Advantages of Parlor Milking System
The modern dairy Parlor Milking System has vastly improved the strenuous milking activity.
There is an undeniable intimacy to growing up on a small dairy farm when you are a child. The entire farm was our playground, there was no Parlor Milking System, the animals our friends, and our imaginations would run wild. When a child looks at a small farm, it may appear to be the perfect occupation. However, when an adult sees it, they realize the harsh reality of what it truly takes to run and maintain a small dairy farm.
The family farm
My father worked hard for his farm, he kept his family fed, clothed and we didn’t need anything, but things were always tight. My family lived within budgets, hand-me-downs, and if it could be re-used in any way shape or form it was.
I remember my father milking, day and night. I recall the effort it required to walk each milker to the next cow down the row and crouch low to clean the teats and attach the suction cups. It was also quite time-consuming to milk all of our cows. Meeting other farmers, especially the elderly, would only solidify the harshness and toll it would take on the body as their hunched over backs would show decades of the hard, physical labor of the lifestyle they have chosen to take.
Israeli Dairy School dairy management course
A more modern dairy concept and one utilized by Israeli dairy farms, the parlor, has vastly improved the strenuous activity of milking. Moving from stanchion barns to a freestyle system, which used to take over two hours to milk 40 cows, can now be done in less than half that time. Not only that, but no longer are farmers having to move milkers around the barn to bring to the cows, instead the cows come to the milkers. Parlors, no matter the exact kind, work in generally the same way.
The Milking
The person doing the milking usually recesses the area where the cow’s teats are within easy reach and at arm’s length by creating a depression in the ground. This eliminates the need for bending or crouching down in order to place the suction cups on the animal. Most parlors allow cows to enter from one way and exit from the other after they are milked. You can “release” them back into their holding pen. Freestyle barns work really well with this milking system. This system also allows, if need be, the ability to milk almost continuously.
Most of the milking systems within a parlor are automatic as well. After cleaning the teet and placing the milking device on the animal, many have sensors that will, once milk flow has slowed, automatically remove from the animal.This eliminates a step entirely for the worker. Once the process is started, the parlor and its systems handle the rest.
What in Israel?
Dairy farms in Israel utilize the parlor and freestyle barn system in much of the Israel dairy industry. This is a proven system. The farmer has shown that it is more comfortable and improves efficiencies in the milking process. Additionally, due to its makeup and structure, it offers a more sanitary way to harvest the milk.
In the old stanchion barns, bacteria is an issue as milking takes place where the animal sleeps and defecates, increasing the chances for bacteria to enter into the milking system. The parlor allows a separate location for milking. If needed, it can be cleaned more regularly to reduce the chance of bacteria getting into the milk production.
Small dairy farms have their charm, but joining a larger system offers advantages like using modern parlor systems and freestyle barns. This setup eases the physical workload for farmers. Plus, you gain a built-in support network with other farmers, something often missing in smaller operations.
Parlor system is an advancement
Overall the parlor system is an advancement in milking that will forever be a benefit to the farmer, not only in the ability to increase milk production and reduce bacteria but also in saving the body of the strenuous activity that milking without a parlor creates.
Farming is a hard and physical job, but one that most who choose the profession love doing. Using the parlor can help the farmer continue to do what he loves longer and with less possible pain in the body. That in itself is a benefit worth investing in.
By: Sue Glenzinski
For our Udder health, Milk quality and Milking machine workshop >>press here
