When Debby and Frank Hargeerds took over the dairy farm Ålgårdsholm near Bylderup-Bov in southern Denmark in early 2018, it quickly became clear that the existing milking setup was holding the farm back. Three worn-out milking robots were costly to maintain and had a negative impact on both milk yield and udder health.
Today, the robots have been replaced with a new 2x14 DairyMaster Swing Over milking parlour – and the results are clear.
Worn-out robots caused low yield and poor udder health
The farm’s three DeLaval milking robots were already 13 years old when the Hargeerds family took over the operation.
“Everything else about the farm was exactly what we were looking for – except the robots,” says Debby Hargeerds.
Maintenance costs were high, breakdowns frequent and alarms often went off during the night. The herd of around 215 Holstein cows was only milked an average of 2.1 times per day.
“At the same time, somatic cell counts were as high as 735,000. That simply wasn’t sustainable,” explains Frank Hargeerds.
The decision was therefore made to move away from robotic milking and install a milking parlour instead.
Choosing a DairyMaster Swing Over solution
After reviewing several options, the choice fell on a 2x14 DairyMaster Swing Over milking parlour supplied by Dairy Systems Danmark. The three used robots were sold to Milcotec.
“We did look at other brands, but DairyMaster stood out. We had heard many positive things about the system beforehand,” says Frank Hargeerds.
The new milking parlour was put into operation on 18 April 2019 and has been running smoothly since.
Separate milk line for fresh milk
The milking parlour is equipped with an extra milk line for fresh milk. From a separate tank, this milk is pumped into a milk taxi and used for calf feeding.
The transition from robots to parlour milking required some adjustment for the cows, particularly because they no longer receive concentrate during milking.
“That took a bit of getting used to,” Frank Hargeerds explains.
Rapid improvements in yield and udder health
When the new milking parlour was introduced, average production was around 9,000 kg ECM per cow per year. Since then, performance has improved steadily.
“Today, we are at around 10,500 kg ECM, and production is still increasing,” says Frank Hargeerds.
At the same time, somatic cell counts have dropped dramatically – from 735,000 to just 120,000.
A milking system designed for efficiency
According to Frank Hargeerds, the DairyMaster system plays a key role in the improved results.
“All four teat cups milk simultaneously, which results in faster milking. In addition, the clusters are rinsed after each cow. That combination contributes to the low cell count and good udder health,” he explains.
Each milking session now takes around two hours, plus preparation and cleaning. Two people are always present in the parlour to fully utilise the system’s capacity.
From the Netherlands to southern Denmark
Debby and Frank Hargeerds, both aged 41, moved from the Netherlands to Denmark when they took over Ålgårdsholm in 2018. In the Netherlands, they previously operated a smaller dairy farm with 60 cows and 14 hectares of land.
“We wanted a larger operation, but that is very expensive in the Netherlands. Denmark offered better opportunities,” says Debby Hargeerds.
In addition to the 215 milking cows, the herd includes approximately 185 young animals. The farm is currently expanding towards its full capacity of 250 cows.
The agricultural land covers 195 hectares, growing grass, maize and spring barley. Fifteen hectares are leased to a local potato grower. Debby and Frank handle all fieldwork themselves, except slurry spreading and forage harvesting, while two full-time employees assist with milking.
Considering replacing worn-out milking robots with a reliable milking parlour solution?
Contact Milcotec to learn more about DairyMaster milking parlours and solutions tailored to your farm.
🚜 Machines
Gerth Petersen – 📱 +45 20258260 – ✉️ gerth@milcotec.com
🔧 Spare parts
Anne Lang Krogh – 📱 +45 23354095 – ✉️ anne@milcotec.com
