Greenhalgh, Isobel J.Domigan, Ian R.Greig, Bruce J.Herud, G.2017-12-122012-05Greenhalgh, J., Domigan, I., Greig, B., & Herud, G. (2012). Pilot study of a Mobile Milking System: An investigation of its potential use in New Zealand. Lincoln, New Zealand: OneFarm: Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management. Retrieved from http://www.onefarm.ac.nz/research/mobile-milking-systemhttps://hdl.handle.net/10182/8848The purpose of this project was to investigate whether there was a place in the New Zealand dairy industry for a mobile milking system (MMS). In a mobile milking system a movable milking shed is taken to the cows instead of the cows being milked in a permanent centrally-sited milking shed. Such systems are used overseas. It was believed that there could be a niche market within New Zealand, but it was also recognised that there are special challenges associated with the use of such a system. The aim of the project was to garner the impressions of such a system from potential stakeholders within New Zealand, as well as the experiences and ideas from a wider dairying community. The project consisted of designing an information pack describing how the MMS operates and some of its possible uses, plus a comparative budget that proposed that a MMS system could return 14 per cent return on asset utilising leased land, while a “conventional” milking system, utilising owned land, returned 8.3 per cent for the targeted 200 herd size. The information pack is in Appendix A; the information it contains is not repeated in this report. This pack was then used to gain feedback regarding the following three areas: a) the perceived need for a mobile milking system; b) perceptions of its advantages, disadvantages and impacts; c) and the management issues that may arise from the use of such a system. Once the information pack was designed, five informants provided feedback on the pack prior to finalising and distributing 120 survey packs. An on-line survey was developed resulting in 66 responses. A further six interviews were carried out with farmers and regulatory bodies, including Fonterra, in order to gain greater in-depth knowledge of the issues surrounding the use of a Mobile Milking System.31en© Copyright in this publication (including text, graphics, logos and icons) is owned by or licensed to DairyNZ Incorporated. No person may in any form or by any means use, adapt, reproduce, store, distribute, print, display, perform, publish or create derivative works from any part of this publication or commercialise any information, products or services obtained from any part of this publication without the written consent of DairyNZ Incorporated.New Zealandmobile milkingdairyingfarmingdairy industryReportANZSRC::070107 Farming Systems ResearchANZSRC::070299 Animal Production not elsewhere classifiedANZSRC::070199 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management not elsewhere classified