"WINNERS of the 4th annual Archibull Prize were announced in Sydney today at the national awards ceremony for the world famous agriculture themed art and multimedia competition."
More about our win!
DEAR READER
No title available
we're not kids anymore.
One Nice Bug Per Day
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
ojovivo
noise dept.
YOU ARE THE REASON

@theartofmadeline

izzy's playlists!

shark vs the universe

No title available
trying on a metaphor

No title available

No title available
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda

Andulka
RMH

roma★

Janaina Medeiros

seen from United States
seen from T1

seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from T1

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
@hahsarchibull
"WINNERS of the 4th annual Archibull Prize were announced in Sydney today at the national awards ceremony for the world famous agriculture themed art and multimedia competition."
More about our win!
And the Grand National Champion Archibull 2014 goes to...
It was the day where we would find out where all our hard work would lie. Not only did the nervousness make us sweat, 40 degree Australian weather and wool blazers didn't help either. Interviews were both funny and difficult to grasp, but talking to others about Ni-Cow's story was truly amazing. We were finally able to show everyone Ni-Cows true meaning and symbolistic ideas of the agricultural dairy industry through the intricate details that images could not simply capture.
Although we were given professional name tags and freebies, it was not the only thing we came for. After looking at all the other cows, we knew it would be very difficult to choose the winner, however, we did it. WE WON NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION ARCHIBULL 2014!
In fact, we also won:
Highly Commended Blog
Highly Commended Multimedia Work
Best Artwork Region 2 (NSW)
Champion Region 2 (NSW)
People's Choice
Grand Champion 2014
Thank you to all those who supported our journey to the creation of this artwork! This was definitely an unexpected pleasing result!
Next up: Melbourne!
"It is with great excitement that we announce the finalists in the 2014 Archibull Prize. The judges decision is in and now it’s your turn to decide the People’s Choice!"
We did it! We made it into the FINALIST LIST! The hurdle now? Only 19 other schools of course... It'll be great if we could win, so remember to vote for "Hurlstone Agricultural High School"!
Ni-Cow will be proud
Hurlstone Agricultural High School
would like to thank the Archibull Prize dairy program sponsor for giving us the opportunity to participate!
Day 15 : Judging Day!
At last, the day to show off our cow was here! We explained to judge Lynne Strong the underlying messages and symbolism embedded within Ni-Cow, and truly expressed with our personal interpretation of the project. Our hard work was paid off, as shown through her reaction, and creating uddermost proud emotions between the team regarding our achievements. Has Ni-Cow impressed Ms Strong enough to become one of the finalists? Only time will tell...
“Ni Cow: A Journey along the Milk Road”
- Dairy Industry, Year 10 VA Minor
■ Theme: Economic Sustainability in the Dairy Industry.
The expansion of the export market into China and the significant impact and potential of that market on the growth of the Australian Dairy Industry is the basis of the artwork.
Concept: The sculpture examines the rich culture of China and the value and significance of Australian Dairy products to the people of China, while responding to the new market for Australian Dairy Farmers. In essence, our ties with China are strong. The Economic sustainability of the Australian Dairy Industry was our overriding area of investigation.
The milk cartons held by parachutes falling onto to back of the cow are reminiscent of humanitarian food drops. We have used this imagery to comment on the new export market being “aid” for both the Chinese people and the Australian Dairy Industry. The selling price of $9 per litre for the fresh milk in China, as compared to the $1 per litre here, is indicative of the value placed on the product in China and the viability of the market for Australian farmers.
The Australian product (both fresh and powdered) is seen as safe, contrasting the local milk products that have been at the centre of health scares where a large number of people fell ill and died. The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in China, involving milk and infant formula contaminated with melamine. By November 2008, China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, with six infants dying and an estimated 54,000 babies being hospitalized. In a separate incident four years before, watered-down milk had resulted in 13 infant deaths from malnutrition.
The lush green landscape images painted on the surface of both the parachutes and the milk cartons are representations of the open spaces and fertile ground that house the Australian dairy farms. These natural landscapes starkly contrast the contrived and stylised landscapes painted on the cow. This refers to the limited farm land in China, given the population of 1.35 billion people. The fresh milk that pours onto the cow’s body from the opened carton reflects the new aspect of the export market, that has until recently, centered around powdered milk. It also echoes the organic nature of the dairy industry.
The cow itself is painted in blue and white to echo the tradition of ceramics in China. This style is instantly recognizable as “Chinese” and creates a strong visual symbol for the country. The blue and white style, where porcelain is decorated with cobalt oxide, was developed in the 9th century. Production became much more prolific in the 14th century and the ceramic items were often traded. The “Willow Pattern design” that has been employed on the body of the cow is a style adapted from the traditional style for an English market in the 18th Century.
The patterns on the legs, head and tail enclose the traditional Chinese landscape scenes on the remainder of the cow. Ceramic ware also used this device as a framing tool. The surface of the cow represents the cultural heritage of China, but more importantly, references the long history of trade and exchange. The high gloss finish is reminiscent of the clear gloss glaze applied to the surface of the ceramic ware.
In contrast to the blue and white design on the cow is the udder. As the site of milk production, the udder is painted with the same Australian landscapes as the parachutes. This clarifies the concept of the origin of the milk being flown into China.
The link to trade is further explored in the construction of the board on which the cow stands. The board is painted red which is a symbol of luck. Further to this, red is customarily the colour of monetary gift envelopes exchanged by family on special occasions, thus, alluding to finance and goodwill.
This board is literally and symbolically the foundation of the sculpture. The curved path through the centre of the board is the “Milk Road”. This is a pun on the “Silk Road” – a trade and cultural transmission route that linked east and west. The Silk Road extended for more than 4000kms and was named after the lucrative trade in silk.
The path is created from powdered milk. Powdered milk is the foundation of the trade between Australian Dairy Farmers and China. The cow stands securely on this path. The teapots, which we associate with china and abundance (all the tea in china), are brimming and overflowing with powdered milk as the demand for this product in China seems to be insatiable.
The milk road is lined with broken china. Not only do these pieces provide a visual link to the body of the cow, but the fragments symbolize the rich cultural traditions of China. In a perplexing contradiction, at the same time, these pieces are mass produced to fill a cheap export market. The quality has been compromised. These shards warn against the demise of quality for financial gain.
The fragments of china replace the lush green pastures of the Australian dairy farms; indicative of the limited land available to farmers and the large expanses of land that are densely populated. China has only 10% of the arable land in the world, yet feeds 20% of the world’s population.
In general, this is an optimistic artwork. It is a celebration of the Australian Dairy Industry and of Chinese culture. We are recognizing the significance and the potential of this new market.
■ Stylistic influences:
The Australian landscape paintings were influenced by a range of artists, including the Heidelberg school, where the uniqueness and scale of the Australian land has been expressed. The works of Elioth Gruner and Lloyd Rees as reflections on the beauty of the Australian land were also studied.
We looked at traditional Chinese painting as an influence on the style used for the cow’s body. Landscape painting is the most highly regarded genre in Chinese art. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guóhuà, meaning 'national' or 'native painting', as opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black or coloured ink. We employed this wash technique, where the paint was thinned with water, rather than mixed with white to create the lighter colours.
As mentioned earlier, the traditional blue and white ceramics of china is the strongest stylistic influence on the artwork.
■ What makes your Archibull unique:
Our Archibull “Ni Cow” is unique on a number of levels. The fact that we have identified an economic, rather than environmental sustainability focus may well set us apart. We chose this as our theme because of the exciting and contemporary nature of the topic.
As an artwork, the piece allowed students to engage with a real world issue and create a visual response to it. The cultural background of many of our students saw them also drawing on traditions from their own heritage in the creation of the work.
“Ni Cow” is also distinctive due to the intensity of the design elements and the concentrated employment of symbolic elements.
Our artwork is a true salute to two very diverse cultures.
It wasn't a cowtastrophe after all!
Alas the project is finished! With the addition of teapots, porcelain and parachutes, it looks better than ever. We're proud of our final project, proud of our hard work and proud of each other. It was a blast cooperating with the class, and brought us together more than ever. Now it was time for a free treat from the border's leftovers and a never ending amount some photos!
Mmmm, tastes like victory a sustainable dairy industry. Delicious
Perfecting every. single. detail. Teachers.
DAY 14: Holy Cow
It was now time to combine the forces, and together to form one!
There's no point crying over spilt milk...
Some last minute blogging won't hurt
DAY 13: Pain-ting...
The painting just never ends, but cleaning up and adding the finishes touches is necessary to this tiresome project. We're almoo-st there! (What we said two days ago...)
Some cool artistic photography
Theme 3: Health and Wellbeing of our animals
Dairy farmers follow strict food safety requirements that ensure the cows stay healthy and produce high-quality milk.
Each dairy cow is identified with a unique ear tag that helps the farmer to monitor her regularly. Farmers keep records for each cow, including feed information, health issues and medical treatments. Farmers identify sick cows, and cows are closely observed each day. Any change in their health and wellbeing is noted and they’re treated immediately. They also receive regular health checks and preventative treatments.
Routine care for cows includes:
inspections to check for complete recovery after giving birth
twice-daily observations during milking
comprehensive disease prevention treatments including vaccinations
participation in national disease-control programs.
Routine practices that reduce stress include:
allowing cows to remain in their natural social order when coming into the milking shed
providing an environment that respects normal cow behaviour and their responses to light, noise and smells
preventing injury to animals by keeping farm facilities such as laneways, fences, troughs and the milking shed in safe working order.
Looking after cows on the farm
To ensure the welfare of the herd, cows are checked daily. Everyday practices on farm include:
Improving Farmers are always adopting new and better ways to care for their cattle.
Assuring Daily checks are combined with quality assurance systems that are underpinned by law.
Valuing All cattle are cared for, protected and valued, as they are important to the business.
Nurturing Good nutrition and shelter ensure calves and cows are fit and strong.
Feeding Highly nutritious diets support good body condition.
Milking Daily milking allows regular inspection and early treatment.
Monitoring Measures of milk production and quality give instant feedback on cow health, nutrition and welfare.
Handling Correct handling creates a calm, low stress environment for cattle.
Health benefits of consuming serves of dairy products every day.
Milk, cheese and yoghurt provide calcium in a readily absorbable and convenient form. They also have various health benefits and are a good source of many nutrients, including calcium, protein, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and zinc.
Having enough milk, yogurt and cheese has a range of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis and obesity.
Milk, cheese and yogurt are naturally full of important nutrients such as calcium and protein. The unique package of vitamins and minerals they provide means these dairy foods have some pretty important health benefits!
The Australian Dietary Guidelines say that consumption of milk, cheese and yogurt is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer – some of the main causes of death in Australia. Dairy consumption is also associated with a healthy weight and has been shown to play an important role in sport and exercise performance.
Milk is one of the best drinks for re-hydration and refuelling after exercise. Its unique combination of whey and casein proteins is also important for muscle growth and repair – another plus for athletes of all levels.
According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, consumption of dairy foods is not linked to weight gain. In fact, for people looking to lose weight, research shows including three to four serves of dairy in a reduced-kilojoule diet can actually help accelerate weight loss, particularly from around the stomach.
Investigation and campaign
Infants
Regular-fat yogurt, cheese and custard can be introduced around the age of six months along with the introduction of other solid foods. Regular-fat dairy products provide the extra energy your baby needs for growth.
Milk should not be given as the main drink to infants under 12 months of age but small amounts can be used when making solid foods like cereals and custards for babies aged around six months. Regular-fat milk may be introduced as a drink at around 12 months of age and continued as your child gets older. Low-fat and reduced-fat milks are not recommended for children under the age of two years.
Therefore, a very small amount of dairy intake is recommended for infants.
Children
Depending on their age and gender, your child needs between one-and-a-half and three serves of dairy foods every day. This is because dairy foods are knows for providing calcium to help build strong bones, and bones grow rapidly during childhood.
Teens
Dairy foods are a great source of calcium. If you’re a teen, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend three-and-a-half serves every day. This is because teenage years are one of the most important times to build healthy bones to last a lifetime. A serve is 250ml milk, 200g yogurt or 40g of cheese.
Adults 19-50
The Australian dietary guidelines recommends at least 2.5 serves a day of milk, cheese, yogurt and/or alternatives for most adults aged 19-50. A serve from the dairy foods group is a cup (250ml) of milk, three-quarters of a cup (200g) yogurt, two slices (40g) of cheese, half a cup (120g) of ricotta cheese or alternatives.
Pregnancy
Having at least 2.5 serves of milk, cheese or yogurt every day will help ensure pregnant women get the calcium she and her baby needs for bone and teeth development. A serve is a cup (250ml) of milk, three-quarters of a cup (200g) yogurt or two slices (40g) of cheese.
Adults 50-70
If you’re a woman over the age of 50, four serves from the dairy foods group are recommended every day. If you’re a man aged 51-70, the recommended daily amount is two-and-a-half serves. A serve from the dairy foods group is a cup (250ml) of milk, three-quarters of a cup (200g) yogurt, two slices (40g) of cheese, half a cup (120g) of ricotta cheese or alternatives.
Seniors
If you’re a woman over the age of 70, four serves of the dairy foods group are recommended every day in order to prevent nutrient loss in bones and osteoporosis, which is most common at this age. If you’re a man over 70, the recommended daily amount is three-and-a-half serves. A serve from the dairy foods group is a cup (250ml) of milk, three-quarters of a cup (200g) yogurt, two slices (40g) of cheese, half a cup (120g) of ricotta cheese or alternatives.
Industry: Dairy
Cow to Carton by Neil Jain
Everyday in the world, we use a milk product, mostly without even realizing it. The mouth-watering caramel coated chocolate cake with a thin layer of cream you had for lunch uses milk as one of the ingredients. Cleopatra, the last Egyptian Queen even bathed in it.
The Cow
There are three main dairy cattle:
Jersey
Ayrshire
Friesian
Most dairy cows are milked twice a day; they spent 8 hours grazing, 8 hours sleeping and 8 hours chewing the cud.
The Dairy
Cows are milked twice a day, once during the morning (6am) and once during the afternoon (5pm). Cows are brought in from one side and are stationed near suction cups.
The operator pushes and pulls a lever which releases feed into trough. While the cows are eating, the operator places the four cups into each udder for extraction of milk.
After a few minutes, the operator cleans the udders and releases the cows back into the paddock where they are given fresh grass to eat.
On average, milking takes around 5 minutes per cow.
The Storage
Before the milk is sold to a milk company, it is kept as close to 4 Degrees Celsius as possible. To achieve this, milk is kept in a silo or a vat for a maximum of 48 hours to ensure freshness. During time, a truck from the milk company comes to collect the milk because if it goes past the 48 hours, the milk cannot be sold.
The Truck
A truck comes from a milk company every 24-48 hours. The driver always tests a sample of the milk for three main criteria -
Temperature -How close is to 4 Degrees Celsius?
Smell -Does it smell?
Colour -How white it is?
If the milk is approved, it is pumped into the truck and taken to the production plant. These trucks are highly insulated to maintain the temperature of the milk. There, all the milk from the different farms is pumped into the factory. In the factory, it is kept in vats and refrigerated before it is processed.
The Process
After transportation, the milk is -
Tested Again -Back on the farm, the driver took a sample. When the driver arrived at the factory, another sample was taken. These samples can be used to check the quality of insulation of a truck by comparing the two. The farm sample is checked again in a lab to ensure it is suitable for processing.
Pasteurized -This technique kills harmful bacteria by heating milk to a temperature between 63 to 72 Degrees Celsius and cooling it immediately. This method was invented French chemist, Louis Pasteur.
Homogenized -Milk is a mixture of fat and water. When left to stand, it will form a creamy layer. Homogenization is the process of breaking up the fat globules so it is evenly distributed and doesn’t form a creamy layer. Centrifuge can be used as a method and forcing the milk through a sieve is another.
More Processing
Here the milk can be cultured to form yoghurt or flavoured milk. Culturing yoghurt is a technique in which a small amount of yoghurt is used turn the milk into more yoghurt.
This is also the time where the shelf life is increased by heating the milk to a higher temperature. This process is called ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment. Milk bottles or cartons that have UHT written on them have been processed by this technique.
The Packaging
The milk is ready to be filled into bottles and delivered to shops where we customers can buy them.
From Cattle to Carton is a long journey. Hundreds of farmers dedicate their farm only to serve the community. Imagine a world without milk.
No ice-cream. No chocolate. No cakes.
Industry: Dairy
Our 6700 Aussie dairy farmers produce a total of 9.5 billion litres of milk a year. As one of Australia’s leading industry, dairy is a $13 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry. Due to our well established reputation the Australian Dairy Industry is trusted throughout, not only our nation, but worldwide.
Industry: Dairy
The Facts
An average cow can produce between 4,000 to 10,000 litres of milk each year depending on the breed.
An average Australian drinks 106.1 litres of milk each year. This means, one cow can provide enough milk for roughly 66 people each year.
Studies show that milk can prevent many forms of heart problems as well as reduce chances of cancer.
In South Australia, milk products outsell carbonated drinks like coke.
Theme 2 - Livelihoods on the Farm
The Dairy Industry is one of Australia’s largest contributors to Australian economy, worth billions of dollars in both export and national markets hence a crucial industry to Australian agriculture
Australian Dairy At A Glance (2012/13)
Australian dairy is a $13 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry. With a farmgate value alone of $4 billion, the Australian dairy industry enriches regional Australian communities.
Australia’s 6700 dairy farmers produce around 9.5 billion litres of milk a year. The Australian dairy industry directly employs 43,000 Australians on farms and in factories, while more than 100,000 Australians are indirectly employed in related service industries.
Farmers need a great deal of knowledge and training to have a successful career in the dairy industry. In fact, according to the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA), dairy farmers need over 170 different skillsto run a successful farm business.
Seasonal events like calving, which typically takes place in the spring, and crop planting and harvesting, are busy periods that dictate a lot of the other activities farm staff need to fit into each day. Once milking is finished, a farmer may also be busy with:
feeding livestock
sowing and fertilising pastures and forage crops
making hay and silage
working with animals, including calving and managing sick animals
working with machinery
irrigation and water management
milk quality assurance
fencing
planting trees for shelter and shade and to protect waterways
occupational health and safety
business and financial management
human resources, such as managing staff
going into town to buy supplies
attending agricultural shows and cattle sales.
Dairying is a vital part of the local community fabric, supporting a whole range of businesses off the farm, including feed suppliers, mechanics, equipment retailers, veterinarian services, schools and even sporting clubs and many others.
It is crucial for a farmer to be aware of how his farm stands in comparison to others’. The NSW Dairy Farm Monitor Project (DFMP) provides profitability and productivity data for a range of farms across New South Wales. It allows farmers to compare their performance against other farms, and identify areas for improvement.
Planning and budgeting is a crucial part of any business, and gives farmers control over expenditure on their farm. Farmers need to be able to:
manage their budget
calculate their pasture consumption
manage their balance sheet
manage their people costs
better understand their business performance and create an action plan
Video: Aerial shots of finished cow.
DAY 12 : Cow is almost done?
After 12 intensive hours, the cow is (unbelievably) almost done! With only details and minor areas to be added, "Ni-Cow" is looking stunning in it's blue and white 'tattoos', as called by team mates. We're almost there!
Next steps include:
Finishing details
Finishing Parachutes
Gluing parachutes
Placing it on the board
Finishing touches
And then all will be completed!
The parachutes are also coming together nicely!
Economic efficiency: Robotic Rotary
An example of new technology making its way into the dairy industry includes the robotic rotary, both efficient for farmers and economically sufficient.
The robotic rotary is a new technology that enables dairy farmers to milk their cows with only very limited human input as it automates most milking tasks, enabling the job to be performed as a background activity. This is made possible through laser tracking which locates the udder and a robotic arm which reaches out towards the udder with the milking cups and performs the suction action (with vacuum and pulsation).
This system was designed by DeLaval and FutureDairy, first commercially installed in the Dornauf family farm in northern Tasmania in early 2012. The DeLaval AMR was awarded the 2010 Eurotier Gold Medal for its new concept, importance of product for practise, animal welfare and impact on farm and labour management. The DeLaval AMR™ (Automatic Milking Rotary) can milk 50‐90 cows per hour. It also performs the functions of activating the washing system, changing filter socks and rubber-ware, attending to alarms, managing separate herd of cows when milk is not intended for the factory(e.g. antibiotic and colostrum cows) and monitoring individual cow performance.
Milking Methods
The Automatic Milking Rotary (AMR) supports two methods for milk production – voluntary milk and batch milking.
Voluntary milking involves the dairy cows coming on their own to be milked automatically. This requires no direct human input, however, good farm management is required to ensure that the cows volunteer for milking regularly to ensure milk yield is not reduced.
Batch milking involves the dairy farmer bringing in small groups of cows to be milked throughout the day. This requires the initial human input, but during the milking, the farmer can attend to other priorities.
Bringing all the cows to the AMR is inappropriate as the AMR rate of milking is 50-90 cows per hour which will result in long waiting times in the dairy considering that herds are usually above 300 cows.
Benefits
→ No physical labour: there is no input from the farmer to milk the cows as the robotic arms perform all the milking actions. Thereby improves the flexibility of working conditions/routines and enhanced associated lifestyle.
→ Milking consistency: the milk is consistent as it is not influenced by different people as they may place the suction cups for a different length of time which impacts on the quantity and quality of the milk.
→ Increased milking frequency: a three-times-per-day milking cycle reduces the stress on the udder and this increases the milk yield.
→ Herd Management: Computers can monitor individual cows and gather more accurate data collection, which can be used to examine the condition of the herd. The histories of individual cows can be recorded to identify any changes, which give an early indication of an illness.
Drawbacks
Despite this system’s efficient control, there are still some inputs required from the dairy farmer. These include: activating the washing system, attending to the problems and observing individual cow performance.
The major problem with this system is the initial installation cost –this should be offset by labour savings to be economically viable. With any piece of new technology, there is an increase in complexity with the new methods which increases the chance of a system failure and can lead to major delay in production if not fixed in time. The reduced contact between the farmer and the herd means that the farmer is unaware of any physical injuries and can cause infection and develop into major health problems.
AMR™ will also require high maintenance, and this increases maintenance costs.
The AMR in use
The cow enters through the opening door where they are positioned to be milked at a 30o angle. After this, the cows travel around the structure in a circle where they are milked (the cows stay stationary while the platform rotates).
Other Automatic Milking Systems
The AMR is the first automatic milking rotary system, but not the first automatic milking system (AMS). AMS are also known as single (or multi) boxes and are shaped like a booth.
Other AMS include: → DeLaval VMS (Sweden) → Galaxy Robot AMS (Denmark) → Lely Astronaut AMS (Netherlands) → Merlin AMS (UK) → Titan AMS (Germany)
The impact of innovation on the Australian dairy industry
In between 1980 and 2010, the Victorian dairy farms have increased profits by $10 billion as a result of a rise in on-farm production. Factors leading to the result are farmer and industry initiatives and also to on-farm uses, this lead to a rise of around $7.7 billion in farm profits. The dairy industry is a good investment as the return for investments in dairy are 330% or more, and will continue in the future also. Production is increased by improved pasture production, pasture utilization and feeding systems. Cow productivity has been increased by genetics and feed to product conversion efficiency.
As a result of technological advances in the dairy industry, pasture production, pasture utilization, supplementary feedinbg and cow efficiency have all been improved along with farm scales increasing. Animal health and natural resource management have also improved: cows have increased their milk yields by two times and the stocking rate has seen a 50% increase. In spite of challenging conditions, financial and climatic, farmers in Australia have been able to almost double their milk production.
In 1980, the milk production was 2 878 L/ha and in 2010, it was approximately 8 419 L/ha: a 192% increase. Victoria has seen a 200% increase in milk production, while pasture production, pasture utilization, supplementary feeding and cow efficiency have all been improved. Generally within Australia, animal health and natural resource management have escalated to a great extent.
Specifically, the Automatic Milking System (AMS) which was made available in the 1990s had a significant input into farm productivity. It lowered the time and labour required in daily milking, it allowed for larger scale commercial farms. Along with these benefits, it additionally made herd management easier and allowed for more frequent milking.
Similarly, artificial insemination (AI) technology developed significantly over the years. It is much more commercially available, allowing for less bull maintenance, in turn saving incomes. It enhanced selective breeding techniques and made record keeping a much more simple task.