The milking machine and mastitis

MILKING machines are used more than most other pieces of equipment on the farm and are responsible for generating the majority of the dairy farmer's income. They are also the most frequently neglected. This article describes the basic principles of machine milking and how it can affect the incidence of mastitis. The milking machine is unique as it is the only piece of equipment that harvests food from a living animal on a regular basis. Milk should be extracted from the udder rapidly, with minimal risk to udder health. The process involves applying reduced pressure, or vacuum, to the teat. At milking time, the oxytocin-induced milk let-down reflex increases the intramammary pressure, and this aids milk removal. A constant preset teat-end vacuum level should be maintained throughout the various load changes of milking. The pulsation system maintains the blood circulation to the teat. The basic principles of machine milking are identical in all milking systems, from the bucket plant through to rotary parlours. In order to understand how the milking machine operates, it is necessary to know how the components fit into the system; when locating each component in a milking parlour, it is advisable to work back from the vacuum pump to avoid confusion.