Backing gate brings positive benefits

When Opiki dairy farmer Kristian Funnell commissioned a new dairy he decided to put in a McConnel linear backing gate.  “There are some linear backing gates in my locality that have been operating for a long time and the owners seem pretty happy with them” Kristian says.  “My experience so far has been good too. The way the gate works, the cows are very quiet in the yard and the flow onto the rotary is almost constant”.  Kristian milks 550 cows in two herds in his 54-bail rotary, with a 10m x 40m holding yard. There is no feeding in the dairy and he has a single linear backing gate that is programmed to move the herd up in thirds.  “I like the design. It’s robust and the operation is well thought out. Because there is almost no need for operator input during milking, the gate causes no surprises in the yard and has cow flow benefits.  “The gate has a positive drive system and works just the same in the middle of winter as in the summer.” Peter and John McErlean own a similar system. Theirs was the first farm where KH McConnel installed two linear backing gates operating automatically in the same yard. Their 80-bail rotary started milking 1200 cows in 2002 and is now milking 1800 cows with no modifications. Three herds of 500 cows and one of 300 are milked twice daily, passing through a 12.5m x 40m holding yard.  John says it was the points of difference in the gate that appealed. “The linear backing gate was a bit different and there were details like the blind and safety measures that appealed to me from a stockmanship point of view. Having two gates also reduces the pressure on cows at the back of the yard.” In their 13th year of year-round operation John’s brother Peter say the gates have been good. “They don’t hurt cows and keep them flowing onto the platform. The service