This innovative technology saves milking time and makes the animal comfortable.
DeLaval, a global leader in the dairy industry; has introduced the “Flow-Responsive” milking method based on this new technology; The applied vacuum adapts to the characteristics of the milk flow of each cow and also reduces the milking time by 10%, and finally, the health of the udder is not compromised.
The company developed the first successful vacuum milking machine in 1917. Launching this new milking method, created a new standard for accurate and efficient milking.
“Vacuum level is usually a compromise between the risk of over-milking (when milk flow is low) and under-milking when the cow has more milk available than the vacuum level. The vacuum level, the speed of the milking process is limited by the vacuum setting and stimulation of the system rather than the genetics of the cow or the available milk,” said Dr. Carl Oscar Paulrud, Development Director at DeLaval.
Steve Shea one of the managers in DeLaval says: “The ability to adjust vacuum levels means that with this Flow-Responsive method, milking is done faster and has benefits for udder health. It can also be more efficient. More 40 million vacuum milking has been performed, with a reduction of 20 seconds per milking.”
More than a year ago, MVP Dairy based in Ohio, America, added this DeLaval milking method to its collection for new technology. Brock Peters, general manager of the company, says this, “The adjusted vacuum has increased the flow rate in the herd with 3,850 cows by about 5%. Flow-responsive milking has helped a lot in milking.”
Dr. Doug Reinemann, from the University of Madison-Wisconsin, wrote about this in the 2021 Dairy Science Journal: “Controlled vacuum and its increase during the flow of milk leads to more milk (flow) and as a result, shorter milking time, and also guarantees the udder health.”
DeLaval Flow-Responsive milking with vacuum adjusted by sensors and regulating valves, plus special software, allows users to adjust the vacuum level according to the actual flow of each cow. It is also possible to control and monitor this program remotely using a program called DeLaval Alerts.
DeLaval was founded in Sweden over 135 years ago. Today, DeLaval has 4,500 employees and operates in more than 100 markets. DeLaval, alongside Tetra Pak and Sidel, forms part of the Tetra Laval Group.
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