Tuesday, 27 June 2017 10:55

Rotary launched for pasture-based dairy

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
The DeLaval Rotary E100 on display at the Fieldays. The DeLaval Rotary E100 on display at the Fieldays.

Rotary milking machines are becoming more popular worldwide, says DeLaval executive vice-president milking systems Jonas Hallman.

External rotaries, where the operator stands outside the milking platform, sell well in New Zealand.

“We also sell internal rotaries but that’s mainly in Europe. NZ has always been a big market for rotary systems; it seems to be the preferred way of milking cows here,” Hallman told Dairy News.

He was made these comments at the unveiling of the new DeLaval Rotary E100 at Fieldays in Hamilton.

The DeLaval Rotary E100, designed and built by engineers in Hamilton, is the result of a multi million dollar development process to create the ultimate rotary for NZ farming conditions.

Hallman says this new DeLaval Rotary is designed to meet the needs of NZ farmers; it is not a ‘global compromise’ for the NZ dairy industry.

Despite the dairy price slump of the last three years, DeLaval had key members of its global engineering team based at its Hamilton hub, working on the new system.

“Our company is long-term oriented; during downturn years and tough times it’s good to invest in R&D so that when the economy improves we can go to the market with new products that hopefully bring value to our customers.

“Not often do we launch a new system platform so we are excited about the DeLaval Rotary E100… and looking at our customers’ faces we could see they liked what they saw.”

Hallman says the new rotary has been designed after input from farmers, with improved features from previous platforms.

The new system will initially be aimed at pasture-based dairying in NZ, Australia and Europe. Different versions will be manufactured for barn-based farms in Europe, and a heavier version for mega farms in the US and China.

Until the Fieldays, the DeLaval Rotary E100 was under wraps on a test farm in Tirau where a 500-cow herd was the first to put the system through its paces over the 2016-17 season.

More like this

Ecosystem to help mixing

Machinery manufacturer John Deere and livestock specialists DeLaval have pooled their resources to create the Milk Sustainability Center (MSC), described as a digital ecosystem to help dairy farmers improve the efficiency and sustainability of their operations.

Feed barn robot 'boosts yield'

Building on its launch back in 2018, DeLaval has launched a new OptiDuo feed pushing robot, with a claim that using this technology can add up to three litres/ cow/day.

Featured

'One more push' to eliminate FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.

Winston Peters questions Fonterra divestment plan

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.

National

Machinery & Products

New McHale terra drive axle option

Well-known for its Fusion baler wrapper combination, Irish manufacturer McHale has launched an interesting option at the recent Irish Ploughing…

Amazone unveils flagship spreader

With the price of fertiliser still significantly higher than 2024, there is an increased onus on ensuring its spread accurately at…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Tough times

OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.

MSA triumph

OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter