what our clients say
TESTIMONIALS
We provide more choice with more models to choose from, so customers can tell us what they want and we make it happen. In today’s economy it is important to help farmers see how much they can get for their money and to be most profitable.
CORNELIUS &
JOHNNY MULLER
In Junie 2021 het ons boerdery die Aficollars aangekoop en die Afimilk sisteem laat installeer deur Pieter Terblanche, bestuurder van Waikato George wat ‘n kenner is op die gebied is. Ons is baie tevrede met die stelsel.
Die ongelooflike voordele wat reeds opgetel word sluit in dat ons melkproduksie verhoog, koeie bly in produksie, siek koeie en koeie wat op hitte is kan dadelik geïdentifiseer word en daar word ook geen hittes gemis nie.
Ons sal dit aanbeveel vir enige melkboer wat hou van tegnologie en wat sy melkery seepglad wil laat loop. Die voordele spreek vanself.
DEAN BIGGS
We use Afimilk Management system intensely to manage our herd. Afimilk has helped us to make critical decisions at the right time to the maximum benefit of our cows as well as our bottom line. Being able to look at each individual cow against the whole herd has helped us to improve immensely on our cow performance and has truly increased our profit per cow.
We are proud to be part of the Dairy Junction team and it has played a vital role in our dairy farming success.
We have been able to benchmark ourselves against all the top performing herds in our area as well as nationally. This has helped us to identify areas that need attention and has allowed us to put emphasis to them.
Having 24-hour assistance from a team of experts gives us peace of mind and enables us to focus on other farming matters around the farm.
AfiFarm is truly the heart of our successful dairy operation!
ROSS STRATFORD
The move from swing-over to rotary comes with a few advantages that we saw were crucial for adding value to our business. Firstly, the improved option to feed cows efficiently with the variable feeding-rate; secondly, the ease of management in the parlour and thirdly, the easier handling of the animals. This will hopefully add value in the long term to create a superior end product, happier staff and healthier animals. After some extensive research we found the Waikato/Rockwood combination of running costs are by far the most favourable. The Rockwood platform was our preferred choice due to it’s simplicity and Waikato has always been a supportive partner in our business therefore choosing them was non-negotiable.
Pieter Loubser
We recently decided to change our heavy stainless steel claws to the Waikato 320 Milking Claw with the new Milkrite Interpuls shells and vented IP4 triangular liners.
The light weight of the claw is a big advantage for us, our staff find it much easier to handle and we also reduced our teat slip in the parlour dramatically.
We milk 3 breeds on our farm including jerseys with fairly small teats. The cluster and liner combination milk our entire herd very effectively.
The low costs and maintenance on these clusters are also a major benefit to us.
I am no cluster expert but I can say that when you install these clusters and liners on your farm you will be pleasantly surprised!
Niel & Charl Wilke and Davie Henderson
Op 1 Oktober 2021 het die grondwerk vir ons nuwe melkstal begin en die projek moes op ‘n fyn beplande tydlyn bestuur word, aangesien ons op 1 April 2022 moes begin melk. As gevolg van die bouers se sluiting Desember en Januarie was daar minder as 5 maande om die projek te voltooi.
Weens uitstekende beplanning en samewerking tussen Louie van Waikato SA en Guy van Northfield Engineering het elke party sy rol verstaan en die werk het stiptelik tot voltooiing verloop.
Finansieel het ons ook op skedule gebly – ons het presies verstaan wie wat teen wanneer gaan benodig. Die enkele klippe in die pad, soos invoer en logistieke uitdagings, is vinnig deur Louie van Waikato SA uit die weg geruim. Alles is op tyd klaar gemaak sodat ons op 28 Maart alreeds die masjiene kon aansit om te begin melk!
Die deeglikheid, stiptelikheid, netheid en goeie gesindheid van almal tydens die projek was ‘n riem onder die hart. Ek sal enige voornemende kliënt en boer aanraai om Waikato SA en Northfield Engineering te gebruik vir hul volgende projek. Wat ‘n voorreg en plesier om saam met so ‘n goeie span te kon werk!
NINA SLABBER
Ek het AfiCollars aangeskaf aangesien navorsing en ontwikkeling nou in hierdie rigting beweeg.
Die AfiCollar se akkurate hitte waarneming het reeds positiewe verandering vir ons kudde gebring. Die plaas se dragtigheidskoers is goed, maar te danke aan AfiCollars het dit met nog 15% geklim.
Ons het ook gesien dat die koeie se reaksie op steekvlieë, nie die hitte waarneming beïnvloed, soos wat die geval was met ons pedometers nie. Weer eens meer akkurate hitte waarneming.
Ons gebruik Afi se optimale KI- venster periode om ons CIDR-koeie op presies die regte tyd te KI (hulle het nie almal die instruksies gelees nie). Dit het ons besettingspersentasie verhoog.
AfiCollars wys ook afwykings op koeie se normale siklusse uit wat dit vir die bestuur maklik maak om die koeie uit te keer, te behandel en weer dragtig te kry.
AfiCollar kon sekere spysverteringsprobleme betyds optel vir ons om te behandel. Die “Group digestion” verslag help om te sien of voer geredelik beskikbaar is en of ons voer aanpassings die gewenste effek op ons koeie het.
Ek hoop dat meer boere die AfiCollar begin gebruik, wat meer insig sal bring om beter boerdery besluite te neem.
BRENDEN OLIVIER
Brendan Olivier is verantwoordelik vir die vooruitgang van Just Milk se Greenside A stal in die Tsitsikamma.
Ons het onlangs ons kloustukke omgeskakel na Waikato se 320 kloustukke en speen hulse toe.
Die beweegrede was dat die kloustukke wat ons gehad het net té duur was om te onderhou. Die toestand van die kloustukke het ons koeie se welstand benadeel en ons stal se somatiese sel telling was eenvoudig te hoog. Ons gebruik Waikato kloustukke in baie van die Just Milk stalle en is tevrede met die positiewe resultate wat dit lewer.
By Greenside A vind ons dat ons koeie nou vinniger uitmelk. Dit kan toegeskryf word aan die manier waarop die Waikato kloustuk ontwerp is. Ons melkers sê ook dat die kloustukke maklik hanteer.
Die feit dat die Waikato kloustuk geen bewegende dele het nie, is ‘n groot plus punt en dis verseker die regte opsie vir ons.
Om koeie wat gemaklik en ontspanne is, effektief te kan melk klink te goed om waar te wees, maar dit is ‘n werklikheid wat ons elke dag in die stal ervaar.
Pieter Loubser &
Jeanine Van Zyl Londt
Heat observation is now being done with AfiCollars and has far exceeded our expectations. The impact on herd health has also been an improvement of note. Being able to treat a cow based on rumination and eating has given us a big advantage. We can now proactively treat cows before her milk starts to decrease making the treatment more effective and thus preventing a milk loss.
The implementation of the AfiCollars has been one of our greatest investments to date. The data required for effective decision making is now made available by Afifarm and is already making a positive impact on our herd here at Fair Cape Dairies.
Prior to the AfiCollars we reacted on ‘drop in milk’ to detect a sick cow. With the AfiCollars we can proactively treat the cow by monitoring the eating time and the rumination. Now we react before the cow gets too sick and we manage to save her in time without too much loss in production. The saving on milk production and medication is hugely noticeable.
The amount of positive PD’s, 30 days after insemination had increased drastically as well as the number of AI’s spiked due to the advanced heat observation, this was due to the catch up from introducing the AfiCollars. Now we identify heats much sooner so there is not such an increased spike.
Janine is busy so the fact that it is one integrated program makes it easier and more efficient for her daily tasks. All the information is available on one screen allowing you see all the data together.
ANDREW MORPHEW
Our dairy parlour manager was going to be off site for a few weeks, so we decided to ask Afi Aftercare to train our staff on the Afi 5.4 program. This would enable us to keep all activities and data up to date on our Afi system despite his absence. We also use AfiCollars on our herd, and convert the data into actions on a daily basis.
The training empowered and uplifted our staff and created a sense of responsibility. The training reiterates what they are doing and why they are doing it. It also keeps track of who entered data or took action and it has given them confidence to use the Afi system to its full capacity.
Previously, they had to wait for the manager to report a sick animal or a cow on heat. Now they go onto the system, report the change and initiate an action to get the cow sorted out.
Any dairy that has staff who are eager to learn, will benefit from the training. Knowledge gives them insight, purpose and a better understanding of what they are doing.
HAYDEN STOKES
Two of AfiCollar’s biggest highlights are that animals that are on heat are pointed out every time, as are cows that have underlying diseases.
Sick animals are easily identified if we look at eating and rumination time; the moment they deviate from the norm, we are able to sort them. Not once was the sorting unnecessary and treatment could begin immediately.
The combined information from the collars and milk meters together gives us 100% certainty of what is going on with every single cow.
The AfiCollar even picks up the “quiet heat” of cows – something easily missed. They are AI’d timeously and we get the best production from the cow.
AfiCollar simply improves our cows’ production, health and effective lifespan – is this not what we all strive for?