DeLaval has received orders from the dairy programs at two higher education institutions for the supply of its innovative milking solutions. Canada’s University of Saskatchewan and New York’s Alfred State College have each opted for one DeLaval VMS (Voluntary Milking System) and numerous herd management solutions. The move further signifies university officials’ confidence in DeLaval – especially as technology plays a greater role in the development of the dairy industry.
Both schools have opted to build new dairy facilities to advance their capability and knowledge of sustainable agriculture – a core value that DeLaval shares with its customers.
“We are pleased that schools dedicated to the development of dairying in Canada and the U.S. have chosen DeLaval as a partner in sustainable food production,” says Christian Poggensee, president, DeLaval North America.
“We also strongly believe in the value of using technology and management tools to enhance efficiency and produce safer food with less impact to the environment.”
The University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan, located in Saskatoon, Canada, built its new dairy research center for 100 lactating cows with the capability to milk robotically, in a parlor, or in a stanchion barn setting.
DeLaval will outfit the facility with a complete range of its dairying equipment including: one VMS; a Herringbone HDHB double-6 parlor; DelPro MU480 milking units for tie stalls; Harmony Plus clusters; a 2,700-gallon DXNA cooling tank; and a programmable C125 cleaning unit.
Animal welfare and the integration of innovative tools for smart on-farm decision-making are focus areas of the University of Saskatchewan’s dairy research facility.
The teaching barn will incorporate a number of DeLaval herd management solutions including: the ALPRO Activity monitoring system; Smart Selection and Sort Gates; Online Cell Counter for VMS; Automatic Weigh Scale; and an Automated Footbath AFB1000.
The project is slated for completion this November. A main feature of the new facility will be its Public Viewing Gallery for educating the local community about sustainable dairy farming.
Alfred State College
Alfred State College, a unit of the State University of New York located in Alfred, New York, is in the process of a major rebuilding project at its College Farm, which will be the site of the Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture.
As part of its plans, the farm will house side-by-side conventional and organic dairy herds for applied research and teaching purposes.
College Farm’s organic dairy herd will be milked robotically with one DeLaval VMS in a milk first cow traffic scenario.
The system allows for round-the-clock milking designed to optimize high quality milk yield and help farm managers run more sustainable, professional and productive dairy operations.
DeLaval will also equip the new facility with sort gates and bulk tanks.
Operations at the new agricultural facility for organic and sustainable education and research are scheduled to commence in August. PD
—From DeLaval news release
IMAGE
Illustrated here is the proposed updated dairy facility at the University of Saskatchewan. Image courtesy of DeLaval.
