Farmers shift to flexible milking

Farmers across Canterbury and North Otago are embracing flexible milking, with over 40% of farms adopting alternative milking frequencies to boost efficiency and sustainability.
Flexible milking refers to milking intervals that fall between the more traditional once-a-day (OAD) and twice-a-day (TAD) milking schedules.
The most common forms of flexible milking are milking three times in two days (3-in-2) and ten milking's in seven days (10-in-7), a system used by Mid Canterbury farmer John Totty.
"The staff think it's brilliant.
"It gives them a lot of flexibility about actually having a social life and getting out with friends and family."
Totty, who runs 994 Jersey and Jersey-cross cows over two neighbouring properties in Staveley, moved to 10-in-7 milking in 2020.
While fears of loss of production are a barrier for some farms, that hasn't been a concern for Totty.
"We went up in production per cow – not by a massive amount, but we have gone up every season since."
Totty said the system has also resulted in a decrease in lameness in cows by around 50%.
"It means less time for cows walking on the lanes, which means your lanes last longer, and it's less time for them on concrete; concrete isn't great for their feet."
When using flexible milking, grazing rotations can be challenging, but Totty said they manage it well.
"We still do everything in a 24-hour periods, and think about everything as a normal rotation and normal allocation just like any farmer would."
Totty said it's "just simple maths."
"It's nice and easy to do and manage."
The only downside was the need for an upgraded milk cooling system because of the larger volume of milk per milking.
"We had to play around with plate coolers to cool the milk down to industry standards."
Totty said the flexible milking system was better for cows' all-round health and well-being, giving the animals more time to rest and socialise.
"Our cows are in better condition; they are happier, milking better, and production is better."
DairyNZ launched a three–year research project called 'Flexible milking for healthier cows' in 2019 to give farmers the confidence to adopt a flexible milking frequency.
Milking can make up more than half of the labour hours on New Zealand dairy farms.
Implementing a flexible milking model can provide farm workers with more family time, which could improve staff retention and job satisfaction.
Cutting down on milking hours also frees up time for farmers to concentrate on other tasks or make more informed decisions regarding farm management.
"Let's say you have an extra hour of less milking per day on average," says DairyNZ senior scientist Paul Edwards.
"You might use that time to do a farm walk or sit down and analyse some data rather than just making a gut call on something."
Edwards also points out that flexible milking can positively impact dairy farm workers' sleep patterns.
A pilot study by DairyNZ showed that farm workers using a 3-in-2 milking during spring slept nearly half an hour longer per night than those on nearby farms using a TAD milking model.
"Even if half an hour doesn't sound like a lot when you are only getting five and a half hours of sleep, it is a lot."
Edwards said that while sleep may not be the first thing people think of when improving farm performance, it can have a considerable impact.
"It plays into that story of less fatigue, less mistakes and better execution of decisions."
Edwards said farmers considering adopting a flexible milking model should first consider what they are hoping to achieve by changing.
"Make a plan to ensure you can realise those goals.
"There is nothing more dangerous than just changing milking frequency and nothing else about how you farm or go about your day."
Things like grazing rotations, staff rosters and mating will need to change.
"You need to think about some of these things and make sure you have a plan."
By Claire Inkson