Issue 1 - June 2017

T HE

DAIRY FARMER
MILKING
EFFICIENCY
- WHERE
TO FOCUS?
Page 9

BETTER MASTITIS
CONTROL FOR
A BETTER FUTURE
Page 6

THE FUTURE OF
SHEEP MILKING
Page 13

WIN A SEASONS SUPPLY

OF FIL TAIL PAINT*
SEE INSIDE FOR DETAILS....
2

TIME FOR A CHANGE...

The Dairy Farmer was first produced over 20 years
ago as a tabloid newspaper, by Farmers Industries
Ltd (FIL). Over the years it has gone through many
changes, alongside FIL and GEA.

It’s time again for a change, a new format... so, here’s a magazine full of
industry information, covering topics that affect you and your business.

We hope you enjoy the read.

We’d love to hear your feedback, contact us at jennifer.titchmarsh@gea.com

 THE

DAIRY FARMER 3
Welcome!
In preparation for the new
season, we hope you’ll CONTENTS
find time to wind down,
do a bit of reflecting on
4 13
WHO IS GEA? THE FUTURE OF
your business and mark Find out how we lead the way in SHEEP MILKING
innovative solutions for smart food Find out why the
the areas for improvement. processing and more efficient use of future growth of
energy resources. sheep milking is highly likely
- learn about an innovative

5
company paving the way.
Take some time to read this!

In here, you’ll find a collection of

YOUR GEA
15
GEA Dairy Farming
articles completely relevant to your LICHFIELD DAIRY FACTORY
combines FIL,
dairy operation: mastitis management, Milfos, Westfalia Did you know? The world’s largest
milking efficiency, cooling compliance Surge, Houle and Norbco. spray dryer is located at Fonterra’s
Lichfield plant - find out how GEA
and animal marking. was involved.
There’s lots of useful tips on improving 6
efficiencies on farm, as well as best BETTER MASTITIS CONTROL
FOR A BETTER FUTURE
16
practice initiatives you might want to
OUR LOCATIONS
put in place - particularly if you have Learn how to reduce the risk of
mastitis industry-wide. Get an insight into two of our
new people joining your team.
four manufacturing locations in
New Zealand.
Know that GEA is constantly evolving to
better support you in the dairy industry.
8
Get some insight into how we are THE BENEFITS OF
RUMINATION MONITORING
17
changing on page 2-3. OUR PEOPLE
New tools from GEA for pro-active
And, if you aren’t already a GEA fan, animal health management. We are proud of
know too, that our biggest difference our people and
their dedication to
in the market is the level of support we
provide to our farmers. We’d love the
9 our customers - read up about some
familiar faces and why they love the
opportunity to prove our products will MILKING EFFICIENCY -
dairy industry.
WHERE TO FOCUS?
give you excellent return on investment,
provide training on how to use them
for best results and be there when you
Discover how a focus on work
routines, cow flow and milk out time 18
will reduce milking time and increase
SERVICE & SUPPORT
need us. staff productivity.
Our people are on the ground,
in your community.
We hope to see you at this year’s 11
National Agricultural Fieldays in ANIMAL MARKING
Hamilton. Otherwise, we look forward PREVENTS
MISTAKES
to supporting you in achieving a
Read about the
successful 2017/18 season.
most effective form of herd
management, and how it
protects your milk supply.
4
WHO IS
GEA?
Globally, GEA are leaders in
providing innovative solutions for
smart food processing and more
efficient use of energy resources.
W
e work in a range of
industries, including
beverages, dairy farming
and dairy processing, food processing,
chemicals, sport and leisure, marine,
pharma, transport and utilities.
GEA designs and engineers product
solutions for the processing of food
and beverages. Around 70% of the
products sold in supermarkets around
the world have been in contact with
our technology.
In the marine industry, GEA is a
leading supplier of high performance
equipment for treating fuel oil, lube oil,
bilge water and ballast water. We’ve
engineered advanced cooling and
freezing technology for cargo ships,
cruise ships and livestock carriers.
In the sports and leisure industry, we
have pioneered the use of the natural
refrigerant ammonia for ice rinks and
bobsled tracks. Our all-weather snow
cannons enable ski centres to extend
their seasons.
For decades, GEA has supplied advanced
compressor technology to the transport
industry - providing air conditioning
in buses and trains and transport
refrigeration for trucks and trailers.
We make world-class pharmaceutical
processing solutions too.
GEA New Zealand brings together
local and international expertise
to focus on two key areas: dairy
processing and dairy farming.
We’ve partnered with the New Zealand
dairy industry because we consider you
to be leaders in producing and processing
one of the world’s most versatile foods.
There’s a lot of scale in what we do here.
For example, we have built the world’s
largest dairy spray dryer at Lichfield, our
product range covers milking equipment,
animal health, dairy hygiene, animal
markers and heat detection and we also
work with you on farm.
GEA Dairy Processing
GEA excels in building the large-scale
facilities we see in the dairy processing
industry today. In New Zealand, we
design, engineer and supply complete
plants, processing lines and equipment
for treating raw milk.
We also supply the technology and
machinery that aids in manufacturing,
filling and packaging milk and milk-based
products - from butter, ice-cream, yoghurt
and cheese, to infant formula, milk
powder and whey and its derivatives.
GEA Dairy Farming
To bring you the best support on farm,
GEA brings together well known New
Zealand and European brands: FIL,
Milfos, WestfaliaSurge, Houle and
Norbco - a combination of proven
products, innovative equipment and
reliable technical knowledge. We offer
dairy farmers a total product solution,
as well as the best in on farm support.
GEA New Zealand is your dairy partner.
 THE

DAIRY FARMER 5

YOUR GEA YOU ARE IN

TOUCH WITH
United as GEA, we offer you so much more. GEA Dairy Farming GEA EVERYDAY
combines FIL, Milfos, Westfalia Surge, Houle and Norbco.
Approx. ¼
of
processed milk
comes from GEA
By doing this, we’re integrating local expertise and New Zealand-made product solutions
production systems
with European-made products and knowledge from off-shore - offering you a unique
range of solutions that can be mixed and matched to suit your farm’s requirements.

In the next little while, you’ll start to notice more of GEA and less of the old brands.
Every 3rd
chicken nugget is
Here’s how we fit together as one:
produced by GEA
technology
We are your total product solution
As one, GEA has almost everything you need to produce quality milk. Around every
process line for
3rd
instant coffee was
GEA
MILKING installed by GEA
GEA SYSTEMS
GEA
BARN ANIMAL
EQUIPMENT HEALTH
Approx. every

2nd litre of beer

is brewed with the
GEA
GEA aid of systems and
DAIRY HYGIENE
FARM & SUPPLIES process solutions
MANAGEMENT TOOLS
from GEA
YOUR TOTAL
PRODUCT SOLUTION
GEA GEA
Every 4th
of human blood
litre

EFFLUENT MILK COOLING

MANAGEMENT
GEA & STORAGE is handled by
AUTOMATIC
FEEDING GEA equipment

More than a
of all polymer
producers are
using GEA drying
We are there for you on farm technology
As GEA, we support you with one of the most comprehensive service and support
networks in the country, including:
About a ¼
of
waste water sludge
• 26 Service Partners across the country from petroleum
• 17 area managers, specialising in dairy hygiene and animal health and natural gas
processing is
• 9 area managers, specialising in milking machines and effluent equipment
dewatered by
• 7 field technicians GEA decanters

Our team really know their stuff. They are equipped to help you do things right on farm
- offering advice, training your staff, setting high standards in dairy hygiene and animal
Every 2nd
container ship in
health. If you come up against a problem, either in the shed or with the herd, we’ll be there.
the world sails
Now and into the future, GEA is committed to keeping your farm running with with GEA marine
maximum efficiency. Highly engineered product solutions, backed up by personalised equipment on board
on farm support is our promise to you - because that’s what partners are for.
6
BETTER MASTITIS
CONTROL FOR
A BETTER FUTURE
There is a global initiative driven by consumers,
which New Zealand has adopted to reduce antibiotic
usage on farm by 2020.
B
y 2020, DCT (Dry Cow
Therapy) will only be used
in the treatment of existing
intramammary infections (source NZVA).
Almost all of dairy antibiotic use is for
the treatment of mastitis.
Whilst New Zealand does not have the
same level of antibiotic use compared to
other countries around the world,
we certainly can do better to improve.
GEA’s FIL offers a comprehensive teat care
programme to prevent mastitis and we’ve
partnered with Farm Medix to bring you
the Check-Up® Mastitis Diagnostic Tool,
facilitating responsible use of antibiotics.
Reducing the risk of mastitis
industry-wide is really quite simple:
1. Teat care should be a
key focus and constantly
assessed. All season.
Obviously, cows with a healthy udder
produce better quality milk. In fact, the
teat skin is probably the most valuable
part of your cows, the most important
asset to protect. When a cow is cupped
the teat stretches up to 50% under
vacuum, therefore, it is important to
maintain supple and healthy teats
throughout lactation.
GEA’s FIL teat care products contain
innovative ingredients like Manuka
honey and contain some of the highest
levels of emollient for better teat
condition. We also offer Active Teat
Cream and Emollient Salve to protect
against cracked and chapped teats.
Where infection is already present, trials
in NZ and overseas all show a 50%
reduction in the new infection rate, if
teat spray is mixed and applied correctly
- this means ensuring full coverage of all
teat surfaces at every milking, all season.
GEA’s FIL Area Managers have
undergone extensive training in teat
care, allowing them to advise farmers on
achieving the best teat condition.
We look at the conditions and
challenges presented on individual farms
and recommend the best active for the
challenge presented. The team will also
put in place a comprehensive teat care
programme, incorporating the right
products. Plus, training in dilution rates,
how to mix, checking spray patterns and
spraying correctly for coverage.
2. Take a targeted approach
to mastitis treatment
Blanket treating for mastitis often leads
to retreatment of cows which are still
symptomatic because an incorrect
antimicrobial is being used. Also, as
with human medicine, there is an
ever-increasing amount of antimicrobial
resistant organisms developing. It’s
critical to ensure the responsible use of
antibiotics - and, therefore, a targeted
approach to the treatment of mastitis -
to protect the dairy industry.
On farm mastitis testing with the Check-
Up® Mastitis Diagnostic Tool will help you
to quickly identify the type of pathogen
involved in clinical cases of mastitis.
A key benefit is that, by identifying
the type of pathogen, you are able
to develop a protocol on farm with
your vet, ultimately choosing the right
treatment. The test can be carried out
on farm, so the results are on hand
within 24 hours. Historically, doing this
off farm has proven challenging, by way
of getting the samples to an off-site
testing facility and getting the results
back in a timely manner.
With Check-Up® you can target the
treatment of the infected quarter using
the drug best suited for the organism
present, providing a more effective
treatment and better outcome for the
cow. It will also help ensure you’re not
treating cows that simply won’t be cured,
and you will be alerted to cows with
contagious mastitis.

Check-Up® is simple to use: a sample
is taken after teat cleaning and
fore stripping. This might be from a
suspected quarter, or as a composite
sample from the four quarters to get an
overall picture of udder health.
The sample is then streaked onto the
Check-Up® test plate and incubated
for 24 hours, then compared with
the reference charts. The location and
colour of any growths will determine
the pathogen involved.  GRANT BOYD - Stratford
If there are no growths, you should
re-incubate for a further 24-48 hours to
ensure the sample is clear.
Sometimes, the cow will self-heal
but the test will enable you to detect
underlying pathogens that could lead to
chronic problems.
The test kit can detect Staph.aureus,
CNS, Corynebacterium, Strep. uberis,
Strep. dysgalactiae, Strep agalactiae,
Enterococcus, E.coli, Klebsiella, Serratia,
Enterobacter, Yeast, Prototheca
and Pseudomonas.
If you have concerns about teat care,
or mastitis in your herd, get in touch
with your GEA Area Manager
for a free on farm consultation -
call 0508 434 569.
KEY POINTS:
WHY YOU NEED CHECK-UP®
• Enables on-farm testing for
pathogens, with results in 24 hours
• Reduces use of antibiotics on cows
that don’t need treatment
• Reduces treatment of cows
unable to be cured due to type of
pathogen present
• Will help to reduce
antibiotic resistance
• Suitable for on farm culture,
or veterinary use
THE
DAIRY FARMER 7
“I believed
Iodine would
dry out teats”
“I believed iodine would dry out
the teats but FIL broke it down,
explaining how iodine would give
us better protection and the extra
emollient in Teat Conditioner
would give us healthier teats.
So, we agreed to trial it.“
“The results were outstanding.“
We’re focused on providing
udder confidence to every
dairy farmer in New Zealand,
Grant’s with us are you?
Call 0800 UDDERS today.
8
THE BENEFITS OF
RUMINATION MONITORING
GEA has introduced rumination technology to CowScout™ tags,
providing you with crucial information for proactive animal
health management.

C
owScout™ tags have proven a popular and affordable
option for monitoring cows 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. The current system includes accurate heat detection,
drafting cows at optimal insemination time. It also monitors
eating time, flagging cows with reduced eating times as having a
potential health issue.

GEA Herd Management Solutions Manager, Jan Winke notes that

the addition of rumination monitoring will provide more critical
insight into cow wellbeing. “Rumination is an indicator of a
properly functioning rumen, and a gauge of animal health. A drop
in rumination time frequently precedes drop in milk production
and often occurs before any physical health symptoms appear.

“With CowScout™ rumination technology, we can

accurately anticipate potential health concerns
before the visual signs are there. The earlier these
warning signs are in our hands, the cheaper it will
be to deal with the problem.”

CowScout™ rumination technology is slightly different to other

options on the market. It uses a G sensor to detect rumination
based on the movements of the animal, where alternative
technologies rely on a microphone device to listen for rumination.

Monitoring time eating and time ruminating determines the

inactive time for each cow. If inactivity increases significantly, the
system flags an issue with that cow.

“Although the system can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong”

continues Jan,“ it points us to a cow that needs to be checked KEY POINTS:
and enables early treatment. COWSCOUT™ WITH RUMINATION

“Similarly, we’ll be able to assess the cow’s responses to • Heat detection and rumination monitoring system
treatment - to determine when she returns to “normal” more
quickly than would be possible by looking at her, possibly • Detects eating and rumination to determine inactive time
saving money on treatment.”
• Pinpoints cows that need to be checked, enabling early
New GEA CowScout™ rumination technology is available assessment and early treatment
now. For more information, call GEA on GEA FARM

MILKING EFFICIENCY
WHERE TO FOCUS?
In milking efficiency, it’s the little things that will save you time in the long run. Focus on work
routines, cow flow and milk out time to reduce milking time and increase staff productivity.
1. Efficiency in work
routine time (WRT) will
determine the number
of cows milked per hour
QConz General Manager Farms Josh
Wheeler notes that within work
routines, cupping is the starting point
for better efficiency: “If you think about
milking tasks, most time is spent on
cupping. Simply achieving an efficient
cupping technique is going to increase
the throughput of cows and help to
reduce milker RSI.”
There are two cupping techniques that all
milkers should know: round-the-circle and
two-at-a-time¹. Round-the-circle is not the
fastest method, but is easier on the milker
as there’s less chance of being kicked.
THE ROUND-THE-CIRCLE METHOD:
• For herringbones, the milker uses the
right hand to put the cups on the
right hand side row of cows (facing
the exit). The claw is held in their left
hand, using the right hand to guide
the cups onto the cow, starting with
the back left cup, then continuing
in a round-the-circle motion to the
left front, then right front, then right
back. On the left hand side of the
platform, they would use their left
hand to cup.
• On a rotary platform, the method
depends on which way the platform
is rotating. If clockwise, the claw is
held in the right hand. The milker
reaches over the right arm with their
left hand to put in the right back cup
(the first seen as the cow approaches),
then right front, to left front, to
left back (as the cow goes past). If
rotation is anti-clockwise, the milker
uses their right hand to put on the
cups, starting with the left back cup.
The two-at-a-time method involves
putting on the two front cups (more or
less) at once, then the back right, then
the back left with the other hand.
Cupping Technique Guides are available
on the DairyNZ website.
THE
DAIRY FARMER 9
2. Cow flow & rotary speed
In a rotary shed, set the rotation speed
as fast as you can comfortably cup
advises Josh. Rotary speed should be
regardless of go-around cows - those
cows won’t affect the number of cows
you can milk in an hour.
In a herringbone, you must give cows
time to exit and enter. Milkers should
start cupping in front of the point the
exit gate is opened. Tasks should be
completed by the time you reach the
point you open the exit gate.
PLATFORM SPEED + CUPPING TIME
= NO. COWS MILKED/HR
IN A 60 BAIL ROTARY:
• 12 minutes/rotation,
12 seconds cupping per bail
= 300 cows milked/hr
• 10 minutes/rotation,
10 seconds cupping per bail
= 360 cows milked/hr
• 6 minutes/rotation,
6 seconds cupping per bail
= 600 cows milked/hr
10

Just remember: milking is a job of seconds,

seconds make minutes, minutes make hours -
and hours cost time and money.

3. Consider MaxT

Once you’ve achieved maximum efficiency

in the milking routine the next step to
consider is MaxT (max milking time).
Case Study
SITUATION: 60 bail rotary, milking 1,100 cows @ 340 cows/hr
According to DairyNZ, Max T is when
“cows are milked to a determined end
point, either a fixed time point or set milk TYPICAL OPERATION CHANGES IMPLEMENTED
flow rate threshold if using Automatic
- ACR’s (settings <0.2 kg /min) - Trained to cup in <4 secs
Cluster Removers (ACR).”
- Square liner - Speed settings converted to time
The idea is to remove all clusters when
- Auto teat sprayer - ACR’s 0.5kg/min
80% of the cows are finished milking,
even if the remaining 20% are not done. - 1 milker (roster of 5 milkers) - Faster milking liner on back teats
Any residual milk is retained to the next - 10.5 sec/bail platform speed - Pulsation changed to 70:30
milking where it can be harvested faster.
- 5% of cows go round twice
THE SAVINGS ARE WORTH CONSIDERING: - 4am cups on
- Milkers couldn’t handle faster speed
MILKING - Pulsation 60:40
MILK
SYSTEM TIME
HARVESTED
PER COW - Cows typically took 9.5 mins to milk out

9L milk MORNING MILKING TIME: 3.25 HOURS

Normal harvested 5.25
0.2L minutes
residual milk
OUTCOMES:
9L milk
Max T harvested 4.75
0.4L minutes MORNINGS BEFORE AFTER
residual milk
Cows per hour 340 440

Seconds per bail 10.5 8.2

With MaxT, ACR’s should be set to 0.4kg
minimum milk flow rate and come off
Minutes per round 10.5 8.2
when milk flow falls below that. And,
if you’re increasing the ACR threshold, Minutes saved 45 minutes
rotation speed should increase too.
AFTERNOONS BEFORE AFTER
Just remember: milking is a job of
seconds, seconds make minutes, Cows per hour 500-550
minutes make hours - and hours
cost time and money. For advice on Minutes saved 60-75 minutes
increasing efficiency, or for staff training,
contact QConz or talk to your local GEA 1. Source: Dairy NZ (https://www.dairynz.co.nz/milking/dairy-stockmanship/cluster-attachment/)

Area Manager.
 THE

DAIRY FARMER 11
ANIMAL MARKING
PREVENTS MISTAKES
Animal marking is the simplest and most effective form of herd management,
and it goes a long way to protecting your milk supply. The key is to ensure
your whole team are using the same marking system.

Marking treated cows as well as How to mark treatments: Simple identification

colostrum cows means you discount the
risk of having antibiotic residue in the vat.
You also reduce the risk of infected cows
passing on bacteria to the rest of the herd.
“About 50% of mistakes with treated
cows happen because staff fail to
recognise a cow has been treated” says
Josh Wheeler, General Manager Farms
at QConz. “Those mistakes are costly
when your only option then is to dump
all the milk in the vat.”
QUARTERS
Using Red, create a cross with a dot to indicate
the quarter(s) that is under treatment.
For example - in this situation the left front
quarter is being treated.
of colostrum cows
Colostrum cows must be withheld from
the milking herd for eight milkings (four
days). Heifers should be withheld for 10
milkings - this is because colostrum milk
may contain dry cow therapy residue.
THE FOUR DOTS PRINCIPLE
Although there are multiple ways to
mark the 4 days of milk withholding for
colostrum cows, this one is the simplest.

For treatment cows,

practice M R S T: T1
T2
T3
1. MARK COWS THAT ARE SICK T4
AND REQUIRE TREATMENT

Mark the udder into quarters with a simple TREATMENTS

+, then place a dot into the affected quarter.
2. RECORD THEIR NUMBERS
AND TREATMENT DETAILS
DAY 1 DAY 2
Mark the left leg after each treatment with
Red which indicates the number of treatments.

Record these details on a board in the T1 D1

T2 D2
parlour office and add the information T3 D3 DAY 3 DAY 4
to your animal health records. T4 D4

Required details:

• cow number WITHHOLDING DAYS The best markers to use

Mark the right leg after each day of withholding
• reason for treating GEA’s FIL Tell Tail Aerosols are perfect
with Red to indicate the milk withholding days.
• treatment for marking treatment cows and
• date of first treatment colostrum cows.
• date of last treatment You’ll find GEA’s FIL animal marker range
• date of return to the herd at your local rural retail store.

3. SEPARATE SICK COWS AND COWS FOR

TREATMENT FROM THE MILKING HERD
GREEN TO GO
4. TREAT THE SICK COWS WITH Cover all red paint with Green when the cow is
THE APPROPRIATE MEDICATION able to return to the milking herd.
12

GENERAL MARKING
• Marking treated and
colostrum cows
• Six fluorescent colours
• Quick and easy to use

DRAFTING
• Foam rises to
indicate animal to be drafted
• Fluorescent pink to stand out
• Lasts up to 30minutes

FIL MARKER RANGE

HEAT DETECTION
• Easy to use applicator brush
• Six fluorescent colours
• Water or oil based paint available

WIN A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF

OUR PREMIUM TAIL PAINT*
Simply log on to www.geadairyfarming.co.nz
complete the form AND YOU’RE IN TO WIN!

*Terms and conditions apply. To be eligible to win the year’s supply of FIL tail paint you must purchase your dairy
hygiene and teat care chemical with us. See online for full terms and conditions.

THE FUTURE OF
SHEEP MILKING
Farming dairy sheep not only has a low environmental impact, sheep milk is a
high value product which also offers New Zealand the benefits of diversification.
G “This is the beginning of a
EA is right on board, ensuring
our sheep dairy industry has
access to machinery that is not
only designed for sheep, but is also cost-
efficient to operate.
Maui Milk intends to play a large role in
growing sheep milking in New Zealand.
They are creating a model farm with state
of the art barns and feeding systems,
plus the latest sheep milking equipment
to maximise efficiency and production.
Also, they are investing heavily in genetic
improvement to create a dairy sheep
breed for New Zealand conditions.
Breeding a new dairy sheep
for New Zealand
In 2015, the Waituhi Kuratau Trust
(WKT) formed a joint venture with a
Chinese marketing company, creating
Maui Milk. The WKT farm on the shores
of Lake Taupo is overseen by General
Manager Peter Gatley. Another farm is
being developed by the Chinese business
partner nearby, under the name Southern
Cross Dairy Sheep Technology (SCDST).
Peter and fellow geneticist Jake
Chardon manage the genetic
programme which is creating a hybrid
based on Northern Hemisphere breeds.
The result will be a new breed to be
known as the Southern Cross™.
To date, dairy sheep in New Zealand have
been crossbreds involving East Friesian
and traditional meat breeds; durable and
robust but not ideal for milking.
With the formation of SCDST, so began
the serious development of NZ dairy
sheep genetics. SCDST used Coopworth
ewes and blended East Friesian and
Awassi. These sheep are being milked
this spring. 2,500 of them have been
inseminated with the Lacaune breed
from France, giving us the first ewes to
incorporate all four breeds.
“The resulting progeny will give us some
real hybrid vigour” says Peter.
THE
DAIRY FARMER 13
dairy sheep specifically for
New Zealand conditions.”
Feed, housing and animal
management with GEA
New Zealand sheep generally live
outdoors year-round. The new dairy
breeds will require better protection
from the weather - wet and cold, but
also heat and direct sunlight, says Peter.
They will also need to lamb indoors. By
using a grazing system predominantly
but housing the sheep in barns, they
expect to double production.
“The average NZ ewe produces less than
150 litres of milk per lactation. We hope
to increase production to 300, which
will bring us closer to the French average
of 400. Bear in mind the French have a
head start of about 2,000 years!”
14
Two new barns have been erected
to house the dairy flock. Each barn
contains 3 conveyor belts, supplied by
GEA, to create an automated feeding
system. GEA Area Sales Manager Grant
Coburn notes that “the conveyor system
will enable animals to be fed from
both sides. Once feed is in place, the
animals are held in place to feed with
individual head locks - which provides
an opportunity for animal health checks
and the ability to separate animals out
from the flock.”
More efficient milking
and flock management
with GEA
While in France, researching sheep
genetics, Jake took note of the milking
systems. “I noticed that the French
systems were properly designed for
sheep. Simply adapting goat milking
machines, as we tend to do here, was
not efficient.
“For starters, goats and sheep behave
very differently; sheep are more timid.
Where other companies were happy to
sell us what they had - in other words
goat systems - GEA was very flexible,
they listened to our needs and have
helped us find efficient solutions.”
Maui Milk are installing GEA’s SR Internal
Rotary platform. Unlike a traditional
rotary, there are no fixed bails. The sheep
enter through a guided chute; feed is
automatically dispensed into a feedbin.
When the animal lowers her head to eat,
she activates the head lock to hold her
in place for the duration of the milking,
automatically opening just before the exit.
Labour requirements are further reduced
with self-emptying feedbins and
automatic cup removers. Even the cluster
is raised back to position for convenient
and quick attachment.
“Labour efficiencies are crucial for the
sheep milking industry” notes Peter.
“Sheep lactation is such a short period
and our relatively remote location
means that seasonal labour is not
readily available to cover that spike.
The new platform reduces those labour
requirements very effectively.”
They’ve also included GEA’s Ego lifting
floor, which permits operators to raise
or lower the floor within the rotary
platform to their desired level of comfort.
And they’ve incorporated DairyPlan
S21 software, providing a central herd
management system that records milk
yield, reproduction, feeding and animal
health for every animal. “This level of
reporting and data analysis will work
exceptionally well in supporting the
genetic development research being
done on farm” says Grant.
We look forward to monitoring the
progress of Maui Milk and closely
supporting the growing sheep milk
industry in New Zealand. For more
information on GEA milking efficiencies,
contact us on 0800 GEA FARM.

We’ll grow
with you…
Our focus is to help you achieve your
goals with products and services that
future-proof your investment.

We offer a total product solution, that’s backed by local support

and service; we’re focusing on your farm.

Grow with GEA - contact us on 0800 GEA FARM.

Conventional
Milking
Animal
Feeding Farm Dairy
Management Teat Care
Hygiene

gea.com
 THE

DAIRY FARMER 15

FACTS ABOUT Fonterra Lichfield now

claims the title of the
LICHFIELD most efficient plant

Did you know? The world’s largest spray dryer, located at Fonterra’s
in the dairy industry
Lichfield plant, was designed, engineered and installed by GEA’s in terms of overall
Dairy Processing arm - it is the best performing and most efficient equipment efficiency,
spray dryer currently available on the market.
waste minimisation and
energy consumption.

I
n 2014, GEA was commissioned by Fonterra to supply a complete turnkey milk
powder plant at Lichfield, with all of the processing technology; taking milk from
reception, through standardisation, concentration using falling film evaporators,
spray drying and powder handling through to packaging, ready for dispatch.

The new Lichfield plant was to be no ordinary dairy plant - it would house the world’s
largest spray dryer, the second of its type to be supplied in New Zealand. It had to
KEY POINTS:
simplify processes on site and reduce the total cost of ownership, as well as increase
energy efficiency. And GEA delivered. ABOUT LICHFIELD

Installing the 18 metre diameter chamber barrel section was the most impressive feat • Houses the world’s largest spray
of engineering and most critical part of the project - a matter of lifting 124 tonnes 34 dryer (MSD4000)
metres into the air and onto the already installed dryer cone, with just 400mm clearance • Processes 4.4 million litres of milk/
over the building. After careful planning and risk mitigation, it went without a hitch. day in peak season

With a processing capacity of 30 tonnes per hour, or 4.4 million litres of milk per day • Is the most efficient plant in the dairy
(that’s 165 tanker loads), the new spray dryer effectively doubled the original processing industry for equipment efficiency,
capacity of the Lichfield site - taking the pressure off the region during peak season. water utilisation, waste minimisation
and energy consumption
Fonterra Lichfield now claims the title of the most efficient plant in the dairy industry
in terms of overall equipment efficiency, waste minimisation and energy consumption. • GEA technology handles milk from
reception through spray drying to
It’s projects like this that enable us to be innovative, creative and, at the same time, packaging powder for dispatch
redefine what we are capable of. GEA also designed and installed the DII dryer at
Darfield in 2013 which was the first MSD4000, 30 Tonne/hr dryer installed worldwide.
16
OUR LOCATIONS:

Approx. 85% of
NZ dairy farmers use
a GEA product

GEA Milking and Farm Equipment

You’ll know it as Milfos, but our GEA pastoral innovative dairy solutions
are designed and manufactured in Hamilton, New Zealand.

GEA acquired Milfos in 2012 to increase its expertise in pastoral based

farming and this commitment still rings true today. Today the Milfos
20% of NZ farmers
product portfolio is adding benefit to dairy farmers globally. use GEA animal
health products

Every 4th NZ farm

GEA Dairy Hygiene cleans their dairy with
and Teat Care a GEA product
Our manufacturing site in
Mount Maunganui is home
to New Zealand’s most well-
known and trusted tail paint
brand FIL.

This purpose-built
manufacturing site produces
GEA’s FIL dairy detergents,
teat care products, bloat
remedies, spray marker dyes
and animal health products. 1 in 4 NZ farms
extract milk using
GEA equipment

GEA Service Partner
Waitaki Dairy
Solutions
BRETT & MISSY DUNCAN
Brett and Missy Duncan of Waitaki Dairy Solutions in Oamaru
are GEA’s Most Engaged Service Partner for 2017. The award
recognises their outstanding service to farmers and excellent
business ethics.
Founded by Gary and Jill Duncan, Waitaki Dairy Solutions
has been around for years. Brett Duncan learnt the business
from his father following completion of an engineering
apprenticeship. Two years ago, Brett and Missy bought
Waitaki Dairy Solutions and have grown it substantially since,
employing two more staff to keep up with demand.
Their main focus is the installation, repair and maintenance of
milking equipment and selling dairy consumables.
Hat’s off to Brett and Missy’s business expertise and dedication
to the dairy industry. Waitaki Dairy Solutions is a credit to the
GEA Service Partner network.
OUR PEOPLE
GEA Area Sales Manager
(Dairy Farming)
GRANT COBURN
Initially a dairy farmer, Grant has enjoyed an interesting and
colourful 40-year career in the dairy industry.
In his 12 years with GEA, he has travelled extensively,
exporting milking equipment to America, Chile, Australia,
China, South Africa and the UK.
Grant can’t be sure why he loved dairy farming from the
start. At 18 years of age, he went milking. “In those days, we
worked 80-90 hours for $14 a week! And, we only had every
second week off. But I have never looked back.”
Winning a tender to supply milking equipment for Fonterra’s
first install in Hangu, China, stands out as a highlight in his
career, but it’s dealing with farmers that provides Grant with
the best job satisfaction.
“Dairy farmers all over the world are the same. They have similar
aspirations and there’s a strong connection, no matter where
you go. I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of my job; it’s highly
satisfying making a difference to people’s lives.”
THE
DAIRY FARMER 17
GEA Farm Service
Area Manager
CLINT HUMPHREY
Clint has worked in various parts of GEA for over 25 years.
He’s worked in the dairy industry for his entire career.
Starting out as a machine engineer, fitter and tester, Clint
joined the GEA group as a rep for FIL. In 25 years, he’s had
a wide range of experiences, including: the design and build
of teat spray units, training new reps in the USA, trialling a
range of effluent chemicals, and managing consumables and
rubberwear. All this adds up to amazing technical knowledge.
And what gets Clint out of bed in the mornings? Apart from his
alarm clock, Clint says...
“I enjoy working with people. The industry also has so
many new challenges; every year brings something
new and different. The main thing is that I really
believe I can make a difference on farm.”
GEA Marketing Intern
ANOUK VAN BAKEL
Through internships and working student arrangements,
GEA provides university students with the opportunity to look
behind the scenes of a global business. GEA NZ has been
working with Dutch student Anouk.
Anouk’s field is International Food and Agribusiness (IFA),
focusing on the World Food Dilemma, and more particularly
Animal Production. While in NZ, she has researched sheep
milking - providing GEA with a better understanding of this
growing industry.
From a dairy background, Anouk has enjoyed comparing NZ
with the Netherlands. She says “NZ farming is very different;
in organisation, systems, peak production and seasonal
calving. There’s also more media coverage. This creates in
depth discussions between consumers and producers, and
enabiling agri-business to show the good work they’re doing.
The Netherlands could learn from this.”
GEA Internships of three to six months are available in various
fields. For more information, visit www.gea.com/careers
18
SERVICE & SUPPORT
Throughout New Zealand GEA guarantees comprehensive sales
and service support to ensure you have a well-run dairy shed. NORTHLAND / NORTH WAIKATO /
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND /
We have 26 service partners and 26 area managers - our people BAY OF PLENTY
are on the ground, in your community. Milfos | WestfaliaSurge | Houle
KeriKeri Pumps & Irrigation - KeriKeri P. 09 407 1629
Kawakawa Engineering Group - Whangarei P. 09 404 0893
McLarens Milk & Water (Huntly) Ltd -
Huntly P. 07 828 0011
McLarens Rural Services Ltd - Morrinsville P. 07 889 6053
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Peter Ellmers Farm & Electrical Ltd -
- DAIRY FARMING Te Kauwhata P. 07 826 3135
JASON QUERTIER M. 021 721 581 Mainland Engineering & Dairy Systems -
Taupo P. 07 377 2941
FNI Rural Services - Tokoroa P. 07 886 4083
FIL NATIONAL SALES Coologic - Whakatane P. 07 308 9800
MANAGER Think Water Bay of Plenty - Te Puke P. 07 573 8747
COLIN MAY M. 027 706 8538
Capital Equipment Area Manager
PAUL CONVERY M. 021 821 968
SOUTH ISLAND SALES FIL Area Manager
MANAGER - DAIRY FARMING BRIAN SALVIGNY
GLEN PALMER M. 027 704 7220 Northland / Helensville M. 027 472 1501
GREG DUNCAN
Cambridge / Matamata / Morrinsville East /
Te Aroha M. 027 472 1505
FIL SOUTH ISLAND
SALES MANAGER BEDE MURPHY
Rotorua / Reporoa / Tokoroa / Putaruru M. 021 814 337
JOHN LENNON M. 027 413 6373
FRASER STEWART
Bay of Plenty / Paeroa M. 021 284 2504

WEST WAIKATO
Milfos | WestfaliaSurge | Houle
Milk n Water Services - Matamata P. 07 888 4405
Dairyworx Ltd - Otorohanga P. 07 873 6679

Capital Equipment Area Manager

GRANT COBURN M. 021 980 013
FIL Area Manager
MARK MOHRING
Nth Waikato / Hauraki / Morrinsville West M. 027 472 1502
DAVID JOBE
Te Awamutu / Otorohanga M. 027 499 1674

TARANAKI / WANGANUI /
LOWER NORTH ISLAND
Milfos | WestfaliaSurge | Houle
CANTERBURY / WEST COAST / Angove Engineering - Pahiatua P. 06 376 8918
TASMAN Cooper Farm Services - Carterton P. 06 379 5239

Milfos | WestfaliaSurge | Houle Dairypro 2010 Ltd - New Plymouth P. 06 758 6589

Rural Service Centre - Takaka P. 03 525 9113 Dytek Dairy Services - Foxton P. 06 363 8243

SOUTHLAND
Milfos | WestfaliaSurge | Houle
Nind Dairy Services - Invercargill P. 0800 502 250
Nind Dairy Services - Balclutha P. 0800 502 250
Capital Equipment Area Manager
SIMON KNIGHT M. 027 588 5961
FIL Area Manager
GRAHAM BEGGS
Mid / East Southland M. 027 472 1818
PETER MCCARTNEY
Otago / Ranfurly M. 027 549 8182
MIKE ROBINSON
South / West Southland M. 027 472 1504
Hayes Farm Services - Westport P. 03 789 6572
Stocker Dairy North Ltd - Culverden P. 03 315 8141
Stocker Dairy Services - Ashburton P. 03 307 6388
Duncan Engineering - Temuka P. 03 615 8624
Waitaki Dairy Solutions - Oamaru P. 03 434 6304
Capital Equipment Area Manager
DAVID JONES M. 021 839 435
FIL Area Manager
CALLUM LENNON
Northern South Island M. 027 472 1503
CHRIS BOOK
North Canterbury M. 027 886 5869
KIRK FALCONER
South Canterbury / North Otago M. 027 491 2966
Farm Supplies Central - Rongotea P. 06 324 8426
Willow Dell Milking & Pumps
- Norsewood P. 06 374 0882
Machinery Maintenance - Wanganui P. 06 348 9239
Capital Equipment Area Manager
CAMERON CLARIDGE M. 027 777 6613
FIL Area Manager
TREVOR GILBERD
North Taranaki / King Country M. 027 472 1506
CRAIG ALLEN
Central / South Taranaki M. 021 898 145
CLINT HUMPHREY
Manawatu / Wanganui M. 027 472 1507
RYAN MEDLIN
Wairarapa / Hawkes Bay M. 027 704 5933
 THE

DAIRY FARMER 19
Farm
Effluent Management
Management Animal Health

Barn Solutions Dairy Hygiene

Robotic Conventional
Milking Milking

Animal Milk Cooling

Feeding & Storage

Youngstock
Solutions

The GEA Focus

Our business is focused on you - as a New Zealand
dairy farmer.

Our aim is to help you achieve your goals with products and services that future-proof
your investment. Offering a total product solution, that’s backed by local support and
service; we’re focusing on your farm.

Focus on maximising production with GEA, contact us on 0800 GEA FARM.

GEA NEW ZEALAND
GEA New Zealand
New Zealand

4,796,819 people AUCKLAND

302 employees
MT MAUNGANUI
GEA is represented in
HAMILTON
CAMBRIDGE
7
1,377,000 different locations in New Zealand,
in our largest city Auckland with R&D, engineering sites,
chemical manufacturing sites, production,
warehouse, sales, customer support & service

Area of

268,021 km(2)

Exporting to 37 different countries across Asia Pacific,

Middle East & Africa, Europe, North America & South America

The brands incorporated under the GEA Umbrella

Niro, Westfalia Separator, Tuchenhagen, Avapac and NuCon

GEA New Zealand

12-14 Quail Place, Frankton Tel +64 7 873 1780 www.gea.com

Hamilton 3204, New Zealand 0800 GEA FARM