An Automatic Milking System (AMS) lets cows choose when to be milked by a robotic system without human help. It has a robotic arm and an identification system. When a cow enters, it's checked if she's due for milking.

Drenching is a method you can use during your milking routine to balance your dairy cows' diet and safeguard against metabolic diseases.

Once-a-day (OAD) milking is a practice adopted by dairy farmers to manage their herds during late lactation, particularly from Christmas onwards.

Tauranga farmers Nick and Mary Dowson initially decided to give flexible milking a go from Christmas onwards as a strategy to cope with dry summers.

Improving milking efficiency is one of the great wins for dairy farmers. It requires little extra cost but can produce life-enhancing results for everyone on-farm, as Canterbury equity partners Shannon and Cass Rolls have found.

The page covers a farmer's experience with a flexible milking schedule, milking 10 times in seven days (10-in-7), which has led to improved animal health, profitability, and staff retention.

Angela Reid manages North South Farms, a property under FarmRight management in Northern Southland.

Taranaki farmers Daryl and Karyn Johnson have adopted a 3-in-2 milking routine, milking their cows three times every two days. This method has enhanced herd health, improved staff well-being, and boosted farm profitability.

Frustrated that milking wasn’t more enjoyable for his team, Bay of Plenty farmer Gordon McFetridge decided it was high time to seek help from milking expert Josh Wheeler.

Missed milkings due to power cuts or extreme weather events can be managed with minimal negative impacts on milk production. DairyNZ research indicates that cows in mid-lactation can tolerate delays, but early lactation cows require more care.

Ben Wilson contract milks two family-owned dairy farm properties near Kirwee, Canterbury. The farms are owned in an equity partnership between Ben, his parents and his brother.

Craigmore Farms’ Oamaru pod manager, Ed von Randow oversees five dairy farms in North Otago. In the 2020/21 season, Waiareka farm will be making the shift to full season 3-in-2 milking. We will be following Waiareka farm as part of the project.

Leo Vollebregt wanted a thriving dairy farm, but faced challenges with staff retention and cow health. Then, he had an insight during a 2007 trip to Canterbury.

The Contract Milker Premium Calculator compares the profitability of contract milking with managing a farm. 

A monthly cashflow budget takes your annual cash budget and spreads your income and expenses across the year giving you a month-by-month basis picture of expected income and what you can anticipate spending.

Use this tool to estimate/assess the effect of different flexible milking times on milking intervals, weekly schedules and production.

In this episode we wrap up our three-part series on contract milking. You’ll find out what a farm owner needs to know when it comes to employing a contract milker.

How do you figure out if a contract milking position is the right one for you? What things should you be asking the farm owner, what do you look for on the farm, and what are some common mistakes to avoid?

How do you prepare to go from being a farm worker to a contract milker? What are some things to be aware of, what are the foundations for success, and how do you avoid the common mistakes?

What prompted the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm’s move to full-season 10-in-7 milking? And what impact has it had on animal health, fertility, production and staff wellbeing?