10 contenders vie for RABDF Livestock and Machinery Equipment Award
Ten finalists will battle it out to win the RABDF Livestock Machinery and Equipment Award at this year’s event.
Britmilk Coloquick colostrum management
Coloquick allows farmers to test the quality of colostrum in advance and freeze only the best-quality material.
The amount of antibodies in the colostrum is measured by a hand-held refractometer and then graded. This colostrum of known quality is then bagged and frozen. It is part of a system that includes a colostrum bag, a cartridge for storing and handling the bags, a water bath for thawing, filling station, teat/probe and refractometer.
Dairymaster Swiftflo Goat Rotary
With 100,000 dairy goats in the UK and some herds now numbering more than 2,000 individuals, milking parlours are having to become quicker and more effective.
Dairymaster’s Swiftflow Goat Rotary has its own robotic carriage that speeds up cluster attachment and allows the teat cups to be removed automatically.
The 60-unit rotary also gives good operator and goat comfort and the design uses shorter milking tubes that reduce maintenance costs and improve milking performance.
De Boer Housing dual chamber Isofit waterbed
De Boer Housing’s waterbed is claimed to be the only dual-chamber waterbed on the market. It has a front pocket and a back pocket with separate filling points that allow for adjustment according to the size and type of animal.
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The waterbed disperses the cows’ body heat through the water, cooling them down and avoiding overheating. It will always keep its rounded shape, says the company, and ensures urine and excess milk will run off.
Easyfix cubicle system
Easyfix’s new cubicle design uses a rubber loop to give cows more comfort and security, says the company, encouraging the cow to lie correctly and for longer periods.
The system uses flexible plastic tubes, a rubber neck rail bracket and a rubber loop instead of traditional rigid, metal cubicles. This gives more freedom of movement and helps to reduce injuries; it can also be retrofitted to existing sheds.
Butler Gold feeder
The Butler Gold robotic feeder is a self-propelled feed pusher that uses a rotating spiral auger to move the material gently towards the feed fence. It can travel up to 30 times a day along the feed fence.
Power comes from two 12v batteries, and a 10in screen on the top of the machine allows you to manage the system via a tablet or smartphone. It can be set up in any shed and simply follows a line of 4mm magnets set in the ground.
TMF Milk Feeders Temp Verified FeverTag
TMF’s temperature-detecting ear tag aims to give early detection of respiratory disease and alerts the stockman up to 72 hours before the animal shows signs of respiratory disease.
Once the cow or calf has had a high temperature for six hours, a light flashes on the tag to alert the farmer. If the temperature is still high it will continue flashing in the morning. Three-quarters of animals with flashing tags went to on to develop clinical signs of disease, says the company.
Wheelwash Agriwash
Wheelwash’s Rhino Agriwash Defender is an automatically-operated biosecurity vehicle wash that consists of ramps, a disinfecting deck/capture tray, side screens and a header tank with a disinfectant delivery-dosing pump.
Disinfectant is delivered under high pressure and targeted at the tyres and underbody of all vehicles, cutting the spread of contamination and disease.
Wilson Agri Cowcoon hybrid cow stall
Wilson Agri’s Cowcoon cubicle is designed to maximise cow comfort, increase lying times and milk yields as well as reducing swelling, injuries and lameness.
Improvements have been made to the design in the past three years.
Heatwave milk warmer
The Heatwave Milkwarmer feeds up to 30 calves or 50 lambs and can use milk powder or whole milk.
A heat exchanger allows a bulk reservoir of cold milk to be heated just before being delivered to the teat, allowing the calf/lamb to have access to warm milk several times a day.
Zero Grazer ZG100
Zero Grazer’s ZG100 allows users to quickly provide 56cu m of fresh grass for cows.
A 2.45m mower cuts the grass, moves it up into the forage box and takes it back to the cows. It is ideal for farmers with fragmented land, says the company.
The winners will be announced at 6pm on the first day of the event at the RABDF stand BM171.
The RABDF Prince Philip Award 2015For research and development in the field of dairy farming, awarded for the most practical, relevant and best-presented technical exhibit/demonstration at Livestock Event 2015. |
|
Exhibitor |
Entry |
Boehringer Ingelheim |
Bovela – making History in BVD Control |
Britmilk |
ColoQuick Colostrum Management System |
Cogent Breeding |
Precision Reproductive Solutions |
Dairy Quality Technology |
DQT RT10 |
Dairy Spares |
Moover Orthopaedic Cow Shoes |
Dairymaster |
MooMonitor+ |
De Boer Housing Systems |
AGRILED pro 32 LED Light Fixture |
Devenish Nutrition |
Mag12 |
EasyFix |
EasyFix Cubicle System with Rubber Loop |
ECOHOOF |
Blue Clay Shoes |
MooCall Sensors |
MooCall Calving Sensor |
Northern Engineering |
Cow Tipper – New model with joystick hydraulic controls |
Virbac |
Flexibag and Farmpack |