David Sheehy and his son Darragh are well-established dairy farmers in Baltimore, Co. Cork. David inherited Highacres farm with its 8-unit milking parlour from his father in 1997 and has since upgraded to a 10-unit milking parlour and operates it alongside his own company, Boveq Scanning Services. It provides ultrasound scanning, pregnancy diagnosis and other diagnostic scanning to over 17,000 cows a year throughout Cork.
THE CHALLENGE
Highacres farm milks around 60 Holstein Friesian cows with calving in Spring and Autumn. Between his busy farm and his thriving business, having a reliable supply of hot water was vital for effective cleaning as well as controlling the Total Bacteria Count (TBC).
However, the farm’s existing electric hot water heating unit was struggling to reach the required 85°C temperature and this was having a knock-on effect in terms of hot water storage and costs. With a 4,000 litre milk storage tank and an 8-unit West Falia milking parlour to look after, that was since upgraded to a 10-unit parlour, David badly needed a solution to his hot water dilemma.
THE FLOGAS SOLUTION
At the annual Millstreet National Dairy Show, David met Ian Barry, the Flogas sales representative for Cork and was introduced to the Flogas solution for dairy farms, which uses an LPG powered water heating system to product up to 12 litres of hot water at 37-85°C per minute.
The auto ignition system eliminates running and storage costs when idle, so the farm only pays for the hot water that is used. The Flogas water heating system would also prove ideal during calving season, as its precise temperature control meant that their milk could be heated up quickly and easily. After further research and a farm visit by Ian, he decided to go ahead and make the change.
SEAMLESS CHANGEOVER PROCESS
A Flogas LPG tank was installed near the milking parlour on a concrete base. A Flogas RGI registered installer connected the tank to the water heating system sited on the parlour wall alongside an indoor temperature control panel. The entire process took about a day with no disruption to the farm’s daily activities.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
Contact Flogas today to request a free Dairy Farm visit from your local Flogas representative:
flogas.ie/dairy
E dairy@flogas.ie
T 041 214 9600
BOVEQ SCANNING SERVICES
Alongside milking his 60-strong herd, David and Darragh run Boveq Scanning Services, providing ultrasound scanning, pregnancy diagnosis and other diagnostic scanning to over 17,000 cows a year throughout Cork. This includes checking for infections and cycling problems, with hot water being used to quickly wash down equipment after scanning.
RESULTS
Up to 12 litres of hot water at 85°C a minute
Unlimited supply of instant hot water, meaning there is no chance of running out
Temperature controls from 37°C – 85°C via an easy to use control panel
Hassle free installation with no disruption to day-to- day activities on the dairy farm
No hot water storage costs
