increase font size
An ice bank snap chills milk to the required temperature.
A new Freezflow Icebanks system from Total Refrigeration, which snap chills milk to the required temperature, has brought a Dargaville dairy farmer some peace of mind, he says.
Darryn Kaye has been farming on his 220ha property for 30 years. He spring calves a 420 Friesian Cross herd running a system 2.
His previous cooling system was small and inefficient compared to his new system, he says.
“We knew a new system was coming and we wanted something more efficient. Richard O’Flaherty’s (Total Refrigeration owner) brother Paul looks after our refrigeration in Dargaville and he said they had a prototype they wanted to try out and wanted to know if we were interested so we went from there.”
After some rewiring and changes in the shed the Freezflow system started in August 2018.
“It has basically six tonnes of ice in the back of it. The system has a double plate cooler which means half the milk is cooled by bore water and the ice takes over the other half and cools it down to about 5°C degrees before it goes in the vat.
“It is saving a bit
on power because the other system was either making ice or chilling milk. This one only makes ice when we are not milking so there is always ice there.
“We have found it very good.”
With the new monitoring system Fonterra is bringing in on the vats, “with our milk going in at 5°C - 6°C degrees we will have no problem in the future,” Kaye says.
The system has brought some “peace of mind”.
“The milk is coming at 26-28°C degrees out of a cow and within seconds it is down to 5°C degrees so basically it is snap chilling it.”
And he says the guys from Total Refrigeration have been “excellent to deal with – very good”.
As spring calving farmers around the country enter in the final stage of lactation, the incentive to keep the milk flowing is certainly there. A strong milk price and kind first half of the season has left cows in good nick and milking well.
As a strong dairy cooperative, Fonterra understands the importance of providing comprehensive assistance to farmers, including a range of services at no extra cost.
Fonterra farmers can now lease next generation milk chilling technology and enjoy the many benefits that come with it.
John and Donna McCarty no longer use intermammary antibiotics for mastitis or dry cow treatment, which has saved them money and improved herd health.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…
