People

Chinese farm bounces back after earthquake, with VMS

When a severe earthquake hit south China, Mr. Yang Fangguo knew he had to help his community. With water and food in short supply, he began offering free, fresh milk. But Mr. Yang couldn’t have made his generous gesture without DeLaval’s help and the voluntary milking system, VMS, equipment the company donated to his Yong Feng Yuan farm.

“DeLaval didn’t just offer us the equipment, but also shared the technology to help us manage the dairy farm in the best way,” says Mr. Yang. “It really helped us to re-build confidence and believe in a bright future again.”

Luxury and sustainability hallmarks of UK VMS farm

When the Kneller brothers decided to install a DeLaval voluntary milking system, VMS, at their Middle Burrow Farm in the UK’s Devonshire countryside, they didn’t just build a new barn. They built a luxury home for cows.

Brothers Chris, Mike and Keith built the barn themselves planning it with Johan ter Weele and Steve Sefton from DeLaval. Walls can be raised and lowered to control temperature, lights work automatically and all of the features are aimed at making cows at the farm as contented as possible.

As Mike Kneller notes, the happier the cows are, the more milk they produce. And the increased yield comes at a lower cost. After installing the initial two VMS units in 2009, the brothers are now installing a third system and their milking yield has increased.

Read the complete articles in the Tetra Laval annual report (pdf)