Andrew Gillespie had wanted protection for his 650-strong dairy herd for some time and had been weighing up the options for rubber matting. Now, looking back, he said, “it’s one of those things you could regret not doing sooner.”
Recent advice from his vet had backed the move. “Quite simply, we were getting too many lame cows,” said Andrew. “All with the same foot where they were twisting on the concrete floor. The vet confirmed we should be looking at matting.”
In a position where he could make the investment, Andrew took the time with further research of the options. He was drawn to the quality of the source material for the Kura. The long-lasting nature of the matting was important as, “we needed it to stand the test of time.”
“It really has improved cow flow – they’re practically running across it.”
- Andrew Gillespie
He also decided to use the matting right up to the wall. “While it was probably more than we needed to get by, this approach has cut out the no-mans land and made the whole area more functional,” he said
While a dry winter has meant less overall lameness since the matting installation the result has been nonetheless impressive. “We now wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Numat to other farms,” said Andrew.
“It took the cows a day or two to get used to it – the noise was different and obviously the sensation was different too,” said Andrew. “But once that happened we are seeing that it really has improved cow flow – they’re practically running across it.”
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Kura Rubber Mats Saved His Farm
Wayne says KuraMat on his feedpads saved his farm. The wettest Waikato winter in 30 years meant he had to standoff his cows for a solid month. The result? He came through it with no cow losses, no pasture damage and no worries while others in the region without similar matting really suffered.
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Increased stand-off time with Kura matting
Bryce Anderton was faced with a number of lame cows when he first moved farms. When he moved a second time he was determined history wouldn’t repeat. That meant making quality rotary and stand-off matting a top priority.
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An End to Sore Feet in the Yard
“Sore feet” is the straightforward answer given by Gordon David when asked the reasons behind his purchase of new matting for his 300-strong dairy herd.