Waikato Milking Systems will showcase its full product range to demonstrate how it can help farmers grow the value of dairy at this year’s UK Dairy Day.

UK sales manager Brent Crothers said the New Zealand company was looking forward to being part of the 6th annual Dairy Day in September.

The company’s site will showcase its four UK product offerings, from milking parlours, milking automation and dairy management systems, through to milk cooling systems.

Visitors will be able to talk to staff about their own dairy parlours and discover how Waikato Milking Systems can help improve their businesses.

Brent said the company’s Orbit Concrete Rotary Platform and the Centrus Composite Rotary Platform systems make milking time more efficient and productive.

Rotary platforms can be tailor-made to suit a farmer’s unique dairy parlour requirements.

A 40-bail Rotary can be set up so only one or two people are required while a larger 60-bail Rotary can process larger herds more efficiently, for example.

Reducing labour and time in the parlour during milking is crucial, especially if labour is difficult to source during the season, Brent said.

He said there’s still keen demand for In-Line milking parlours, which are an efficient and economical solution for smaller commercial herds. 

It requires a smaller building footprint than a rotary platform and still a favoured system for many family operations.

Waikato Milking Systems offers three in-line systems, including the Supa4 Mid-Line System, Loopline Mid-Line System and the Low-Line System.

Both Rotary and In-Line milking platforms can be fitted with milking automation and dairy management technology options.

Farmers can add as much or as little automation as they like, Brent said.

The plug ‘n’ play feature allows further technology upgrades later on or when the budget allows.

Brent pointed out the company’s NaviGate Dairy Management System can operate as an extra pair of hands in the parlour.

It can monitor the milking performance of each cow, its weight, heat cycle and health. It will also automatically sort the cows when they exit the parlour.                                                   

The data helps farmers make decisions to improve the overall productivity and profitability of the herd and farm.

Adding milk cooling to the company’s UK product range means Waikato Milking Systems can offer farmers “the total package”, milk cooling manager Craig Gibbons said.

“We have a large selection of milk cooling options and solutions which gives us the ability to help farmers comply with regulations, no matter what type of dairy they’ve got.

“But our real advantage is that you can talk to us about the whole package, from dairy parlours, milking automation and dairy management through milk cooling.

“It’s about helping farmers find the total solution, helping them grow the value of dairy, using local people with local dealers in the UK.”

To view examples of our milking parlours, visit our Facebook page and our YouTube channel.

Waikato Milking Systems will be at UK Dairy Day, The International Centre, Telford, Shropshire on September 11, at Hall 2 site 38.

Photographs

2: Waikato Milking Systems installed a 24/48 Supa4 In-Line milking system for Farmer Barnes Dairy in Melton Mowbray, milking 250 cows. It was the first dairy in the UK to have Waikato's Swing Arm ACRs.

3: Waikato Milking Systems is this year installing a 70-bail Centrus Composite Rotary for High Hedley Hope Farm in Durham. It'll be used to milk more than 1000 cows.