Jonathan Smith - Dairy Operations Consultant specialises in improving efficiency and performance on modern dairy farms.

The consultancy is led by a working dairy farmer and engineer with extensive experience in dairy systems, milking equipment and farm operations.

With a background in dairy farming and dairy engineering, the focus of this consultancy is on understanding how milking systems, labour structure and dairy infrastructure work together as a complete operating system.

Many dairy farms grow over time, but the systems that support the herd often evolve more slowly. This can lead to bottlenecks in areas such as parlour capacity, milking routines, labour efficiency and cow flow.

Through practical observations, system analysis and time-motion studies, the aim is to identify where improvements can be made to help farms operate more efficiently.

Areas of focus include:

• Milking parlour efficiency

• Parlour capacity and throughput

• Labour structure and milking routines

• Cow flow and yard design

• Planning for herd expansion

This work is grounded in practical experience from real dairy farms and an understanding of the engineering and operational systems that support them.

The aim is to help dairy farms maximise efficiency, improve labour utilisation and ensure their systems are prepared for future herd expansion.