as hair, manure flecks, and hay will be around the cow. All of this can be strained away to some degree, but there will be remnants. Milk that has been contaminated with manure might as well be fed to the animals. Milk buckets are sealed from any debris when milk machines are used. Nothing will be able to contaminate the milk while milking is done, leaving fresh milk with no harmful manure-based pathogens.
The milk will begin to take on a strange barn taste as the time that it sits in the bucket increases. The milk will taste better when it is chilled quickly. The barn tastes often happens during hand milking because the milk slowly reaches room temperature during milking.
Any stress placed on the stock will be reduced when a proper milking routine is used. This makes the animals healthier in the long run, and results in high quality dairy products.
Milking Machine Disadvantages
When it comes to business, it’s nearly impossible for any solution to come without disadvantages, which can be found in milking machines.
Older cattle present a notable disadvantage to the use of milking machines. Since older cows have been milked by hand most of their lives, the adjustment to milking machines may be difficult. They may experience more stress, which will result in them producing lower quality milk. This disadvantage is a short term one, as the use of milking machinery will be easier with the next generation.
A constant electrical supply is needed to operate milking machines. When the power goes out either through blackouts or system damages, it will be impossible for the milking machines to operate. An emergency power supply can reduce the effects of a power outage.
Staff have to clean milking machines, which isn’t exactly a disadvantage because it’s part of their job. However, when milking machines aren’t cleaned correctly, the risk of infections rises.
The switch from manual milking to an automated system can be a useful investment, provided there are proper policies implemented by the dairy farm for operations and maintenance. The farm will be able have a great performance and produce high quality products.
