The Grunthal area dairy owned by David and Charles Wiens was recognized as Grand Champion of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba’s Milk Quality awards.

The farm is the first robotic dairy in the province to win such high honours and achieved an average somatic cell count (SCC) of under 57,000. 

In the spring of 2022 Skyline Dairy upgraded its operation to four DeLaval VMS V300 units moving from the VMS Classic robots they had been using since 2008.

David Wiens says they have a continual focus on the details and improvements needed for the cows, from their diet, to comfort and environment.

Skyline Dairy’s herdsman Doug Priest says building an excellent farm reputation required a multi-pronged approach.

"We began with reducing mastitis treatment, and as that got better, so did our [milk] quality. We also switched our standard operating procedures to include pre-and post-dip rather than just post-dip and saw sustained improvements. Plus, a new bedding system of finer straw helped improve animal health and environment."

Lactanet, which analyses the milk quality of more than 8,000 farms in Canada, recognized top milk quality from multiple farms using DeLaval VMS robots in its latest reports featuring 2021 farm data. 

The report named Reutter Dairy also of Grunthal as having the best overall farm for SCC in Manitoba, they milk 450 cows with nine DeLaval VMS V300 robots and average an SCC of under 77,000.

Willswilkk Holsteins of Mill Bay, British Columbia, and Robella Holsteins of Balgonie, Saskatchewan, received recognition for best SCC in their respective provinces. 

Two of the top four robotic dairy farms for SCC in Alberta are VMS owners and operators Hulleman Farms and Fairville Farming Co. Ltd. 

The DeLaval VMS milking system allows for flexibility in dairy operations and helps ensure each cow is milked to her individual needs and capacity.