Milk spoilage is the number one insurance claim for dairy farmers over the summer period and with this summer set to be a hot one, now’s the time to start preparing.
Milk spoilage is the number one insurance claim for dairy farmers over the summer period and with this summer set to be a hot one, now’s the time to start preparing.
Broadly speaking NIWA says summer temperatures are expected to be above average for New Zealand.
“Given this, we just wanted to give farmers a heads up to think about checking your chillers now. Over a quarter of milk claims are due to chiller failure, and we see a lot of these in December and January when early summer milk production is still high,” says FMG’s Head of Client Strategy & Advice Jason Rolfe.
The combination of near full vats and higher air temperatures means chillers have to work a lot harder.
“We suggest making sure milk coolers are working correctly and that milk is entering the vat at the required temperature. If milk enters the vat at a higher temperature, the chiller has to work a lot harder to bring the milk temperature down, placing it under increased workload - it's a job better performed by the right cooler system,” says Jason.
Another option is to look at insulating the milk vat. This protects it from heat gain and increases the refrigeration capacity by 20 per cent, chilling the milk faster and using up to 40 per cent less energy to do so.
“We see about five claims coming in each day for chiller failure and we know that it’s a hassle farmers could do without, especially during this peak season,” says Rolfe.
For more advice and information visit www.fmg.co.nz or call us on 0800 366 466.
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