A decision to change the dairy should be based on a genuine need for improved infrastructure. It should be financially viable and support the achievement of the farm’s goals.
Generally, a change in the milk harvesting system cannot be assessed in isolation from the rest of the farm business. A major upgrade or a new dairy is not 'just a shed' but has implications for the whole farm system.


Ask yourself - is it time for an upgrade?
The motivation for undertaking a major change may come from a number of sources such as:
- Current system may be working well but may be too small to cope with future goals i.e. milking more cows, employing more or less labour.
- Current system may not be working well i.e. the milker is idle or flat out, dairy is too cramped, or it takes too long to milk. In this case it is possible that the extra capacity released by the increased efficiency of a new set up could be used to help generate funds to pay for the investment.
- Sometimes the motivation for change may be a combination of both - for example, milking may be taking too long and extra income may be needed to cover increasing expenses.
Other reasons for seeking changes include the desire to improve the working environment to get benefits like:
- Reduced OSH risks.
- Improved attitudes to the milking job and farming in general.
- More time to spend on management tasks or being able to attract (and keep) high calibre staff to take over the day-to-day operational tasks.