CoPulsation tm Milking System The only humane way to milk a dairy animal with a machine William Gehm, Partner LR Gehm LLC www.copulsation.com www.facebook.com/copulsation W.Gehm@CoPulsation.com CoPulsation is a trademark of LR Gehm LLC 1
Dairy Equipment History Electric pulsation introduced over 50 years ago Increasing mastitis and milking problems Attempts made to solve problems Pulsation change - alternating (50/50 front, 60/40 rear) More vacuum pump capacity larger pumps larger diameter airlines, milklines and hoses Automatic take-offs for consistent removal stop hand stripping No reduction in the high cost of mastitis and udder health problems 2
Fresh air enters top Conventional Pulsation A and C phase: 120 to 160 millisecond range
CoPulsation A and C phase: 40 to 60 millisecond range
Performance Difference Conventional Liner crawl Pinched teat Vacuum pull Rest Phase Comparison No liner crawl Massaged teat No vacuum CoPulsation Milk flow No milk flow Teat canal stressed and damaged with scar tissue Healthy teat canal
Conventional Milking Machine Reverse Milking Action Research by Dr Derek Forbes demonstrated that the pinching action forces non-motile bacteria up the teat canal New infections result Liner pinch can be felt with your finger Bacteria forced up
CoPulsation Gentle Massage Liner closes about full length of teat Eliminates pinch Provide gentle compressive massage similar to calf or hand milking action
Recognize Damage Cow at Eurotier 10 From website for conventional milking machine company Cow featured in ad for California Dairy Boumatic Advertisement udder damage obvious 8
Lameness a result of mastitis Mastitis causes udder pain Udder pain causes cows to hold feet further apart Utrect Mastitis Conf. 2011 Incorrect hoof placement damages hoof causing lameness Farm in Ireland first noted significant hoof improvement with CoPulsation. Recent email from Ireland: Don t forget to tell the dutch about the cows feet,that is a big problem as well over there
Evidence of performance difference with CoPulsation tm Change in liner wear No teat swelling No teat wetting Improved teat end health Reduced SCC Increased production Increased duration of peak flow rate
Liner Wear Evidence Massage action from CoPulsation tm changes liner wear Liner wear shows outline of teat Conventional pulsation does not change liner shape Left two liners used with CoPulsation tm, right liner used with conventional pulsation
Teat Study Before milking: 30 mm After milking: 25 mm Details published in International Dairy Topics 12
Teats not milk-wetted Teats wetted with milk during milking process contaminated with bacteria Since the milking machine is one of the best washing machine ever built, the teats are bathed with milk during the milking process. Dr. Andy Johnson, 2000 NMC Annual Meeting CoPulsation does not wash the teat in milk Glooved hand applied to teat just after machine removal no milk present on teat
Improved Teat End Health Teat end condition improved as pinching is eliminated Teat canal health also improved as scar tissue no longer created Cow teat with conventional Same teat with CoPulsation 8 weeks later
SCC Reduced SCC reduced as animals are consistently milked out each milking Bacteria not forced up teat canal Teat canal healthy and closes after milking
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 H e rd Avera g e Increased Production Production and butterfat increase with full milkout Empty udder keeps animal at peak production longer Highest butterfat in last milk removed 23500 23000 22500 22000 21500 21000 20500 20000 C o P u ls a tio n In s ta lle d M o n th s C o n v e n tio n a l R e -in s ta lle d Production data: GEA to CoPulsation to GEA 800 cow herd: within two months production increased 2.2kg and butterfat increased.3% yielding increased revenue of $8000US per month Goat herd consisting of 54 goats: 40600kg in 2010, 50430kg in 2011 providing a 20% increase
Additional Herd Production Data
Pounds, Milk Pounds, Milk Milk Flow Rate teat damage and irritation 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 damage and liner crawl 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 0.66 1.33 2 2.66 3.33 4 4.66 5.33 6 6.66 0 0.66 1.33 2 2.66 3.33 4 4.66 5.33 Time, Minutes Conventional 11.7 kg yield Time, Minutes CoPulsation tm Milking System 12.3 kg yield CoPulsation provides a sustained peak let down. Liner crawl and liner squall eliminated as cows milk quickly in comfort. 18
Cull Rate Reduced Cull rate reduced with fewer mastitis infections Udders remain healthy Cow remains healthy 25 20 15 10 5 0 Cull Rate System Installed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Months Avg. Cull Rate Period Avg. Data for 400 cow herd switching to CoPulsation Monthly cull rate data
Scientific Evidence University study (Journal of Dairy Science) 16:1 reduction in new Staph aureus infections Study duration (1 year) too short to evaluate environmental mastitis, more time required to improve teat canal health Multi-year side-by-side study (Int l Dairy Topics) Small commercial herd University based data SCC levels reduced 75% with CoPulsation tm Overall mastitis levels reduced 50% with CoPulsation tm Contagious mastitis virtually eliminated with CoPulsation tm Teat condition study (Int l Dairy Topics) No teat swelling caused by CoPulsation tm Milk flow study (Int l Dairy Topics) Peak flow rate maintained for about 2/3 of milking duration to only about 1/3 of duration for conventional Milking time about 10% to 20% faster with CoPulsation tm 20
Performance benefits Compressive liner action massages teat for a gentle, pain free milking No teat swelling, no canal damage, no milk wetting of teat Eliminates teat end pinching by liner, prevents reverse milking action by not forcing bacteria through the teat canal Calm cows, no liner crawl/squall Milk flow fully stops during rest phase allowing tissue around the teat canal to rest No teat canal damage, canals close quickly No milk back flow Prevents bacteria contamination of teat Teats dry when machine is removed Efficient milk let down Longer duration at peak let down Quick completion of milk out works well with auto-detachers 21
CoPulsation Milking System Pulsators Electronics Shells Liners Splitter Tees Parlor Style Pipeline Style
Installations
Cows milked with CoPulsation tm Even udders that remain high and not dropped down 24
Goats Milked with CoPulsation tm Goats milk quickly, no stepping, no pulling down on cluster SCC reduced, less than 500,000 all year achievable Increased production, less dumped milk 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 SCC 2010 SCC 2011 600 400 200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2010: GEA 2011: CoPulsation tm Milking System
Questions to ask How will you cut antibiotic use by 50% in two years? How will you increase the average life of a dairy cow by 2 lactations by 2020? How will you prevent udder and teat damage? 26
Summary Consider two conclusions: Mastitis is a symptom of management (Utrecht Mastitis Conference 2011) Mastitis is a result of a failure to provide the cow with the proper milking environment Given the information provided, which conclusion best supports the evidence and experience on dairy farms? The dairy industry has taken the path of blaming management for 50 years and still mastitis is the most expensive problem on the dairy farms 27
CoPulsation tm Milking System Improves udder health of dairy herd in an animal friendly manner Making quality milk a priority! 28
References 1. Machine Milking, Irish Veterinary Journal, Volume 56, January 2003, author: Dr Eddie O Callaghan, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland 2. Effect of liner design, pulsator setting, and vacuum level on bovine teat tissue changes, Irish Veterinary Journal, Volume 57, May 2004 3. Fluid Dairy Product Quality, Boor, Journal Dairy Science 84:1-11 4. See CoPulsation.com website and click on Mastitis Conference Information & Research 30
Conventional milking machines proven to cause problems Teat damage & teat swelling Irish studies show conventional milking systems cause teat swelling and physical damage (references 1, 2) One in four teat canals remain open during the dry period per Randy Dingwell, Atlantic Vet. College Teats wetted with milk and bacteria Since the milking machine is one of the best washing machine ever built, the teats are bathed with milk during the milking process. Dr. Andy Johnson, NMC meeting 2000 More mastitis since converting from simultaneous to alternating pulsation (USDA replacement data) Teat ends pinched during liner closure (Dr. Forbes) Pushes bacteria up teat canal 31
Studies Proving Problems R. Dingwell teat ends do not close Teagasc teat swelling, canal damage U of Wash., Fox Staph aureus spread G. Mein flow rate slow down Forbes reverse milk action U. MI increase mastitis, lameness w/robot Udder dissection video 32