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Chlorine free: Three months after the ban on chlorine-based detergents in milk equipment was introduced it is only now that problems will start to emerge with TBC and thermoduric bacteria. The main issue will be the milking machine as bulk tanks have a relatively small surface area and are all stainless steel which is relatively easy to clean.
Milking machines have a large surface area (dump lines significantly increase this) and there are different products to be washed such as stainless steel, rubber in liners and plastic in claw pieces and joiners. Plastic seems to be the hardest surface to clean and many farmers are reporting a build-up of scum in claw pieces and meters.
If the milking machine is being washed manually then caustic powder is the product of choice along with a once weekly hot acid wash. The percentage of caustic in powder products is a multiple of the percentage of caustic in liquid products. However, powder products cannot be used in automatic wash systems so the only option is to use liquid products in both milking machines and bulk tanks with auto wash. These products require extra hot washes and require an extra rinse, usually with peracetic acid.
These wash protocols are more complicated and not all products are performing well on farms. Speak to your milk quality manager for the products recommended by your processor – these are usually the ones stocked in their stores. I know Kerry Agribusiness did its own trial last year and found that some products performed better than others.
At the time, Kerry said it was going to stock the following four brands; Hypral One (Grassland Agro), Avalksan LC (Carbon Group), Autosan Blue (Kilco) and Deosan Liquid CIP in its stores.
If you are experiencing a TBC problem, samples should be taken for testing from three points to pinpoint the location of the problem; from the milk filter before the plate cooler, after the plate cooler but before the bulk tank and from the bulk tank. Check the water temperature also.
Reseeding: Fields that were planned to be reseeded this autumn should be brought forward to now, if possible. High grass growth rates, plenty of moisture in the soil and slightly higher than normal soil temperatures mean that conditions are ideal in most places. The earlier reseeding is carried out the better as it means there are more opportunities to graze the new sward before closing up for the winter.
Many will be looking to cut second cut silage over the next few weeks and there could be an opportunity to burn off the field beforehand, but the volume of water being used with the spray needs to be high and it might not be effective on docks if they are at a more mature stage. However, on the plus side, the cut field should minimise the amount of trash for minimum tillage.
Reseeded fields from this spring should be grazed on a 10 to 14 day rotation to maximise tillering. Reduce the amount of fertiliser being spread after each grazing accordingly. The same treatment should apply to any fields that have been oversown with clover.
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