Michael Vosper saves labour and improves udder health with GEA's AI-driven teat sprayer.

Dedicated to producing high-quality organic milk, Michael Vosper installed GEA’s iSPRAY-VISION walkover teat sprayer to enhance udder health and streamline operations on his 250-cow organic farm. Since the installation, the AI-driven technology has delivered impressive results – Michael has seen less cases of mastitis, better udder health, and saved time in the dairy shed.

The Vospers are fifth-generation farmers and owners of the award-winning Jersey Girl Organics – a family-run organic dairy milk processing business. Michael has continued the family legacy, milking 250 cows on his organic farm in Manawaru, near Te Aroha in the Waikato region. Committed to producing high-quality, nutritious milk, Michael turned to GEA’s latest walkover technology to improve his teat care routine.

Michael chose the iSPRAY-VISION for its advanced AI camera technology and cost-effective teat spraying. Within six months, he saw improvements in herd udder health, and his teat care routine became much more efficient.

“Since the installation of the iSPRAY-VISION, our cell count has dropped by 100,000. Our mastitis cases have also dropped compared to this time last year, and teat condition has improved.”

Alongside udder health benefits, the iSPRAY-VISION has streamlined Michael’s milking routine. He is now saving 30 minutes each milking, which allows him to reallocate staff to other on-farm tasks. Michael has also noted that cow flow had improved. “Cow flow is better because they just walk straight out. No one is touching or spraying them in the shed.” As the cows exit the dairy, they walk over the iSPRAY-VISION unit in the exit race, where the teat spray is applied.

To further automate the routine, Michael installed the FIL Intelliblend in early 2025. This system automatically mixes teat spray to the correct ratios and delivers it to the iSPRAY-VISION. With the two systems working in tandem, Michael is now confident his cows are receiving the correct amount of teat spray with complete teat coverage. Additionally, Michael uses FIL Iodoshield Active and Organic Teat Conditioner. He has been a long-time user of teat care products containing active Mānuka honey because of its added health benefits, such as antibacterial properties.

Looking ahead, Michael’s goals for the 25/26 season are to reduce cases of mastitis and lower somatic cell count to below 150,000. With the results he is already seeing, Michael’s on track to achieve this.