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Flow is said to keeps cows calm and happy and eliminates over-zealous backing gate pressure.
Anyone who has spent time in a milking shed will know the chore of climbing out of the pit to bring lethargic cows forwards is a pain in the proverbial.
Of course, mechanised backing gates can be installed, but they still need operator intervention and when used incorrectly can put undue stress on animals.
Flow from Livestock Visibility Solutions (LVS) takes things a stage further by using camera-driven artificial intelligence (AI) to look at cow density in the holding yard and autonomously move animals towards the dairy shed.
Offering several benefits, not least an overall reduction in milking times, the system also ensures that cows are not kept standing on concrete for too long, an issue said to be a major contributor to white line disease of the hoof.
Founder and chief executive of LVS, Richard Appleby, says alongside reducing operating costs, the system keeps cows calm and happy and eliminates over-zealous backing gate pressure. Over a relatively short time, the cows learn the system and move forwards with very little prompting.
Retrofittable to any current systems, without any installation disruptions, the system also features a safety stop function in case the backing gate hits an obstruction, while also offering automated yard washing and pre-milking backing gate positioning.
Looking at the cost saving benefits more closely, a recent trial over two weeks saw three sheds being closely scrutinised. Shed 1 milked 1,200 cows through a 60-point rotary, Shed 2 milked 1,250 cows through the same set up and Shed 3, the control system, milked 1,100 cows, again through a 60-point rotary. Sheds1 and 2 were fitted with the Gatekeeper system, while Shed 3 was fitted with an operator-activated traditional backing gate.
Averaging 2.75, 2.79 and 2.77-hour milking times respectively, at a time of peak supply, the automated backing system in Sheds 1 and 2, led to a reduction in milking time of 30 and 38 minutes respectively.
With two operators working in each of the sheds, this equated to a man-hour saving of 60 and 76 minutes, or a cumulative saving of 13.68 and 17.62 man-hours over the two-week trial.
As the trial took place during peak milking, Richard suggests that it was a little difficult to extrapolate the results over the whole season, but commented, “even being very conservative, our calculations show time saving of 9 to 11%, so looking at the whole season it would be very achievable to save 270 man hours and 342 man hours in Sheds 1 and 2 respectively, meaning that after purchase and installation costs, the system would pay for itself in about 12 months”.
In addition, those savings in milking times and reduced man-hours would also lead to reduced energy consumption and free up staff for more non-milking tasks and improved animal husbandry.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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