Five generations. Five brothers. Five families.
One dream - Faull Farms.
The SuperShed is the result of five
generations of farming and a long-held
dream of Faull Farms to create a milking plant operation that would meet the need for the high producing. economically and environmentally sustainable dairy farming operation.
One Man and His Dog
Not surprisingly Faull Farms was highly motivated to find a solution to the nightmare of four hour milking, twice a day by three people and some very concerned dogs. For three years they worked alongside Kodedesign, Dairymaster and Intelact and tapped into local expertise, experience and and a fair bit of Kiwi ingenuity - emerging triumphantly with a plan for one man (carefully overseeen by a very experienced dog) to oversee the entire operation.
It works like this
The SuperShed is a 60 bail rotary operation from Dairymaster in Ireland. The one person operation design includes the stainless steel construction from platform and surrounds, two separate driving systems with variable drive units, safety gates with full rail and shed wide safety provisions, twin 100mm stainless milk lines with jetstreams for dual supply
(main milk and colostrum and animal milk rearing production) touch control milk diversion, pulsation line with electronic pulsators and loop stainless wash line with aqua jets. Impressive? You bet. Even better - it works.
The ultimate in oversight
Video cameras are able to capture every aspect of operation, allowing real time status, oversight and security by both the plant operator, and remotely by management.
It also allows representatives from the national and international dairy industry to view the operation in the theatre and conference room.
Welcome to our place
Faull Farms are delighted to welcome you here and are very keen to make sure you leave in the same condition you arrived so they ask that you don't smoke or touch any of the machinery, equipment, or animals. While their animals are used to people they can get frightened when they are continually being touched or approached... much as you would if there was a steady stream of strangers passing through your lounge at home.
Clean, green and enviromentally friendly
With any dairy operation there are cows, and with cows there is effluent - and a lot of it. The SuperShed Dairy takes care of this through a two pond anaerobic effluent processing system, which is a technical term for recycling it onto pastures through smart hydrants. That way the waterways stay clean and the pastures stay green. The SuperShed is nothing if not frighteningly efficient. Washing and hygiene is paramount to producing quality, safe milk. This is taken care of within the Dairymaster system from rotating wash booms and teat spraying to the heat extraction via exchange systems from the milk prior to it going into the refrigerated vat. Down in the yard they are pumping 70,000 litres of water through in a flood system to maximise cleaning capability and minimise labour.
Viewing theatre and conference room
Getting up close and personal with the operation of
The SuperShed is possible through the floor to ceiling
glass doors, a facility much appreciated by industry
specialists, tourists and students.
It's a superb place for conferences if you can just get them to pay attention to you and not the fascinating and everchanging view through the windows.
It's only rock and roll but we like it.
Well sometimes it's Bach and sometimes The Beatles, with a bit of Bruce Springsteen in between, anything to keep the cow relaxed, happy and producing... and the staff too of course.
