- English
From an early age, Dorothee Derboven was working with cattle. Her parents knew the value of introducing the children to the animals on the farm and Dorothee was showing cows at fairs and local shows when only a child herself.
Being so active on the farm gave her a pride in the herd that is still as h4 today. Along with her sisters, Dorothee works on the family farm and runs a very successful dairy enterprise. She sees working closely with Dairymaster as a natural progression and knows that the relationship is crucial to the smooth running of her dairy business.
Dairymaster ticks all the boxes
Adding value to the raw product is the best way to increase profit margins. Dorothee’s sister runs a very successful cheese making business from the farm, which needs top quality milk. While looking to install a dairy system that suited their needs the Derboven sisters looked at many of the options available. Dairymaster ticked all the boxes.
“Naturally to achieve the best results, the milking system plays a crucial role in providing high-quality milk to the creamery,” Dorothee says, knowing that their Dairymaster dairy is key to the family getting the best from their cattle.
They installed a 20-unit Swiftflo Swing dairy with in-parlour feeding as they wanted to feed the cattle in situ. The sisters were delighted with the way a herd could be managed by the Dairymaster system and how the cows seem so much more relaxed than when being milked in other setups.
Cows don’t even notice they are being milked
Now their cows walk in quickly, taking their place to be milked and not wandering around, needing to be cajoled into place. In their old parlour slippage was a major problem and every dairy farmer knows how much slippage can cost in terms of udder health and time. With the Dairymaster cluster slippage is a thing of the past and milk return from each cow is up where it should be. Cows don’t even seem to notice that they are being milked and leave the bail as soon as the bailing is lifted, allowing a rapid exit and loading of the next row. The Auto-id and the Swiftflo Commander allows the milker to draft cows quickly and easily, without having to leave the parlour pit.
“It’s a very simple and easy way of milking cows,” says sister Anna-Lena, happy too with what they have chosen for the family farm.
Working with Dairymaster – a guarantee of success
The Derboven family is very happy with their Dairymaster dairy unit. Milking now takes far less time than ever before and overall care of the herd is easy to manage. By working closely with the Dairymaster team they have installed a dairy that will be with them for many years and that can grow according to their needs. This is vital in helping them get the most out of each cow and in producing milk of the highest standard for their business. The Dairymaster system gives the family time to work on what is best for the farm and that can only be good for all involved. Dorothee Derboven is seeing a return on her Dairymaster investment and knows the future is bright for the farm.
