Church Farm, West Sussex
Church Farm is a 20 point Westfalia Milking Parlour situated in the village of Stoughton West Sussex. They have a herd of 200 cows and a contract supplying milk to Marks & Spencer.
In 2020 they invested in the ADF Milking system with the new intelligent venting system InVent included to improve the health of their herd and increase their yield.
ADF invent works by allowing filtered air to vent through the ADF injector situated in the hood of the liner as required, regulating the hood pressure minimises excessive mouthpiece chamber vacuum during the milking preventing teat congestion. This process leads to better teat health, a faster milk let down and a comfortable milking for the cow.
1.5 hours saved per milking
Cell count rolling average 80,000
500 litres more milk collected per week
Two Months after installing ADF InVent they are saving 1.5 hours per milking due to a much faster, simpler milking routine and collecting over 500 litres more milk per week.
Herd health has improved dramatically and their cell count rolling average is now 80,000.
“We have invested money on the ADF system and new cubicles on the farm. since installing the ADF we have been very happy with the results and we are a very happy team”
Charles Langmead, Church Farm Dairy owner
“The automatic dipping and flushing has improved our herd health so dramatically it has allowed us to adopt a much faster a simpler pre milking routine, which has contributed to our vastly reduced milking time…over 1.5 hours saved per milking!”.
Before we installed the ADF system we were struggling to get relief milkers because milking was such a lengthy process. Now the venting system has really sped up the flow of the milking parlour and when I hear the last cluster come off I can let that side go straight away knowing that the cows have been dipped.”
Stuart, Church Farm Dairy Manager
The Church Farm Vet, Keith Baxter has also expressed how impressed he is with the ADF system and InVent technology…
“I’m very Impressed with the ADF invent system and the milking performance from the herd, ADF now ticks all the boxes”
Keith Baxter, Associate Director of Westpoint Farm Vets
Battlehurst Farm
Battlehurst Farm in West Sussex is an Arla premium farm with 200 pedigree Holstein cows and an annual yield of 11,200 litres.
Already renowned for having a high health herd with a consistently low cell count, the farm managers goal was to increase the herd size to 230 by June 2021 while staying in the same parlour. The best way to achieve this was to speed up the milking process while retaining a consistently high standard.
With growing pressure from supermarkets to reduce antibiotics use, the ADF dipping and flushing system was the obvious choice of upgrade as it is proven to reduce cell count so would keep the use of antibiotics to a minimum.
Duke Milking Solutions installed the ADF Milking system in September 2020. The system was installed in just a couple of days, in-between milking and without any disruption to the cows or herdsmen.
Cell count down from 100 to 80 in 4 months
20 minutes off each milking
Only one case of mastitis since installing ADF due to automatic dipping and flushing
4 months since the installation and the cell count has already reduced from 100 to 80. The new system has sped each milking up by 20 minutes which has allowed them to widen the intervals between milking, giving the cows more time to themselves before being brought in for the next milking. The farm manager expects this will help to improve their yield over time.
They have also only seen one single case of mastitis since the installation.
“The ADF system is a no brainer. It makes milking less physical and more straight forward. The herd health is improved which will ultimately allow us to be more profitable.”
James Lywood – Farm Manager
Another benefit of the ADF system that they are experiencing is the peace of mind it gives them…
“In todays diary farm industry, where good staff are hard to come by the ADF system means we can be confident in letting our younger staff milk, because the ADF system does the dipping and flushing for us. As a manager it removes any worry that the job isn’t being done properly and means we can put more trust in our younger staff which is great for their moral.”
“The maintenance package is great. From a business point of view it makes for better cashflow. Also it’s automatic so I don’t have to ring anyone to order consumables. They just turn up! And Duke Milking Solutions always makes sure got plenty of spare liners and chemicals so we never run out.”
Contact Duke Milking Solutions for a free calculation on how much time and money you can save by upgrading to an ADF system.
Goodwood Home Farm
Set at the heart of the 12,000 acre Sussex estate, Goodwood Home Farm is one of the largest lowland organic farms in the UK.
15-20 minutes per milking saved
10-15% reduction in transmittable mastitis
The farm is home to a herd of 200 dairy cows, milked to produce their own brand of Goodwood organic dairy products. Goodwood milk is bottled on site and sold in the Estate farm shop along with their own cheeses, and in local shops and selected retailers in Brighton and London.
Their approach to dairy farming is sustainable, therefore sensitive to the environment and results in delicious, high quality produce.
Duke Milking Solutions upgraded the home farm milking system to ADF in March 2020 after the farm manager contacted Tom Duke to come out and do some cost comparisons for them and identified areas where considerable savings could be achieved.
They previously had no method for disinfecting clusters between cows, therefore they were experiencing a higher rate of transmitted mastitis than they would like.
The installation of the ADF Automatic Dipping and Flushing system saves the farm 15-20 minutes per milking, which gives the farm manager valuable time to oversee other aspects of the home farm.
They have also seen a 10-15% reduction in transmittable mastitis since the installation.
You don’t even notice the system once it’s in, it runs great and there have been no technical problems.
Goodwood Home Farm Manager
I wouldn’t recommend any other system; very quick installation, very painless and easy to use.
Goodwood Home Farm Manager
And with the maintenance contract Duke Milking Solutions provides I have complete peace of mind. It’s easier to budget and chemical and liners are something I don’t have to worry about.
Cowdray Home Farm
Situated on a unique country estate in West Sussex, Cowdray Home Farm has a dairy herd of 320 cows, producing 3 million litres of milk per annum. As a contracted supplier to M&S the farm operates a strong sustainability and environmentally responsible policy.
20 minutes per milking saved
Cell count reduced from 200 to 159 in just 6 months and Mastitis cases halved
With only one herdsman milking the herd the emphasis for Cowdray Farm was to save time. The installation of the ADF automatic dipping and flushing system has taken 20 minutes off each milking, leaving the herdsman more time to focus on the health and welfare of the herd.
Since installing the ADF Milking System the herd cell count has reduced from 200 to 159 and mastitis cases have halved.
The Duke Milking Solutions maintenance package means that we know what we’re spending each month and liners and chemicals are automatically sent and changed by their engineers so we don’t even have to think about it.
Duke Milking Solutions have been very helpful and have done a fantastic job.