LIVESTOCK: Father and son team Norbert and Christian Tombergs run a high-output, 210-cow milking enterprise, and, not surprisingly, they are very diligent when it comes to dairy hygiene. They clean the area around their four robots twice a day, a task that is completed in double-quick time, courtesy of an impressive washing set-up.
Yes, you’re absolutely right: neither the areas with sensitive electronics nor the plant room where the milking robot is located should be cleaned to
the point that they are soaking with water. Despite the best efforts by robot makers, there is always a risk of the machine getting damaged. On the other hand, though, thorough cleaning is a prerequisite wherever milking takes place — to keep bacteria and other germs at bay before somatic cell counts and issues become big problems.
A temporary solution …
for eight years Our search for a farm that had developed the ideal cleaning set-up brought us to Kevelaer in the Lower Rhine region. Here the father and son team, Norbert and Christian Tombergs, farm 210 milkers plus followers with the help of two members of staff and a couple of apprentices. The two farmers say that the average annual yield is more than 12,500kg, while the lifetime average is more than 60,000kg. The main dairy barn was built in 2013 and is home to four milking robots
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