DairyMaster 2x18 Swing Over at Aarslevgaard

Milking robots did not work out at Aarslevgaard. Today, the farm’s 500 dairy cows are milked using a new DairyMaster 2x18 Swing Over milking parlour. According to farmer Jørn Friis Møller, the solution is simple, reliable and cost-efficient to operate and maintain.

“Milking simply has to work in everyday operations,” says Jørn Friis Møller, who has learned this the hard way.

Jørn Friis Møller represents the 14th generation at Aarslevgaard, located near Rødekro in southern Denmark. Since 2002, the herd has gradually expanded from 60 cows in tie stalls to 500 Holstein cows housed in modern free-stall barns.

Calf rearing up to three months of age has for years been outsourced to a neighbouring farm. The farm’s 150 hectares of land are managed by neighbours and a contractor, except for ploughing, which is handled by Jørn Friis Møller’s father.

Early expansion and the introduction of milking robots

In the years following 2002, the herd grew to 200 cows milked in a 2x10 herringbone parlour. When the herd expanded to 250 cows in 2007, two milking robots were installed to milk 110 cows on one side of the feed table.

Further expansion followed in 2008, creating space for up to 500 cows. Initially, around 120 cows were housed in one side of the new building, where two additional milking robots were installed. At this point, the herd had grown to approximately 360 cows, with 230 cows milked by four robots, while the remaining cows were still milked in the herringbone parlour.

However, the robotic milking setup did not prove successful at Aarslevgaard. By 2011, recurring technical issues began to affect milk quality.

“The production increase we expected from robotic milking never materialised. On top of that, many cows ended up being milked on only three teats,” explains Jørn Friis Møller.

Robots removed and mobile milking as a temporary solution

As a result, the decision was made to remove all four milking robots. This meant that all cows were once again milked in the herringbone parlour, which was expanded from 2x10 to 2x12 to increase capacity.

In 2012, another challenge arose: insufficient holding area capacity. To solve this, Jørn Friis Møller leased a MobiStar 2x12 Swing Over mobile milking parlour from Milcotec. The mobile unit was placed in the area previously occupied by the milking robots.

Around 100 cows were milked using the MobiStar, with each milking taking just over an hour. This setup remained in use for three and a half years.

Reaching 500 cows and the need for a permanent solution

In early 2016, the mobile milking parlour was removed to free up space, allowing the barns to be filled to full capacity. The herd reached 500 cows, all of which were milked in the 2x12 herringbone parlour — three times a day.

“We were milking three sessions of six hours each per day, plus cleaning. Technically, it worked, but it created too much unrest in the barn,” says Jørn Friis Møller.

In December 2017, the herringbone parlour was replaced with a brand-new DairyMaster 2x18 Swing Over milking parlour. The system was installed in the existing milking parlour building and fitted between milking sessions.

“Now we save up to one and a half hours per milking for two people. The DairyMaster system is simple, reliable and inexpensive to operate and maintain,” he explains.

Efficient milking and high milk quality

Each cluster is rinsed and air-dried after every cow. The system is designed so that each pulsator controls two clusters, providing simultaneous vacuum and massage on all four teats.

The DairyMaster milking parlour is equipped with advanced milk meters approved for official milk recording. Milk yield data is registered directly in the system’s management software.

“The system allows us to separate high cell count cows. We use the milk from these cows to feed calves, which helps us maintain high milk quality for the dairy. At the same time, we save around DKK 10,000 per month on milk replacer,” says Jørn Friis Møller.

An automatic selection gate has also been installed in connection with the milking parlour, making it easy to separate cows for insemination or veterinary treatment.