Bishop Burton College has announced completion of its state-of-the-art dairy and has already seen improvements in milk quality and a reduction in milking time.
The completion of the new milking parlour and other dairy improvements is the culmination of substantial investment in the dairy facilities and College farm as a whole.
The construction of a new Westfalia 24-point herringbone milking parlour has dropped milking time by two hours and seen cell counts fall from 250 to 175.
The new parlour replaces 20-year-old equipment for which upkeep was proving prohibitive. The old parlour was a 16 point, so with room for more cows herd expansion in the future is now a possibility.
Farm manager Dominic Naylor is pleased with the improvements.
He said: “Teat end damage was becoming a particular problem, with a correlative increase in cell counts.
“Not only has teat damage reduced dramatically, but clinical cases of mastitis have fallen by 75%”
As part of the parlour deal, all cows have also been fitted with pedometers, which will help in the management of fertility.
Mr Naylor continued: “The pedometers have been very useful in catching those cows whose oestrus has been difficult to detect.
“The calving index has fallen by 30 days and the pedometers should enable us to reach a target of 385 days, which would be excellent for a 10,000 litre herd average.
“The new stallwork comfortably accommodates a 700kg Holstein and the parlour is light and airy, making the whole process more relaxing for high-yielding cows.”
Over the past year the dairy has been the subject of extensive refurbishment works including a new lockable yoke system and hi-tech rubber matting in the loafing area to encourage increased signs of oestrus.
These latest improvements bring the entire dairy refit to a cost of approximately £300,000.
College principal Jeanette Dawson feels investment in the farm is crucial to giving students the very best start in the careers.
She said: “We offer all of our learners vocational courses of the highest standard, but in order for them to be industry ready, they must also be familiar with industry best practice.
“The new dairy, along with the significant investment in the rest of the College’s facilities, are very definitely representative of industry and will prepare our students for employment by giving them hands on experience with the best resources and equipment.”
Other recent improvements in the farm include the purchase of three new Case tractors of differing horsepowers to cover the whole of the College’s 1100 acres and two 14-tonne silage/grain trailers with flotation tyres which have proved invaluable during the maize harvest.
A five-year-old mixer wagon has also been replaced by a Shelbourne Reynolds vertical tub mixer.
The completion of the new milking parlour and other dairy improvements is the culmination of substantial investment in the dairy facilities and College farm as a whole.
The construction of a new Westfalia 24-point herringbone milking parlour has dropped milking time by two hours and seen cell counts fall from 250 to 175.
The new parlour replaces 20-year-old equipment for which upkeep was proving prohibitive. The old parlour was a 16 point, so with room for more cows herd expansion in the future is now a possibility.
Farm manager Dominic Naylor is pleased with the improvements.
He said: “Teat end damage was becoming a particular problem, with a correlative increase in cell counts.
“Not only has teat damage reduced dramatically, but clinical cases of mastitis have fallen by 75%”
As part of the parlour deal, all cows have also been fitted with pedometers, which will help in the management of fertility.
Mr Naylor continued: “The pedometers have been very useful in catching those cows whose oestrus has been difficult to detect.
“The calving index has fallen by 30 days and the pedometers should enable us to reach a target of 385 days, which would be excellent for a 10,000 litre herd average.
“The new stallwork comfortably accommodates a 700kg Holstein and the parlour is light and airy, making the whole process more relaxing for high-yielding cows.”
Over the past year the dairy has been the subject of extensive refurbishment works including a new lockable yoke system and hi-tech rubber matting in the loafing area to encourage increased signs of oestrus.
These latest improvements bring the entire dairy refit to a cost of approximately £300,000.
College principal Jeanette Dawson feels investment in the farm is crucial to giving students the very best start in the careers.
She said: “We offer all of our learners vocational courses of the highest standard, but in order for them to be industry ready, they must also be familiar with industry best practice.
“The new dairy, along with the significant investment in the rest of the College’s facilities, are very definitely representative of industry and will prepare our students for employment by giving them hands on experience with the best resources and equipment.”
Other recent improvements in the farm include the purchase of three new Case tractors of differing horsepowers to cover the whole of the College’s 1100 acres and two 14-tonne silage/grain trailers with flotation tyres which have proved invaluable during the maize harvest.
A five-year-old mixer wagon has also been replaced by a Shelbourne Reynolds vertical tub mixer.
