Milking Equipment – Where Are We Headed?

Abstract

Currently much of the developmental work in milking equipment concentrates on automation of tasks that customarily are performed by a human operator. Examples are automation of cow preparation, stimulation of milk ejection, and removal of milking unit. Devices are being developed commercially for automatic record-keeping and health monitoring, and there is interest in beginning the development of systems for automatic teat-dip application and unit sanitizing. Each of those developments offers the possibility of more uniform treatment of animals at lower labor cost than in traditional systems. However, the reliability and cost effectiveness of many automated systems have to be demonstrated under field conditions.Current developments in automation tend to institutionalize traditional concepts such as the two-chambered teat cup, warm water stimulation, use of flow rate to determine the time for unit removal, and mastitis screening based on milk chemistry. These concepts should be regarded with healthy scepticism by researchers, manufacturers, and producers. Improvement or modification of many such fundamental practices may be as productive as developments in automation.