Cattle Handling, Cattle Yards
The Rakaia River forks on its journey from the Canterbury plains to the ocean. Sandwiched between the two forks is Rakaia Island, a family-owned farming operation comprising 6 dairy farms, milking 5000 cows and running 2,500 young stock. The milking platform covers 3000 ha, plus there’s a drystock operation on a further 1,300 ha. One of the largest dairy operations in New Zealand, 40 staff tend to cows producing over 3.4 million kgMS annually.
Duncan Bridgeman is the Livestock & Cropping Manager, who recently installed a new Te Pari Cattle Yard and Lenta Crush. The cattle yard design was a joint project between Duncan, Luke Palmer from Tambo, and Te Pari. Together, we analysed the farm needs and then the Te Pari team created a 3D render of the new cattle yards. The whole process has been well-defined through experience and Te Pari led the new cattle yard design through from initial concept to construction. This can include site selection, all earthworks and concrete, as part of a full turnkey project.
For Duncan, the result is a cattle yard that makes the work more enjoyable. “Cow flow is good and we can use the yards efficiently with two people, with a high level of safety,” he says. Cattle enter the yard through a C-Force pen and into the race, where Duncan and his team dose the animals and they move into the Lenta Crush for pregnancy scanning. It’s an easy-flowing solution that’s appreciated by users; “The catwalk is great, with plenty of grip and plenty of space to move around.”
On the inside of the curved race, the catwalk also has the advantage of reducing the walking distance for staff while also making it easier for them to move more freely. It’s an efficiency gain for the farmer and helps keep the cattle calm as they naturally follow the curve and circle the handler.
Critically, all steel components are hot-dip galvanised after fabrication to eliminate corrosion. The farm is close to the coast and the Canterbury plains see the temperatures climb high during summer. It’s a climate that can accelerate corrosion in steel as the chemical reaction which causes the problem is accelerated in higher temperatures. If cattle yards are not hot dip galvanized after fabrication, any corrosion-weak points will soon be exposed by the dry summers and sea mist.
At Rakaia Island, once the cattle have gone through the race they enter the Te Pari Lenta MX2 Crush, where they are scanned with a EID reader and then drafted based on weights. “Being able to operate the drafting gates at the front of the crush, using the levers at the back of the crush, makes the job really easy.” says Duncan, who uses the wire ropes for drafting. It’s an easy-to-use solution that’s simple and maintenance-free.
Indeed, making handling cattle easy and efficient is exactly why the Lenta Crush has proven successful. The design was developed to make everything easier, quicker and more stress-free for both the animals and the farmer. So that’s exactly what it does. For example, the vet access gates at the rear of the crush provide easy access during artificial insemination.
“It’s really handy”, says Duncan. “As are the side gates, which are great for vet access and things like liver biopsies.” The Vet Access Model used at Rakaia Island Farm features a door on both sides for access through the crush. A foot-operated lever is used to open and close the vet lower door, which swings behind the animal. There is a Vetless Model crush available and if you’re only using the crush for weighing, it’s likely that is all you need. However, for Duncan, the Vet Access Model is a must and is appreciated by his team and the visiting vets.
The Lenta Crush has a number of options enabling the final crush to be adapted to suit the operation. This includes an offside drafting handle, sternum bar, and a straight yoke headbail attachment for calves which is great for calves. You can also add a weighing scale display pendant for easy viewing of the display and a QuickDose Backline Applicator if you use the Te Pari Revolution Dosing Gun.
Being able to configure the cattle yard and crush to suit certainly gets the thumbs up from Duncan, who is happy to state ‘I’d recommend Te Pari, their yard, their crush - they’ve all been great. Cattle flow through them really well and it makes our life super easy.”
Super easy. That’s the goal in two words for Te Pari products really. Actually, we’d add ‘long-lasting’ as there’s nothing easy about having to continually do maintenance and replace parts. With Te Pari that’s not an issue and every steel product comes with our class-leading 10-year galvanizing warranty. It’s precisely what you’d expect from livestock equipment made right here in New Zealand from first-grade Australian steel. So it’s exactly what you get.