How completely should we aim to empty cows’ udders at milking time?

• Milk most cows as completely as possible, within a reasonable time, at every milking. This implies a maximum ACR threshold setting of 400 mL/min for herds milked once or twice daily. • Milk all cows out as evenly as possible. Why? Because uneven milk-out contributes to uneven distribution of milk yield between quarters, leading to less uniform udder conformation which, in turn, reduces the ease and efficiency of machine milking. • Don’t wait around for slow cows to finish milking. Instead, remove clusters from slow-milking cows based on their expected Maximum Milk-Out Time (see MMOT Quicknote on CowTime website: www.cowtime.com.au). A simplified version of MMOT could be applied at the 10-15% level in herringbone dairies. In a 10-a-side, for example, advise farmers not to wait around for the last cow; in a 20-a-side, don’t wait for the last 2 or maybe 3 cows, etc. In rotaries, select a platform rotation time and apply a strict policy that ‘no cow goes around twice unless there is a specific reason’.