I am often asked, “How can I get more cows through my parlor?” This is a very common question, as the economics of dairying are getting tougher. Another huge issue facing dairymen is that labor to milk cows is harder to find, and the labor is coming at a premium price.

I am often asked: How do I know if a dairy producer has any restrictions in their milking path? Would it make any difference if they did? Some of the farms posing these questions are getting 100 pounds of milk on average with a low somatic cell count.

Have you ever asked yourself or been asked the age-old question: Does the milking hose diameter really affect the way cows milk out, or does it improve parlor efficiency?

First and foremost, dairies need to understand what restrictions there are in the milking parlor. A restriction is anything that impairs or constricts the milk path from the cow to the milk pipeline. This could be anything in the milk path.