Even though many farmers seem to be taking a cautious approach to spending Taranaki farmers Hayden and Alecia Lawrence are bucking the trend and are in the process of building an innovative cowshed.
The couple who milk 400 cows on their 154ha farm at Eltham are building a DeLaval Double Up Parallel Parlour P2100 rapid exit system cowshed.
The shed will bristle with technology but will still be considerably cheaper than a rotary shed with the equivalent output.
It has the same efficiency as a rotary cowshed but has a design similar to a herringbone.
The new cowshed is being built around the old shed while it is still being used for winter milking. It is a prefabricated kitset supplied from Delaval’s various production plants throughout the world. That let the couple save money by using their existing yard and facilities and investing that money in technology.
The substantial savings are because the components come wired and constructed by DeLaval. One of the most fascinating aspects of the build was that the 30m by 18m gable roof was built on concrete plinths in a nearby paddock and lifted onto the roof in one piece, a project done by Widespan Sheds Taranaki.
“Being prefab everything goes up faster. It took a week to build the roof in the paddock. We finished milking at 7am on the day we lifted the roof. It was lifted up and over by two cranes with spreader bars and bolted down by midday. The health and safety savings were huge because no scaffolding was required,” Hayden says.
He feels herringbones and rotaries both have positives and negatives. The new system is like a cross between the two systems.
“We undertook a great deal of research and did a focus tour to Australia to see the sheds in action. We also milked in some of the New Zealand sheds. This system is very common throughout the world but not in NZ.
“On a global scale its old technology but relatively new to NZ. The price sits between a rotary shed and a herringbone. If we wanted to install the same technology into a similar output rotary cowshed it would have cost substantially more.”
The system has suspended butt-pans to capture manure, which keep the pit clear of effluent. All tech and pipes are hidden in cabinets, which makes the 3m wide pit a clean and comfortable milking environment.
The couple turned up at the first rapid exit shed ready to milk in their overalls and gumboots but were told they were overdressed because it is rare for manure to enter it because of the suspended butt-pan.
“There will be a comfort floor for the milkers and you’ll be able to walk in and out without going through the cows as the shed has an underpass between the pit and milk room.
“The shed will be much more time-efficient and safer for humans and cows and a nice place to work.”
The cows are all individually baled by yokes, which rise and the cows are released at the same time after being milked. The cows leave the bails and move out and over the underpass and through drafting gates.
Blood and conductivity meters are being installed to monitor and automatically report the cell count and any blood content.
Every time the cows are released a flushing system washes the deck and wall squirters automatically remove any effluent left by the cows as they leave.
A 50-inch screen on the wall at the far end of the shed reports everything the six cameras monitor.
“You enter the shed through an underpass without hampering cow traffic. From a biosecurity standpoint no one has to walk through the milking environment to get to you,” Hayden says.
“There will be a large Ranchslider entrance. You’ll only need to push one button, change the vat tap and you’re milking. When you walk out you’ll push another button it’ll auto-wash and automatically shut down and you’re done.”
The vat, pump room and toilet will be on the ground floor. A flight of stairs will lead to a mezzanine floor that will house an office, kitchen and staffroom. Windows will look out over the milking area and the farm.
“This will give us a dedicated space and allow more farm meetings to be held at the shed rather than at the house. The mezzanine floor will give staff somewhere to have a cup of coffee if they arrive early,” Hayden says.
Fitter Gary Wallace from Southern Dairy Solutions and electrician Chris Perrett from Chris Perett Electrical Solutions are two of the most crucial people during the technology part of the build.
“We’ve had a long relationship with both these companies. They understand our business well and have always found solutions to meet our needs.
“We’ve put in a new feed system although we’ve always had scales on our silo and mixer. Chris worked out that because we already have air there to open and shut off the silos, for very little extra cost we can enter the weight at the silo, push the start button, which automatically opens the silo, runs the crusher and bottom auger until the weight is met then it shuts off the silo, runs all the lines clear and shuts everything down,” he says.
“It’s simple and effective and that’s what technology should be.”
Continuing winter milking while construction was under way was one of the logistical challenges they had to consider. Building the new 24-a-side double-up shed over the old 22-a-side herringbone shed on the old site generated many savings because the link races, yards, water supply, drains, effluent drains are already in place.
“It’s been a work in progress but we’ve had it pretty well planned in terms of scheduling and having everyone on board with our aims. Our intention is to be milking in it on June 1.
“We recently bought the neighbouring property. Our herd has now gone from 220 cows to 400 and it now takes us eight-hours a day to milk. The new shed will reduce milking times down to three hours. That’s a huge difference.”
They have three young children so work hard to get to their many sports and other activities. They are looking forward to the extra time the new cowshed will provide.
“The only time you actually make money is when you’re in the cowshed so it has to be a happy place to be.
“Many people build their sheds at the end of their career and then move off-farm,” he says.
“It’s a big investment and we pushed fairly hard financially to be able to do this but we want to see the benefits of it. We didn’t want to do it in 15-years and then employ a contract milker.
“We’re building a shed for us to see and enjoy its benefits now.”
