Everyone should have Milkrite

“Our BMCC recently was 89,000. It’s never been that good.” – Brian McLaren (pictured right with Daviesway’s Phillip Weller).

Few things can be as frustrating as high thermoduric or Bactoscan counts when you know your dairy is clean, and your protocols are solid.

Brian and Sue McLaren have built their operation from the ground up. Today, they milk 700 cows off 404.5 hectares (1000 acres), with a 324ha (800-acre) out paddock. Their Western Victorian farm at Woolsthorpe has a 60-stand rotary. Son Joe is now herd manager, and the family is justifiably proud of its journey.

BACTERIA COUNTS WERE ‘FAINTING STUFF’

However, when their Thermoduric and Bactoscan bacteria numbers began mysteriously soaring, it got Brian’s attention, because no one likes losing $10,000 out of their milk cheque.

“You know … it was fainting stuff as you read the email from the processor,” Brian said. “Both numbers had been fluctuating for no obvious reason. The biggest thermo was 12,000 and the highest Bacto was 320,000.

“I’m 60-odd years old; I’ve dairied all my life; and I’m buggered if I could find the problem.”

The only good news was that their bulk milk cell count (BMCC) remained in premium.

• Air enters the system through a calibrated stainless steel air vent in the liner mouthpiece – safely above the milk
• Smooth efficient airflow eliminates milk reflux and forces the milk in one direction – away from the teat end
• No cross-contamination = less mastitis & lower BSCC
• Mouthpiece chamber vacuum is lowered – limiting cup crawl, maintaining peak flow rate, and eliminating teat ringing

Gentle three-sided massage of the teat during milking process

SOLVED BY DAVIESWAY/DASCO TEAM

It was DASCO’s Technical Service Representative, Rob Bowen, who found the Thermoduric and Bactoscan issue in rubberware in an obscure part of the plant. Rob also found a couple of other challenges, conquering them all on the same visit.

While he was there, Rob and Brian got talking about other concerns in the dairy. Brian said they were having trouble with cups slipping and cows milking out unevenly – particularly the two-year-olds. The heifers were also kicking the cups off too frequently for it to be a temperament-related issue. Rob recommended bringing in Daviesway’s Phillip Weller to assess the dairy.

Brian said while he and Sue could manage everything, they both no longer wanted to be chained to the dairy. They routinely employed backpackers to milk, and so needed things to run smoothly.

MILKRITE TO THE RESCUE

Phillip recommended switching to Milkrite liners and shells. Brian had heard of them, and he didn’t take much convincing.

The marked point of difference in the triangular Milkrite liner science is that the pulsation pressure is evenly distributed from three sides of the teat – making it gentler on teats, while lowering BMCC and promoting teat condition. 

In addition, the Milkrite’s air vent is positioned in the mouthpiece at the top of each liner, instead of at the claw. It introduces air above the milk-flow, eliminating splash-back and cross-contamination, and making cluster removal gentler.

ENSURING IT WORKS

Daviesway’s Phillip Weller said, “Because there had been a couple of issues in the dairy, Rob’s recommendation to do the pre-inspection – to make sure everything would deliver the results Brian and Sue needed – was bang on.

“We found that the pulsation wasn’t right, so we had to re-kit all the pulsators and put in a bigger vacuum pump to increase their vacuum reserve.”

The RVS 9000 is Australian-made with an 11-kilowatt, three-phase electric cast-iron-framed motor. The change also resulted in faster milk flow, which required a MM8000 Flomax double-bank plate cooler to be installed. This was also less restrictive and allowed for better cooling.

CUP SLIP ELIMINATED

The result was more expensive than the original plan, but Brian and Sue now have the dairy they want.

Brian said, “We kept our cluster, and put Milkrite shells and liners on. And, I love them".

“The biggest thing that hit me was that Milkrite eliminated cup slip, and now we don’t have to worry about it. And, when you put the cups on the new heifers, they stay there. With a weighted cluster, they often used to fall off.

“The new liners are easy on teats too. When the cups come off the heifers, their teats don’t have that bruised look. They come off clean and easy.

“With our ACR, the cows used to kick the cups off, and they got used to stamping when the vacuum dropped. Now, they don’t move. The cups just come away.”

FURTHER BENEFITS

He has also noticed other welcome benefits.

“The milk gets away from the cow very quickly. So getting the new vacuum pump and plate cooler completed the picture for us. We needed to milk the cows properly, and now the milk is at 4 degrees Celsius before it hits the vat, so the vat has turned off before we finish milking most days".

“And, our BMCC recently was 89,000. It’s never been that good.”

The advantages have also extended to staff.

I have crook shoulders myself, so I’m absolutely rapt that the cups are lighter,” Brian said. “They eased pressure on our workers too, because they don’t have to pick up our old, heavier cups anymore.”

He said because they rely on backpackers, it now doesn’t matter what age or build they are.

“So that’s been really positive. To be honest, those Milkrite liners and shells are fantastic. Everyone should have them.”

Almost half of US dairy farmers and the five of the world’s biggest dairies are using triangular vented liners. For over a decade, the Milkrite/InterPuls award-winning Triangular Liner and internally moulded Triangular Shell combination has delivered a gentler milking by evenly distributing inflation pressure from three sides. This easy-to-install liner fits most claws and is made from the highest-grade food quality rubber.

{tab VIDEOS}

Key benefits – Mouthpiece Vented Triangular Liner

– Reduced teat to teat contamination
– More efficient milk removal
– Exceptional cow comfort
– Improves teat condition
– Reduced slips and kick-offs
– Easier cluster removal.

Click here for full range of Daveisway Claws