Technology shines at Bath & West Showground's Dairy Show

The show, held at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset, attracted more than 300 trade stands and more than 6,000 visitors. 

It covered a range of essential and innovative equipment needed on dairy farms - from newborn calves to peak-production cows. 

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Herd health 

The Synergy Vet team and Ceva Animal Health were both on hand during the show to talk about animal health. 

The Synergy team helped producers identify what health and management challenges may be curbing their herd’s full potential. They also talked about their in-person and online training that covers topics such as calf rearing, DIY artificial insemination, calving, and safe use of veterinary medicines.

Ceva Animal Health were raising awareness of Q fever and the realities of infection on UK dairy farms. Studies have shown that about 30% of the national herd could be suffering active disease, and in bulk milk tank tests of symptomatic herds, 47% are testing positive, said the firm’s Gill Ainge.

Youngstock 

M&A Calf Systems were at the show talking about new technologies that can help to free up labour, so farmers can focus on maximising health, welfare and productiviity. One thing Paul Wisden at the company mentioned is the Forster Technik Vario Smart Feeder, which automates calf feeding and links to a phone app. He also mentioned using a mobile milk pasteuriser to help reduce the risk of disease transfer. 

Feeding 

Also at the show was Boumatic’s Butler Gold robotic feed pusher following its launch earlier this year. The electric robot, guided by magnets set in the floor, has an unusual augur system which fluffs up the forage when moving it, making for a more attractive and palatable ration, said the firm’s Gareth Jones. It will run for up to 12 hours in 24, and push up 400m of feed face before recharging.

Housing and infrastructure 

Both Dairylight and Shield Agriculture were at the show to showcase technology that can help upgrade where your cows live. 

Roger Craig, from Shield Agriculture, talked about their amonia-reduction flooring - Kraiburg ProfiKura 3D rubber matting and the ProfiDrain. 

Ola Baalack at Dairylight said that cows should have have 200 lux during daytime hours, of white light with a blue spectrum, with eight hours of red lighting during the night. Around 70% of Dairylight’s installations are retrofits to existing buildings, with 30% going into new builds. 

Milking systems 

For those weighing up their options for parlour upgrades, the show had a comprehensive line-up of milking system suppliers. ADF Milking demonstrated its automatic dipping and flushing system designed to improve milking efficacy and maximise teat care, while Milk Tech NZ catered for the parlour upgrades and extensions.

Condition and mobility scoring 

CattleEye has developed autonomous livestock monitoring technology, based on a low-cost security camera, to improve farm efficiencies. The system, mounted at the parlour exit, already monitors cow mobility and lameness, and has now been upgraded to include body condition scoring.