| 43 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Fonterra Farm Source Les Sinclair 0800 MASTITIS (627 8484) email: mtest@xtra.co.nz www.springmeadowservices.co.nz Vital equipment check-up The dairy shed, whether rotary, herringbone or robotic is the pulsing heart of the dairy farmer’s operation and maintaining it in good working order is critical for sustainable operation during the year — and that’s where the annual machine test can pick up problems before they occur. Les Sinclair has been at the helm of Spring Meadow Services for over a quarter of a century, testing milking plants throughout Canterbury, Otago, Southland and the huge West Coast area from Whataroa right up to Karamea. Les says the months of April and May are when farmers typically prepare to dry their cows off and start thinking about their sheds’ maintenance servicing and upgrades. “The idea is for farmers to book their machine test in before they dry off, so that if there is any major servicing required to vacuum pumps, ACRs, or rubber-ware that will be detected during the machine test and can be attended to before the season ends.” Les says testing is essentially the milking plant’s warrant of tness, ensuing everything is functioning the way it should be to provide the best production possible and not contributing to animal health issues. “As well as testing, we repair pulsation faults. The pulsators are the critical part of the milking plant that determines how long the line is closed and open for. If the pulsation isn’t right, that’s where you get mastitis and other animal health issues. We set plants up with the correct vacuum level and pulsation setting, so that the farmers get the best out of the milking.” When Les Sinclair started Spring Meadow Services in South Canterbury twenty-six years ago the average daily production per cow at peak was 20 litres. Now, very few clients have cows doing less than 30 litres a day. “There has been a fty percent increase in production and over the years we’ve suggested farmers make changes to plants to accommodate that increase. Some farmers needed bigger milk lines to carry the ow. Most of my clients are private farmers, who see the bene ts of spending a bit of money on some changes to get a better return from the cow. I approach the work from the angle of cow health, looking to reduce somatic cells and mastitis. We’re into getting the most out of the cow, with the most comfort for the cow, and care for its teats. I also make recommendations for liner changes, if I think that will make a difference. We don’t stock liners, but make independent recommendations based on what is best for the cow.” Celebrating 25 years in business Tony Clark 0274 382 180 tony@rdsl.co.nz The dedicated team at Rakaia Dairy Services are in the business of keeping dairy farmers pumping, ensuring there is milk in the vat. Rakaia Dairy Services, supplies and installs, services, repairs and maintains milking systems, be it a herringbone or rotary platform. Tony and Lisa Clark have owned and operated Rakaia Dairy Services since 2017, when they took the business over from the previous owners. Starting out as a two-person operation, the business has steadily grown over the last ive years and now employs an additional eight team members to keep up with demand. “Our work could be repairing the pumps or replacing the rubber components in a shed on an annual basis,” says Tony. “We do a lot of stainless-steel fabrication and welding, along with general engineering. There’s a lot of water in a dairy shed for washing down and keeping it clean and hygienic, so we do a little bit of water plumbing along with fault analysis if the plant isn’t cleaning the way it should be. Servicing teat spraying systems is another core tasks. At the moment a lot of the work we do is related to automation and cowmonitoring systems, and that’s a key reason why we’ve doubled our sta over the last two years.” Tony says more and more farmers Keeping dairy pumping are electing to incorporate automation into their milking systems, be that as simple as automatic cup removers (ACRs) or the more sophisticated All lex cowmonitoring systems. “We’re All lex agents, and install those systems to monitor the cows’ health, and track their movement 24/7 using antennas covering the farm. It also identi ies when the cow is on heat so the farmer knows when it’s time to inseminate her, ensuring a more reliable and e icient insemination process. All lex also includes an automatic drafting system in the dairy shed so that if the cow is on heat she is drafted into a pen for AI. The technology means farmers don’t have to stand on a platform for several hours every morning waiting for a cow that’s on heat to draft her into a pen for insemination.” In addition to being All lex agents, Rakaia Dairy Services has agencies for Read Industrial, Wetit, and Protrack, but can service and supply any brand. With an ever-increasing client base, Tony says having a great work crew to rely on daily, and personalised relationships with his farmers has been key to the company’s success. “Many of these farmers milk their cows twice a day, every single day. We have to be there as quick as possible to ix the problem and get those cows milking again.” • MilkingMachine Service, Installation&Repairs • Teatspray Servicing • General Engineering • Stainless Steel Fabrication&Welding • AuthorisedAgents for Read Industrial, Wetit, All lex&Protrack
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