An End to Sore Feet in the Yard

Matamata, Waikato

“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.

When asked what he was looking for in matting pre-purchase Gordon was equally forthright, “I just needed it to do the job.”

Friends had recommended Numat products and he’d noticed the Kura matting when visiting a local store. So he had a good idea of what was required. From there it was a matter of assessing the options and ensuring the final choice was the right one.

“Since the matting’s gone down we haven’t had one cow in the pit…”

- David Gordon

The result? This last winter Gordon placed a good quantity of the Legend matting in the yard and bale area to a herringbone shed, ensuring his herd had stability and grip when entering the shed.

There was a little teething trouble with the arrival of the matting, as some packaging was not up to scratch. However, this has now been put right by Numat and the rest of the installation went smoothly.

The cows have taken to the new matting quickly and happily too. “The first couple of times they were unsure of it,” said Gordon. “But after that everything’s gone smoothly.”

This is a noticeable difference in the behavior of the herd around the shed. “They have slowed down a lot coming in,” said Gordon. “Since the matting’s gone down we haven’t had one cow in the pit – which used to happen regularly.” Gordon is “really impressed” with the final outcome. “I’m really stoked with it all,” he said.