“The tours are designed to show producers the options when considering a change to their own operation,” said Sybil Birmingham, Tour Coordinator. “Whether their looking to upgrade, redesign, or even start anew, the tour enables farmers to make informed decisions that will help them improve their business.”
VMS Freedom to Choose Tour, September 13-17, 2011
September’s VMS Freedom to Choose Tour embarked from Toronto, Canada and took producers to see seven dairy farms operating robotically with DeLaval Voluntary Milking System (VMS) stations. The visits gave producers insight into the many aspects of automated milking, such as barn planning, cow traffic and comfort, and herd management.
Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, Dairy Management Advisor for DeLaval VMS, was on hand to answer herd concerns during the Pre-Planning Seminar and tour.
“Before producers can make decisions about their dairy facilities and barn layouts, they must find a solution that fits well with their management style,” Rodriguez commented. “The VMS Freedom to Choose tour isn’t just about automated milking but rather it’s one part of the discovery process to help producers identify what will or won’t work for them.”
The tour group also visited the Canada Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario. As a major sponsor of the show’s Dairy Innovation Centre, visitors witnessed a DeLaval VMS station working side-by-side a competitor’s robotic milker.
World Dairy Expo Tour, October 3-5, 2011
In October, a new group of dairy producer’s joined the World Dairy Expo Tour to see four progressive dairies all with very different milking facilities. The group visited operations featuring the following DeLaval milking solutions: VMS, Heavy Duty Herringbone, Twin 80-Stall Rotaries and a Cascade Parallel parlor.
Touring producers also spent one day at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., where the state-of-the-art DeLaval Automatic Milking Rotary was on display at the company’s award winning booth.
Upcoming 2012 Profound Productivity Tours
Next year’s tour schedule begins January 16 with a VMS Freedom to Choose Tour in the US. The two-day tour starts in Madison, Wis., and will visit seven VMS farms. The DeLaval World Ag Expo Tour, February 15-19, will spend one day at the agricultural trade show in Tulare, Calif., and visit dairy farms milking from 3,500 to 10,000 cows using a wide variety of DeLaval milking and herd management solutions.
To learn more about upcoming tours, visit www.profoundproductivity.com or contact Sybil Birmingham at (816) 891-1688or sybil.birmingham@delaval.com.
For high resolution pictures, click here.
Every day millions of dairy animals are milked, fed and maintained by DeLaval solutions in more than 100 countries worldwide – and DeLaval meets with over 10 000 milk producers on their farms. DeLaval has over 125 years of innovation and experience in the dairy business, supporting dairy farmers in managing their farms their way. Our Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative is contributing to the production of more quality food, for more people, with less impact on the environment. Our Smart Farming strategy aims at influencing and shaping the future of dairy farming today. The goal is to accelerate the transition from milking management to global farm profitability management by harnessing emerging decision tools and automation technologies for better quality milk and profits.
DeLaval is a company of the Tetra Laval Group. For more information please, contact Gunilla Hjalmarson, PR Manager at DeLaval International gunilla.hjalmarson@delaval.com / +46 8 530 662 26. For more information on solutions in North America, please contact Elizabeth Gibson, Integrated Marketing Specialist, at DeLaval North America elizabeth.gibson@delaval.com / +1 847 393 6766.
