The biggest benefit seen by East Mains Farm of Torhousemuir Farming Co Ltd since installing the ADF Automatic Dipping and Flushing system is that the farm staff don’t have to worry about post-dipping each cow. “Once the cows are clean and the clusters are hooked on, you don’t have to worry about coming back to manually post-dip them with iodine or disinfect the cluster before the next cow,” explains Rachel Black, milker at East Mains Farm of Torhousemuir Farming Co Ltd.

Time saving benefits Rachel has seen since working with ADF include not having to constantly monitor the clusters for when milking has finished. “When you are using ADF, you don’t have to be supervising the clusters, waiting on one to finish before dipping her. You also don’t need to manually clean the cluster between each cow.” Rachel explains that ADF reduces the chance of making mistakes within the milking parlour. “ADF eliminates the chances of human error (forgetting to dip cows/disinfect clusters between cows) which could be detrimental to the health of the herd, “she adds.

Improving cow health and farm profitability are other benefits that Rachel has noticed after installing ADF. “The chances of mastitis developing immediately post-milking are significantly reduced because ADF ensures that every teat is completely covered with iodine and disinfected after milking.  Healthier milk going into the tank = more money!” she explains. Scottish dairy farm, East Mains Farm of Torhousemuir Farming Co Ltd, installed ADF to their Fullwood 18/36 swing-over parlour in 2013. The farm is currently milking a herd of 180 cows, twice a day.

“I love the system and would recommend it to any dairy farmer! There are so many benefits, which makes life a lot easier and gives you more time to focus on other things in the parlour. The cows are happy to be milked and it makes the whole milking process a lot easier and more enjoyable. I have milked on another farm which did not have ADF installed. I definitely prefer using this system.”