I was speaking to a man that supplies and installs milking machines last week and when asked how the business was going, he said he had 12 new milking parlours to install this autumn, and maybe a few more in the pipeline.

Sales are up on last year and more or less the same as in the years prior to last year. I was a little surprised by this, but then again, I probably shouldn’t have been.

Milk prices are high and the weather is good so farmers are making money and when they make it, they spend it.

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When you step away from the noise around the nitrates derogation, climate change, CAP and so on, you realise that we’re farming in great times.

Global milk supply is decreasing while global demand is increasing.

That’s what is pushing up milk prices and these are trends that are unlikely to change anytime soon, apart from bumps in the road which we should be prepared for.

Little wonder then that farmers are prepared to invest in their farms and in the future of milk production. As investments go, milking facilities are a sensible use of capital.

If they reduce the time spent milking, make the task easier and more attractive and remove some of the drudgery, then it’ll be money well spent.

On pages 48 and 49 of this week’s Focus, we look through some of the key considerations when investing in milking facilities.

Too often, we see farmers make poor decisions around the size and location of milking parlours, which they quickly live to regret.

This is where the value of a second opinion really comes in when it comes to farmyard planning and design.

On pages 46 and 47, we take a look at some of the ways farmers can reduce energy consumption in the milking parlour.

While on pages 44 and 45, we take a look at some of the implications of the changes to VAT reclaims.