Milking Parlor Development...

Developing a remodeled parlor can be an exciting process. It can also become complicated and sometimes overwhelming, but it can be done by following the process step by step. Determining your likes and dislikes is the most important part of the process and will affect whether the resulting facility is something you love, or tolerate, or hate. The first step is to develop a list of business and personal goals. Use this list as a guide and follow it during the design process. When decisions need to be made, use this list to help decide if a particular decision accomplishes the goals listed.

Most families have specific personal and business goals they are trying to achieve with the decision to remodel a parlor and change the way they milk cows. Here are some common goals offered by farms that went through the planning and design process:

·         Improved health of  back, knees, and hips

·         Improved labor efficiency

·         Improved quality of  life

·         Improved milker safety

·         Improved profitability

            People use a variety of terms to describe the idea of building a low cost parlor. “New

Zealand” parlor, “swing” parlor, and “low cost” parlor are terms that have been used in the

popular press to describe what has been implemented on many farms. These terms are not

very accurate in describing what is possible in planning, designing, and constructing a

remodeled parlor.

            The term "New Zealand” parlor is a good example. New Zealand has all kinds of parlors, including herringbones, parallels, and rotaries. The "New Zealand" parlor term commonlyused by the media describes a parlor where the cows stand in a herringbone arrangement with a parking angle of around 70 degrees. The milking system uses a high or mid-high milk line over the operator area with one milking unit shared between two stalls. The milking unit is swung from one side of the parlor to the other and is attached to the udder from the rear. The“New Zealand “ parlor also describes a parlor that has a simple stall design, with the cows standing between a breast rail and a kick rail.

            Even the term “low cost” has some negative connotation. To some it may mean “cheap”. To others building a “low cost” parlor is a major goal of the farm and the achievement of that goal has allowed the farm to continue in the dairy industry. In many cases an existing structure such as the stanchion/tie stall barn is remodeled into a parlor to save the costs of a new shell and milkhouse.