At Øster Terp near Løgumkloster, dairy farmer Tage Lausten milks 430 cows in just five hours using a used Mobistar Swing Over milking parlour with 12 clusters. One employee handles the entire milking, and the system runs efficiently for up to 15 hours per day.
“Mobistar was inexpensive to purchase and works very well in everyday operation,” says Tage Lausten.
Milking large herds does not necessarily require expensive or highly complex equipment. Tage Lausten manages a total of 1,200 Holstein cows across two farms located five kilometres apart. Of these, 900 cows are housed at the main farm where he lives with his family, while the remaining 300 cows are kept at a second site.
At the home farm, half of the 900 cows are milked in a conventional 2x16 milking parlour. The other half are milked in the mobile Mobistar Swing Over parlour, which is installed outdoors between two large barn buildings. The 300 cows at the second farm are milked using four milking robots.
Replacing worn-out robots with a simple solution
Tage Lausten purchased the used Mobistar milking parlour from Milcotec two and a half years ago. The unit replaced six milking robots from 2002 that had become increasingly unreliable.
“The robots were worn out, alarms were frequent and somatic cell counts were far too high,” he explains.
Somatic cell counts among cows previously milked by the robots reached around 400,000. After switching to the Mobistar, counts at the home farm dropped to approximately 200,000.
In the long term, Tage Lausten plans to gather all cows at the main farm. Initially, the mobile Mobistar was intended as a temporary solution.
High capacity at low total cost
“Buying the mobile Mobistar was meant as a temporary setup until all cows could be brought together. Then we would decide whether to build one large permanent parlour,” says Tage Lausten.
Two and a half years later, there is no rush to change the current setup.
“When you look at the purchase and installation costs, the Mobistar performs extremely well in every respect,” he says.
One person milks approximately 430 cows in five hours. Milking takes place three times per day, meaning the parlour operates for around 15 hours daily. Well-organised cow flow ensures that capacity is utilised efficiently.
Technically simple and reliable
The Mobistar milking parlour is technically very simple, which contributes to its reliability and low maintenance costs.
“There is nothing to complain about in terms of operational reliability, and maintenance costs are modest,” explains Tage Lausten.
Because the system was inexpensive to purchase and install relative to its capacity, total costs remain low, even when factoring in depreciation and labour. Reduced electricity consumption compared to robotic milking further improves the overall economics.
Across the two farms, nine employees are involved in milking, cubicle cleaning and monitoring freshly calved cows.
Outdoor milking with fresh air
“When I milk myself, I actually prefer working in the Mobistar parlour. It’s outdoors with a roof that protects against rain, so you work in fresh air,” says Tage Lausten.
Freezing temperatures can occasionally pose challenges, but these are easy to manage. The system can be kept running during frost periods, or water can be drained from vulnerable areas.
Average production across the 1,200 Holstein cows currently stands at around 12,000 kg ECM. Yield has increased by several thousand kilograms since all parlour-milked cows began being milked three times per day instead of two. Feed rations also include a higher share of by-products.
Looking for a cost-efficient milking solution with high capacity and simple operation?
Contact Milcotec to learn more about used Mobistar milking parlours and flexible solutions for large dairy herds.
🚜 Machines
Gerth Petersen – 📱 +45 20258260 – ✉️ gerth@milcotec.com
🔧 Spare parts
Anne Lang Krogh – 📱 +45 23354095 – ✉️ anne@milcotec.com
