Parlors and Protocols VS. Time
The ability to save time in the parlor can save you in labor costs and allow extra time for other tasks and family! There are multiple benefits to saving time and a few ways to achieve that goal.
Technology is evolving every day to benefit your operation. We recommend staying up to date on innovations to ensure your farm is accomplishing the most in a day. Whether it is an advanced teat spraying system or a robotic milking system, it will save you time, and as they say - time is money.
Robotic milking systems essentially cut the entire amount of time you will spend in a parlor milking. We will be the first to admit maintenance needs to be done on robots and breakdowns can happen, but that is not every day. Investing in a robot allows for more flexibility in your schedule by eliminating a time-consuming task two or three times a day.
When it comes to a parlor, one size does not fit all. There is a significant difference in milking 75 cows two times a day in a double eight herringbone vs. milking 400 three times a day in the same parlor. When increasing herd size, make sure your parlor is adjusted for that. Having a parlor that is able to move cows in the most efficient way will save the milk hands time, saving you labor costs. It will also reduce running time for your barn, reducing maintenance and energy use.
Saving and losing time in the parlor can also be affected by the protocols and how strictly they are enforced. Not having strict protocol procedures in the parlor can and will negatively impact your herd’s health, milk-time, and overall milk quality. Allowing shortcuts in the parlor are more likely to increase milking time as opposed to shortening it and can have long-term effects.
As a farmer, you are going to work with all the time you are allowed, so why not spend that time on something you need to do and not spend all your time on something that can be done more efficiently. As farmers, we need to have a balance between work and life to conserve our well-being, mentally and physically.
Stay efficient, stay productive, stay profitable.