Typical Y2K preps status in NZ Local bodies at:

http://www.wanganui.govt.nz/Y2K/index.html

Talked to a community group last night and watched the faces go through the DGI to denial then and then anger to GI as the conversation progressed. Found 'conversation' a better mode for presenting than 'lecture'.

Questions and interruptions turned a 30 min talk to a 60 min talk.

Economic impact of Y2K appeared to be the biggest long term concern.

Electricity, water supply, sewers and social stability were short term concerns.

Loss of resilince in rural processing systems was an emergent concern. One large efficient factory services a large dairy area. In the past a 'broken' dairy factory would have been a minor problem because the milk could have gone elsewhere. Now a failure would have mean dumping milk.

Anybody heard of a mobile dairy system? maybe potential for an on-the-farm pasturising system? Moving from farm to farm..

-- Bob Barbour (r.barbour@waikato.ac.nz), March 09, 1999

Answers

Bob; Keep up the good work and keep posting for us. Thanks,

-- Watchful (seethesea@msn.com), March 09, 1999.

Its an interesting concept - whole group of milking stations and a pasteurizing tank, power supply, refrigerator, maybe need a (separate ?) cooled tank trailer for the milk.

Or a regular tanker truck with a milking section for one end - of the truck - of the truck - not the cow!

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), March 09, 1999.

Found a partial solution at:

http://www.mweb.co.za/buy/im/greenwoo/milk.html

Combine the five ideas and we have a mobile milk facory QED.

milking, cooling, pasteurising, packaging and transport to market.

Only problem I can see is hygiene would be difficult to certify.

Maybe a big dairy farm could own one or a group of city folks could team up with a dairy farm to ensure milk supply...

-- Bob Barbour (r.barbour@waikato.ac.nz), March 10, 1999.