| 75 nzdairy SUSTAINABLE DAIRY » Massey University Massey University’s School of Food and Advanced Technology team. Les Sinclair 0800 MASTITIS (627 8484) email: mtest@xtra.co.nz www.springmeadowservices.co.nz On farm improvement the focus Les Sinclair says being independent, always being helpful, making recommendation for changes with farmers and seeing the bene ts of those changes, have been the cornerstones of success for his milking machine testing business Spring Meadow Services. What started as a South Canterbury/ Otago business has spread through word-of-mouth recommendations to now embrace the entire Canterbury region, Otago, Southland and the huge West Coast area from Whataroa right up to Karamea. “I approach the work from the angle of cow health, looking to reduce somatic cells and mastitis. There’s no point in putting all that good feed in if your milking plant is not set up right to get the milk out.” All milking machines are tested once a season, with most testing carried out during the winter months. As of this February, Les has adopted the international ISO testing standards. Les explains that 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.” Les follows research carried out in the in the US and Europe that focus’ on comfort of milking, as opposed to speed of milking. “We’re into getting the most out of the cow, with the most comfort for the cow, and care for its teats. We’ve found that does not extend the milking time, because if you have good teat condition you’re not spending time repairing damaged 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.” When Les started testing 25 years ago, the average daily production per cow at peak was 20 litres. Now, very few clients have cows doing less than 30 litres/day. “There has been a 50% 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.” Celebrating 25 years in business “A less obvious route by which tree forage could increase farm returns is by lifting shoulder milk volumes across the whole dairy system. More late season milk increases utilisation of the existing manufacturing system for no extra capital investment so that all shareholders bene t.”
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