DairyBusiness

Milking equipment and management company, DeLaval, organized a “Profound Productivity Tour” featuring parlors and herd management systems in Pennsylvania, July 7-9.

The tour started out in Harrisburg, Pa., where dairy producers gathered to learn more about the equipment, herd management tools and aftermarket products they would see over the next two days.  DeLaval product specialists Dr. Adam Jackanicz, Brady Catob and John Baker presented information on  herd management, animal nutrition, milk quality and DeLaval’s Voluntary Milking Systems (VMS).

The first day of touring dairies took the producers to see a 4-unit VMS barn, milking 240 cows 3X.  In addition to adopting robotic milking technology with the VMS, the Garber family utilizes DeLaval’s Alpro automated heat detection to find cows ready to breed.  The touring dairy producers also saw how Smart Selection Gates automatically helped sort cows as they come to be milked; and how Cow Comfort has become a large part of Spring Lawn Farm’s daily commitment to creating a better herd.

The next stop, Meadow Lane Dairy, featured a double-16 Fastback All-Exit Herringbone Parlor, milking 475 cows 3X, and was built to minimize labor.  The Rohrers use DeLaval’s Germania Herd Management automated heat detection.  The tour group also saw DeLaval sort gates, crowd gates and the heated floors, designed for cow comfort.

After a picnic by the Rohrer’s pond, the tour group traveled to Gettysburg for an entertaining afternoon tour of the Civil War battlegrounds that surround the city.  The evening ended with dinner at the Historical Fairfield Inn.

The second day of tour included Mason Dixon Farms, the largest VMS installation in the world, with 20 VMS units milking 1,000 cows.  The freestall barn is equipped with cooling misters to maintain a comfortable environment for the cows.

The tour headed to Shippensburg, Pa., to see the Musser family’s double-8 Cascade Parallel parlor, and Locust Grove’s double-8 Drop Rail Parlor.  After lunch the group visited the final dairy, a double-16 GE/GI (Gang Exit/Gang Index) Parallel basement parlor milking 500 cows.  Hard Earned Acres uses DeLaval’s Germania Herd Management system, boasting outstanding internal growth by breeding every cow solely with heat detection.  The Keefer’s use instant cooling, and are achieving approximately 90 lbs. of milk per cow.

Each tour stop gave dairy producers another view of how these Pennsylvania dairies are managing in today’s dairy environment.  To join a future DeLaval Profound Productivity Tour, or for more information about upcoming tours, visit www.profoundproductivity.com or call Sybil Birmingham at 816-891-1688 for details.

Milking equipment and management company, DeLaval, organized a “Profound Productivity Tour” featuring parlors and herd management systems in Pennsylvania, July 7-9.