As ever, the ploughing remains the place to go to look, see and touch the very latest in milking equipment. It lets farmers interested in making an investment see for themselves the offerings of the various suppliers and have a chat with the manufacturer’s representative.

As autumn is the time when most milking machines are installed, it gives farmers who have deals done a chance to firm up delivery and installation dates with the suppliers.

Contrary to some opinion, deals are rarely done at the Ploughing – it’s really only a chance to look at the kit on offer, meet people face to face and arrange follow-up calls.

If looking to do business, the best time is early morning before the stands get busy. Aim to be on a stand at 9am and have the person you are hoping to meet tipped off that you will be coming that day and want to talk to them.

Dairymaster – row 11, stand 239

The Kerry-based company will have a big footprint at the Ploughing Championships again this year. Dairymaster will be launching a new product at its stand. Alongside the new product it will also feature its range of herringbone and rotary parlours along with its extensive range of bulk milk tanks, meal feeders, drafting gates, automatic scrapers and software programmes. The company will also feature the range of Moo Monitor heat detection collars which monitor cows for heat activity and sickness.

DeLaval – row 9 stand 205

DeLaval has had a busy year, with three new product launches, all of which will feature on its stand at Screggan. The new robotic milking machine, robotic feed pusher and new rotary parlour will be presented to an Irish audience for the first time.

Indeed, two types of rotary platforms will be on show – pipe bail and modular design. Alongside this, DeLaval will be displaying the midi-line milking parlour, swinging cow brush, calf milk tank and updated Delpro Companion.

Lely – row 28, stand 607

Once again, the Lely stand will be one of the most interactive stands at the Ploughing with 40 cows being milked through an Astronaut A5 robotic milker. Also on demonstration will be a new feed pusher.

Like other years, the cows will be bedded on straw and fed silage under the marquee.

Other Lely equipment will also be on display at the stand, including the robotic yard scraper and new product launches.

Pearson row 10, stand 218

The well-known company from Kildare will present its range of herringbone and rotary parlours at this year’s Ploughing Championships.

According to David Pearson, the company will present two types of rotary milking parlours – a high-end rotary with lots of automation and a simple rotary designed for grass-based systems.

The company will display its range of feeding equipment – both batch feeders and selective feeders.

The company will also have its range of animal health monitoring devices, which detect heat activity, rumination and health and also cow positioning so a farmer can identify where a cow is in a big shed.

Waikato row 2, stand 23

This New Zealand based company now have five dealerships across the country. All their equipment is manufactured in New Zealand and shipped to Ireland.

The Waikato stand will display its range of herringbone and rotary milking parlours. It will feature the Centrus Composite rotary platform which is five times stronger than concrete but only 20% of the weight.

The Waikato parlour is available as a simple, no frills machine or as a high-end machine with lots of technology including ACRs, milk meters etc.