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Farm/dairy name: Vannulo Farm
Owner: Antonio Palmieri
No of buffalo: 600
Milking system: Double-5 Tandem
Number of milkings per day: Two
“We choose DeLaval because they are the leading company in milking machines and our farm is a leader in buffalo milking and mozzarella production.”
Antonio Palmieri is a third generation farmer and his farm, which has been in the family for 75 years, was named after the local village. “I like buffalo farming because I like following in my father's and grandfather’s footsteps.”
Mr Palmieri started milking with DeLaval equipment 35 years ago and says he chose a tandem parlour because buffaloes are nervous animals. “In a tandem parlour the animals are separated but in a Herringbone they touch each other and that can make them more nervous.”
“A long time ago we decided to use a DeLaval parlour. We have a Double-5 tandem parlour with milk meters and automatic detachers. I use this equipment to check each buffalo during milking and get a good milk-out result.”
Vannulo Farm currently has 300 buffalo in lactation. “Every week we have the milk quality checked for bacteria count and somatic cell count (SCC) at a private laboratory. They also check protein and fat percentages.” The farm currently has 9 percent fat and 4.7 percent protein. The SCC is below 300,000 and the bacteria count is around 20,000. Mr Palmieri attributes the low bacteria count to using direct milk cooling.
The farm is organic and Antonio says that because of this, he needs an official count from the laboratories to keep everything in order. He adds however that he is “very much aware of the benefits of the DeLaval DCC”.
The herd averages 270 days of lactation, with first calving at 2.5 years and each buffalo “averages 2000 litres of milk per year over all lactations”. A buffalo's average pregnancy is 10.5 months.
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“We produce all corn and barley silage on our farm – which is about a 200 hectare area. We buy some grain from outside the farm but this is special grain for use on an organic farm.”
“We use the buffaloes’ slurry to fertilise the farm and a little chemical from a special organic product range.”
Vannulo Farm has now begun expanding to sell male calf meat. It also boasts an on-site shop that sells yoghurt, ice-cream, cheese and other products from buffalo milk. “So far I have been giving away the calves but next year I will start with buffalo meat because I have a shop where I can sell it.”
The herd has a 10 to 15 percent replacement rate and the average lifespan is around 13 years. A consultant veterinarian is responsible for sanitation and feeding issues on the farm.
Vannulo Farm uses DeLaval comfort mats in the bedding area and prioritises giving the herd access to water around the clock. Antonio recently introduced the DeLaval cow brush. He says Vannulo Farm was the first farm in Italy to use the cow brush for buffaloes and he is grateful that he did so because his animals enjoy it. “The buffaloes like to have the brush moving on their shoulders and head. They have quickly learned to use the DeLaval cow brush and they treat this equipment well.”
“I get DeLaval to check the milking machinery every three months and I have very few problems. I like to change the liners and milk tubes every six months to avoid problems and be sure that milk quality is maintained.”
“Next year I want to use DeLaval VMS on this farm.” Antonio believes his buffaloes will acclimatise to robotic milking quicker than cows. He adds that it would be “a mistake if DeLaval does not create a VMS for buffaloes because I don’t want to be forced to go to a competitor”.
“The future is good on this farm as long as we continue to produce good quality mozzarella.”
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