Boosting Milk Flow

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 3

Boosting Milk Flow

fN.Z. Press Association* AUCKLAND, June 6. A revolutionary milk meter which agricultural scientists believe could boost dairy production by up to 20 per cent has been developed by a Hamilton plastics company after years of research and development. It is the end of a long, world-wide quest for a meter which can tell the farmer not only the day-by-dav yield of each cow Lut also the rate of milking and the precise moment the milk flow ceases. The meter is now in production after exhaustive tests and six months of practical trials on a commercial farm near Cambridge. The company, Plastic Products, Ltd., of Te Rapa, believes that the meter will be-

come a significant new export item for New Zealand, as well as a means of boosting dairy production. Already substantial orders for the meter have been received from dairy interests in Australia.

The company worked closely with scientists of the Ruakura Animal Research Centre throughout the development period, which has cost more than £20,000 in tooling up and other costs. Mr D. S. M. Phillips, of Ruakura, said “There is nothing quite so important in trying to produce milk as to know how much each cow is producing. Without some way of measuring that accurately, the farmer is flying blind." The Waikato weight and rate milk meter will enable farmers to gain the maximum yield from every cow without risk of udder damage, reduce time in the milking shed and improve long-term breeding plans. It will also be possible

to reduce incidence of mastitis by enabling farmers to avoid under or over-milking. Specifications

Mr J. D. M. Foreman, of Plastic Products, began his quest for such a meter in the early 19505. Efforts were intensified in 1962 when the British Milk Marketing Board drew up specifications for a milk meter, providing guide lines for companies interested in developing one.