Computerised feeding boosts milk, cuts costs on Newtownards farm (1980)

Mr John Rankin was pioneering computerised milk production in the Province on his 120-acre farm at Crossnamuckley.

And he simply said the press button system of controlling the feed concentrates for the individual cows his dairy herd “works”.

It had been installed two months previously by Alfa Laval, a Swedish firm with a United Kingdom subsidiary, and was based on the principle that feeding stock “little and often” would boosts milk production.

“My milk yield is up 25 per cent, but I would not say that this is entirely due to the new feeding system,” said Mr Rankin.

“There are other factors. I have three or four more cattle today compared with last year, and a number of stock calved earlier.”

He hoped that within five years the system would have paid for itself in a more economic use of concentrate feeding for it took “the guess work out of deciding how much each animal gets”.

He added that the saving could be immense in view of the accuracy of the system.

“If there is a weak link in it, it's the human element,” remarked Mr Rankin.

Sitting behind the control keyboard in his office, “the nerve centre of the operation”. He tilted his tweed hat and said: “It’s so simple a child could operate it.”

Self-taught, he had left school at 15, turning down a Greenmount scholarship to help his ailing father on what was then a mixed farm with 20-30 Friesian cows, pigs, poultry, early potatoes and barley.

When his father died in 1962 John took firm hold of the reins and in the next 18 years built up the dairy herd of Friesians to be one of the best known in Northern Ireland.

He looked up at three silicon chip panels attached to the wall above his desk and said: “One would need to have a knowledge of electronics to go into farming today. It has become highly specialised and competitive.”

He tapped the keys on the keyboard which controlled the herd's daily consumption of concentrates. At a touch of a button the total daily consumption showed up on an illuminated processor, while a print out of the cows’ diet gave the exact amount the animals had eaten compared to what they had been allocated.

A large shed where the cow were kept five months of the year – “until there is ample grass” – was like a major experiment into the extent of livestock’s ability to learn.

Meanwhile, a miniature transmitter on a collar around the cow's neck had a special code which transmitted a signal to the computer and monitored the allocated daily ration to each animal.

The transformer was electronically activated when the cow puts its head into one of the five feed dispensing units in the house. Then down came its reward – a quantity of concentrate.

“I was surprised how quick the cows caught on,” said Mr Rankin.

Each cow had its individual daily ration based on its milk yield and on calving. Only a limited amount of feed was available in each visit to the station – “little and often” – on a 24 hour basis.

Experts said that each cow can attained her maximum potential milk yield, provided she was fed with concentrate in small portions and at frequent intervals and that her intake was combined with good quality roughage.

When a cow didn’t not eat her full programmed feed the balance was credited to her in the system. The computer showed how the eating habits varied – “some of the stock visit the feeding stations 24 times a day and night, while others make a visited 10 to 15 times in the 24 hours”.

The controlled system prevented overfeeding and enabled a given amount of milk to be produced with a small portion of concentrate.

“I examined a number of different systems when I decided to switch from the method I had been using of giving the cows concentrates twice daily in the milking parlour, and finally I settled on this one,” said Mr Rankin.

“I wanted to get the maximum production from the herd and at the same time to streamline efficiency.” he added.

“The scientific approach could have meant about a 10 per cent efficiency in the use of the concentrate.

“It is too early yet to be definite,” he said.

“This is a low cost production farm feeding 17 cwt of concentrate per cow for 1,100 gallons of milk,” continued Mr Rankin.

In addition to the concentrate there was an unlimited supply of silage for the cattle in the shed.

The system showed up immediately cattle which became clinically ill, because a loss of appetite was registered. The early warning had already paid dividends for Mr Rankin. He remarked that it may have saved the life of a cow worth £250 for when he spotted an appreciable drop in its food consumption he called in a vet. Quick treatment led to a speedy recovery.

“I'm looking forward to extending the function on the the computer to include the automatic recording of each cow's milk yield and the weight of each cow,” he said. At that time it was done manually.