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Dairy Farm Automation
Complete Dairy Farm Automation Solutions
Afimilk’s full automation and management solution is simple to use, comprehensive, and focused on farmers’ needs.
Inline milk lab combines Afimilk’s acclaimed milk meter and Afilab – a unique milk analyzer that evaluates milk components.
AfiAct II pedometers provide accurate heat detection, calving alerts, rest monitoring, and reliable animal ID in the parlor.
AfiFarm software interprets the data from all these tools to provide you with comprehensive and accessible information you can use to make smart decisions.
High-Quality Milk Sensors
- Afimilk has designed a unique set of milk sensors to monitor and record the most essential aspects of the milk yield – for every cow, during every milking session.
- Milk yield is accurately measured, for short-term detection of health problems, improved animal selection, and long-term genetic potential.
- Milk solids are analyzed with a focus on protein and fat components to effectively detect ketosis, nutritional issues and digestion-related health problems.
- Conductivity and lactose content are scanned with special attention; changes in these components accurately indicate mastitis.
Key Applications
Afimilk’s sensors do more than indicate which cows have dropped in milk production or show increased milk conductivity. Our research team has developed key applications that will dramatically change the way you manage treatments and improve outcomes, including:
- Early Ketosis detection – for improved treatment of fresh cows.
- Mastitis detection – treat mastitis early, preventing loss of valuable production and infection of other cows.
- Blood detection – prevent blood from entering the milk tank.
- Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA) – early detection allows you to treat the related group by adapting the feed regime.
- Feed monitoring – identify feed problems as soon as the next milking session. This is critical, since feed is the most costly expense for a farm.
- Genetic planning – only Afimilk’s In-Line Milk Lab provides a daily record of milk yield and milk components per cow, which is invaluable information for animal selection planning.
Labor Saving Tool
PRECISION MILKING
AfiFarm’s cutting-edge technology, raises the bar in milking efficiency. Use it to train and monitor the parlor team to optimize the milking process, improve udder health, and heighten milk productivity.
Animal Sorting
Bringing animals from the barn for treatment is a labor-intensive, stressful process. The AfiSort system automates animal sorting: generate, export and import sort lists; or, easily sort a specific animal in the parlor using a milk-meter keypad, rotary terminal touch screen, or your smartphone.
User Friendly Management Software
CONVENIENT DASHBOARD FOR AN EASY START
It is no secret that AfiFarm is the most comprehensive farm management solution available today. It combines sophisticated algorithms and flexible tools for user customization.
The AfiFarm ABC Dashboard makes managing the farm’s day-to-day operations effortless.
New users will quickly enjoy the dashboard’s intuitive interface. It displays reports and daily functions on the homepage screen, making real-time data accessible, always.
The information and actions you need, when and where you need them.
How it works
Exceptionally accurate device for milk yield and conductivity monitoring and recording
The ICAR approved Afimilk MPC Milk Meter provides full control over the milking process. Its state-of-the-art conductivity sensor is used for effective and early detection of mastitis, and to reduce the damage caused by udder disease.
Heavy Duty, Long Life Span, Flexible Setup
With proper maintenance Afimilk MPC will last in your parlor for many years:
- Modular device – suitable for installation in any type or brand of milking platform.
- Control panel – sealed unit designed to withstand the wet and challenging environment of milking parlors.
- Easy cleaning – requires minimal volume of cleaning water.
- Low-cost preventive maintenance – only requires annual replacement of rubber gaskets.
- Tubing – available in either 5/8” or 7/8” inlets.
- Accessories – an array of efficient and cost-efficient vacuum shut-off valves.
Milk Point Controller
The Afimilk MPC (Milk Point Controller), provides important features and alerts for milking operators:
- Quality milking – built to provide the necessary protection against damaging vacuum fluctuations
- Cluster removal – accurate, adjustable thresholds for automatic stoppage of milking when milk flow decreases; timed vacuum closure guarantees smooth release of cluster from udder.
- Pulsation – choose basic control to configure rates and ratios, or advanced flow-controlled pulsation to automatically adjust pulsation according to milk flow.
Afimilk MPC Control Panel
- Reject codes from AfiFfarm (colostrum/antibiotics/high SCC/blood) are used to block the milking and alert operators.
- Health code alerts may be set to indicate specific cows that require special attention or treatment.
- Animal data – cow number, milk weight and additional data displayed.
- Alerts – early kick-off, real-time mastitis detection, milking flow and vacuum fluctuations, cluster removal and pulsation.
- Software updates automatically – new software for the milk meter, via communication.
AfiLab Milk Analyzer to Track Components
The AfiLab milk analyzer is installed inline, at each milking point, to measure milk components – fat, protein, and lactose – from each cow. It captures vital information for early illness detection and genetic improvement.
What Milk Components Show Us
Feed Efficiency – AfiLab alerts you to feed problems
As feed is the most significant expense for dairy farms, optimized feed control is vital:
- Maintain optimal feed regimes.
- Identify effects of ration changes.
- Detect reduced feed quality.
Genetic Optimization
Accurate sensors automatically monitor the milk data at every milking (rather than monthly lab tests), delivering invaluable information for collecting supportive genetic data:
- Afimilk MPC ICAR approved milk meter – accurately records milk yield.
- AfiLab milk analyzer – track and record milk components – fat and protein.
The database stores the information for every cow, for each milking, every year.
Detection of critical health problems
Fact: No one knows your milk better than Afimilk.
Using the combined data of milk yield, conductivity, and milk components, we can detect diseases at the earliest stages: sub-clinical ketosis, sub-clinical mastitis, digestion problems, and more.
Mastitis Detection
Mastitis is one of the greatest cost drivers of cow health. Early detection is vital for effective treatment, and to prevent production loss and avoid cross-contamination to healthy animals.
Consequences of Mastitis:
- Reduced production,
- Late detection causes chronic damage,
- Difficult impregnation,
- Major reason for involuntary culling,
- Cost estimate: $130/year/cow.
The Afimilk solution, how does it work?
Afifarm consistently inform you of cows suspected as sick or with reduced milk production. It will also provide a list of cows with suspected mastitis.
The unique combination of Afimilk’s sensors, monitoring changes in milk yield, conductivity and lactose, is today’s most effective tool for routine mastitis detection. It helps identify more cows, earlier.
Ketosis — Early and Accurate Detection is Key
Ketosis or Negative Energy Balance (NEB) Defined
Fresh (post-calving) cows suffer from reduced appetite and weakness. When daily feed consumption does not meet energy needs, cows enter a state of negative energy balance, resulting in stress and increased level of ketone bodies in the blood (i.e. Ketosis).
Treatment can be very effective, but detecting ketosis is tricky. For example, detection kits may show inconsistent results when applied at different times of the day. Studies show that up to 75% of the ketosis cases go unnoticed (sub-clinical).
The Afimilk Solution
Afimilk excels at early detection of ketosis. Ketotic cows present increased levels of fat in their milk, and decreased levels of protein. AfiLab milk analyzer measures milk components and AfiFarm software identifies when fat-to-protein ratios surpass 1.4; a reliable indication of a ketotic cow. Milk is monitored three times daily for sensitive and accurate results.
- Ketosis damage: production impact, late pregnancies, negative selection (increased exit of high yielding cows).
- Prevalence: 25-40% of fresh cows.
- Damage cost estimate: $400 for ketotic cows; average of $100/year/cow.
SARA: Defined
Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA) is a temporary reduction of the rumen pH below desired values due to unbalanced feed. A low pH means poisonous gas in the rumen.
Unfortunately, no SARA detection kits are available, so farmers must look for symptoms – such as changes in manure color. However, by this point, the damage is irreversible.
Damages of SARA
- Indigestion (impact on production).
- Decreased fertility.
- Tendency to develop laminitis.
The AfiLab Solution
Using the AfiLab sensor, Afimilk monitors changes in fat components. Applied at the group level, it provides an accurate indication of SARA – encouraging early and effective treatment. Changes to feed should be investigated for groups displaying potential SARA symptoms.
Vital Knowhow in Every Drop - Maintain Top Quality Milk
Prevent loss of bulk milk
There is nothing more frustrating than having to throw away a whole tank due to a load of contaminated milk. Afimilk’s In-Line Milk Lab is your insurance policy for preventing bulk milk contamination:
- Colostrum – can be blocked from milking.
- Milk from a cow with antibiotic treatment – can be blocked from milking.
- Blood in the milk – can be detected by AfiLab to quickly stop milking.
AfiSort - A Better Way to Manage Your Animals
Fetching cows from their barn for treatment is an intensive task for farm staff and a stressful event for the entire group. The AfiSort system changes that by letting you automatically sort animals for a treatment plan.
Why AfiSort?
- Keep animals calm – avoid stressing your animals when you need to bring them from the barn.
- Labor savings – fewer people are needed to manage the animals.
- Flexible management – automate your schedule with one-by-one animal selection or the “sort now” feature.
- Solution for farms of all sizes – two-way sort, three-way sort, single or multiple.
- Sort and weight scale (optional) – integrated and cost effective.
Sorting with AfiSort, Easy as A-B-C
In addition to setting sorting routines in AfiFarm, you may apply a sort order for any cow from the parlor, office or mobile app.
Precision Milking – Save Labor, Improve Udder Health!
Afimilk MPC is a highly advanced milk meter which collects detailed, minute-by-minute data about cluster attachments, flow rates, milking curves, and milking times.
These data point, in turn, serve to assess parlor operation, procedures and milking efficiency. AfiFarm’s milking efficiency module can help you coach and monitor the parlor team and improve the way they are milking.
Besides measurement capabilities, the MPC optimally controls pulsation, stimulation, accurate cluster removal and milking time to:
- Aid in fresh cow follow-up to help you optimize the milk curve.
- Maintain a calm milking environment by alerting you to restless behavior, kick-offs, slow milk let-down and double attachments.
- Improve milking efficiency by monitoring milking times and flow rates to evaluate the quality of animal preparation for milking and milk let-down.
- Offer new pulsation and claw removal parameter options.