CREAM OF THE CROP
THE STRIP OF BITUMEN leading to the Bannister Downs Dairy near Northcliffe, WA, passes between the feet of giant karri trees before opening to what appears to be typical dairying country. The paddocks, still thick with pasture thanks to the giving South West climate, reveal Holstein Friesian cows clustered beneath peppermint trees. But just a little further along lies something not so usual: a modern dairy complex hunkering on the landscape like a giant metallic crustacean.
The differences continue inside. Cows wander up to the shed of their own accord and line up for a turn on a rotating milking platform, massaged by a giant yellow brush as they wait. As each steps up, milking tubes are automatically and gently connected; the machine recognises each unique physiology and adapts accordingly. Sue Daubney points out that most cows are chewing
