“We see upgradability as a major customer benefit. Our goal is that VMS farmers don’t have to buy a brand new station to get the best of the system,” said DeLaval Vice President Business Area Capital Goods Andrew Turner.
“Over the last decade my two robots have operated nearly 100,000 hours, which equals 47 years if working five days a week, eight hours a day[i]. Without VMS I would not be milking today,” Walter Kessler said. "What DeLaval is supplying, the possibility of upgrading my stations to incorporate the latest in milking automation, provides yet a new degree of accuracy for making financial decisions. I’m as excited now to be a frontrunner in trying out the new technology as I was 10 years ago.”
New smart features and even more cost savings and flexibility make the latest system, VMS 2011, even better. Thanks to updated DelPro software and the touch screen, VMS 2011 allows farmers to instantly see an overview of their herds as well as track performance data, including individual cows' locations in the barn. “Upgradability, system integration, herd management, on farm analysis and serviceability are key to our customers. VMS is an investment in automation which works immediately and can always be kept up to date,” Andrew Turner said.
With VMS, farmers can check milk quality automatically and weed out any that doesn't meet standards. VMS 2011 also provides the highest hygiene levels, through individual teat washing and disinfection, helping to ensure milk quality and healthier cows. VMS uses less water, detergents and energy[ii]. As a result, the system significantly cuts operating costs and helps farmers reduce the environmental impact of their operations.
“For DeLaval customers like Walter Kessler the important things in life are family, health and lifestyle. Our aim is to help them meet those down to earth goals with the most efficient technology to add even more flexibility to their daily work, drive a profitable business, and help them improve animal welfare and on farm sustainability,” Andrew Turner added.
The VMS stations on Canada’s Willkess Farm have also benefited from a new DeLaval online cell counter OCC, a smart tool available exclusively for VMS customers. OCC allows dairy farmers to completely eliminate guesswork from herd management because the system provides the accurate amount of cell count in each milking.
“It is our children’s decision if they have an interest in dairy farming as well as if they choose to take over, and, if they do, in which new systems they will invest in. But updating the VMS allows us to continue to milk for another 10 years and await the next generation’s decision,” Walter Kessler concluded.
[i] Data provided by Walter Kessler. Corresponds to April 10 2001 – February 28 2011
[ii] According to a study by the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, VMS is one of the top automatic milking systems in the world when it comes to energy efficiency.
Click here to download high resolution images of the DeLaval voluntary milking system VMS, of Walter Kessler and wife Franziska Kessler and of the Willkess Farm.
Willkess Farm facts and figures:
500 acres
350 cultivateed
plus 1150 wooded
180 head / 100 milking cows
20 acres / wheat for straw in feed
20 acres soya
130 acres corn - 30 acres corn corn silage- 100 acres high moisture
80 acres Alfafa Haylage
