Balmoral Show

At the Balmoral winter fair last December, dairy farmers were complaining about the low milk price, and the situation hadn’t changed that much when I attended the Balmoral summer show last week.

I talked with many Northern dairy farmers preparing for first-cut silage.

Many were doing the rounds pricing grass tedders, suggesting it was one way to dry out grass in 24 hours to improve preservation. More farmers said they had put a hold on all spending on equipment as milk price was on the floor and feed and fertiliser costs were high relative to the lower milk price.

Dairymaster equipment on show

Dairymaster technical and sales people were busy during the Balmoral Show, advising dairy farmers on cost-effective milking, cooling, feeding, cleaning and herd health monitoring systems.

The Dairymaster equipment on display included the Swiftflo Swing parlour, Swiftflo Revolver rotary parlour, the SwiftCool Duo heat recovery unit and the SwiftCool bulk milk tank.

Other innovative equipment on display included the award winning MooMonitor+ heat detection system, batch and Feedrite in-parlour feeders, drafting equipment, a plate cooler and Cleansweep Automatic Scrapers.

DeLaval launches new cluster

At the Balmoral Show DeLaval launched its new Harmony II milking cluster with Clover liner. DeLaval says the Harmony ll is a unique top-unloading claw which, when combined with the new improved DeLaval Clover liner, delivers the highest performance milking cluster on the market today.

The patented DeLaval TopFlow technology employed in the new cluster enables ultra-fast milk evacuation.

Milk flows into the claw base and is extracted quickly and gently through the unique centre-pipe. This keeps the claw clear from flooding and ensures vacuum stability, while protecting milk quality.

Ergonomic studies have shown that routine time per cow is reduced by up to 15%, the cluster is one kilogramme lighter than conventional clusters, and the Clover liner’s slightly concave design delivers full contact and grip, as well as improved milk performance.

Dutch gates for meal feeding

Younger and quieter cows are bullied away from meal feeders by dominant females in dairy herds. The only Dutch firm with a stand at the Balmoral Show said it has the solution with its L’port closing gates, (contact Hanskamp UK and RoI sales manager Jochem Tolkamp).

The gates have been installed on the farm of Gary Heslip, who farms with his younger brother Andrew and father Lawrence near Ballygawley, Co Tyrone.

They installed three DeLaval robotic milkers and out-of-parlour feeding stations fitted with four Hanskamp L’port pneumatic closing gates.

Pearsons and the Lely lads

Pearsons from Athy and Lely both had robotic milking systems on display in Balmoral. Similar to our September ploughing match, Lely had a live demonstration with real cows.

Pearsons told me they were just finishing a number of jobs in Northern Ireland where multiple robotic units were being installed.

They sell a double box and one arm swings between both boxes, and claim service charges, chemical cost, and energy consumption are all much lower with their double box compared to the single-box investments.

Lely are the market leaders in Northern Ireland and, as is the case with other makes of robot on the market, there are financing options available to farmers. Other makes of robot available include GEA, De Laval and Packo Fullwood.

Tip-over crush

George Hamilton Machinery from Randalstown, Co Antrim, had a new tip-over crush on display. There are a number of hydraulic crushes on the market and this is the first time this equipment has been exhibited in the UK or Ireland.

“Balmoral has helped us highlight the specification of this hoof-trimming crush and has caused a few enquiries for us,” George said.

Specification details: net weight 920kg; lifting power 1,200kg; support/attachment three-point-hitch; laying area rubber mat; cow comfort 30mm; electric power 230V / 2,2 kW; surface galvanised, powder coating; hydraulic pushing door; hydraulic head-catching device; hydraulic abdomen belt tensioning; hydraulic lifting board; toolbox with tool holder and three plugs; snap fixing leg holder.

The Rosensteiner website is www.rosensteiner.at.