The herd of 200 Pedigree Holsteins in West Sussex was already renowned for their herd health and consistently low somatic cell count (SCC). The combination of plans to increase herd size to 230 by June 2021 while maintaining the high standard of health and reducing the use of antibiotics due to growing pressure from supermarkets, called for a state-of-the-art milking system.
Farm Manager James Lywood needed a system that promoted cow health, reduced milking times and made the milking routine less labour intensive. He opted for the ADF Automatic Dipping & Flushing System – it was installed in August 2020 in just a couple of days, in-between milking and without disruption to the cows and their daily routine.

The new system drastically reduces the milking times and speeds each milking by 20 minutes, which has allowed James to widen the intervals between milking and provides for a more precise and consistent milking operation.

Peace of mind is a huge benefit of the ADF System – less experienced staff can operate the system as the post milking process is automated, removing the risk of human error. James explains that “In today’s dairy farm industry, where good staff are hard to come by, the ADF System means we can be confident in letting our younger staff milk, because the ADF System does the dipping and flushing for us. As a manager it removes any worry that the job isn’t being done properly.”

As James reflects, he is delighted to see the reduction of SCC from 100 to 80 in only 4 months. Battlehurst Farm has had only one case of Mastitis since installing the ADF System.

James concludes: “The ADF System is a no brainer. It makes milking less physical and more straight forward. The herd health is improved which will ultimately allow us to be more profitable.”

With thanks to Duke Milking Solutions for providing the details for this customer story.