During the week, Agriland headed out west to Co. Mayo, to speak to father-and-son team Leo and Enda Morrin from Cross about their new 20-unit parlour.
The duo recently moved into the new parlour on their home block of the farm, having previously milked 80 cows through a 6-unit parlour prior to this.
The Mayo natives also milk another herd of 50 cows through a 10-unit parlour on a leased farm three miles away from the home farm, and it was a big help in keeping the show on the road while construction was ongoing on the new parlour over the past few months.
Milking in the old 6-unit parlour was fine Leo said, until cow numbers started to creep up and by the end, it was coming to a stage where the majority of the day was spent in the pit.
Speaking to Agriland during the week about deciding to put in a new parlour, Leo said: “It was just time to think about upgrading on the parlour we had.
“When you are spending three hours morning and evening in the milking parlour you come to a stage where you just can’t sustain it.
“It was around this time last year when I said to myself: it’s time to upgrade on what we have here, and to be able to manage both herds of cows more efficiently.”
Going with a 20-unit parlour
After deciding enough was enough with the old 6-unit parlour last year, Leo and Enda start researching and looking around to see what type of parlour would best suit them going forward.
Having made trips to the National Ploughing Championships over the years, Leo was drawn to one particular brand of parlour.
He said: “The old 6-unit parlour was DeLaval and it was a great machine, but from going to the National Ploughing Championships and from talking to farmers, I was drawn to the Pearson parlours.
“I went to a couple of farms and checked them out and they looked [like]a good solid parlour.
“The fact we had a local dealer of Pearson here beside us called Jarlath Colleran of Ja Colleran Farm Services, who looks after the Connaught region for Pearsons and who we sourced the parlour from in the end, along with having a local serviceman near us, we felt it was the best direction to go.
“We had originally decided on going with a 16-unit swingover parlour but because we wanted a feed-to-yield system, we went for a 20-unit instead. To put the system in it just made life easier and because the grant was there I said I’d just go and do it right.”
Layout of the parlour
The new parlour was built where the old 6-unit was situated.
Where the new parlour starts, was where the old parlour finished, so it meant Leo and Enda could continue milking their cows for as long as possible in the old unit – while work was progressing on the new parlour.
The only part of the old milking unit that wasn’t touched was the meal bin, which is still in the same spot.
Everything else is new, including the shed in which the parlour resides in, the collecting yard – which Damien Ryan Contracts completed – and also the bulk tank.
As you come into the front door of the new building, a washing area and the 12,500L bulk tank are located here.
A small slip-through space leads into the front of the parlour where the cows exit.
Ja Colleran Farm Services looked after the install of the parlour and had it up and running around the start of May of this year.
Looking at the 20-unit parlour in more detail, it is 24.2m long and 5.48m wide. The actual pit of the parlour measures 15.69m long.
A broad pit, measuring 2.28m wide was put in. A 2.75m wide area at the front of the parlour was incorporated for cows to exit from the parlour, in order to give them plenty of room to turn and exit out the side door.
Saving four hours a day
The 20-unit Pearson swing-over parlour the Morrins installed comes with all the bells and whistles associated with new parlours nowadays.
The main features of the new parlour consist of: automatic cluster remover’s (ACRs); an auto-wash system; variable speed pump; cluster flush system; ID race; feed-to-yield system (although not fully set up yet); dumpline; milk meters and samplers; 2×0 pulsation; lightweight clusters; and auto entry and exit gates.
Speaking about getting used to the new parlour and how it has cut down on their milking time Leo said: “To be honest, Enda has done most of the milking in it since we started up in it at the beginning of May.
“It used to take us, as I said, three hours morning and evening to milk 80 cows through the six-unit.
“Now, it’s taking Enda about an hour to milk and wash up – as there are only four rows of cows going through it. So, it’s saving us four hours a day.
“It’s a lovely parlour to milk in. It has all the features that new parlours come with nowadays.”
Adding to his father’s comments on the new parlour, Enda said one big differnce between the old and new parlour is the pulsation.
He explained: “The one big difference between the two parlours is the pulsation. The old one was 4×0 and we were having bother with the clusters staying on the heifers mainly because their teats are just smaller.
“But with the new parlour, because its 2×0 [the pulsation], we have no trouble at all.”
Collecting yard and feed space all in one
To make full use of the collecting yard, the Morrins decided to put feed barriers around the entirety of it.
The collecting yard joins-up to the main cubicle house as well, so it made sense to increase the feed area space, as the plan down the line is to add in more cubicles.
Leo said that the collecting yard can hold anywhere up to 100 cows.
Cost
The Morrins were able to avail of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) which saw them qualify for a 40% grant.
The cost of the new build including the shed and collecting yard, the parlour itself and the 12,500L bulk tank came to €230,000 plus VAT.
Speaking about the decision to upgrade their milking facilties, Leo added: “Look, when I first said about changing last year, I think a few people thought I was mad.
“But I think the only mad thing I was doing was being stuck in the old parlour six hours a day.
“It just [the new parlour] cut down the milking time which is now freeing up more time to do other jobs around the farm, as well as managing the other herd of 50 cows on the leased farm. We can basically run both farms more efficiently now.
“It’s a sizeable investment but it needed to be done really, and as long milk prices stay reasonably strong I think it will work out for the best,” Leo concluded.
