New Farm Dairies 2015

Celebrating ten years of new farm dairies

Showcasing 37 of New Zealands newest dairy farm developments

throughout New Zealand

The Lockett farm in Waikato on pg 26

Goat farming in the Waikato on pg 6

Rennie farm in Southland on pg 33

Proform Farms in Taranaki on pg 80

Westwood Dairy in Canterbury on pg 108

Coast & Country Page 2 NEW FARM DAIRIESNew Farm Dairies is brought to you by...

New Farm Dairies is New Zealands most comprehensive guide for farmers planning a new farm dairy construction.

It showcases a range of the newest farm dairies in the country, offering farmers a vital, in-depth reference for their own dairy projects.

We distribute more than 30,500 copies of the FREE publication to all dairy farmers throughout New Zealand, reaching all corners

of the countrys vast dairying industry.

No.1 The Strand PO Box 240 Tauranga 3140 phone 07 578 0030 fax 07 571 1116

email [email protected]

Kerri WheelerGraphic Designer

Page Layout Coordinator

Lois NattaAdvertising

027 281 7427

Brian RogersDirector/Editor

Elaine FisherEditor

Claire RogersManaging Director

Merle FosterJournalist

FRONT MAIN PHOTO TAKEN BY LOIS NATTA.

Were herding this tenth edition of New Farm Dairies out across the nation, in a volatile year of stampeding fortunes

for the milking industry.

Payout uctuations, often in the wrong direction, have meant more than ever, prudent management and investment in technology is a common thread in successful dairying farming operations. That, and having big balls.

These 120 pages of new dairy installations are testament to those with faith in the industry and their own abilities and good judgement; to crystal ball gaze into their futures and make some gutsy decisions that will affect their farms and families for decades to come.

We salute those forging on with new dairy sheds, in what may be the biggest investment of their lives, other than the land itself.

This publication is as much a celebration of your tenacity and clever management as it is a comprehensive study of 37 individual new farm dairy developments.

After ten years of documenting New Farm Dairies, in this edition we re-visit a dairy farm featured in our rst edition, The Latto development near Morrinsville, to see how they are faring after a decade of operation.

Did they get it right? What would they do different, with hindsight?

How is the equipment performing after thou-sands of milkings?

Our thanks to advertising consultant and co-ordinator Lois Natta for her stoic efforts in project managing this tenth edition of NFD and for a decade of commitment to the publication and the industry.

We know NFD is an important resource for all dairy farmers across the nation contem-plating a new installation or upgrade. To be featured in the 2016 edition, please call Lois (027 281 7427) to avoid missing out.

Looking back to go forward

Claire & Brian Rogers, Publishers.

PH 07 578 0030 Page 3NEW FARM DAIRIES

As New Farm Dairies marks its 10th anniversary, Elaine Fisher asks two industry experts, Dean Bell,

CEO of Waikato Milking Systems, and Mark Smith, DeLaval Market Development Manager,

for their predictions for the next decade.Both agree rapid advances in dairy technology now and into

the future are not only helping make farming more pro table and sustainable, but are also attracting a new generation of technology savvy young people to the industry.

Mark says operating a well-equipped modern dairy is a long way from the drudgery of milking in the cold sheds of the past where much of the work was manual.

Labour-saving milking, drafting and yard cleaning technologies are already commonplace and robotic milking is rapidly becoming viable for New Zealand farms, giving farmers time to concentrate on animal health, production and pasture management.

Dean says Centrus 84, a unique rotary dairy platform providing large-scale dairy farmers with new options is the way of the future for herds which are being milked 24 hours, seven day a week, year round.

We have just installed a Centrus 84 in the United States and there is signi cant interest from farmers around the world wanting a platform speci cally designed for continuous milking.

Overseas experienceMike says the biggest advances in New Zealand dairying in

the next 10 years will be to follow what is now in use overseas.That includes DeLavals Herd Navigator, which is an

advanced milk analysis tool, and an extension to herd management systems, for heat, mastitis and ketosis detection which can quickly identify the cows needing attention and

recommend what action to take.With accurate, real-time information about individual

cows and by working with veterinarians, farmers can develop the skills to take the guess work out of farming and so signi cantly increase the performance of their herds.

Marks says dairy farming is more rewarding and attractive as a career for young people who have grown up with technology, and thats good news because: farming needs to attract young people with practical and technology skills.

He also predicts that changing weather patterns from harsh winter snows in the South Island to ooding and

storms in the North Island may mean farming has to move away from total reliance on

outdoor grazing. The cost of land also means farmers can no longer afford to buy more

land to graze more cows but instead need to raise per cow production. Modern technology is making that possible.

Easy, ef cientDean says while they may be

complex and sophisticated in design, milking technologies

need to be easy and ef cient for farmers and their staff to use and

operate reliably under the most demanding conditions. The deck sections of the 84 bail

Centrus platform, designed, and manufactured, and exclusive to Waikato

Milking Systems, are formed in a multi-layer laminated process that includes Kevlar a material used in the construction of aircraft and bullet-proof vests.

The result is a platform which is 80 per cent lighter and ve times stronger than concrete.

There are operations in the United States, and around the world, which milk large-framed cows weighing around 1000kg under almost continuous milking regimes. The Centrus 84 was designed to meet that need an extremely strong yet light platform which will out-perform and out-last anything else on the market.

Technology attracts tech savvy young people

By Elaine Fisher

FARM DISTRICT PAGE10 Years On 4

Riverside Dairy Goats Waikato 6-9

Bosbry Trust Waikato 10-13

Wallace Waikato 14-15

Geerts Waikato 16-17

Newton Lee Willows Waikato 18=21

Broadview Farm Waikato 22-23

G Singh & Sons Waikato 24-25

Lockett Waikato 26-27

Ellip Trust Bay of Plenty 28-31

Rennie Southland 32-35

Dobson Southland 36-37

Dairy Pryde Trust Southland 38-39

Titipua Southland 40-41

Northope Dairies Southland 42-43

Roam Dairies Southland 44-45

AB Lime Southland 46-47

Perrin Estate Northland 48-49

Demeter Farm South Auckland 50-53

Willberg Trust West Coast 54-55

Craig Wairarapa 56-57

Gunshot Farms Manawatu 58-59

Ruaview Farm Tongariro 62-65

Landcorp Plateau Road Central Plateau 66-70Waipupumahana A1B2 Trust Central Plateau 70-71

Tau Ke Central Plateau 72-79

Proform Farms Taranaki 80-83

DB & JH Roper Family Taranaki 84-85

Kereone Farms Taranaki 86-89

Holmleigh Trust Taranaki 90-91

Sam Lennox Farms Ltd Taranaki 92-93

Sayer Trust Taranaki 94-95

Mount Vue Canterbury 96-97

Camden Downs Canterbury 98-101

'DUHOG)DUP Canterbury 102-103Ryan Canterbury 104-107

Westwood Dairy Canterbury 108-111

Dunkirk Farm Ltd Canterbury 112-115

Contact us today on 07 873 0819 | [email protected] | dairytech.co.nz

Just like you, we measure everything we do on a dairy farm in terms of productivity. Our job is to design and build milking facilities and

automation solutions that enhance your productivity. Its what weve been doing for more than twenty years. Its why we exist, because

on a dairy farm nothing is just a shed.

WE MEASURE OUR PERFORMANCE IN Kg MS.

WY[

DAI000

2

Coast & Country Page 4 10 YEARS ON

By Elaine Fisher

Dairy still looks as good as newLatto

Theres virtually nothing Rex Latto would change about the dairy he and his father built on their Morrinsville

dairy farm 10 years ago.

Ten years on the Latto dairy, built by Chapman Builders, still

looks as good as new.

There are few environments both inside and out as harsh as those

endured by a cowshed but the years, and its owners, have been kind to

the Latto dairy at Tauhei near Morrinsville.

In fact, the complex looks so good its hard to believe the 54-bail rotary and the building it stands in is 10 years old.

The dairy was among those featured in the rst edition of New Farm Dairies in 2005 and with 2015 marking the publications 10th anniversary we decided to return to see how the building and its Yarroweyah rotary platform has performed.

Theres really nothing Id change about the platform or the building and yards, says Rex Latto, who with his father Roland, carried out extensive research before deciding on which rotary to install.

If anything I would like the platform around 50mm higher, but thats just because of my height. Im very happy with the way the whole

shed operates and have been from the start. Rex and Roland visited dairies in both New

Zealand and Australia before deciding on the Yarroweyah platform because of features including the 100 nylon roller track system which requires no greasing and the fact the platform is designed for a 750kg cow, meaning its almost over-engineered for the average 400kg New Zealand cow.

Nearly 80 cowsWe have it serviced once a year and recently

some of the rollers were replaced but thats the only repairs it has needed, says Rex. Thats despite 10 years of milking up to 800 cows.

Don Chapman Builders constructed the dairy building and yards and the quality of the design, cladding and nish and rigorous after-milking cleaning means it continues to look modern, clean and functional.

The dairy is spacious, partly because the 54-bail platform is bigger than usual, and it also houses a storeroom, of ce, pump room and toilet.

All the steelwork is galvanised and the

polypanel walls have Coloursteel cladding which is easily cleaned. The roof features a lighted ridge, while windows add extra light and fresh air on hotter days.

Feed padThe yards provide compatibility for feeding

and milking the cows, while working in with the existing farm races, which come from two directions. The feed pad is directly accessible to the circular holding yard and two backing gates enable workers to deal with three herds.

While the dairy can be operated by one person, Rex says in reality it requires two to check cows leaving the platform for any lameness, mastitis, or any which have kicked the cups off too early.

The platform is hydraulically, not electrically driven, and the milk lines run on the outside making it easily seen and eliminating the need to go into the middle. The Westfalia AutoRotor rotary is tted with electronic cup removers, cow tension arms and with a forward-sloped platform design so any water washes away from the operator. An addition to the original

milking plant is an ADF Teat Spray and cup cleaning system.

Rex particularly values the fold-down platform which vets use during milking, which also makes the Arti cial Breeding technicians job much simpler, with everything within arms reach in the lockable cabinet. The outside, undercover vet bay, complete with holding pens, is also an asset.

Yard wash time is reduced with a Dungbuster on the backing gates, while a ood wash system cleans the adjoining feed pad.

TodayToday the dairy and farm are operated by Rex

and wife Suzanne, along with staff members Nestor Sora, Charlie Hooper and Brendan Wilson.

Roland, who purchased the original Tauhei property in 1980 no longer lives on the farm, but visits to help out most days.

In 1990 Rex and Suzanne joined Rexs parents as sharemilkers and today own the herd of 800 cows which are mainly Friesian-cross, a departure from the Friesians of the original herd.

The Yarroweyah platform designed to carry cows weighing up to 750kg.

Do you want to spend more time on your farming business to gain greater production?

Then GEA robotic milking is for you.

To speak with your local milking machine specialist call 0800 GEA FARM (0800 432 327) | www.gea.com engineering for a better world

PH 07 578 0030 Page 5LELY

A new way of life...

LELY FARM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT (FMS) SETS THE BAR FOR ROBOTIC MILKING SYSTEMS IN NZLely is the global pioneer of the milking robot, and have just recently installed their 20,000th robot worldwide. The Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system improves the quality of life for the farmer, while at the same time ensuring optimum yield for the dairy farm and welfare for animals.

With each installation, Lely have developed themselves to be able to advise and support their customers in a successful transition to automated milking.

Lely's Farm Management Support (FMS) is a service where Lely customers are guided through the whole process of implementing an automated milking system, including continual support after installation to assist customers with optimising farm productivity. Dairy farming is in their blood and they keep their knowledge fine-tuned at the Lely Academy and also through their worldwide networks both inside & outside of Lely.

Experts in modern dairy farming. Tailored advice and guidance. Many years' experience with automated

milking. Worldwide knowledge exchange.

Lely's FMS is one of the many reasons that farmers are choosing to install Lely Astronaut A4 milking systems throughout the country, operating successfully in both a grazing environment as well as a barn environment.

innovators in agriculturewww.lely.co.nz

Create a future for your farm & join the herd of Lely

robotic milking systems being installed around NZ!

Call Lely NZ on 0800 535 969 to find out more today!

David McConnellLely FarmerWaikato

Coast & Country Page 6 RIVERSIDE DAIRY GOATS

For after hours service phone 888 4405 We have got you covered

10 Waharoa West Road, Matamata. Phone 07 888 4405

Venturing into the goat dairy industry has been a bold and emotional move for Bruce and Maryann Blaymires of

Riverside Dairy Goats, near Matamata.The couple were sheep and beef farming on a Te

Puke property which had been in Bruces family for 112 years when they attended a meeting called by the Dairy Goat Co-operative (NZ) Ltd to encourage Bay of Plenty farmers to consider converting to goat farming.

We were very interested and visited goat farm to nd out more but when we discovered there werent enough Bay of Plenty farmers prepared to convert to warrant the co-operative sending tankers over the Kaimai Range to collect milk, we decided we had to move to the Waikato, says Bruce.

It was a hard decision to make because of my strong family ties to the Te Puke farm.

However, the property was sold and in 2014 the couple bought a 60ha dairy farm in Old Te Aroha Road and began the conversion to goat farming.

While Bruces family history is in drystock farming, goat farming is in Maryanns genes.

My grandmother Constance Hopping of Tauriko (near Tauranga) imported the rst British Alpine goats to New Zealand in 1956, and some of the black and white goats we have on this farm trace their ancestry back to her imports.

Maryann is proud of that connection and believes her grandmother would be pleased she is now a goat farmer and on a rather large scale. Currently the farm milks 900 goats but has the capacity for up to 1200.

Farmers helpEven before they moved on to the farm,

planning work began for a 19 x 54m and a 57 x 66m building to house the kids, young goats and milking goats.

We are so impressed at how helpful the co-operative and its farmer members are. Everyone has been willing to share their knowledge and let us visit farms, helping us make decisions about what system and buildings will work best for us, says Bruce.

Among those decisions was to contract Corohawk to design and install conveyor feed systems in both sheds.

Corohawk is proud to have installed the feed systems for Maryann and Bruce, says managing director Chris Hawkings.

Four conveyorsThe company designed, manufactured and

installed four 50m-long conveyors, the longest it has produced to date. The conveyors have beds of wooden slats which make them self-cleaning and it is easy to remove any feed which falls through. We designed the conveyors to carry different weights of supplements, including maize silage, which is comparatively quite heavy.

The rails we installed in the kidding shed can be adjusted in height as the kids get bigger.

Bruce and Maryann say installing conveyors saved money on building costs as they didnt have to allow for wide raceway access for the feed-out wagon, which in their barns, unloads feed directly onto one end of the conveyors instead of spreading it the whole length of the pens.

Goat proof systems essential in new dairyThe new goat milking dairy on the Blaymires farm is light and airy, built to withstand high winds.

Corohawk installed four feed conveyor belts in the barns at

Riverside Dairy Goats.

PH 07 578 0030 Page 7RIVERSIDE DAIRY GOATS

Call 0800 KARCHER for your nearest Stockist.

www.karcher.co.nz

Leaving behind 112 years of farming history

Moorey Contractors Ltd supply kiln-dried shavings to Riverside Dairy Goats and deliver with specialised high-cube truck and trailer units. The shavings are from untreated timber and provide warm dry bedding for the goats, says Steve Moorey.

Steady growth in the number of dairy goat farms has seen a huge increase in the demand for these shavings, and Mooreys now deliver to more than 30 farms in the Waikato, Taranaki and Manawatu regions.

Calf beddingAs well, we supply shavings to major names in the

poultry industry which is also showing unprecedented growth in the demand for chicken, so much so that over the past few years we have introduced our dairy farmer clients to alternative products for their winter calf bedding requirements, of which we are also receiving very encouraging feedback.

Steve says it is pleasing to see the development of dairy goat farms like the Blaymires. There is an increasing world-wide demand for goats milk in infant formula and it is good to see the industry and farmers getting a good return for all their hard work.

With the goats comfortably housed and a round barn set up for the newborn kids, attention turned to the construction of the milking parlor and the 80 bale rotary platform it houses.

Wade Contractors demolished the existing herringbone shed and prepared the construction

site. Because of our experience in building our own goat dairy, we were able to make suggestions to help Maryann and Bruce with their decision making, says Klinton Wade.

That advice was appreciated, as was the work Klinton and the team did to prepare the construction site. We leveled it to within 100mm with the digger and then used our laser blade to complete leveling to plus or minus 10ml which was of signi cant advantage to the builder who could put in the boxing and pour the concrete knowing all the levels were right.

Wade Contractors also formed the new tanker track to service the dairy.

Graeme McIntyre of Crossroad Engineering says the Blaymires visited a goat farm where he had installed yards. They liked what they saw and asked me to build the yards for their new dairy to their requirements.

Clever goatsGraeme has considerable experience in constructing

goat yards and understands how the animals move through them. He also knows their curious natures which can make goats very clever escape artists, all of which was useful in building the functional and goat-proof yards.

Shaun Jellie of Milk n Water Services and Austin Heffernan of GEA Farm Technologies NZ Ltd are acutely aware of how destructive and clever goats can be, and on the other hand, how delicate is the milk they produce.

Kiln-dried shaving supplied

by Moorey Contractors Ltd form the bedding

for the herd at Riverside Dairy

Goats. Riverside Dairy Goats

Bruce and Maryann Blaymires have taken a bold step in becoming goat farmers but they are loving the challenge

Maryann Blaymires with a coloured goat which probably traces its ancestry back to animals her

grandmother imported to New Zealand in 1956.

Coast & Country Page 8 Coast & Country RIVERSIDE DAIRY GOATS

ONLY

$194,950

4 BEDROOMS

2 BATHROOMS

2 LIVING AREAS

130m2

wm

18,000

1,8

00

7,2

00

CALL NOW 552 4002FIND US AT 4 TE PUNA RD www.federationhomes.co.nz

Caroline Bay

By Elaine Fisher

Gently does it essential for goats milk

Goats milk can be easily bruised if not handled correctly so the GEA systems we have installed are as gentle as possible, using a positive displacement rotary lobe milk pump, to move it through the system, says Austin.

GEA, which has installed the milking systems in the worlds largest goat dairy in Holland, which milks 2000 goats per hour, sets high standards for its milk harvesting equipment.

Our systems for all milking animals, are fast, safe, gentle and complete, which means they are ef cient in terms of time taken to milk, safe for the animals and milking staff, gentle on the animals and the milk, and harvest all the milk available.

Austin says it has been gratifying to work with the Blaymires who are newcomers to the industry, and, together with Shaun, help them with decision-making.

As well as being able to supply the technology for the new dairy, including the 80 bale rotary platform, Austin says the installation and

back-up service provided by GEA local agent Milk n Water Services is crucial to the smooth running of the dairy from installation to commissioning to its day to day operation.

Future upgradeShaun is pleased the Blaymires decided on an

internal, rather than external, milking system for their rotary. By working inside the rotary they can observe all the goats, and milkers can easily move from one position to another if theres a problem anywhere.

At 80 bales, this complex is just 20 short of the biggest goat rotary Shaun has been involved with and like all goat facilities, special attention has been given to ensuring there is nothing the goats can damage by chewing.

Instead of rubber, the milk lines are made of silicone. Its more exible than rubber and longer lasting, says Shaun.

The GEA milking system can easily be up-graded in future by the installation of

automatic cup removers and milk meters. The variable speed controlled rotary Lobe

milk pump gently delivers the milk to the cooling system in the milk room which resembles that found on a conventional dairy farm, with a plate cooler and two large vats.

Shaun and the team also installed the yard wash-down systems. Goat dairies use signi cantly less water than cow dairies because goats excrete a lot less ef uent.

By choosing to install GEA systems, the Blaymires have gained the advantages of the companys extensive international experience with dairy goats along with its New Zealand made components, all backed by the local knowledge, expertise and 24-hour on call service of its agent Milk n Water Services.

High windsThey have given careful thought to the

positioning and design of their new dairy, which has been built in what is one of the countrys

highest wind areas. This means it has to meet very strict design and construction standards.

Light and airy, it has large sliding doors on both sides, which can be opened or closed depending on the weather. Yards lead from the barns to the milking platform which the goats access through a narrow race with a tight turn which takes them up steps and onto the rotary.

Bruce and Maryann are enjoying their new roles as goat farmers, despite the sharp learning curve theyve had to traverse and the expense and hard work of conversion.

I fully understand now why young humans are called kids instead of lambs or calves. Goats have such personalities and the young ones especially are so playful, says Bruce.

Its really hard to stay cross at a goat for long.Maryann has a soft spot for the black

and white goats which trace back to her grandmother. Some goat farmers just want white goats, but so long as they milk well, Im happy to have these coloured ones too.

Austin Heffernan of GEA Farm Technologies NZ Ltd and Shaun Jellie of Milk n Water Services were involved in the installation

of the milking systems at Riverside Dairy Goats.

Goats are milked

from inside this rotary platform at Riverside

Dairy Goats.

PH 07 578 0030 Page 9PH 07 578 0030 RIVERSIDE DAIRY GOATS

alanam a r t i n b o r o u g h

$87

$76

$65

Coast & Country BOSBRY TRUST

David Bryants new 60-bail rotary dairy sits alongside his old 44-aside herringbone in the middle of 200 hectares of rolling green hills, just

south of Te Awamutu. When the need for a new dairy came along

the Bryants had no hesitation in changing to a rotary.

David and his son Hamish Bryant, who is the farm manager, looked at a lot of dairies and when they knew exactly what they wanted, they looked for contractors by studying references from other farmers and approached contractors theyd used before. Then, just to be sure, they got two prices for each job.

The builder they decided on was Rob Broom eld from Morrinsville-based

Broom eld Construction, which offered a design thats simple but very functional.

Building functionalityThe building is all steel, square and about

23 metres on each side with a smoko room in one corner, an of ce in another, and machines and hot water cylinders occupying the other two.

A two metre wide raised skylight runs down the centre of the roof giving excellent natural lighting. Air vents either side of the skylight combine with big sliding doors to provide good air- ow.

Getting a job like this up and running is a team effort; we work in with everyone to get it done on time with the least amount of hassles, says Rob.

But no two sheds are exactly the same, we always modify to accommodate the farmers needs.

One of the team Rob works in with on a regular basis is Tatuanui-based Leask Engineering, which manufactured and installed all the pipework in the yards right up to the platform, including the fold-up Arti cial Insemination vet stand at the side and the two backing gates.

Leasks Engineerings design and construction manager Rom Stellingwerf says installing all the railing in the 14 metre radius yard was a pretty straightforward job.

We do most of Robs pipework. He sorts out with the farmer whats

wanted, then we work to their design. If theres anything we thinks not right

well have input, but Robs done so many sheds now theres seldom a problem, says Rom.

Before building began, Graeme and George Goodwright from Goodwright Contracting Ltd were needed to cart in metal for the footings from Hamilton Bros quarry.

David contacted us for this job; weve done a lot of work for him in the past and I guess he wanted to go with the tried and trusted, says George.

Land contouringAbout 95 per cent of the Goodwrights

work is farm-based drainage and contouring. On Davids place they contoured around the

new dairy for later landscaping and laid the tanker track with Hamilton Bros metal.

Hesitation-free change to rotaryThe dairy built by Rob Broom eld from Broom eld Construction, and pipe-work and backing gate by Leask Engineering.

PH 07 578 0030 BOSBRY TRUST

Aaron Hamilton says in addition to supplying farmers Hamilton Bros supply a range of metals from their quarry with everything the local com-munities could need.

David and Hamish did their home-work before deciding on a milking plant. They visited loads of sheds before concluding Waikato Milking Systems offered them the best option for their needs.

Best milking optionWaikato Milking Systems North

Island sales manager Paul McGill says the 60-bail Orbit platform is tted with BailGates, Ultimate cup removers, Waikato 320 claws and G2 Cluster Washers linked to stainless steel 650L wash tanks.

The G2 Cluster Washers have the strength and exible you get from a one-piece moulding and are designed for easy clean up while maintaining

excellent plant hygiene, says Paul. In the centre is our Orbitor 12 track

rotary gland, and off the platform theres a BP400 Vacuum Pump with a variable SmartDRIVE vacuum control.

Waikato Milking Systems along with Qubik TMC Ltd, their long-standing authorised dealer in the Te Awamutu area, installed the Bosbry Trusts milking system and together theyve made sure it works to maximum ef ciency.

Theyve achieved this by using Waikato Milking Systems SmartDRIVE Milk Pump Controller run by a variable speed Fristam Milk Pump, a SmartPULS digital pulsation system, SmartECR electronic cup removers and to ensure the milk enters the silo in perfect condition its put through twin Maxi Milk Filters.

Its really a good, solid, tidy and ef cient dairy, says Paul.

But the beauty of the Waikato Milking System is it can be added to later if

David or Hamish feel the need for more automation, but right now just the LIC Protrack Vantage electronic drafting system and the MINDA herd management program suits them.

Ef uent can be pumped from both ponds. The concrete one uses the existing pontoon-mounted pump and Qubik has tted the new pond with 25 HP Reid & Harrison Pump and 10hp stirrer, both mounted on the same safety pontoon.

Brilliant block-workThe concrete pond is made up using

about 3500 concrete blocks and was constructed by Darryl Kirk from Te Awamutu-based All Brick Services.

Darryl also did all the block-work in the dairy itself that involved the inner and outer circles around and under the platform and tank stand. Theres another 1500 odd blocks and about a weeks work there.

Background image: Builder Rob Broom eld from Broom eld Construction, farm owner David Bryant and his son and farm manager Hamish Bryant with Darryl Kirk from All Brick Services.

Waikato Milking Systems bails, cup removers and retaining arms.

Bryants build a beauty at Bosbry

Waikato Milking Systems 320 claws and G2 cluster washers.

Waikato Milking Systems stainless steel 650L wash tanks installed by Qubik.

Qubik technician Heath Lunjevich and Qubiks branch manager and accredited ef uent design

consultant, Kyle Osborne.

Coast & Country BOSBRY TRUST

Qubik TMC Ltd covers a pretty wide area with branches in Te Awamutu, Otorohanga and Putaruru. But their area is a lot larger than just the Waikato because Waikato Milking Systems send them to all corners of the globe to install their equipment.

Heath Lunjevich and Qubiks other technicians get to see the inside of dairies in some very exotic places. Although Heath says theyre kept so busy that is about all they get to see.

Heath installed the milking system, refrigeration and plumbing in the Bryants new dairy, including the backing gates in the yards.

We did pretty much all of it, including the automatic plant wash so the farmer just pushes a button at the end of milking and the plant cleans itself, says Heath.

It took us 15 days from opening the rst box to tying the last rope, then we had two days for commissioning and it was all done.

Drafting needsHeath also worked with LIC to

install the LIC Protrack drafting system. Weve got a good relation-ship and work well with LIC.

That includes supplying and installing a big three-phase air compressor that runs their drafting gate, as well as the auto plant wash, says Heath.

All of that needs lines put under-ground before the concrete is poured.

Hamish says LIC has installed control monitors at three different stations in the dairy one in the main control room, another at cups-off and one at cups-on.

We looked at different ways and systems for drafting and Protrack came out on top because their system links into the MINDA herd management program, says Hamish.

Its an excellent system just what we wanted and it gives us the capacity to add more automation later, if we want.

Qubik calculationsQubik also had a hand in the

ef uent system. Qubiks branch manager Kyle Osborne is an accredited Dairy NZ/Irrigation NZ ef uent design consultant, so it was up to him to do the calculations to determine the capacity of the ef uent ponds and the irrigation rates needed for the number of cows and land-type.

Its a two-part ef uent system rst a one million litre concrete pit followed by a three million litre, 1800m2 pond over the hill thats lined with a state-of-the-art 1.5 HTP liner plastic liner.

About 80 per cent of our work is for farmers, I used to be a dairy farmer myself so I know what they need, says Darryl.

But we do domestic work as well at the moment were at out with a retirement village and 100-odd houses in a new estate in Te Awamutu.

The electrics were put in by Liam

Its all about comfort and functionality

Leask Engineerings design and construction manager Rom Stellingwerf.

The LIC drafting gate.

Darryl Kirk from All Brick Services with the 3500 concrete blocks in the primary ef uent pit.

Waikato Milking Systems Orbitor 12 track rotary gland.

MILK TEMPERATUREPROBLEMS?

Carter from Phase Electrical. Liam says the rst job was to organise an upgrade for the transformer outside the old herringbone, then bring the power from there to the new build.

I do a lot of dairies, says Liam. This was one of the more straightforward Ive had. Everything and everyone came together well, which makes it an easy job.

The dairy features an in-house feed system tted by Corohawk.

The milking plant from the old

herringbone has been sold and will be removed, and same goes for the building used for calves.

But David wanted to recycle as much of the old feed system as he could, so he brought the two grain silos over and adapted them to the new set-up using Corohawk equipment and sensors.

It took a bit of nous on Corohawks part, but they got it all up and running and, according to Hamish, theyre doing an excellent job.

Last, but not least from the

workers and the cows point of view comes Hayden Aymes from Otorohanga-based Dairyworx Ltd.

Dairyworx Ltd has the job of installing mist fans to combat the summers heat and ies. While not in when New Farm Dairies visited, once installed for warmer weather theyll drop the temperature inside the dairy by ve to six degrees Celsius and keep the ies at bay.

Theyll be a welcome addition to an already very well set-up and highly functional dairy.

By Graeme Dobson

PH 07 578 0030 CALDER STEWART

Chertsey Dairy Barn System pointing way to the future

Dairy Barn Systems are a whole new way of thinking about dairy. With a range of configurations and technology available, we can design and construct to meet your individual needs because we recognise the uniqueness of every dairying operation.

Ready to build better dairy? We are.

THINKING DAIRY BARN SYSTEMS?

Graham Petrie 021 914 035 dairybarnsystems.co.nz

Coast & Country WALLACE

The Wallaces old 20-aside herringbone dairy had started life as a walkthrough shed and had received three lots of modi cations during the years to keep up with the demands of

the herd increasing in size.Paul and Joyce Wallace have a 92 hectare

dairy farm at Aka Aka near Waiuku in the Auckland region and milk 230 cows.

We have been dairy farming for 15 years, prior to this we sharemilked for eight years at Paparimu.

We have added another block of land to the original and increased the herd size and the old herringbone wasnt coping, says Paul.

Paul and Joyce have the cows on a 16-hour milking rotation, which means if the cows are milked at 11.30am one day the next milking will be at 4.30am the following day.

We have found this system ts in with our lifestyle and we are doing the same production as we did when milking twice-a-day. There are quite a few other dairy farmers in the district doing the same, says Paul.

The time had come to invest in a new dairy shed so in 2012 they talked to building company, Gibson Rural Ltd in Te Awamutu, looked at different dairy sheds and gathered information from the National Fieldays and considered all the options.

Better valueIt was decided to build a 30-aside herringbone

dairy shed. The farm just wasnt big enough for a rotary and they are a lot more expensive. With the herringbone we have much better value for money, says Paul.

The new dairy shed was built beside the old one, as it was conveniently located and some of the existing laneways could be utilised.

Grant Fitzgerald, owner of Fitzgerald Earth-works at Mangatangi, did the site preparation. He started in December 2013 and it was ready for building to start in February 2014.

Grant also built a few new laneways that connected the new dairy shed to the existing laneways.

We found Gibson Rural Ltd one of the few builders to build to the farmers speci cations.

We had looked at several of their dairy sheds and liked what we saw, says Paul.

One requirement was that I wanted the milk silos under cover. Nothing was a problem for Blair and his team and we are really pleased with the result.

We had a DeLaval milking plant in the old dairy shed, which had been reliable and easy to use so it made sense to install the same brand again, says Paul.

Neil Hall, owner of Thames Farm & Industrial Supplies Ltd, is the North Waikato DeLaval dealer and has been in the business for 14 years.

The 30-unit herringbone has Automatic Cup Removers with lower speed vacuum, reducing teat damage. There is one variable speed vacuum pump doing the job of three

pumps for energy saving and a variable speed washdown pump, says Neil.

Swing-down jettersThe DeLaval plant has swing-down jetters

so they are up and out of the way when not in use. The swing arms give a true alignment to the cows udder making it easier to put the cups on.

There is a push button, manual washdown system. A milk sweep pushes a charge of air through the milk pipe at the completion of milking, making sure all the milk is recovered.

The Wallaces go new at Waiuku

Thames Farm & Industrial Ltd owner Neil Hall, with farm owner Paul Wallace.

WallaceThe front of the new dairy shed with the silos under cover.

The plant installation was supervised by Evan Goble, from Thames Farm & Industrial, who has been installing milking machines for over 30 years and makes sure everything is perfect.

We also offer a full back-up service and have a mobile shopping centre and visit clients approximately every four weeks to make sure there are no problems, says Neil.

The pit walls have a protective Acra ex dairy wall coating applied by Greg Fulton. It not only looks good but is hygienic and easy to keep clean.

The pit was dug out by Pearce Earthmovers Ltd from Waiuku. Graham did a great job, he also shaped the yard and helped to put in the ef uent tank and the stone trap supplied by Precast Ef uent Tanks Ltd, says Paul.

The rainwater diversion, the ve metre by four metre stone trap and the 47,000L ef uent pump were installed by Precast Ef uent Tanks Ltd from Paeroa.

Being a new site we were able to set the levels before the dairy shed was built, says Trevor Christensen, owner of Precast Ef uent Tanks Ltd.

Sometimes on existing dairy sheds it is very challenging to get the correct falls and distances from the milking plant because they were built so close to the ground.

Best cow owTirau Welders worked closely with Blair

Atkinson at Gibson Rural Ltd, and Paul and Joyce Wallace to modify plans to suit their requirements.

We enjoyed working with Paul to achieve the best cow ow and the most options for his drafting set up and truck/trailer load out races.

Congratulations to Paul and Joyce on their new dairy shed. We were proud to be a part of the team involved, says Russell Tye of Tirau Welders.

The electrical wiring in the new dairy shed was completed by Tom Kane Electrical Ltd from Waiuku.

Williams Irrigation from Waitakaruru moved the existing ef uent system to the new dairy shed and made sure it was operating within the required parameters.

The large water tanks were supplied by Promax Plastics from Kerikeri.

AsureQuality monitor the new dairy shed to make sure it is kept up the high standards that the export market requires. They came and did an inspection halfway through building and then again at completion.

AsureQuality work alongside farmers to make sure their milking machines are working

properly and ensure minimum standards in sanitation, structures and facilities.

The new dairy shed was a worthwhile investment and I can manage the milking on my own, says Paul.

It takes one-and-a-half hours from start to nish, which is a vast improvement on the old dairy shed. It also gives Paul and Joyce more time to enjoy life.

PH 07 578 0030 WALLACE

By Helen Wilson

More time to enjoy lifeFarm owners

Paul and Joyce Wallace are thrilled with

their new dairy shed. The pit area of the new dairy shed.

DeLaval clusters and the painted pit wall.

Coast & Country GEERTS

Last year farm owner Michelle Geerts and her sharemilkers of 15 years, Peter and Charlotte Giddy,

decided it was time to upgrade their 170-hectare, 520-cow Waikato operation with a new dairy.

So they did their homework and decided on a 44-aside her-ringbone with a pit that allows for future expansion to 50-aside.

Then they chose a Chapman Dairy design because of Chap-man Dairys reputation for attention to detail and their builders, Don Chapman Waikato Ltd, reputation for quality work.

The dairys fairly standard, says Shanan White from Don Chapman Waikato Ltd. But outside we put in a feed pad and a bunker for the solids from the GEA slope-screen ef uent lter.

As a Chapman Dairy licensee, Don Chapman Waikato Ltd rst sits down with the clients to sort out their needs, then passes the drawings on to Don Chapman to nalise.

Dons experience is invaluable, hes got a wealth of experience and often sees details that no one else has, says Shanan.

Panels and doorsFor the dairys walls they used the increasingly popular Poly

Panelling from Insulation Panel & Doors.The modular foam and steel sandwich design gives Poly

Panelling sound-deadening qualities second to none, making the dairys work area quiet and relaxed for both cows and workers.

But the rst contractor on the job was Paul Steiner to do the earthworks. Like most of their contractors, Michelle and Peter went to Paul Steiner because theyd used him extensively in the past and knew the digger operator well.

Paul was here for months. He did the earthworks, dug the pond, sorted out the races, everything, says Peter.

Good dealingsAnother Paul Paul Convery, GEA Farm Technologies area

sales manager, says GEA supplied the Milfos milking plant and Tony McLaren from GEAs Morrinsville agent, McLarens Rural Services, installed it.

Theyd shopped around, but Michelle and the Giddys history with McLarens proved the deciding factor in their choice. And as well as the GEA plant, they had McLarens install all the water pumps and the farms water reticulation system.

Wed always had good dealings with McLarens, and the price worked out well, says Peter.

This dairys pretty straightforward, says Paul Convery. It hasnt got a lot of the computer power weve got available,

but weve included Automatic Cup Removers with swing arms and swing-down jetters.

The swing arms open up the pit and provide better alignment, like when theres a large cow beside a small heifer, and our ACRs include a feature that lets the cups drop to the oor if theyve been kicked off.

This lets the milker know its a kick-off and she needs to be re-cupped very helpful in a pit this long, says Paul Convery.

Apart from the ACRs, pretty much the only other computer equipment included in the new dairy is a three-way LIC drafting system basic but one that can be easily upgraded in the future.

When we rst started, some of the new cows had two ear tags, says Peter.

That led to a bit of confusion, but we programed the LIC gate to draft out any unidenti ed tags so we could remove them. The gates never missed a beat since, says Peter.

It saves a lot of labour, like during Arti cial Breeding season when I just walk along with my phone and put in the numbers of the cows I want, send them to the gate and they get drafted out.

Patented head bailsThe LIC gate was incorporated into the yard when Rom

Stellingwerf from Leask Engineering tted the rails and steel work for the dairy. This dairy was no problem, says Rom.

Tru-Test DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solutions area sales manager Dave Gray, Leask

Engineerings Rom Stellingwerf, farm worker Kyle Reed, sharemilkers Peter and Charlotte Giddy, with Abagail, farm owner Michelle Geerts

and GEA Farm Technologies area sales manager Paul Convery.

Future-proofed to the max in the Waikato

The new dairy from entrance yard.

Michelle Geerts new dairy from the front.

PAN ELLEADING MANUFACTURERS

OF INSULATED PANELS

0

Office: 07 347 8344 s Fax: 07 347 8345

Unit 6, 1318 Pukuatua St, PO Box 525, Rotorua

FOREST HARVESTING & MARKETING SOLUTIONS

PH 07 578 0030 GEERTS

Forward-thinking at its bestWe made and installed all the steel and

pipework in the dairy and out in the yards and races, including one of our patented Camlock head bails, two backing gates and a Dungbuster.

Weve also put in the uprights for a roof over the feed pad so Michelle can put a roof over later on.

The new Technipharm Dungbuster that Rom put on the backing gate is a huge labour-saving device that cleans the yard as the gate goes round, washing down so close behind the cows the dung barely has time to hit the ground.

All the electrics, from bringing in the mains through to wiring up the ef uent screen and the green water recycling and ood-wash, were installed by Morrinsville company Silvester Electrical.

They needed to put in a booster for the backing gate and interlocked controls, but Damien Silvester says the Giddys were so easy

to work with they had no problems a mutual sentiment if Peters comment theyre just bloody good, reliable sparkies is anything to go by.

Heat recoveryNor did the refrigeration pose any problems

for Tru-Test DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solutions area sales manager Dave Gray.

Tru-Test supplied and installed all the refrigeration, including a DTS Patton Pak and a heat recovery unit, and put in a speci c water cooling system to futureproof the dairy against any new regulations.

We put in an insulated plastic tank that maintains chilled water at eight degrees Celsius, giving milk entry into the vat at 10 degrees Celsius, says Dave.

With the vat refrigeration youve got ve degrees Celsius at the end of milking.

The insulated plastic tank he used was supplied by Promax Engineered Plastics,

specialists in all farm and industrial liquid storage and handling.

The upcoming requirement to maintain lower milk temperatures is set to make their insulated tanks one of their most popular products with dairy farmers.

The dairys other output, ef uent, was taken care of by Pump & Pipeline. Pump & Pipeline had looked after the ef uent system for the old dairy, so they were the logical choice for the new one.

Michelle has almost all high risk soils both peat and clay so Pump & Pipelines experience was invaluable for the calculations involved.

Ef uent is collected in a large concrete sump where an Irriland Blueline submersible mixer agitates it before an Irriland Blueline pump pushes it up to a slope screen separator.

Solids are stored in a concrete bunker and green water is held in a pond to be reused to ood-wash the yards before a Rovatti PTO-

driven pump sends it across the farm to the existing sprinkler network.

To nish off, Bruce Cameron from Specialised Coatings applied his distinctively ecked Acra ex protective coating to the dairy.

Easy to upgradeAcra ex is speci cally designed to meet the

high standards demanded by the dairy industry and its long-lasting, hard-wearing and attractive nish provides a very easily cleaned surface.

This dairy is undeniably basic but very functional. However, every aspect of it the longer pit, the uprights on the feed pad, the refrigeration, LIC drafting gate and GEA milking plant has been designed to be easily upgraded.

Even the 13 metre diameter yard has been oversized, to allow for an increased herd size. Now thats forward-thinking at its best.

By Graeme Dobson

The new dairy from the exit yard.

The old dairy on Michelle Geerts Waikato farm.

Leask Engineerings Rom Stellingwerf with the backing gate.

GEA Farm Technologies area sales manager Paul Convery.

Geerts

www.chapmandairy.com

For a more efficient farm dairySpecialising in farm dairy design and construction

Authorised licensee

021 780 477 e [email protected]

The ef uent pond, showing Envir

olineNZs liner.

Coast & Country NEWTON LEE WILLOWS

Four generations of Silcocks have farmed at Tahuna near Morrinsville in the Waikato. Stephen and

Annette Silcock are todays owners of Newton Lee Willows Farm.

They milk 740 cows and replacements on 279 hectares effective and in 2014 decided to replace their 33-year-old turnstyle rotary dairy.

We had grown the herd and leased some more land and the old turnstyle was limiting the number of cows we could milk, says Stephen.

We wanted to introduce a fully automated herd management system. I decided on a 54-bail rotary, as in my own judgement its the best balance between use of capital and staff.

Milking time in the old turnstyle rotary was taking three-and-a-half hours in the spring so it was time to upgrade.

Site preparation work for the new dairy was carried out by Paul Steiner Contracting Ltd from Morrinsville.

Paul Steiner says the dairy was built into a small rise in the paddock which we had to cut into and then level.

We used the clay from that to back- ll to form a solid foundation and then spread that with crusher dust, ready for the builders to start, says Paul.

His team also formed all the farm race approaches to the new dairy and dug the large ef uent pond. The majority of Paul Steiner Contracting Ltd work is rural-based, mainly dairies and ef uent ponds.

Chapman association Ive had a long association with Don Chapman, so for me

there was no other choice, says Stephen.Dons dairies have stood the test of time and they are a

proven design. I went and looked at a few dairies and said: Build me one like that and they did, says Stephen.

Shanan White is the Waikato licensee for Chapman Dairy and owns Don Chapman Waikato Ltd based at Morrinsville.

Stephens is a standard Chapman Dairy design with a few changes. The side yard was made a lot bigger to allow for holding cows back after exiting or large capacity when drafting, says Shanan.

A raised vet area allows easy access to the platform for the vet and keeps the bench and drug area clean and tidy.

The walls are refrigeration panel, supplied Insulation Panel & Door, which are easy to keep clean and good ventilation allows plenty of air ow and light with the standard roof venting system.

Two insulated sectional doors on the sides of the dairy allow

for good cross- ow during hot weather and can be closed during cooler weather.

We make sure the dairy is on the best site available allowing for contour, prevailing weather, distance from paddocks and allows for easy cow ow, says Shanan.

The walls have been covered with a protective hygienic covering by Bruce Cameron of Specialised Coatings. This helps keep the walls clean, is easily washable and aesthetically pleasing as well.

Intuitive installationBrian Crowe, who is operations manager for Hutchies of

Morrinsville, oversaw the installation of this Waikato Milking Systems plant.

The 54-bail milking plant has been tted with SmartD-TECT for early mastitis detection, says Brian.

With SmartD-TECT if a cow issues an alert, the cow will be presented back to the milker. The Auto Start will not allow the cups to be put back on, so she can be drafted out for further attention.

The Waikato Milking Systems plant also has SmartECRs electronic cup removers plus a SmartSPRAY automatic teat spray system and two maxi lters to lter out any debris before it goes into the vat.

A modern makeover at Morrinsville

The second herd coming in to be milked.

Reduce cost and save your sh** from going down the drain, get it on your farm.

For independent advice call 0800 856 544 or visit

effluentandirrigation.co.nz

Effluent&Irrigation is an EID company eid.nzEXCELLENCEIN DAIRYING

PAN15

0805

CONGRATULATIONS!

PH 07 578 0030 NEWTON LEE WILLOWS

The SmartWASH system is individually set up for each dairy and depends on the size of the plant and water source and can be ne-tuned to a different wash cycle each day if need be.

This is a high end milking system, easy to use and Stephen and his staff have been competent in dealing with any problems, says Brian.

Tracking cowsThe shed is also integrated with LICs

Protrack Drafting System. Protrack allows the farmer to instantly get information about any individual cow.

As she steps onto platform Protrack identi es her electronic tag and at this point the cow is allocated the correct bail within Protrack.

The operator can see instantly on the monitor at the cups-on and cups-off positions which cow theyre dealing with without having to climb up on the platform and read her ear tag.

The monitor will display information such as antibiotic withholding period, weight and mastitis detection, which is all crucial for the farmer to make the correct management decisions.

Hutchies also planned where the water outlets should be and installed the washdown pumps, toilets and washbasins.

We worked with the builder to lay the pipes underground before the concrete was poured to get it right, says Brian.

Hutchies has another shop at Taupiri and provide an ef cient 24-hour seven days back-up service.

Yard-wash solutionDealing with ef uent at the source is always more cost-effective

than after its created. It saves on time and costs.At Newton Lee Willows Farm, Stephen has installed a

Dungbuster automatic yard washing system. A Dungbuster uses a fraction of the water that a conventional

yard washer does and does not require any labour to wash the

yard. Reducing water usage at the source reduces cost and time.

Its all about being smart with water, says Harmen Heeson of Technipharm, the manufacturer of Dungbuster.

The ef uent pond at Newton Lee Willows Farm has been lined with a special quality plastic liner supplied by Cambridge company EnvirolineNZ. EnvirolineNZ owner Patrick Haden says the liner used for ef uent ponds has high density polyethylene called HDPE properties.

We can line any shape or sized pond. The joins are double welded on-site, assuring there is no leakage. The product has a 20-year guarantee and an eight-year workmanship

warranty, says Haden. Liners for ef uent ponds are now commonplace in the rural market to assure zero ef uent leakage into waterways.

Monitoring ef uentA Smart Farm Systems product called a TIM

short for Travelling Irrigator Monitor has been installed on the farm to monitor over-application of ef uent on the farm.

This is operating as it should and if over application occurs it switches off the main pump and alerts me or my staff by text if there is a problem, says Stephen.

The TIM utilises low frequency radio for sending signals and data about the farm, data logging to a PC.

In 2012, Smart Farm Systems became the benchmark for fail-safe monitoring, beating 14 other companies, securing a much sought-after contract.

Currently, SFS is working on a fully managed data service which is commercially available.

Newton Lee Willows

Fourth generation looks to the future

DAIRY TECH- ]" -/,1/" 1/"/" -9-/-

www.dairytech.co.nz



Authorised licensee


Chapman Dairys Waikato licensee, dairy builder Shanan White.

Hutchies business dev

elopment

manager Grant Peder

son, farm

owner Stephen Silcock

and Hutchies

operations manager B

rian Crowe.

Farm owner Stephen Silcock and assistant manager Gonzalo Garcia.

Coast & Country NEWTON LEE WILLOWS

The yard has a Top Dog overhead gate manufactured by DairyTech near Otorohanga.

It can be used in circular or rectangle yards. It moves the cows onto platform by using low current electri ed chains, which are switched on when in the down position.

They can be controlled manually or by automatic pulse as the cows are moved forward.

Electrifying expectationsBased at Morrisville, Silvester Electricals head electrician

Damien Silvester says this dairy is high-spec and Stephen had high expectations about the electrical work.

We have been his farm electrician for many years and have a good working relationship with him, says Damien.

He was happy to throw ideas around and discuss any problems. Its not often we get to wire up all the systems, and the auto-wash was quite involved.

As well as the auto-wash Silvester Electrical wired the ef uent system, washdown system, milking plant and the water supply. Most of their work is rural-based and they provide a 24-hour seven day back-up if need be.

A new source of water had to be established for the new dairy and Barham United Well Drillers from Te Awamutu completed the task.

Leask Engineering at Tatanui near Morrinsville designed the layout of the yards and took charge of the welding.

Leask Engineerings construction manager Rom Stellingwerf says they work in with the farmers designs and offer advice if they need it.

Stephens yards were straightforward and have good cow ow, says Rom.

Leask Engineering has more than 50 years experience in designing and constructing dairy yards as a recommendation.

Tru-Test DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solutions was also involved in the dairy project, in particular sorting out the refrigeration needs.

We approached this dairy with a two-pronged attack using chilled water to take the heat out of the milk so its delivered into the silos below 10 degrees Celsius where it is then chilled to ve degrees Celsius as required by the Ministry for Primary Industries, says area manager Dave Gray.

Warm water from the cooling system is then captured and recycled into the hot water cylinder and reduces energy costs for hot water.

Impede bacteriaChilling the milk to ve degrees Celsius helps impede bacteria

growth and assures the best quality milk at a premium price. The system installed allows for expansion of the herd and

Stephen has been very comfortable with the results, says Dave.

Tru-Test DTS also offers a data log service for a milk cooling audit. And theyre happy to performance test any brand of refrigeration to make sure it meets the industrys requirements.

Hoof healthTrimming cows hooves has never been safer or easier on

Newton Lee Willows Farm than with a WOPA hoof treatment crush from Veehof Dairy Services.

The heavy duty, galvanised steel frame features safety winches for both front and rear legs and a walk-through head bail, which is operated from the rear so the handler is safely out of the way and in control at all times.

The wide belly strap helps keep the cow calm, and the absence of excess bars behind the cow enables the farmer to stand close to the cow in the correct trimming position.

Both the belly strap and leg strap have quick releases if need be.Based in Ashburton in the South Island, Veehof Dairy Services

supply a full range of hoofcare products as well as offering hoofcare training workshops throughout New Zealand.

Stephen says the new dairy has met all of is expectations. It has the staff s approval and its a joy to come and do some

relief milking, though not too often. All the contractors were a pleasure to deal with and we now

have an ef cient dairy that futureproofs our investment in the dairy industry, says Stephen.

Time to upgrade the turnstyle

By Helen Wilson

Silvester Electricals head electrician Damien Silvester.

Leask Engineerings construction manager Rom Stellingwerf, with the yards they designed.Tru-Tes

t DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solution

s

area manager Dave Gray.

0508 476 278 | www.smartfarmsystems.co.nz

Effluent + Soil + Water = Smart Farms Data

Travelling Irrigator Monitor

K-Line Irrigator Monitor

Pivot Irrigator Monitor

Leading the Field in Farm Monitoring

A 100% New Zealand owned and operated company waikatomilking.co.nz | P +64 7 849 8755

....................................................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................................................

PH 07 578 0030 NEWTON LEE WILLOWS

DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solutions

Refrigeration units

Hot Water Recovery

Pre-cooling

Monitoring & displays

Tanks & polar wraps

Servicing & support

7 day call centre 7am-9pm

Finance available*

*Conditions apply.

DTS Pre-cooling Advice and Solutions

We work with you to:

Assess the options: water chilling, ice bank, glycol

Address all the factors: site, herd size, flow rate, water source, power reliability

Invest only where needed

Provide ongoing service and support.

Banking on your milk?For tailored milk cooling and storage systems invest wisely with DTS Milk Cooling & Tank Solutions.

Want pre-cooling that works?Get the best result for your site, farm and budget.

www.tru-test.com/dairy

How are you tracking? Lets talk. 0800 500 387

Coast & Country BROADVIEW FARM

The Acra ex nish in Ken Chamberlains new dairy.

Professional Farm Services manag-ing director Dave McMillan and business manager Mark Bilsby.

Shanan White from Don Chapman Waikato Ltd built the dairy.

Corohawks grain silos.

Broadview Farm

edu

chem

Twenty months ago Ken Chamberlain bought a neighbours property and

increased his farm size to 150 hectares and lifted his herd

size from 300 to 450.But the increased farm size brought a

problem. It was a long way to walk the cows in well over an hour so we decided to put a new dairy in the middle of the farm, says Ken.

So we approached Don Chapman to build us a 50-bail rotary. Our neighbours got a Don Chapman Dairy and so has my mate up the road.

Dons got a good name, we liked his design and hes easy to work with.

Good operatorBut before any building could

happen the ground and foundations had to be prepared and here entered John Brewer, owner of local Cambridge company Camex Earthworks and Drainage.

John had done a lot of good work for Ken in the past so he had no hesitation in getting his team in again.

They carted all the sand in from their own pits. They had a very good operator on our job and we got excellent results, says Ken.

On that solid foundation the new dairy was erected by Chapman licensee, Don Chapman Waikato Ltd, which has a reputation for quality to match Don

Chapman Dairys for design. Before beginning any dairy they discuss the

details with the client, then pass them to Don Chapman Dairy to nalise the drawings.

The only hassles were a few issues with the high water table, says Shanan White from Don Chapman Waikato Ltd.

We struck water and had to pump for a month from the underpass below the platform. But it was nothing we couldnt handle.

This reporter gets the impression theres very little Shanan and Don Chapman Waikato Ltd cant

handle. For the walls of the dairy

they used Poly Panelling from Insulation Panel & Doors. Poly Panelling

is an increasing popular modular construction that employs panels of polystyrene sandwiched between steel.

Its easy to use and its ef cient insulation and noise deadening qualities makes working areas very quiet.

We use Poly Panelling pretty much in all our sheds. Ive had clients weve shown through sheds

and when we close the doors they ask what other insulation weve put in the walls, says Shanan. Its easy to install, easy to clean and once it goes up thats the nish.

The Poly Panelling doesnt need painting,

but the extensive blockwork in this dairy does, so Don Chapman Waikato brought in Bruce Cameron from Specialised Coatings to put

on an attractive and very functional nish with his distinctively ecked Acra ex

protective coating. Acra ex gives a hardwearing

and very easily cleaned surface thats speci cally designed to meet the high hygiene standards

demanded by the dairy industry.

Engineering excellenceThe pipework in the yards was

manufactured and installed by Rom Stellingwerf from Leask Engineering.

Rom has been associated with Don Chapman for many years and now does a lot of work for Chapman Dairies licensees.

This is a pretty straightforward yard, says Rom. Although, Kens preference was for a rectangular instead of the usual round yard.

Theres also a good set of holding yards, drafting both sides from the DeLaval drafting gate, vet and Arti cial Insemination races, a loading ramp and one of our Camlock head bails.

Leask Engineering worked well with the other contractors, doing things like setting up the rails so DeLaval could bolt in their drafting gate and scales, and leaving the top rail off the sides of the yard so Reporoa Engineering could install their backing gate.

Gate homeworkId had no experience with Reporoa

Engineering before, but we wanted a reliable new backing gate and when we did our home-work their gates seemed to best suit our needs, says Ken.

Left: DeLavals four-nozzle teat spray is incorporated into the leg spreader.

Chamberlains go big at Cambridge

PH 07 578 0030 BROADVIEW FARM

Upping the farm size and herd brings new dairy

Rom Stellingwerf from Leask Engineering.

Corohawks feed bins.

The DeLaval centre gland handles milk, electricity, water, vacuum and power.

A cows eye view of the platform.

By Graeme Dobson

The backing gate has a Technipharm Dungbuster tted that ef ciently washes down the yard with a series of water jets as the gate follows the cows around the yard.

Its doing exactly what we wanted, so it was a good choice, says Ken. It was a combination that came together and works well were very happy with the end result.

Not surprisingly, the new Technipharm Dungbuster saves on washdown and is a huge labour saving device, but its not the only labour saving technology Kens incorporated.

One-stop-shopWe want it to be a one-man dairy once

calving is nished. We looked around at several different plants before and Dean, who handles the day-to-day stuff, decided the DeLaval system with ALPRO herd management makes that possible, says Ken.

The company chosen to install the plant and equipment was Professional Farm Services Ltd, a Cambridge-based business that represents DeLaval milking equipment.

The company was chosen because its a one-stop-shop for milking equipment, water pumps and reticulation, ef uent systems and a full electrical service as well.

And they have one 24/7 phone number to cover it all. Ken has dealt with PFS for more than 30 years so it was an easy choice.

DeLavals district sales manager Peter Cartmell says the DeLaval equipment speci ed by PFS is state of the art.

This is a PR2100 platform with some brand new developments, like the central hub. This is a rotary transfer coupling that carries milk, air, vacuum, electricity and data everything, says Peter.

The PR2100 platform is manufactured in Eltham by Hotter Engineering. The concrete deck is 100mm thick, high-strength reinforced 40mpa concrete, poured in situ and nished to a non-slip surface. The concrete frame work is removed after concrete curing to leave a smooth surface under the platform for ease of cleaning and corrosion resistance All exposed steel is Hot Dip Galvanized for durability.

Then theres the DeLaval on-platform teat spray incorporated into the leg spreaders thats so new its still on trial.

Weve had the experts out from England making sure that its set up right so were con dent it will work very well.

Peter says the system is a full ALPRO that allows the herd to be micro-managed to whatever detail Ken wants with a fully automated herd management system, which

gives total milk monitoring with top of the line ICAR approved meters, weigh scales, automatic drafting and a feed system that will have four feed heads that can feed cows individually.

The DeLaval augers and heads are fed from a Waikato-based Corohawk Feed Systems silos and boots.

We went to Corohawk simply because theirs was the lowest quote. They got everything here, installed and working on time. It turned out to be a good choice, says Ken.

Three feed decadesCorohawk has 30 years experience supplying

feed systems to NZ farmers their equipment is either manufactured or assembled in the Waikato, and they provide a two-year warrantee backed by rapid and reliable service.

Actually, that pretty much sums up this dairy fast and ef cient with a reliability borne from the sum of all those that contributed to its build. The level of technology and the quality of workmanship throughout were obvious.



Authorised licensee


Professional Farm Services Mark Bilsby, DeLavals district sales manager Peter Cartmell, Professional Farm Services

managing director Dave McMillan and farmer Ken Chamberlain.

Coast & Country G SINGH & SONS

This dairy isnt as ashy as some, but its as ef cient as

any in its class.Naginder Singh bought a

neighbouring property to increase his Morrinsville property to 160 hectares, then he centralised the dairy with a new 50-bail rotary to handle the new 520 cow herd

This became a long narrow farm so we had to get the dairy more central, says Naginder.

When he chose a dairy designer and builder, Naginder went for experience and availability, which he found with Warren Davenport, owner/director of Morrinsville building company WD Davenport.

Before starting the build Naginder dug three metres of peat out of the site, then the pit lled up with water from the high water table.

We had to use four pumps to drain the pit before we could get the concrete in to seal it, says WD Davenports site foreman Jay Hawkins.

Then we put a lot of reinforcing and drainage around the pit to ensure it doesnt oat.

High water tableThe high water table is a problem in this

area, but one Warren and Jay were well used to dealing with. Warrens been building dairies since he started in business 31 years ago, so hes learnt a thing or two.

We do a lot of dairies, feed pads and farm buildings, as well as any domestic work and commercial that comes up, says Warren.

The smaller farms around the Waikato mean

that there seems to be more herringbones going in here; but when you get to a good size herd like Naginders it pays to go to a rotary, says Warren.

The dairy he designed incorporates an of ce and smoko room for staff and its spacious

with good natural light and ventilation and a bright attractive nish

although the nish is down to Greg Fulton from Dairy Wall

Coatings. Greg works with

Warren a lot in fact he paints all the dairies WD Davenport builds.

The amount of paint varies considerably from dairy to dairy on this job Greg did more than the average with a coat of paint and sealer on upper surfaces to create the clean, bright nish

and an equally attractive protective sealing coat of the distinctively- ecked, hardwearing Acra ex

around all the block work. Acra ex is especially formulated to

meet the dairy industrys hygiene standards by providing an effective and easily cleaned seal against dirt and bacteria.

Versatile engineeringOut in the yards Jay laid all the concrete and

mounted the posts for Neville Johnson and his son Brad from Rural Engineering to t all the pipe rails.

Warren and Neville have been working together for about 25 years so theyre ef cient together. Warren designs the yards and buildings, Jay mounts the posts and Brad with Neville just about retired comes through and connects it all up.

And Rural Engineering is versatile when the job involves a herringbone they design, manufacture and t all the bails and steelwork.

On Naginders rotary they designed and installed a backing gate that incorporates a washdown system to clean the yards as the gate goes around. But a gate like that needs power to move it and pumps for the washdown.

Naginders narrow farm needed new dairy

Naginder Singh (right), with his

sons/workers Sunni and Ravi.

The Wilco & Wa

verley Wrangler

a piece of Kiwi

ingenuity.

G.Singh & Sons

Rural Engineering LtdRural Engineering Ltd

PH 07 578 0030 G SINGH & SONS

Calling on experience and availability in Morrinsville

WD Davenport owner/director Warren Davenport, and his site

foreman Jay Hawkins.

Like the rest of the WD

Davenport dairy, the machine

room is very spacious.

Enter Graham Silvester from Morrinsville company Silvester Electrical, which took care of all the dairys electrics both inside and out.

We did everything here. Brought the power from the transformer outside, wired the 240 in the dairy, powered the meal feed system and put a 25hp pump and a 1hp stirrer into the ef uent system, says Graham.

Weve included variable speed pumps for the whole operation including the washdown. Apart from that its a straightforward shed, but with a lot of fruit in it.

A lot of fruitBy fruit Graham means the Milfos plant supplied by

GEA Farm Technologies area sales manager Paul Convery, and installed by GEAs Morrinsville agents, McLarens Rural Services.

Naginders got our new iFLOW rotary, which we call Generation 2 because of the new bail design that allows us to

put all the electronics underneath where no water can get on anything, says Paul.

This includes our new iCORE, which is basically a

brain for each bail that controls

everything, like the

ICRs (cup removers) and cow restraints

that run off the ICRs and come

down to keep the cow on if shes still milking, and the

on-platform teat spray with a cross-

over design included in a leg spreader unit. This unit gives a

very effective udder cover when the cups come off, wherever she is on the platform. The iCORE has the advantage that it can be easily added to without having to take anything out.

Actually that was Naginders decider when he chose GEA. I went with GEA because it seemed to be the easiest to upgrade later on.

Paul says the Milfos brand also has a dropdown feature that takes the clusters below the bridge where theyre out of the way when the cow exits.

When they leave the cows go through our Identity drafting gate where they can be drafted from a touchscreen at cups-on

or cups-off, says Paul.GEA installer, McLarens Rural Services, has been GEA agents

for more than 20 years, so theyve got the experience to handle any of GEAs work without any problem. And with a team of eight tters they work very quickly and ef ciently.

But it isnt just the milking plant they install, they also do all water reticulation and ef uent systems in fact about the only thing they didnt have a hand in on Naginders project was the in-shed feed system that Bustercover supplied and installed.

I liked the simplicity of the Bustercover system, it works perfectly without all the electronics of other systems, says Naginder.

Bustercover do pretty much any farm feed system for any stock at all chicken sheds, duck sheds, you name it but dairies are their speciality.

We pride ourselves that 90 per cent-plus of our work comes through referrals, says Bill King from Bustercover.

And last year we installed feed systems into 87 dairies throughout the country.

Feeding simplicityBustercovers systems are made up of a mix of imported

American components and locally manufactured item, such as their custom-made stainless steel feed bins for both herringbone and rotary dairies.

Naginder wanted to feed palm kernel in the dairy, but most feed systems are designed for grain and molasses and palm kernel tends to clog the system so Bustercover developed an air valve and compressor/reservoir set-up that sends a jet of air into the bottom of the silo every four minutes to clear the blockages and ensure clean delivery.

Thats an excellent example of good Kiwi ingenuity.Out in the yard theres another system that works without

electronics, a Wilco & Waverley Wrangler hoof trimming press. The Wrangler is another example of Kiwi inventiveness,

an ingenious device that uses a system of slings and ropes to easily raise and restrain each leg so the hoof can be worked on accurately and safely.

Come to think of it, Bustercover and the Wrangler epitomise this dairy not ashy but very ef cient. By Graeme Dobson

Coast & Country LOCKETTThe DeLaval Double Up Parallel Parlour P2100 rapid exit system offers a compact

design that combines rotary level throughput with the hands on

advantages of a herringbone.Paddy Lockett has installed the rst DeLaval Double

Up Parallel Parlour P2100 rapid exit system in New Zealand on her 125-hectare Cambridge property.

Its a new concept based on an old idea, says Paddy. There used to be parallel parlours years ago.

But DeLavals modern version is light years from those old sheds. It includes every bit of the computer power and technology that DeLaval can provide but the operation is simplicity itself.

Each cows ear tag is read as she enters the dairy, then she walks beside the pit and turns into the rst available bail and stands perpendicular to the pit.

A gate swings to beside her, creating an individual bail that prevents crowding and bullying. Once in place the cows are gently pushed back until theyre in the best milking position.

Bins for individually-blended feed form the front of the bail. These are hydraulically raised together so the cows exit the dairy via DeLaval weigh scales and a DeLaval drafting gate.

The 18-aside or 36-cluster pit is just more than 15 metres long and three metres wide, a compact design that combines rotary level throughput with the hands on advantages of a herringbone.

Corohawk Feed Systems from Ohaupo removed the silos and feed system from the old shed, prior to installing the two 16 tonne silos in the new shed.

One-person milkingThe set-up is good for one-person milking

youre not running from one end to the other like in a 36-aside herringbone, says Paddy.

The whole operation is very compact, very ef cient, relaxed and very hygienic, especially with the WETiT QD0 automatic teat spray installed in the exit race.

This is a technologically advanced unit that uses a lengthy detection zone, enabling it to calculate the

New concept old idea

cows movement and speed, ensuring the udder is accurately targeted by the units four jets to cover

the teats every time, regardless of udder size and position.

Other features that enhance overall hygiene, as well as workers

health and safety, are a low wall along the rear of the bail that makes it virtually impossible for the milker to

be kicked, and a butt pan it looks remarkably like a urinal that runs

along just under tail height.This collects most of the waste, which is

ushed along with the bail oor every time the bails are opened.

At the moment sharemilkers Derek and Catherine Hayward are milking about 320 cows, but they calve twice-a-year and numbers vary, so the dairy is set up to milk about 400 itll do that as fast as a rotary.

The dairy handles them easily. Theres no pushing or crowding like we had in the herringbone, and it eliminates bullying in the bails, says Derek.

It only took the girls a couple of milkings to get used to it and relax, and that shows in improved yields.

Old and newThe P2100 comes in a modular form that was

assembled on-site by local DeLaval agents, Professional Farm Services.

It was all pretty simple, says Professional Farm Services dairycare technician Sam Ryan.

Although, I think he understated the job. The new dairy was incorporating some of the old shed, including part of the pit, but Derek needed to keep milking in the old herringbone throughout so work could only be done between milkings.

They demolished one side of the herringbone and installed half the new plant while the other half was still working; then Derek switched to the new side while the rest was demolished.

As well as the milking plant Professional Farm Services also installed all the electrics and plumbing in the dairy, but theyve been installing dairies for about 30 years so their crew have the experience to take anything in their stride.

DeLavals Waikato district sales manager

Peter Cartmell, sharemilkers Catherine

and Derek Hayward and Professional Farm

Services Dave McMillan. The pit in the new parlour.

Paddy Locketts new Cambridge dairy from yard.

The pit controls.

Lockett

Use the Gudgeon Pro to drill straight holes first time, everytime.But thats not all it can

do. Gudgeon Pro is also a multi tool and makes gate hanging easy.

Go to the website to find out more about this excellent product and

learn about Patrick the 14 year old inventor.

Sick of how hard it is to get straight and accurate

gudgeon holes? The time it takes?

The amount of tools?

Congratulations Paddy Lockett, alongside

Derrick & Catherine Hayward, on the installation of the first

DeLaval P2100 Parallel Parlour in New Zealand.

delaval.co.nz

DeLaval NZ

0800 222 228

@DeLaval_NZ

PH 07 578 0030 LOCKETT

But before any installation could occur the dairy had to be built. First, John Brewer, owner of Cambridge company, Camex Earthworks and Drainage, took care of the groundwork.

John had done a lot of work for Paddy over the years so it was logical the was called upon for this job. But with Derek still milking this one was far from straightforward.

They had to widen part of the pit and prepare the ground on one side while ensuring the other side stayed functional, then Derek switched sides before they could start on the other.

We came and went four or ve times sometimes just for a day or two because we could only work outside milking times and then only do bits at a time, says John.

To say the job presented challenges for one of Camexs most experienced operators, Ivor Walker, is an understatement but it worked because of the patient cooperation of all concerned.

It was a good job, and as a result were now doing quite a bit of work for the builders, Don Chapman Waikato, says John.

Simple ef ciencyLike many other farmers throughout the country,

Paddy opted for a Chapman Dairy because of their attention to detail and reputation for simple ef ciency and, as a Chapman Dairy, the build was done by Chapman licensee Shanan White from Don Chapman Waikato Ltd.

One of the big advantages of the P2100 is it has a much smaller footprint than either a rotary or herringbone of comparative capacity, therefore it requires much less concrete, a much smaller building and a much lower outlay.

These savings enabled Paddy to include vet, Arti cial Insemination and holding yards and extended the roof over them.

After Camex prepared the foundations, Don Chapman Waikato laid the concrete and bases for the pipework in the exit yards and the portal pile caps for the dairy.

All the steelwork, including the portals,

A parallel parlour first at Cambridge

was designed, fabricated and erected by Cambridge Steel Fabricators.

Cambridge Steel Fabricators manager Hayden Burke says they have 40 years experience in steel fabrication and erection, so Paddys job presented no problems despite the new building having to be erected over the old.

Theyve done a couple of goat dairies lately, but dairies are a little new for them their normal work includes design and fabrication of commercial and industrial buildings and house beams.

Deadening noiseWith the portals in place, Don Chapman Waikato

could complete the building itself using Poly Panelling from Insulation Panel & Doors for the walls.

Poly Panelling is an insulating modular panel made up of foam sandwiched between steel. Its very effective at deadening noise and makes working areas much quieter, even when theyre right next to machine rooms.

Out in the exit yards Don Chapman Waikato left the pipework in the capable hands of Rom Stellingwerf from Leask Engineering.

Normally Rom travels the country manufacturing and installing steel and pipework for dairies and other buildings, many of them in Chapman Dairies but this one was a little

Documents

New Farm Dairies 2015