How an Air Compressor Can Help You Improve Profits on Your Small Dairy Farm

If you're a dairy farmer looking to grow your small, low-profit farm into a bigger enterprise that brings in more money, one of the most useful tools you can add to your arsenal is an air compressor. Here are three ways air compressors can help you minimise costs and maximise your business bank balance.

They Can Power Milking Systems

Do you still milk your cows by hand? If not, perhaps you use a semi-automatic machine that still requires some manpower to function. If so, it could be time to switch to a milking machine powered by compressed air. These systems use air compressors to vacuum extract milk from cows without the need for any manual labour, which can help boost your profits in a number of ways. First of all, it'll help you save money on labour costs, reducing your overall expenditure. But more importantly, compressed air milking systems allow you to milk cows more often, get a higher yield per cow, and produce consistent milk every time. You'll be able to sell more milk, and its higher quality will demand higher prices.

They Can Be Used to Herd Cows

Another way to reduce your spend on farmhand labour is to herd your cows automatically. Air compressors can be a big help with herding because they can be used to power pneumatic gates and chutes. The compressor safely uses air pressure to open and close the gates automatically at regular times throughout the day, sending cows in for milking without the need for farmer oversight. These gates can also be used to separate cows and get them back into their stalls so you and your workers can spend more time on marketing and management.

They Can Reduce Maintenance Costs

Aside from paying workers, one area where small dairy farmers spend a lot of money is maintenance. Everything from vehicle repairs to barn upgrades can be costly if you have to pay a maintenance company to handle them. However, if you have an air compressor, you or your farmhands can take care of a lot of these jobs yourself to drastically bring down expenditure and boost your overall profits. For example, compressed air can be used to keep tractor and trailer tyres inflated or to power a nail gun or staple gun when you need to fix stalls and fences. If you spend a lot on cleaning, an air-powered jet wash could become your new best friend. Air compressors can even be used to quickly spray paint a whole barn or cover a large area with pesticides.

For more information on Kaeser air compressors, contact your local compressor dealer today!