Dairy News Australia - April 2019

Raising babies PAGE 21

MAIZE SUCCESS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA PAGE 12

NEW ABV REPORTS OUT PAGE 26

APRIL, 2019 ISSUE 102

// www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

ONCE-A-DAY MILKING — DOES IT WORK? Read about one family’s experience in Western Victoria PAGE 4

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 3

Drone power. PG.04

Freedom Foods managing director Rory Macleod says the company will not be making a bid for Lion Dairy and Drinks, instead focusing on growing its product lines and high-value products.

Once-a-day milking. PG.07

New ABV results. PG.26

NEWS ����������������������������������������������������3–26 OPINION ����������������������������������������������������� 6 MARKETS ������������������������������������������������ 22 AUSTRLIAN BREEDING VALUES FEATURE �����������������������27–35 ANIMAL HEALTH ������������������������� 37–38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS �������������������������������������39–42

Freedom focus on premium products WHILE INDUSTRY chatter pointed towards a potential bid for Lion Dairy and Drinks, Freedom Foods managing director Rory Macleod has actually set the company’s sights much further from home.

Freedom Foods is seeking to become a bigger player in the growing market for highvalue dairy products, focusing in on the booming export markets of China and south-east Asia.

Despite ongoing dry conditions causing concern about the future of the dairy industry, particularly in northern Victoria, Mr Macleod said he expected Australian dairy to again weather the storm.

The company has recently invested in expansions to its UHT facility in Shepparton, as well as a nutritionals plant which will produce protein and dietary supplements including whey protein isolates and micellar casein.

The new plant is part of a growing focus on opportunities across dairy beverages and nutritionals, plant-based beverages and specialty cereals and snacks for the company.

“We’re ultimately about brands and consumers and innovation,” Mr Macleod said.

“You still do your core of product, you still do your base, but you keep adding to and internalising the opportunity.”

With Vietnam, Philippines and Myanmar among those markets being focused on, it’s a growing emphasis on consumer products including cream, yoghurt and more specialised dairy products that will pave the way for the processor.

“Asia is not built, nor is China built, for sustaining large scale, highly efficient growing platforms for those key inputs. So Australia’s got a unique opportunity, we’ve got a very strong reputation for quality, cleanliness,

all those sorts of things,” Mr Macleod said.

“For us, over time we could keep building UHT plants and keep sending milk to these markets, but is that the right thing? We’re more about evolving with the market.”

The company is expecting to process 400 million litres in the next financial year for both domestic and export markets, with large-scale farms including Coomboona Dairies becoming an increasingly important part of the equation.

“You’ve got to be prepared to invest because nothing comes easy. Building these things, it takes years. So you’ve got to be prepared to work through that and accept that there’s going to be ups and downs, there will be the occasional dry period, that’s the nature of agriculture,” Mr Macleod said.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

4 // NEWS

Supplied picture. The drone measured the pastures at Mepunga West with sensors. Photo Courtesy of Dongryeol Ryu, University of Melbourne.

Drone sensor trial measuring nutrients in pasture SIMONE SMITH

IMAGINE USING a drone to fly over a couple

of hundred hectares of pasture and within hours all the information about its biomass and nutrient levels are on your phone or computer.

Sounds a bit too good to be true?

Well, welcome to the future of pasture management.

And it’s only three to five years away, according to an expert.

Researchers recently flew a drone across a

small plot of rye-grass – 50m by 50m – at a dairy in Mepunga West, western Victoria as part of a Federal Government-funded project called More Profit from Nitrogen.

University of Melbourne Department of Infrastructure Engineering Associate Professor Dongryeol Ryu oversaw collecting the images of the pasture and analytics retrieval.

He said this technology was still developing, but aerial imaging would help extend the capacity of information about feed on dairy farms.

“We have a pretty good idea how to get information of the biomass, based on the colour you

can tell if it’s nutrient deficient or nutrient rich when in field,” Prof Ryu said.

“To get the same level of information over hundreds of hectares is a different story.”

That’s the focus of Prof Ryu’s work at Mepunga West.

He had used this sort of technology in the horticulture industry and others had used satellites and airborne data to do similar pasture measurements in dairy, but – as far as he knew – this was the first time nutrients were measured on a dairy farm via drone.

This specific project started three years ago,

but before that Prof Ryu’s had a field site at the University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus which was sown to lucerne with biomass as the primary interest. He said the sensing capacity for nitrogen and other nutrients was developed two years ago.

The technology which takes these measurements is called hyperspectral sensing.

“The multispectral sensor has the capability of recognising by colour, based on three colours – red, green, blue – and it can be extended by using 200 – 300 colours depending on sensors,” he said.

“Some sensors inform 250 or 180 colours, the size of information we can collect is huge.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 5

Supplied picture. The rye-grass plot was 50m x 50m and measurements of nutrients and biomass were taken from the air. Photo Courtesy of Dongryeol Ryu, University of Melbourne.

Supplied picture. Researchers took ground samples such as soil tests to validate the data collected by the drone. Photo Courtesy of Dongryeol Ryu, University of Melbourne.

“Science-level sensors, in terms of accuracy, are the best you can get.”

The target for the accuracy of measuring biomass is more than 80 per cent. For nitrogen it is about 80 per cent, but there hasn’t been enough data collected to determine the accuracy of protein measurements.

Ground data, such as soil samples, were also collected to validate the data collected via the drone.

Accuracy will be the key benefit for farmers as well as the ability to save time. All these benefits mean better on-farm decision-making.

Prof Ryu said it could be feasible in three to

five years to “easily” map 200 – 300 ha in a few hours and use that information for a variety of business decisions, such as rotating cattle for grazing and locating lost livestock.

Assoc Prof Ryu said this sort of technology was not necessarily affordable now, but he suspected in time the price would drop. like technologies such as 3-D printing and drones.

He said during his research career, the price of this sensor technology had already dropped more than 10 times.

Looking ahead, he said the biggest challenge for this type of technology was internet network speeds. He said sending “multiple gigabytes” of

Supplied picture. The drone in action at Mepunga West.

Photo Courtesy of Dongryeol Ryu, University of Melbourne.

data back to the office from certain regions in Victoria could take days.

“It’s much quicker to send it by mail,” he said.

Prof Ryu predicted in three to five years dairy farmers would be measuring large areas of land and have the information about biomass and nutrient levels within a couple of hours.

“With a proper interface (design) the information flow could be as smooth as a weather forecast,” he said.

University of Melbourne Senior Lecturer at The School of Agriculture and Food in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science Helen Suter was the project leader for this More Profit

from Nitrogen field trial.

The focus was to look at how the soil nitrogen could be better used.

She said early findings indicated that a lot of the nitrogen used by pasture during autumn came from the soil through mineralisation, while nitrogen spread went into the soil. This was due to a combination of things including the growing conditions, soil moisture and soil-supplied nitrogen.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

6 // OPINION

EDITORIAL

Structural issue outside farmers’ control

DNA COMPETITION WINNER Donna Edge from Carpendeit has won the Dairy News Australia 10th anniversary get – away.

Donna is from a family that has been dairy farming for at least four generations and works on the 131 ha farm near Cobden.

She was on her way home from the recent Herd19 conference at Bendigo when she got the news.

Coffee craze Baristas expect oat milk to be the next coffee craze after new data suggested Australia is split over whether the latte, cappuccino or flat white is best.

The national data from payment platform Square says the humble latte made up one in every three orders (33 per cent) in 2018.

But that’s lower than two years ago when it was ordered 43 per cent of the time.

And while the latte, cappuccino and flat white still make up about three-in-four orders, the states and territories are split on the best way to get a caffeine hit.

Lattes remain strong in Victoria (42 per cent) and Tasmania (32 per cent) while flat white tops menus in Queensland (26 per cent), Western Australia (37 per cent), ACT (39 per cent) and Northern Territory (29 per cent).

NSW - often derided by Victoria for having an apparently weaker coffee culture - has a more varied taste with cappuccino the leading coffee at 26 per cent.

But the biggest change in 2019 will be what people put into their coffee rather than the way they have it, Melbourne cafe Proud Mary general manager Tom Gunn says.

Donna will be able to enjoy a weekend accommodation package in Melbourne, and with her interest in the AFL assures us she will put the prize to good use.

Dairy News Australia is now in its 10th year and is now owned by Sheppartonbased McPherson Media Group.

“Oat milk will be huge,” said.” We have another cafe in America and oat milk has completely dominated the market there completely destroyed almond milk, and soy is now minimal.”

He said compared to other dairy milk alternatives, oat milk tasted better, matched coffee better, frothed more easily and importantly had funding behind it from large US companies.

Pippa Ainsworth, the owner of the Darwin cafe The Trader, said she was surprised Australia was behind on the craze on what she saw a yummy, environmentally sustainable option.

“I was just in London and oat milk was in every cafe - no question,” she said.

But Ms Ainsworth said people were fickle about their brew, and often chase the next craze.

“We serve a lot of tradies and defence personnel and the weirdest thing is the defence forces all have the same order.” It may change every few weeks, from cappuccino to hazelnut latte - but they’ll all change together.

“We tease them about it.” The Square coffee data is based on millions of orders made through Square point- of-sale devices.

Advertising James MacGibbon 0409 103 745 james.macgibbon@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Geoff Adams (03) 5820 3229 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher.

Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd.

Regional editor news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Senior journalist Alana Christensen

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Well, Coles and Woolies are ending $1 litre milk.

The price is going up to $1.10 litre.

The price freeze has ended, according to some industry commentators. We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Gee, thanks, Coles and Woolies …and others.

Now the milk price can go back to where it was seven or eight years ago?

No, wait, the price will go back to less than it was seven or eight years ago.

Now we can’t blame just the big supermarkets for the lousy price farmers are getting for milk, particularly when processors like the former Murray Goulburn agree to cut-price deals, and we do appreciate the contributions to drought relief, but when announcing the most recent concession on price, Coles made an illuminating claim: “Coles recognises that price increases alone will not solve structural challenges facing Australia’s dairy industry, and acknowledges the commitment of the Federal Government to deliver longer-term industrywide solutions.”

Don’t they realise that the major “structural” issue facing the dairy industry is the fact that their product earns less than bottled water and soda drinks on the supermarket shelves?

And what did Woolies have to say a month earlier: “Woolworths continues to sell Drought Relief Milk on the eastern seaboard while it works with the dairy industry on longer-term reform measures.”

Both companies included the same qualification in their statements, which has just a slightly patronising tone.

Dairy farmers could well turn that around and reply in kind: “Thanks very much for the modest increase; when you get your management issues sorted out we’re sure you’ll be able to come up with something better.”

Dairy News Australia happens to believe that our farmers are efficient producers, who are embracing new technology, aggregating farms to capitalise on economies of scale, working on environmental improvements, and sacrificing seasonal profits to try to achieve long-term gain.

The remark about “structural issues” was a blatant attempt to draw attention away from supermarket retail wars which resulted in such a devaluation of the product.

One thing that we have all learned over the past few years is that you don’t want to be caught in the middle of a scrap between the supermarket giants who have overwhelming market dominance.

About all the industry can do now is utter the begging Oliver Twist phrase: “More please?”

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Dairy News Australia welcomes contributions from stakeholders in the dairy industry, and particularly from organisations wishing to advance the industry.

Contributions and photos can be sent to: editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Letters to the editor on topical issues are also welcome.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 7

Family hoping to combat industry hurdles with once-a-day milking SIMONE SMITH

MATT AND Jacinta Maddison saw dairy farming as a huge opportunity for wealth creation.

But the young couple was not blind to the “problems” that plague the industry.

“I said to Dad (Lindsay), once-a-day (OAD) milking seems like it would solve so many problems,” Matt said.

“Everyone complains about labour, costs — the cost of grain and supplement feed. It seems to solve a lot of the problems, but to justify it, it had to be profitable. That’s where the rest of the research was focused.”

Matt and Jacinta with children Amelia, 2, and Lucas, 1, will go into their second year of OAD milking this autumn. It’s also their second year dairy farming and second year in western Victoria, after moving from the north of the state. In December they moved from a leased farm near Colac in western Victoria to a farm they own in partnership at Panmure.

An electrician, Matt always had his sights set on farming and managed a Wagyu farm in Gippsland. It was in Gippsland where he got the taste for OAD milking.

Although he ran a beef property, Matt always adhered to pasture management as if he were a dairy farmer.

He said dairy pasture management was “so much more progressive” and delivered much higher production from land.

The consultant at the beef property was Jeff Urie — who operates his own OAD dairy business.

Matt then attended a Dairy Australia field day about OAD milking, and then hit the internet.

He devoured New Zealand OAD research, YouTube videos, studies — anything he could get his hands on.

“There’s no data over here about what we could potentially do production-wise,” he said.

“Whether or not there’s enough people doing it, I don’t know.

“I really couldn’t get anyone to turn me off.

There’s plenty of people that will tell you the problems, but they haven’t done it.”

Following a stint with Pete Collins at Tennyson, learning “as much as I could about dairy” Matt and Jacinta started their own operation with cross-bred heifers.

They now milk 180 across 117 ha with 50 per cent of this under irrigation at Panmure. Their herd is still predominantly heifers weighing 450– 500 kg liveweight and this year they averaged 300 kg of milk solids/cow from 1.5 kg/cow/day of grain plus pasture.

The couple has plans to milk 200 and aims to increase production to further decrease the total cost of production. But Matt said they would not chase production if it wasn’t viable.

The couple has a tight hand on the reins of costs and said this was how their business operated.

Admitting they are in the “initial period” of OAD milking, it’s proven they have less reliance on feed-especially grain — with the herd maintaining their body condition score well, and even retaining some for “reserve”.

“With less production they need less energy and you either feed less or run more,” Matt said.

“Us as young people, we want to try and build equity, rear heifers and run more stock; oncea-day milking you are still getting something.”

Using the NZ research as a guide, the Maddisons are covering costs this season after a loss last year and say they should be making money in the third year. This has been the experience for many other OAD farmers, Matt explained.

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The Maddison family is in its second year of dairy farming.

Pictured are Matt and Jacinta with children Amelia, 2, and Lucas, 1.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

8 // NEWS

The Maddison family’s dry cows at their Panmure farm.

< Continued from page 7

Time outside the dairy had been used productively, with Matt and Jacinta focusing on improving the capital value of their farm and rearing stock including beef calves.

“I love the idea of spreading risk, it is the same as anything you invest in, shares, cattle and the farm,” Matt said.

“With a low input dairy system, it limits the risk a bit as well.”

They moved to south-west Victoria “chasing rainfall” and believe there’s value in land with reliable water.

Matt and Jacinta both said OAD benefits were more than just economic.

They listed happier cows, family, better worklife balance and ability to diversify the business as just some of the positives.

“I think there are a lot of benefits other than the ones that can be measured,” Matt said.

For example, new to the district, they believed finding good employees would have been difficult. Thanks to OAD milking, they haven’t had to dip into the labour market as they have been able

to do most of the work themselves with the help of casual “retired traveller,” who worked when they were flat-out. Contractors were used for harvest due to moving farms.

Matt said OAD milking had helped prevent burn-out.

“The general feel now is that (dairying) with such high costs, there’s talk about OAD; there’s a lot of people asking about it,” he said. “(Dairy Australia) have got to look at it, it can’t continue on and think it is not an option, there’s so much more focus these days on mental health and stress. If we drop a little production but make our lives better, I certainly think it’s worth looking at.

“There wasn’t enough information out there; we really had to give it a go. We were lucky to be in a position to give it a go, we made money off another place and had good support from Mum and Dad (Maree and Lindsay), not just financially, they were telling us to give it a go. It’s up to us to give it a go and then maybe other young families would give it a go.”

Learning along the way, Matt said diligence was crucial to maintaining milk quality. The bulk

milk cell count for the herd of heifers had never been more than 130 000cells/ml and mostly sat between 70 000–80000cells/ml.

“Watching them really closely” straight after calving was key, as well as a thorough approach to the one milking a day, in the morning.

They have a strict approach to culling and culled hard the first year. They anticipate doing the same this year as they weed-out cows not suited to the OAD system.

Cows which aren’t suited are those who don’t recover well from mastitis or get it again after the first treatment. Poor “uddered” cows also don’t suit the system.

The herd recorded a 93 per cent in-calf rate in the first eight weeks of joining. Matt synched 100 of the best over two weeks for AI then put the bulls in.

Another practice the couple has had to perfect, has been allocating pasture for 24 hours.

They do not return to the cows during the day unless i’ts hot and the water requires checking.

“The once-a-day image might be lazy but it is definitely not. You can’t come in after milking once a day (and do nothing) and you need

to spend your time wisely and we have been improving the farm,” Matt said.

“But I have no qualms about knocking-off at lunchtime and going to the beach with the kids or being inside every night at between five and six (pm) to have dinner with the kids and then their baths. To be involved in their lives is massive.”

Matt and Jacinta Maddison with children Amelia and Lucas at their Panmure farm. The couple hopes once-a -day milking will keep a lid on costs.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 9

Once-a-day offers opportunity for change SIMONE SMITH

TWICE-A-DAY, EVERY day is a phrase often

connected with dairy farming.

But some farmers are proving the traditional practice of milking cows in the morning and afternoon does not suit their business or lifestyle.

Hurdles such as labour shortages, cost pressures and a desire to grow cow numbers have all been reasons why some have adopted once-a-day milking (OAD).

OAD milking is the practice of milking cows once in 24 hours.

More common in New Zealand, Australian OAD farmers and consultants believe there’s been a rise in interest locally in the farm management practice.

Jeff Urie is the principal of Gippsland consultancy Ag Challenge and milks OAD. There’s no statistics about OAD milking, but Jeff said OAD interest was growing.

“I suspect the major reason it is being talked about now, if you take milk price out of equation which is the biggest issue, the second biggest issue in my experience is labour,” he said.

In one of Jeff ’s discussion groups the number of dairy farmers milking OAD has increased from two a decade ago, up to eight out of the total 10 farms in the group.

“The other thing driving people OAD, beside labour and lifestyle, is cost of production,” he said. “People are struggling to keep the cost of production low enough, especially in the last three years, so that they can break even.”

Jeff said costs such as debt servicing, living, taxation and capital works required at least 50 cents a kilogram of milk solids on top of the cost of production, with many farms needing $1 kg/MS and some as high as $2 kg/MS. “Over the last 10 years (the farm gate milk price in Gippsland) has only averaged $5.40 (kg/ MS), a lot of people out there have a cost of production over $5 (kg/MS) our group averages $4 (kg/MS),” he said.

Jeff said OAD milking wasn’t for everyone, advocating the practice only in the “right circumstances”.

This includes a couple nearing the end of their dairying career who aren’t financially able to retire but don’t want the commitment of twicea-day milking or the hassle of employing staff.

Or farmers who have a herd as their main asset and want to grow it but are hamstrung by infrastructure. For example, instead of milking one herd of 200 twice a day, they milk two herds of 200 OAD. “It is a way a sharefarmer can increase their asset without having to increase labour costs or capital expenditure,” Jeff said. “The same can apply to an owner-operator who could want to increase cow numbers but are limited by infrastructure.”

“On a short-term basis OAD is very useful in drought situations, there’s definitely a reduction in feed intake and a significant reduction in water usage. If water is an issue on a farm ….you use 30 per cent less water if you milk OAD overall.”

But OAD milk does have its challenges.

Jeff said it doesn’t necessarily cost money but

there was less money coming in, due to a per cow production decline. He said some people counteracted this by increasing stocking rates.

In the first year, per cow production could drop anywhere between 10–20 per cent, he said.

Jeff said farmers must also consider that a percentage of their herd — worst case 10–15 per cent — won’t adapt to OAD and would have to be culled. Combining these, he said there could be a 30 per cent drop in production.

“The first year is the hardest year,” he said.

“There’s potential for people to get very close to twice-a-day cow production after four or five years.

“If you increase your stocking rate you get production back,” Jeff said. “I have some clients producing more solids per hectare than twice a day. If you get into that position it makes it as profitable as twice a day, but as a general rule it is not as profitable as twice a day, but then you have got to put a cost on lifestyle and a value on lifestyle.”

Jeff also said shed costs dropped by 45 per cent, issues with sore feet “all but disappear” and reproduction improved.

A desire to remain in the industry prompted Richard Humphris at Beech Forest in south-west Victoria to start OAD milking about six years ago.

Still milking into his 70s, the business change was also driven due to the “fairly inclement weather” and typography of the farm.

He said an industry consultant recently said OAD milking was more sustainable during times of feed shortages.

“From my experience, it is much more sustainable when the chips are down, but you don’t really capitalise when things are really good,” he said.

An unexpected benefit of OAD milking has been improved conception rates.

“It provides a faster start-up, after calving, if you are seasonal (calving) like we are,” he said.

“Milking 200–220, you have 180 in in the first four weeks.”

Stuart Griffin operates a seasonal-calving family farm at Westbury in Gippsland in its third season of OAD milking.

“For us it was about working smarter, not harder and having a lower cost of production and really have a focus on profitability over outright production,” he said. “That’s not to say high production can’t be profitable.”

The family started by milking the heifers OAD and then transitioned the entire cross-bred herd.

They boosted numbers from 420 to 520.

Stuart said the benefits included time management, “more flexibility to do things” as well as improvements in animal health.

The farm has also been able to employ a staff member who, without OAD milking, wouldn’t have been able to return to working in the dairy industry. The Griffins milk two herds in the morning, the first at 6 am and the second at 8–8.30 am with staff swapping between.

Stuart said the production decline was an initial challenge.

“We were aware of that and it really does pay to get someone involved with experience with OAD milking, Jeff and our discussion group really tested the numbers to make sure we weren’t

living in la-la land,” he said.

“Also, if you have mastitis or udder health issues with two-times-a-day milking routine, you may run into problems with OAD.” Stuart also said there were challenges milking more cows through the same size dairy. The Griffins upgraded their plate cooler to handle the higher milk-flow rates.

The last couple of years has been tough for the Griffins, like many in the dairy industry, with dry conditions forcing the purchase of additional feed at high prices. Stuart said this OAD meant they had lowered the amount they would spend on feed, but they also had lower production.

Going forward though, he’s confident the cost per kilogram of milk solids will decrease and they plan to stick with OAD for now.

All farmers Dairy News spoke to called for Australian research into OAD milking, especially analysis of OAD milking using imported feed.

When asked about conducting local OAD research, Dairy Australia said it has conducted co-funded economic modelling with Agriculture Victoria. It also said the basics of implementing OAD on-farm were “fundamentally similar

in Australia and New Zealand” and therefore it used DairyNZ research to inform and assist at OAD milking events.

Source: DairyNZ

Key reasons why farmers consider OAD milking: • Less time spent milking cows • Reduces staff pressure • Feed shortage • Stock health (lame cows, light cows, heifers, milkfever-prone cows) • Reproduction (non-cyclers, heifers, or whole herd in a feed shortage) • Small dairy shed for herd size • Farm layout (walking distance to shed)

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

10 // NEWS

Australian dairy to help address antimicrobial resistance SIMONE SMITH

ANTIBIOTIC USE will be in the spotlight of a new Australian dairy industry project which is set to help maintain access to premium markets.

Focusing on antimicrobial resistance stewardship — a priority for the United Nations and the World Health Organisation — the project will start this year on Victorian dairy farms.

Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication previously used to treat it because the microbe has developed the ability to survive in its presence.

The fear is this could make some antibiotics redundant for treating certain infections.

According to a United Kingdom-lead global review in 2016 into antimicrobial resistance, the global costs of not acting could be 10 million people dying each year by 2050 and a “cumulative economic cost of around 100 trillion USD”.

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Australian dairy project developer, a preventative health veterinarian and leader of many Dairy Australia projects and dairy farm equity partner Mark Humphris said the outcome of onfarm work would hopefully reduce the amount of disease and improve the use of antibiotics and treatments.

“The group will be a farmer-led group, which uses the experience of individual members to look at farms’ current disease level, dairy infrastructure — lanes, calf sheds, calving areas — and processes across key health areas of lameness, calving and dry cow management, mastitis and calf health and work out ways to reduce the amount of disease,” he said.

“Through discussion, knowledge and experience of the group, they will then support change to management or infrastructure on individual group farms to reduce the amount of disease and improve how antibiotics and treatments are used.

“We expect that these conversations will increase the demand of preventative health services from veterinarians.”

Antibiotic use in the Australian dairy industry is relatively low compared to other parts of the world, but Dr Humphris said it was still important.

There are three ways the Australian dairy industry addresses this. Through reduction — using less antibiotics; refinement, using them more effectively; and replacement, other approaches which are equally or potentially more effective. Some examples of replacement include replacing blanket dry cow treatment at dry-off with targeted treatment for those cows with an evidence of infection. Internal teat sealant also helps reduce the widespread use of dry cow antibiotic.

Reducing the use of antibiotics in the dairy industry would also have benefits for Australian trade.

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Agriculture Victoria animal performance development specialist Sarah Chaplin said the project funded by Agriculture Victoria and Dairy Australia would see dairy farmers working together to optimise their antimicrobial use and health management practices.

“Antimicrobial resistance is emerging as a trade and market access issue and demonstrating appropriate antimicrobial use will be necessary to maintain access to premium markets into the future,” she said.

“As well as maintaining market access on an industry level, on a farm level, this approach can improve the health and welfare of the dairy herd, raise productivity, increase business resilience, and reduce the risk of residues in milk.”

The project will be assisted by University of Melbourne researchers and is based on an approach successfully trialled in Denmark and England.

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12 // NEWS

Trent Mueller (right) and his father, Ian, farm at Murray Bridge.

Maize growing success for Muellers MURRAY BRIDGE farmers, Trent Mueller

and his parents Ian and Julie, have had a promising foray into maize growing as a silage crop for their herd.

They have successfully harvested their first crop on 24 ha of river flats at Murray Bridge in South Australia, cutting about 920 wet tonnes, giving an average yield of about 17 tonnes of dry matter/ha.

The exercise was not without some risk as the Muellers couldn’t find any evidence of maize grown for silage in the district under the

conditions they were proposing.

“It’s been grown in the region but mostly under pivot in sandy soils,” Trent said.

The Muellers had laser graded their black clay river flat soils and installed a pipe-and-riser irrigation system.

“Pivot is generally considered to be the most efficient way of delivering water and some farmers were growing maize with about 8 Ml/ha.”

This crop has been grown at 6.5 Ml/ha — an outcome they just didn’t expect.

Glenbrook Illawarras is made up of three

separate farms. The dairy farm is 200 ha, which has a diverse land use profile consisting of 40 ha of irrigated lucerne under pivots and 80 ha of flood irrigation growing permanent pasture.

There is also a 400 ha cropping farm and a 400 ha grazing/run-off farm where the young stock are grown out.

Irrigated pasture makes up about 50 per cent of the feed intake of cows. The rest of the diet is supplied via the feed pad of either bought-in byproducts or feed conserved on the cropping farm.

The mix includes potatoes, hay, silage and

brewers’ grains.

The family uses advice from a nutritionist to get the balance right.

“You need to be careful with the potatoes because they can go off quickly, but brewers grains also can deteriorate so hygiene is important,” Trent said.

The farm strategy is to grow it’s own hay and silage which recently has been successfully accomplished with one exception, the 2018 season.

They are also moving to increase their

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NEWS // 13 expertise in growing grain on the cropping farm.

In a climate with 300 mm of annual of rain it can be a risk when the season falls below average.

The first attempt at growing grain on the cropping farm in 2017 was successful but last year they had to cut it for hay due to poor seasonal conditions.

They have a strategy to hold about 18 months of fodder on hand and in good years they can sell excess hay.

While Trent takes charge of the feed side of the business, his father, Ian, a strong believer in the Illawarra breed, manages the herd.

The red breed accounts for about 60 per cent of the herd, with the remainder commercial Holsteins.

Just over two thirds of the herd of about 400 are put to AI, and Ian prefers a functional dairy cow with good udders width in the chest and sturdy legs which gives them good mobility — a trait which serves Australian cows well.

The herd will do about three million litres of milk and the herd average is about 8500 litres.

“We have a flatter milk supply curve so we can take advantage of higher milk prices in the autumn.”

They milk in a 15-unit double-up (feeding about 5 kg of milled wheat in the bail) and the long-term strategy is to upgrade technology for production and herd health, perhaps lifting herd numbers once they get the farm foundations further established.

The current milk price has slowed their longterm goals.

“This year we have sunk quite a bit of money into the business through farm maintenance and purchasing additional fodder and we may not be able to make a profit. You can burn a lot of money in years like this, but hopefully you can catch up in the good years,” Trent said.

While some farms have had to cut inputs and ease back on production, Trent said they have tried to maintain production levels and had hoped that when the price improved they would be able to take advantage of that.

The business uses agronomy and nutritionist advice.

“You can’t be an expert in everything. Farms are more complex these days and you just can’t be across everything.”

The farm employs two full-time and two parttime employees.

“Good workers are vital to the job,” Ian said.

Trent’s wife Emily plays an active role in the farm management and the two families have developed a strategy for farm succession.

Trent and Emily’s young daughter will be the fifth generation involved in farming with Illawarras.

Harvesting the Muellers’ maize crop at Murray Bridge.

Calf rearing pens feature a grated floor to keep the area in better hygiene.

Growing maize on their river flats has proven successful after implementing an irrigation upgrade.

The maize crop harvested at about 17tonnes/ha.

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14 // NEWS

Groups divided on dairy code “The UDV calls for the establishment of an independent dairy ombudsman to assist farmers with disputes that may fall under the code,” he said.

“The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) will not investigate all complaints and an ombudsman can provide dairy farmers with information on the code, assistance in understanding and negotiating contracts for their milk supply, options to resolve disputes and access to mediation services.

“We call on the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources and the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to clarify their approaches in delivering the code.”

Peak dairy farmer group Australian Dairy Farmers supports the Federal Government’s commitment to pursuing a mandatory Code of Conduct for the industry.

ADF said its aim was to address the information asymmetries that currently existed in the industry and strengthen bargaining power for farmers, while respecting commercial realities and supporting innovation and market dynamics.

The ADF said the code would establish a dispute resolution mechanism to resolve contract disputes between farmers and processors.

A mandatory code will not, however, regulate farm gate prices or set the price that dairy processors and retailers charge for their products.

ADF, working under the auspices of the Australian Dairy Industry Council, last year released

THE FEDERAL Government’s decision to move forward with a mandatory code of conduct has been met with disappointment by the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria , but welcomed

by Australian Dairy Farmers.

The UDV is worried the code won’t deliver what is needed to ensure a “bright future” for the dairy industry.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud announced the mandatory code was making progress, but UDV president Paul Mumford said he remained unsure of how effective the code would be.

“One of the greatest issues faced by our industry in 2016 was a processor’s ability to claw back money from farmers or step down the milk price so significantly it was in effect a claw-back,” Mr Mumford said.

“We remain unsure if government legislation will resolve this or whether processors will still find a way to manipulate the system to suit their bottom line.

“The Australian dairy industry is extremely complex, supplying a variety of different markets from fresh milk to export products and a one size fits-all nation-wide code may not produce the best outcomes and protections for either domestic or export market suppliers.”

Mr Mumford said the UDV was disappointed milk swaps and the retail sector would not be included under a code, and the consultation process raised “more questions than answers”.

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draft clauses, which was used by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as a basis for the department’s industry consultation process around a new mandatory code.

ADF’s support for a mandatory code of conduct follows an extensive review of the dairy industry’s existing voluntary code.

The mandatory code of conduct will: a) require parties to deal with each other fairly and in good faith having due regard to the other party’s legitimate business interests b) prevent unilateral changes to agreements c) require that annually on a set date processors publicly release a standard form agreement covering the terms of supply and a price (and if applicable a pricing mechanism for longer-term agreements) that covers the term of the agreement d) prevent retrospective price step-downs e) prohibit prospective step-downs unless in specific circumstances such as force majeure, or exceptional market circumstances or major changes in global market conditions f) prohibit exclusive supply arrangements in combination with two-tier pricing g) prohibit processors withholding loyalty payments if a farmer switches processors h) introduce a dispute resolution process for matters related to contracts between farmers and processors, and i) alleged breaches of the code will be investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with penalties available.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

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NEWS // 15

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16 // NEWS

Farmers urged to use forecast tools JEANETTE SEVERS

USING A range of tools to forecast a season

break and understand climate variability factors was the focus of a farmers’ workshop at Orbost, Victoria, run by Agriculture Victoria in March.

AgVic’s climate specialist Graeme Anderson aimed to bring some science to the discussion about drought and climate variability; and likened forecasting to a football tipping competition.

It was no secret to attendees to hear that, in the previous 12 months, much of Australia had experienced drought conditions gauged from below average to lowest on record; while northern Queensland had experienced flooding rated as highest on record.

Mr Anderson recommended measuring subsoil moisture to gather data that aided decision-making, particularly planning around the possibility or not of a seasonal break and sowing pasture.

“If there’s no moisture, how do you manage farm production?” he said.

“Farmers want better forecasts, to improve their understanding of climate impacts and be able to manage seasonal risk factors.”

He also recommended using the electronic tools available to gather information about the season. Long-term rainfall records can help predict the probability of a likelihood of rain falling at a particular time.

“This might help with making decisions around sowing crop or managing for recovering pastures,” Mr Anderson said.

“But there’s plenty of big variability in the system.”

He recommended Australian CliMate, www. climateapp.net.au, a predictive tool that crunches data to predict the potential of a seasonal break. Using Bete Bolong as an example, he showed it was 73 per cent likely, of 88 years in 120, that a seasonal break of more than 25 mm of rain could fall between March 1 and April 30.

Mr Anderson also said it was apparent the

timing and impact of seasons was changing; since 2000, climate measurements demonstrated the seasonal rainfall zones had shifted southerly across Australia (www.aegic.org.au).

“In a lot of records, it’s clear autumn is changing in a lot of places from what we’re expecting,” he said.

Influences of the Indian Ocean dipole, the ENSO — Pacific Ocean moisture source, the Southern Annular Mode, trade winds, moisture in the air, rising pressure systems and changing temperature, were all discussed. Many of these are explained in the Climate Kelpie videos, available at www.climatekelpie.com.au Ultimately, rain is due to the availability of precipitable water in the atmosphere.

Overall, Mr Anderson recommends accessing multiple tools for weather forecasting and seasonal decision-making.

“Weather bureaus are using as many tools as possible, to see how many of those tools endorse each other. It’s like footy tipping,” he said.

“Farmers shouldn’t rely on one tool.”

Predictions should also be as local as possible.

The weather records for Orbost, for example, showed minimum and maximum temperatures averaged 9.5 and 19.8°C, respectively. Spring averaged 19°C and summer averaged 24.4°C. That knowledge helped create decision-making around the type of pastures and crops to grow.

“It is different here [at Orbost] because of influences from the Indian Ocean Dipole. Farmers in the Shepparton area are experiencing shorter spring seasons and later autumn breaks.

More of them are growing summer crops,” Mr Anderson said.

He recommended farmers use weather forecast tools provided by meteorologist Jane Bunn and forecaster Dale Grey, among others.

Farmers were encouraged to drive growth on-farm by embracing research from their industry organisations, investing in appropriate infrastructure and building their own knowledge about business management, new technology, biosecurity and trade potential for their products.

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18 // NEWS

Price rise for discounted milk lines SOME DAIRY farmers may get a boost in

their milk price after Coles and Woolworths announced the end of $1 litre milk on some lines.

Woolworths led the move in February and was followed by Coles committing to raise the price of its discount milk lines by 10 cents to $1.10 per litre, with the entire price increase going back to the farm gate.

Aldi Australia has also committed to raising its prices.

Peak dairy farmer group Australian Dairy Farmers praised Coles for the move.

“Coles has made the right decision to increase the price of its discount milk brand and they should be commended for their initiative in working to end this price-freezing practice,” ADF chief executive David Inall said.

“Farming families put tireless effort and resources into producing a quality product and

there is no question that supermarket discounting has had an incredibly demoralising and negative financial impact on the Australian dairy industry over the last eight years.”

The price of Coles Brand 2 litre milk will rise to $2.20, with 3 litres rising to $3.30 as a result of the increase.

The supermarket said it would “work with dairy processors to ensure that the benefit of this retail price increase will go directly to the dairy farmers who supply Coles brand milk to our customers”.

Advocacy group Dairy Connect welcomed the announcement by ALDI Australia to increase its private label range of 2 litre and 3 litre milks by 10 cents per litre.

“We need to ensure a strong Australian dairy industry with a fair farm gate price, above the cost of production, to ensure a long-term

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sustainable Australian dairy industry,” Dairy Connect chief executive Shaughn Morgan said.

He said Dairy Connect supported further structural reform and looked forward to discussing how this might be achieved with Federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud and Shadow Minister Joel Fitzgibbon in the leadup to the federal election.

“All options must be on the table for discussion, from the appointment of a Federal Dairy Commissioner overseeing dairy-wide industry issues, a strong Dairy Mandatory Code through to investigating a dairy floor price providing a ‘minimum wage’ for dairy farmers,” Mr Morgan said.

BEGA CHEESE SUFFERS PROFIT DECLINE Bega Cheese has taken a huge hit to its bottom line, with profits almost halving in the first half of the 2018-19 financial year as a result of the poor season and the purchase of Saputo’s Koroit factory.

The company said the figures, which were revealed in its half-yearly results last week, were a result of milk price and milk volumes in some regions, slower first-half sales in nutritionals, a significant build in inventory and costs associated with the acquisition of the Koroit milk plant, and corporate costs.

Despite revenue increasing by six per cent to $650 million — a result of increased milk volume because of the Koroit factory acquisition — profit after tax was still slashed by 48 per cent to $18.9million. ‘‘While the first half has been challenging and the business is impacted by acquisition and corporate costs, sales timing and milk support pressure, our strategic focus remains robust and the positioning of the business strong,’’ executive chairman Barry Irvin told investors last Wednesday. ‘‘As is always the case we believe it is appropriate to review the business from a normalised perspective.’’

The company is projecting an overall milk intake of one to 1.1 billion litres in 2018-19, following a ‘‘record milk intake’’ of 641 million litres in the first half of the financial year, an increase of 55 per cent on the year prior.

However, milk intake from direct suppliers to Tatura Milk totalled 223 million litres, a decrease of six per cent, while milk intake from third parties reduced by 40 per cent to 223 million litres as a result of drought. ‘‘While it has been pleasing to have such a successful milk procurement program, the impact of the drought has been significant in terms of both supply and competition for milk, particularly in northern Victoria,’’ Bega Cheese chief executive officer Paul van Heerwaarden told investors.

A record 645 million litres was processed in the first half of the financial year, up 41 per cent and 189 million litres on the previous year.

The first half of the financial year figures come as Bega Cheese announced its Coburg facility would close its doors immediately.

The company said the decision was made following a review of Bega facilities, which concluded ‘‘the Coburg site’s capacity and city location cannot viably support Bega’s expected future growth’’.

The company said redundancies would occur, although some staff would be offered employment at other sites.

The facility, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, was acquired by Bega in 2009 and has manufactured cheese for Bega’s private label and food service cheese business.

19 // DAIRY BRIEFS

Permanent skilled workforce nears for dairy owners DAIRY BUSINESS owners are one step closer to securing a permanent skilled workforce with the Federal Government amending its occupation classification list to make it easier for farmers to attract experienced and skilled overseas labour.

Under changes to the Australian Skilled Occupation List, high-level dairy farm managers who have responsibility for overseeing farming operations are eligible for the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa entry to Australia for up to four years with the possibility of renewal and permanent residency via the 187 visa.

Peak dairy farmer group Australian Dairy Farmers praised the outcome after the organisation last year pushed for an overhaul of the occupation classification system.

“The experience of regional communities around Australia is that migrant farmers not only fill labour shortages, but they also bring with them new technological insights gained overseas to apply to Australian farming and revitalise local communities,” ADF president Terry Richardson said.

“The pathway to permanent residency is vital to ensuring Australian dairy farmers can attract skilled overseas workers who will avoid Australia if they can obtain permanent residency in other countries.”

The changes will apply to migrant workers on TSS visas who have an undergraduate qualification or at least five years’ experience.

The TSS visa for short and medium-term employment last year replaced the 457 visa

stream, which had been used to recruit skilled overseas labour.

ADF argued to the government that dairy businesses were losing up to $364 million each year in employee turnover as a result of the industry’s labour shortage crisis.

“Dairy farmers need reliable access to skilled overseas workers and it’s pleasing to see the government amend its job classification system to reflect the modern reality of the dairy industry,” Mr Richardson said.

“The dairy industry is taking positive and comprehensive steps to address the widespread skills shortage in the dairy industry, and this is one of a range of measures that will address the problem.”

Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister David Coleman said the government had listened to farmers and those within the agricultural industry who were calling for better access to workers.

“This update responds to calls from regional Australia for better access to skilled workers in key areas of need and will boost access to services required by our local communities,” Mr Coleman said.

“These updates build on recent changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program and the Seasonal Worker Program to target genuine workforce shortages in regional Australia without displacing Australian workers.

“We want Australians filling Australian jobs but when this isn’t possible action is needed to ensure farmers can continue to operate.”

Fonterra milk supply crashes FONTERRA AUSTRALIA’S milk supply crashed by more than a quarter in February compared to the same month last season as poor conditions took their toll.

The figures, outlined in the company’s March Global Dairy Update, reveal milk collection across Australia has fallen 17 per cent this financial year.

On-farm conditions, cull cow rates, retirements in key regions and milk collection losses have been blamed for the losses.

According to Dairy Australia’s March Milk Production Report, Victorian milk production in January fell 14.4 per cent on last year, with northern Victoria down by 27.2 per cent on January last year.

The figures come after it was revealed in February that Fonterra Australia had offered some suppliers to its Stanhope plant an extra 70¢/kg if they signed up to a deal requiring a commitment on volume and quality.

At the time Fonterra acknowledged it was not getting enough milk for its recently upgraded Stanhope factory.

Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker said in February that the company consulted a group of farmers in the region to ask if the company should take on new contracts, and offer a premium to compensate for high input costs, or reject the contracts.

The answer was to offer a price incentive.

A number of dairy farmers have been forced to leave the industry in recent months, as a combination of high water and feed prices and ongoing dry conditions take their toll.

The town of Cohuna alone has seen a number of dairy farms close their farm gates.

Yet despite the low milk input figures revealed in the March update, Australian dairy exports increased 32 per cent or 16 000 metric tonnes in January compared to last year according to the company. ‘‘This growth was due to SMP (skim milk powder), infant formula, fluid products and whey powder up a combined 18 000 MT. This was offset by a decline in WMP (whole milk powder) of 3000 MT.’’

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20 // NEWS

Proof how critical calf care is HALF OF a cow’s lifetime height and growth is

Calf rearing specialist David Kuehnel says well-reared calves will always give a solid return-on-investment.

achieved in the first six months of its life, according to a visiting American calf-rearing specialist.

David Kuehnel was raised on a family farm in Wisconsin, which reared 1200 specially-fed veal calves every year. He went on to major in Meat and Animal Science at the University of Wisconsin, and he is the former president of Milk Products for Land O’Lakes — the biggest producer of

milk replacer in North America. Today, he runs consultancy firm Rule of Three.

Talking to dairy farmers throughout Victoria as a guest of Daviesway, David explained that 25 per cent of a calf’s lifetime weight gain also happened within that precious six-month window following birth.

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breeding, producers could expect an additional 821 litres of production on the first three lactations — or a seven to one return-on-investment (ROI).

“We can argue whether or not it was an increase of 600 litres or 1000 litres,” David told one group in northern Victoria. “But the key point, and the takeaway message, is that the better the weight gain we achieve pre-puberty and pre-breeding age, the bigger the impact on the future milking ability of those individuals.

“And, you can’t recover it, if you don’t have it to begin with.

“There is no such thing as compensatory frame growth — a short calf will be a short cow.

I’m talking not just scale and size. I’m also talking body, lung, liver and digestive capacity. They are all set in early life.”

He acknowledged that every operation was different, but stressed that the reality of the math, and the ROI didn’t change. The subjective part of the story lay only in the way that producers chose to prioritise their next generation.

Studies in the United States reveal that calves fed a higher solids diet the first eight weeks gained 11 kg (16.1 per cent) more weight, were 3.3 cm (3.8 per cent) taller, were 5.6 cm (7.3 per cent) longer and had 33 litres (17.2 per cent) more body volume.

David was sensitive to the cost of rearing replacement animals in a tight economy. But he offered some options to address the issue. Using a baseline of a 100-cow herd, he said producers needed 63 herd replacements if they had an average first-calving age of 23 months (and a cull rate of 30 per cent). At an average first-calving age of 24 months (with a cull rate of 40 per cent), the number of replacement heifers jumped to 88.

“I’d advise to invest only in the calves with the greatest potential and sell your surplus animals as early as possible,” he said. “Re-invest that money into rearing the calves you choose to keep, better.

“I think that’s a more positive result than saying, ‘I didn’t have enough money to raise them well, but I raised them all.”

As the conversation turned to the value of using probiotics in the calf shed, David said it was today an important part of the calf-rearing puzzle.

“We’ve learned so much about this subject in the last few years, and we now know there is a really strong interactive relationship between the balance of the bacteria in the gut, and the general health of the animal,” David said.

“The calf’s rumen and intestinal tract is not functioning when it is born,” he said. “We have to develop it.

“And, probiotics — when they are fed at high enough concentrations — have so much to do with developing and supporting the immune system.”

Daviesway recently introduced two powerful probiotics to the market — Bio-Calf [double strength probiotic powder milk additive for calves which contains Australia’s only all-natural coccidiostat] and Bio-Boost [a probiotic paste that includes 40 times more active ingredients than other products on the market].

Daviesway’s calf rearing specialist Brendan Johnson said David’s visit was part of Daviesway’s commitment to knowledge sharing at a time when it had never been more valuable for the industry.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 21

Raising babies ANIMAL ADVISER Bob James provided an

animated and colourful lesson in calf rearing for the crowd attending the South Australian Dairy Conference in March.

The American scientist encouraged, cajoled and inspired the group to raise healthier calves for better, long-term results.

“This is not rocket science,” Dr James said, often referring to the calves as “your babies”.

He said common failures in calf rearing were attributed to the calf rearers and the facilities.

“Have your most neurotic worker on the job in calf rearing, to make sure things are done every time.

“If your wife or spouse is hell on wheels that’s where they should be working.

It’s a big deal. You screw it up and you are

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fighting the whole rest of the time raising that calf.”

And he urged farmers not to be miserly with feeding.

“What’s the cheapest calf program? Don’t feed the little buggers!” he said sarcastically.

“Some people feed them four litres a day. You are not even meeting the maintenance requirements of the calf.”

He spoke against feeding once a day. Dr James put it this way: “Ask yourself, which meal you would like today!”

He placed a heavy emphasis on feeding clean colostrum quickly.

“There is a reason that Mother Nature puts it there. Feeding quality colostrum has a real impact on the calf for their growth and development.

“We are only just starting to understand the function that (these elements) have.

“If you don’t take the time to feed colostrum correctly, you will spend the time treating sick calves.”

He said if that was not possible, use dried colostrum and mix it up.

Tips from Dr James

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Bob James

Dr James said studies had revealed that cows had a unique nutrition system.

“The mother puts some of her immune cells in the colostrum. But the calf will only absorb mum’s immune cells and not cells from another mum.

“There are some big operations which feed the mother’s colostrum to the calf, within about 45 minutes. This is nice if we can do it. It can be tough to do.

“Fresh colostrum or flash frozen.”

Sanitation was also important.

“I go on to some farms and I look at where

Calves must be born in a clean environment.

Feed your calves clean, fresh colostrum early in life.

Feed your calves a quality calf milk replacer. Ideally, the calf milk replacer should be high in protein with a fat content above 20 per cent.

Feed your calves a good calf starter which is high in palatability and presented well.

Provide adequate supply of clean water. Test your water regularly.

Look after your calf rearers and they will look after your calves.

they are putting the colostrum and it’s enough to gag a maggot.

“Would you drink it?

“Cool it or feed it as soon as possible.

“Minimise the time between milking and feeding.”

Dr James said the benefit of colostrum was now being recognised in health food diets, and commonly used to cure travel sickness.

Dr James is a dairy consultant from the Department of Dairy Science at Virginia Tech, United States.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

22 // MARKETS

The rise of dairy alternative drinks in Australian supermarkets include milk alternatives made out of coconut, quinoa, macadamia and more recently pea and hemp.

The bourgeoning range of dairy alternatives has had the impact of intensifying competition within the non-dairy market and has resulted in soy losing market share to alternatives, particularly almond.

In the 12 months to March sales of soy drinks made up 41 per cent of the non-dairy segment while almond beverages grew to account for 37 per cent of the market.

There are currently close to 200 different products available in supermarkets for consumers who want to purchase dairy alternative beverages.

While sales of non-dairy drinks have grown, it is important to note that consumers are not necessarily ditching dairy in favour of these products.

Research conducted for Dairy Australia shows that only five per cent of consumers purchase alternatives exclusively, while 67 per cent only purchase milk.

Cross-purchasing (buying both regular milk and dairy alternatives) is becoming more common.

Currently, 31 per cent of all consumers’crosspurchase dairy and dairy alternatives. One retailer reported their consumers on average purchased between three and four different kinds of ‘milks’.

The research also indicates that alternative

beverages are more likely to appeal to people who live in metropolitan areas, who are millennials and female, compared to traditional dairy.

Such consumers are also more likely to have children in the household compared to dairy consumers. What may come as a surprise is the primary grounds they cite for purchasing dairy alternatives. The reasoning behind this decision is not animal welfare concerns but the perception that these alternatives are healthier. Social media and mass marketing for these beverages have led consumers to believe they are more natural and healthy than milk.

While it may be disheartening to hear that

consumers view non-dairy drinks as a healthier alternative to milk, it provides the dairy industry with an opportunity. These nut beverages contain a wide range of ingredients, all added to imitate the nutritional benefit of dairy. This is why it is becoming increasingly essential for the dairy industry to talk about the health benefits of consuming dairy.

It is important to remember that despite growth in recent years, the alternative market remains a niche market. While some choose to buy their coffees with plant-based milk, most Australian consumers still want traditional milk with their latte.

Alternative 'milk' sales in supermarkets 140.00 120.00

Litres (millions)

AUSTRALIANS LOVE dairy products and consume more dairy per capita than most other developed countries.

In 2018 Australians drank close to 102 litres of milk per person with a proportion accounted for in coffees.

More recently there has been an increased presence of plant-based drinks or non-dairy ‘milks’ in the market. Over the 12 months to March 2019, Australians purchased about 5.3 litres per person of dairy alternatives in supermarkets.

Traditional dairy products continue to make up the dominant part of the average consumer’s diet, however, sales of dairy alternatives have grown quickly as companies extract ‘milk’ from an increasingly wide selection of nuts.

During the past four years, sales of dairy alternatives grew 48 per cent to 132 million litres. In stark contrast, sales of white milk grew four per cent over the same period to 1.3 billion litres.

White milk still represents close to 90 per cent of the entire market. Even though non-dairy drinks are growing exponentially, they still only account for a small portion of the entire milk market.

Product development has been a key feature in the spike in demand for non-dairy products.

In 2007, soy was the principal product sold with more than 80 per cent share of the nondairy market.

In 2008 almond drink was first introduced to Australian supermarkets and since then a wide range of alternatives have followed. These

GLOBAL IMPACT SOFIA OMSTEDT

100.00 80.00 60.00 40.00 20.00 2016 Almond drinks

2017

2018

Coconut drinks

Soy drinks

2019 Other drinks

• Data represent MAT to March each year

Seasonal milk outlook improves MILK PROCESSORS will be competing

strongly for milk supply, with milk production slowing and robust demand from Southeast Asia and China, dairy consultants Fresh Agenda believes.

The seasonal outlook has improved with slowing milk growth in key exporting regions and robust demand from Southeast Asia and China.

Based on projected commodity values from its Global Dairy Directions analysis, Fresh Agenda is forecasting an improvement in the average southern farm gate milk price in 2019–20.

“As always, this forecast is not without risk,” the report from Fresh Agenda said.

“Apart from the perennial exchange rate gyrations, there are some key risks we are currently seeing to this outlook.”

The reported cited these key risks as: ■■ The rate of EU milk growth during the spring period; ■■ The impact of trade disruptions associated with Brexit and United States-initiated trade wars; ■■ Critically for local returns, the resilience of cheese prices given slowing demand and increasing Northern Hemisphere competition.

The Fresh Agenda analysis found: ■■ The rapid sell-down of the EU’s SMP intervention stocks, the strong spring flush in NZ, and higher availability of cheap South American powders increased availability and weakened the market in late 2018.

■■ Slowing milk production growth, particularly in the EU and more recently in

New Zealand, has limited export availability, while strong demand for low-priced milk powders from China and Southeast Asia has tightened the market and lifted prices.

Butterfat and cheese prices have remained relatively high despite lukewarm demand.

‘Given the flow-on effects for Oceania wholesale prices, we expect the Commodity Milk value to average $5.60-$5.70 kgMS for the 2017–18 season. The likely value-capture achievable by companies and paid to milk producers above the underlying CMV is expected to range between 4 5 and 55¢ per kg of milk solids,” the report said.

Looking ahead over the next year, we expect commodity values to recede a little from current levels which will flow through to a commodity value of milk in the range $5.80 to $6.20 kgMS. We expect the value capture to edge higher in

2019–20 given local milk supply shortages and scrutiny of retailers with respect to the dairy industry, to between 50 and 60¢ per kgMS. “Companies may offer prices that differ from this forecast ( which is based on industry averages) due to differences in product mix and business models. Farmgate prices on offer in 2018–19 will reflect strong competition for milk supply.

Saputo will aim to rebuild milk intakes to fill its ex-MG assets, while new facilities in north and west of Victoria will also be seeking additional supply. Stronger competition has the potential to lift prices above the fundamentals reflected in our outlook.”

Fresh Agenda has developed the Commodity Milk Value to provide industry participants with updates of the outlook for expected commodity milk farm gate values for the next two years.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWS // 23

Varied conditions across SA dairy SOUTH AUSTRALIA was experiencing different conditions across different regions, DairySA chairman Michael Connor noted at the opening of the regional development program’s central conference last month.

“We need to be real about how tough it is,” Mr O’Connor said.

“One positive thing is that the milk price is heading in the right direction and it could be worse if that wasn’t happening.”

He noted there was also an increased demand for milk with multiple processors looking for supply.

On the other hand, high input costs were

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making it tough to break even.

Mr O’Connor said DairySA’s role was to get as much as possible of the levy money back to the farmer who paid the levy.

“We focus what is in the farmers control; research, development and extension.

“Extension needs to be flexible and adaptable

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to the changing challenges.”

He was encouraged by the good feedback he received from the DairySA team and he encouraged farmers to connect with the staff.

South Australian Dairy Safe records the state has 55 milk processors registered, supplied by 228 dairy farms.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

24 // NEWS

Mikaela Baker

Find your farm niche, says scholar

The benchmark for production and performance

A YOUNG Victorian woman whose passion for agriculture has seen her awarded scholarships and travel overseas was an inspiring after-dinner speaker at last month’s South Australian dairy conference.

Mikaela Baker took her first agricultural studies in Year 9 and after a placement on a sheep farm for one day a week was so impressed she set her goals on an agri-business career.

Ms Baker decided to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University and in 2013 she was awarded the Horizon Scholarship, which supports future agricultural leaders.

Later she spent several weeks working on the dairy farm of Sarah and Ray Parker at Tatura.

“They were amazing in how they showed me the ropes, because I had never set foot on a dairy farm,” Ms Baker said.

“They organised for me to spend one day a week with a nutritionist, and after that I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

Her further experience with a skilled nutritionist confirmed her goals.

“I think it is really important to find a job that aligns with your personal values and appreciates you for your strengths and weaknesses.

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“I’ve had many opportunities to attend conferences and workshops throughout Australia and overseas, but the greatest was the Knoxville American Dairy Association conference provided by Dairy Australia,” Ms Baker said.

She visited a 9000-cow dairy farm, which had two rotary dairies running full-time.

Each cow was cared for by a specific team, which enabled cows to be managed as individuals with any health or behaviour changes quickly identified.

She noted the employees she met were passionate about their jobs and appreciated their clearly defined career paths.

She encouraged other students to seize the opportunity offered by scholarships and to seek advice from experienced practitioners.

“The worst thing that could happen is that you might be told no, but no-one has ever said no to offering their time,” she said.

“I think it is really important to find a job that aligns with your personal values and appreciates you for your strengths and weaknesses.”

Ms Baker now works as a nutritionist with Total Result Ag Consulting based at Victor Harbour in South Australia and is undertaking further studies.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

NEWSâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; //â&#x20AC;&#x201A;â&#x20AC;&#x201A;25

From left, Amber Stutley, John Zadow, Tim Wright and Reece Bonhardt, at the DairySA Central Conference in March.

About 170 delegates attended the DairySA Central Conference

Stacy Gray and Nick Mignanelli, 17, from Myponga, South Australia, were among the youngest delegates attending the central conference at Tailem Bend.

Pictured at the conference at Tailem Bend last month were, from left, Megan Johnston, Frank Young, Greg Gilbert, Andrew Davil and DairySA chair Michael Connor.

Getting the latest information at the DairySA Central Conference, from left, Andrew Smith, Dr Veiss Smith and Dr Catherine Harvey, from organic farmers Tauwitchere Pastoral Company.

Ellinbank scientist, Bill Wales talking about heat stress.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

26 // NEWS TIME TO RUN

Siblings, Kane and Jess Chandler were among the younger farming families attending the DairySA Central Conference

Niche supply THE CHANDLER family from Mulgundawa,

South Australia, is among the number of farmers in the state who have changed their operation to take advantage of niche dairy opportunities.

Mark and Jenny Chandler converted their conventional farm to organic in 2002 and now exclusively supply a specialist dairy processor, Divine Dairy, which makes specialist cheeses and sells them in the Adelaide Hills.

The arrangement has resulted in the farm business attracting a premium price for its milk.

With the support of their two sons and daughter, Kane, Simon and Jess, the family milks about 480 cows (predominantly Holstein with about 30 per cent red breeds) on 600 ha south of Murray Bridge.

Operating in a low rainfall area, the farm uses three centre pivot irrigators and applies rotational grazing practices.

Being an organic operation, the farm has had to become self-sufficient in its feed supply.

The family is also grappling with a problem unique to South Australia.

Thousands of Cape Barren geese regularly visit the farm and devour the lucerne crop.

“They’re like lawn mowers,” Mark Chandler said.

“It costs us a lot in water to keep up to them.”

The Chandlers respect the native birds but have been urgently seeking a solution which will ease the pressure on their bottom line.

Lochy Hemphill speaking at the DairySA Central Conference

Lochy Hemphill heard an uncle once say: “When everyone is walking, start running.”

The Hemphill family took his advice and has developed its Kyabram dairy operation during some challenging seasons since 1982.

Mr Hemphill told the story of the farm’s development at the central conference of the South Australian Dairy development body, DairySA, at Tailem Bend in March.

About 35 years ago, they milked 65 cows on a pasture-based system, calving down once a year.

His parents bought the farm after pooling their savings, but borrowed during a time when interest rates hit 22 per cent.

Initially the herd was leased but, thanks to the global recession, when interest rates dropped they were able to buy the cows.

Mr Hemphill said the farm reached a pivotal point in 2002 when the family realised there were a number of options,

including making some major changes or selling out.

“We decided to change, so we dried off all the pastures and moved to farming without irrigation.”

They bought in cereal hay and fed the cows on a feed pad, lifting the herd size to 300.

The next pivotal moment for the business was in 2009–10 when the family had to decide how it would incorporate Mr Hemphill and his brother Will into the business, as they had completed their studies.

That’s when Lochy recalled his uncle’s advice.

The family purchased more land which gave access to an alternative water source through the Kyabram waste treatment facility.

The business has invested heavily in centre pivot and drip irrigation, and more recently in silage production equipment to ease the reliance on contractors.

Two years ago they built a loafing area across the feed pad to try to provide some protection from adverse weather.

After one recent heavy rain event they were able to hold production and maintain an acceptable cell count.

The business has also introduced a fertility program and switched to high daughter fertility bulls.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

Australian Breeding Values Feature New ABV figures out now With seasonal conditions and higher feed costs hitting hard in many areas, dairy farmers will be looking for value for money in DataGene’s April release of Australian Breeding Values (ABVs).

Visit www.datagene.com.au for the latest ABV results, including top cows and herds.

Farmer Paul Cocksedge can access herd data on his mobile phone. See page 30.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

28 // ABV FEATURE

Good Bulls Guide for Jersey — Balanced Performance Index (BPI) Indices Bull ID

Bull Name

Genomics Included

Australian Proven Source or International

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

Daughter Fertility

No. Over Mam Type Herds Type Syst Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

CRVVOYANT

MERSEYBANK CLAIRVOYANT

g

A

CRV

139

80

114

161

53

93

96

29

102

102

77

101

68

14JE00670

STEINHAUERS SAMSON LEMONHEAD

g

A

WWS

134

87

110

148

52

97

297

71

101

100

87

99

80

7JE01294

JARS OF CLAY BARNABAS

g

A

WWS

132

86

93

176

86

95

144

34

107

108

89

95

83

7J1151

BUTTERCREST GALVANIZE

g

A

GAC

131

87

92

190

85

97

187

38

108

107

86

94

86

SANDBLAST

NOWELL SANDBLAST

g

A

AGR

127

92

109

85

112

99

1,323

211

99

103

94

100

96

ARIES

NOWELL ZODIAC

g

A

127

83

87

67

98

94

89

32

98

96

78

101

77

011JE1118

ALL LYNNS VALENTINO MARVEL

g

A

ALT

127

87

123

169

49

97

207

48

104

105

81

96

87

CSCAMBITION

RIVERSIDE AMBITION

g

A

ABS

125

85

110

103

113

96

175

52

100

102

81

98

78

BOSMURMUR

OKURA LIKA MURMUR S3J

g

A

CRV

125

91

91

83

91

99

787

107

93

94

92

103

96

BARTPOWER

DARAWAY FLOWERPOWER SATIRA

g

A

GAC

125

92

132

162

25

99

1,087

256

107

111

92

102

97

Good Bulls Guide for Red Breeds­ — Balanced Performance Index (BPI) Indices Bull ID

Bull Name

Australian Proven or International

Source

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI

ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

Daughter Fertility

No. Over Mam Type Herds Type Syst Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

AXBBLACKWOOD

BLACKWOOD PARK BLACKWOOD

A

AXB

243

76

202

238

179

89

65

10

102

108

69

101

61

ARBCYGNET

BEAULANDS SWANNIES - ET

A

GAC

239

79

195

222

150

92

82

33

101

106

69

102

63

VFOSKE

V FOSKE

A

VIK

228

92

151

222

182

100

2,108

158

103

104

94

101

97

ARBSCAREBEAR JOHVILLE PARK SCAREBEAR

A

GAC

213

81

165

135

166

93

86

33

92

98

77

102

66

VIKBALFA

VR BALFA

A

VIK

206

83

131

225

188

94

90

17

106

106

66

97

80

ARBABBOTT

BEAULANDS ABBOTT

A

GAC

179

79

109

150

240

92

84

27

97

97

69

97

64

ARBNICK

ORANA NICK

A

GAC

166

86

132

208

103

97

218

57

109

107

77

101

80

ARBSTEJAC

JOHVILLE PARK STEJAC

A

GAC

153

68

103

120

129

80

33

18

97

95

55

103

50

VIKFERGUS

VR FERGUS

A

VIK

150

85

117

149

66

96

158

34

101

102

67

103

86

ARBBONJOVI

BOSGOWAN BON JOVI

A

GAC

137

92

88

127

137

100

2,392

270

101

104

91

103

98

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

ABV FEATURE // 29

Good Bulls Guide for Holstein — Balanced Primary Index Indices Bull ID

Genomics Included

Bull Name

Australian Proven Source or International

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

Daughter Fertility

No. Over Mam Type Herds Type Syst Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

14HO07328

COASTAL-VIEW MOOKIE

g

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UECKER SUPERSIRE JOSUPER-ET

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ABS AGR ALT AXB CRV

ABS Australia Agri-Gene Alta Genetics Australia Auzred Xb CRV Australia

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

30 // ABV FEATURE

Herd decisions made easier thanks to App IT’S NOT uncommon to see Paul Cocksedge

staring at his phone screen in the yard surrounded by cows.

Or at the dairy, or even down the paddock.

But rest assured, the production manager of a 400-cow dairy farm owned by the Vagg family at Leongatha South is actually working.

And, not only is he working, he’s making important decisions about the herd more efficiently than he ever did before.

On Paul’s phone screen is DataGene’s HerdData app.

Through this app he can access all the production, cell count, calving and joining records of the herd.

It’s at his finger-tips and this ensures quick and correct decisions on-farm.

“Every Tuesday is cull day,” he said.

“I try to milk Tuesday morning so if there’s a cow who is a bit suspect, I’ll look her up on the app and get her cell count history and production history, when or if she’s due to calve and to which sire and make a decision then if she is retained or culled.

“It also works with production. In the dairy we have flow metres which measure litres, but we are not paid on litres, we are paid on components. If she has low production through the flow metre, I’ll look-up the app and check her components. Sometimes her production is a lot higher than I thought. Going purely on volume, a lot of cows would have met their end, but because you can see how many solids they are giving by looking up the app on chopper days, it is not always low volume cows which get culled.”

Paul is the only staff member at the farm who currently uses the HerdData app, but there’s moves to get more people involved.

He uses the app to assist herd decisions, even when he’s away from the farm.

“If I’m away, I’ll get a text message ‘what’s cow123’s cell count?’ I could be sitting on the beach in Queensland, look her up and text back sell or treat her,” he said.

The HerdData app makes it easy to enter herd records from anywhere and provides key animal information quickly on-farm. The app also makes data entry more convenient and enables information to more easily reach DataGene’s genetic evaluation database. This helps the industry as the data provides more accurate breeding values and opportunities for new breeding values.

Paul has been using the app since it first came out about two years ago.

Herd testing data feeds into the app quickly.

Paul said i was available on the app later in the day following a morning herd test. Other data is fed into the app via the computer from the herd management software program Mistro, while some information is manually entered.

He uses the app “daily” during calving. A third of the herd, including Paul’s 50 Paco Aussie Reds, Jerseys and some Holsteins, calve in the autumn and the rest in spring.

The farm sells bulls to local farmers and the app helps make decisions about what bull calves should be retained for this market.

“As we are calving, I do a visual appraisal of the cow and if she, and her bull calf, tick that box I will look her details up on the app,” Paul said.

“I look up her production history and health history and if all those boxes are ticked, the calf is retained to grow-out and sell to other farmers.”

Joining details are entered into the app, but Paul also retains a hard copy. These work well together for different purposes, according to Paul.

The printed reports from Mistro are still used regularly while the app provides a quick and easy reference for calving dates and other information.

“The app automatically generates the cow’s ‘due to calve’ date. If there’s a cow I’m not sure about I will look her up for when she’s due to calve,” he said.

“Getting the dry-off dates, it saves us any potential milk withhold issues as well.”

The farm still uses a hard copy calving book to record births and this is due to necessity. Paul is not always on-farm and a central book makes it easy to maintain a consistent approach to record keeping.

But the app still plays a role in verifying these records. For example, Paul uses the app to check what’s written down. If a cow has been marked in the book as having calved within three to four days of her calving date, it’s generally assumed the record is correct. But occasionally, a cow has been recorded with her calf and she’s not close to calving or has already calved. The app helps rectify these issues.

HerdData provides information on-the-spot when it is needed, and Paul said this helped make better decisions.

Paul Cocksedge uses the HerdData App to look up information about cows while in the paddock.

“It’s for the day-to-day stuff and split-second decisions,” he said. “In the past, I’d not make a decision and wait to go into the house to lookup on the computer and make a decision then.

The depth of information is still on the computer — going back years and years — but what I need day-to-day is on the app.”

Enabling better decisions helps the farm business save money.

Paul said the savings were in “ways that are not easily seen”.

“A perfect example is making decisions about selling cows and not overtreating,” he said. “We might have treated the cows if we couldn’t look them up straight away. We’d go back to the computer and it would be then we’d say ‘we shouldn’t

have treated her, we should have sold her’.”

Paul also works part-time as a sales rep for herd improvement organisation HICO and is a director of Australian Reds breed organisation.

He’s passionate about breeding and especially Aussie Reds.

When it comes to breeding, selecting for production is the first priority — especially components— followed by udder and body traits, including good chest width for capacity.

Paul uses proven bulls and a few genomic sires. He said Aussie Reds “are easy to work with”.

“They are the sort of cows that work for me, I don’t have to work for them,” he said.

Agri-Gene Pty Ltd Paul Cocksedge in the paddock.

Ph: 03 5722 2666 Fax: 03 5722 2777 Email: info@agrigene.com.au www.agrigene.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

ABV FEATURE // 31

Genetics to help solve global dairy challenges: US expert “As an AI company we must focus on all our did we get so blind-sided?” Mr Albertoni chalgenetic solutions, ramp them up, and we must overcome social, environmental and financial lenged the conference.

“We must work together to promote the ben- be focused on the profitability of farms,” he said. challenges, a global expert told a recent herd Profitability will go “far beyond genetics”. Mr efits of milk,” he said. improvement conference.

Genetics could also play a role in helping dairy Albertoni said there was a broader role AI comIt’s just a matter of embracing change.

World Wide Sires marketing manager, genetic farmers across the world manage price volatil- panies could play on farm, this included helping consultant and mating specialist Brian Albertoni ity, cut costs and run profitable businesses, Mr farmers access technologies as well as manage and interpret data. told Herd ’19 in Bendigo that genetics provided Albertoni said.

He said artificial insemination companies important responses to threats to the future of dairy such as concern about carbon emissions, must help farmers adapt to this new business Genetics has a role in addressing global animal welfare, competition from alternative environment as well as technology. “Adapt to dairy challenges according to Brian Albertoni from World Wide Sires in the US. “milk” beverages as well as a need to feed a grow- thrive, not just survive,” he said. ing global population and on-farm profitability.

“Our population is exploding, by 2050 there will be 10 billion mouths to feed,” he said. “That’s huge growth and as the growth comes, wealth improves, so those 10 billion people want a glass of milk and a hamburger. It means we have to produce 56 per cent more food than we do today.

It’s scary and also a little exciting.”

He said since genomics was first available 10 years ago, milk production per cow in the United States increased 12.9 per cent, per year. “We used to talk about 80:20 rule, 80 per cent of production increases come from management and 20 per cent genetics,” Mr Albertoni said. “Today, it’s the 70:30 rule, where 30 per cent of the production increase is coming from genetics. It’s very exciting times for our industry.”

Outside of production, the environmental impact of dairying often comes into question, Silver x Balisto Semino especially carbon emissions from agriculture.

But genetics could play a role in explaining to a2 consumers, and those disconnected from agriculture, how the industry was tackling this concern, Mr Albertoni said.

“The truth is we are focusing on genetic effiPalermo x Shottle ciency, especially through feed efficiency and trying to be more sustainable,” he said. “(From a2 the perspective) of a genetic company, I’ve never seen such focus on bringing cow size down, some people don’t like it, but it’s the way it needs to be. We need to focus on bringing cow size down to be more efficient and sustainable.”

Earnhardt P x Robust Genetics can also help overcome negative perceptions about animal welfare. For exama2 ple, breeding for improved fertility combined with technologies to automate heat detection will reduce the industry’s use of synchronisation programs.

Mr Albertoni predicted genetic selection for wellness traits would “skyrocket”.

Freecall: 1800 039 047 www.genaust.com.au “As I travel around the world, there’s more and more people wanting genetics to make healthier animals, so they don’t have to use antibiotics,” he said.

He also used the example of polled genes to avoid dehorning, as a way genetics could help the public understand the desire for healthier cows with improved welfare management.

Selecting genetic wellness traits would also help save money on-farm through limiting issues such as mastitis and lameness while also breeding cows which live longer.

Outside of the cow itself, Mr Albertoni said genetics could help improve milk and provide benefits for consumers. He said this would help the industry as it faced increasing market pressure from alternative beverages.

Luck-E Powerball Active “From a genetics company we need to focus on milk that tastes better,” he said. “That’s more digestible and higher quality overall. If there’s Maebull 3214 a genetic component, we are going to try and adopt that.”

A2 milk is an example of this.

In 2016 the consumption of plant-based milk alternatives tripled in the US and for the Freecall: 1800 039 047 www.genaust.com.au decade prior to this there had been a 25 per cent decrease in milk consumption per person. “How

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

32 // ABV FEATURE

One herd test can help cut antibiotic use on-farm A SINGLE herd test, within 80 days before dry-

ing-off cows can guide targeted part-herd (selective) antibiotic dry cow treatment use on-farm.

That was the message from Dr John Penry who spoke to the Herd ’19 conference in Bendigo, recently, about ways dairy farmers can reduce the use of antibiotics on-farm.

The newly appointed Dairy Australia manager of technical and innovation, Dr Penry outlined four management methods for dairy farmers to replace blanket dry cow therapy which involves treating the entire herd with antibiotics before

drying them off to calve.

He said selective or part-herd dry cow treatment was about rethinking how cows get selected for dry cow therapy and this could be determined by a single herd test.

A recent study on 36 commercial dairy farms in New Zealand found one herd test within 80 days of the herd drying-off date had “the equivalent test performance” to make decisions on which cows to treat with dry cow therapy as compared to four measures of cell count which is standard practice in NZ. These measures

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included the maximum cell count recorded for a cow across four tests within a season or where it was compared to multiple cell count test periods combined with age and clinical mastitis information.

“Here’s the gift to the Australian herd test industry,” Dr Penry said. “If you are trying to convince farmers to herd test and they currently don’t herd test, then this is an argument to do that.

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dry cow therapy in combination with teat sealant, for example, one herd test within the last 80 days is justifiable and defendable based on robust research undertaken on commercial farms.”

According to the New Zealand research, this one herd test can ensure the dairy farm business avoids the time and financial commitment of applying dry cow to the entire herd, by selecting those that the test indicated as having a subclinical mastitis infection.

The World Health Organisation and the United Nations have, in recent years, flagged antimicrobial resistance as a priority and threat to human health. Some antibiotics may not be able to be used to treat infections into the future, if bacteria develop the ability to survive in the presence of antibiotics. A 2016 United Kingdom study estimated this could cost $US10 trillion by 2050.

Animal agriculture has a role to play in antimicrobial stewardship by reducing the amount of antibiotics used.

Dr Penry told the Herd ’19 conference about the Dutch dairy industry’s experience, passing legislation in 2012 to reduce the use of antibiotics. This meant dairy farmers could no longer use blanket dry cow therapy.

Compared to 2009 levels of antibiotic use, in 2011 there was a 20 per cent decrease; in 2013 a 50 per cent decrease and in 2015 a 70 per cent decrease. Dr Penry said these targets were achieved across all animal production sectors in the Netherlands.

“What happens to the bulk milk cell count at a national level? Since 2012 it’s dropped, you could argue it could be due to culling more animals, but the trend is still downwards. There was a series of cell count assessments done on 280 herds for cell count changes over multiple months to see if (they) became infected. It showed the new infection rate appeared to be going down.”

Other suggestions for reducing antibiotic use on farm include using teat sealant in precalving heifers. Dr Penry said this was trialled extensively in New Zealand during the early 2000s as most new clinical infections in heifers occurred in the first 30 days in milk in pasturebased systems.

“Since that time, the application of this treatment to the NZ heifer population has increased and it is estimated that approximately 45 per cent of heifers may receive this treatment around one month prior to calving — based on a large Waikato veterinary service database,” he said.

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Dr John Penry says a single herd test can help dairy farmers cut antiobiotic treatments for mastitis.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

ABV FEATURE // 33

Making better cows, faster IN LESS than a decade reliable genomics has increased the pace of genetic gain in Australian dairy herds and simultaneously reduced the cost of elite genetics.

“Genetic improvement is the single most important factor in dairy profitability at the moment,” ABS national sales manager, Paul Quinlan said. “Despite dry conditions and feed shortages, which are increasing costs, those who are investing wisely in elite genetics are seeing permanent and cumulative improvements in their business.”

Genomic reliability has made breeding decisions measurable before use. Genetic advancement plans are readily available through ABS. Under the Australian Breeding Values system Australian dairy farmers can choose the best genetics from around the world. Using ABS’ Genetic Management System (GMS) and genetic audits dairy farmers can choose both elite genomic sires and reliable Australian proven sires.

“Making the correct decision is so important,” Paul said. “GMS removes the guesswork and makes it easy to customise breeding plans that demonstrate the desired outcomes in an easily understood and transparent form.

“At ABS we want to make better cows, faster.

It’s not as complicated as some might think. Australian dairy farmers have more choices than ever before when selecting an elite team of sires to

advance genetic gains.”

While acknowledging that to many dairy farmers conformation was important, Paul said it should not take precedence over breeding profitable cows.

“It’s important to aim for a balance of health, production and conformation. We want to help Australian dairy farmers breed happy, healthy cows and we are doing just that by making available some of the best genetics Australia has ever seen.”

MVP today’s sire of choice ABS has selected sires that will make healthy cows for the Australian farming system. This has never been more evident than the choices customers made in 2018 when adding 29HO16888 Seagull-Bay MVP into their breeding program as he now excels in Farmer Likability at 107.

“With the equivalent of more than 160 cows bred to MVP in Australia every day last year, he is proving to be today’s ‘sire of choice’ matching other farmer favourites such as Goldbullion, Shottle and Medallion,” Paul said.

MVP’s farmer satisfaction and proven proof reliability is unmatched in the top 15 proven sires. With over 1000 milking daughters and carrying the A2A2 characteristic, his outstanding udders and conformation will have a longterm influence on the Australian national herd.

29HO17747 Cookiecutter HARPER, a Balisto son, currently leads the elite group of multicountry proven sires in Australia at 397 Balanced Performance Index (BPI). He comes from the outstanding "H" cow family led by Halo, the dam of Epic Hazel, which is the dam of Harper.

In this proof run ABS has added several elite genomic sires to the BPI list. Two that have joined heterozygous polled sire 29HO18698 ABS JERONIMO P at 389 BPI are 29HO17458 Boghill Glamour PERSUADE at 392 BPI with elite Daughter Fertility at 115 and is a carrier of the A2A2 gene and 29HO17429 Relough CLINCHER at 383 BPI, A2A2, 117 Daughter Fertility and Cell Count 167.

“It’s so exciting to add additional elite sires each proof run,” Paul said.

These elite sires, which are all measured under the Australian BPI index system, are available because of ABS’ genomic strategy and the meticulous selection of genetics from around the world.

“These sires will work under the Australian farming system,” Paul said.

Persuade is a United Kingdom based sire and his pedigree is a who’s who of cow families with 5th dam Larcrest Cosmopolitan alongside other notable sires from the same family: Commander, Collude, Calumet, Cayle and Charley, the former #1 TPI sire in the world.

A leading sire, Jeronimo-P, has a record for high fat and protein percentages, as well as elite ABVs for survival, cell count and daughter fertility.

A2A2 and polled genes popular Bulls with the A2A2 and polled genes are popular choices with breeders. Over 50 per cent of ABS product is A2A2 making it easy to build a strong team of bulls for breeders wanting this characteristic. Elite homozygous polled (PP) sire 29HO18639 ABS JOPPOLO PP 309 BPI is the highest ranked PP sire in Australia with excellent Daughter Fertility 112, positive milk and components and a positive feed saved sire.

Jerseys 29JE3820 Sunset Canyon DAZZLER 233 BPI continues to impress with elite Daughter Fertility 107 and Mastitis Resistance 176.

ABS is currently working with Central Sires Co-operative to secure two new Jersey sires to be introduced in spring.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

34 // ABV FEATURE

Looking for data-loving dairy farmers

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DATAGENE IS on the lookout for dairy farmers who keep meticulous records to join Ginfo, the industry’s national reference group for genetic information.

Participating herds will have their two-yearold heifers DNA tested (genotyped) and classified for free and have the option to test young female calves at a discount. They also receive a year’s free subscription to the HerdData app and early access to DataGene’ s reports and tools under development.

To be eligible, herds need to be regularly herd-testing and recording information such as calvings, joinings, sires and dams, pregnancy test results and health events such as mastitis.

DataGene chief executive officer, Dr Matt Shaffer, said Ginfo had enabled Australia to lead the world in genomic breeding values for traits that were difficult to measure such as feed saved and heat tolerance.

“Ginfo is a critical data set in the genetic evaluation system for the Australian dairy industry.

It’s enabled us to develop new breeding values and to improve the reliability of existing breeding values, especially fertility,” Dr Shaffer said.

Over the next couple of years, DataGene plans to double the number of herds in Ginfo to about 200. Ginfo herds are located across Australia’s eight dairying regions.

Tasmania farmer Bev Carpenter said Ginfo had benefits for the broader dairy industry as well as the individual farm so she couldn’t understand why more people were not involved.

Bev, who milks more than 900 Holsteins across two herds said the more information you had, the better armed you were to make the right decisions.

“Ginfo helps us identify which heifers to keep and rear and which ones to sell and then join the best cows to better bulls.”

NSW farmer Darren Parrish said they had always been interested in the genetics and breeding side of the dairy industry and being in Ginfo means they received more information on their cows by accessing genomic testing.

“It’s giving us a better understanding of our breeding program and which bulls to use over which cows. The more information gathered by the Ginfo project the better because it will result in better reliabilities and help farmers make better breeding decisions.”

DataGene manages Ginfo on behalf of the dairy industry, in collaboration with Holstein Australia, Jersey Australia, DairyBio, Agriculture Victoria and Dairy Australia.

Dairy farmers can express interest in joining Ginfo by filling in the form on www.datagene. com.au or contact Erika Oakes at DataGene 0427 995 248 or eoakes@datagene.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

ABV FEATURE // 35

Suburban woman destined for dairy YOUNG SOUTH Australian dairy farmer Ebony King spoke at the Next Gen Go-getters panel at the Herd ’19 conference in Bendigo in March.

Ebony was one of three young panel members who provided a practical farming perspective and explained their career goals.

Ebony, 20, grew up in suburbia near McLaren Vale but her stock agent grandfather Allan Peglar and herd improvement uncle David Peglar made sure she knew about and loved the dairy industry.

“I’ve always loved cows and had farms in the background,” she said.

After completing an agricultural course through TAFE, Ebony worked on a dairy farm near Clare Valley before moving home to the Fleurieu Peninsula nearly two years ago to work with Wes Hurrell at Yankalilla as assistant herd

DISEASE KILLER Farmers are facing mounting pressure economically to reduce costs, and socially to reduce antibiotic use.

Semex is offering a solution to help farmers crush disease.

Semex geneticist and business analyst Steve Larmer said despite all of the improvements made with dairy animal husbandry there continued to be poor health performance.

“When all else is equal, the thing that’s going to differ between two cows on your dairy is: How strong is their immune system? How able are they going to be to respond to that challenge? Because no matter how well-managed a dairy is, every cow is going to encounter both bacterial and viral pathogens almost every day.

“In 2012 we launched Immunity+ bulls, an industry first, dramatically changing the way dairymen developed breeding strategies and managed herd health.

“Easy to use, Immunity is highly heritable, with immune response being 30 per cent, well above other individual health traits.”

And the results confirmed this new breeding strategy, and a study of Semex sired animals from 35 commercial dairies in 2017 showed improvements in a number of areas on about 30 000 cows and 75 000 heifers tested.

The reductions were seen in eight health incidences, with the most significant being a 20 per cent reduction in mortality and 17 per cent reduction in persistent mastitis. The improvements in immune response would have resulted in $72 330 savings for herds milking 1000 cows during one lactation period.

“With the advent of genomic evaluations for immune response, we are now able to identify cows in the herd that resist disease through our Elevate™ female genomic testing platform.

“By looking at genomically tested cows, instead of simply using the sire status, we can see that those cows with a stronger immune system resist disease even better,” Dr Larmer said.

“These high immune response cows have 30 per cent less disease than their herd-mates, that are either average or low immune response. And, the only way to get more high immune response animals in your herd is to utilize Immunity+ sires. “

manager focussing on calf rearing and breeding.

“Watching the herd grow through genomics has been awesome,” Ebony said.

“Every result we get back, we step it up.”

Wes has given Ebony the chance to develop industry connections through DairySA discussion groups, the Track Ag Consulting Group and the Next Gen challenge.

Ebony wants to work in the herd improvement industry and hopes ultimately to be providing independent breed advice to farmers.

She is a strong advocate of the dairy industry and is keen to educate the broader community about the benefits, resilience and caring nature of farmers.

Ebony shows cattle at the Royal Adelaide Show and has worked with Dairy Australia’s Legendairy initiative to host people at the show’s dairy exhibit.

“I love the resilience and family strength of the dairy industry with everything going on with the milk price and environmental factors,” she said.

“The last two years farming with Wes and having those networking opportunities has really helped me to pursue my goals,”

Ebony King is a strong believer in the future of the dairy industry.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

36 // NEWS

Diverse profile for South Australians A TWO-DAY forum focused on dairy herd

improvement was held in Bendigo in March.

The industry’s biennial conference, Herd ’19, was well attended by dairy farmers and service providers.

Guest speakers included Professor Ben Hayes who spoke on genomics and how it has changed herd improvement; Sijne Van der Beek from the Netherlands who spoke on the dangers of inbreeding; and Inverloch dairy farmer Tim Jelbart who spoke on the importance of data-driven decisions in the quest for change in his family business.

Particpants at the Herd ’19 conference, from left, Tim Jelbart, Inverloch, Anthea and Trevor Daly, Shady Creek, Donna Edge, Carapendeit, Garry Carpenter, Tasmania and David Johnson from Terang.

Dairy Australia managing director David Nation spoke about innovation and the Australian Dairy Plan.

Mr Nation said the dairy plan was looking at a whole industry approach, from farmers through to processors, to set a course for the future.

“We need a strong, confident and united whole supply chain focus which will include extensive regional consultants starting in May,” he said.

“These will be professionally facilitated and will be the basis for taking us forward for the next five years.

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The top portion of the herd is joined to sexed semen, the bottom portion to Wagyu beef.

BPI and fertility have steadily improved.

“Genetic improvement is real but it won’t happen overnight,” Mr Jelbart said.

“If you get the fundamentals right, push forward and remain open to new ideas and innovation — change will happen.”

Mr Jelbart said four years ago he had no idea about the importance of genetics and genomic testing — which have now become an integral part of the business, especially when it comes to selling heifers.

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“One billion people globally derive their livelihood from cows being milked; we are a big industry and we need to act like it.

“There are some great things happening, even though we are currently going through some challenging times with high feed and water prices — trends show there is growing demand for dairy worldwide,” Mr Nation said.

Tim Jelbart milks 1000 cows with his two brothers.

He began genomically testing a small portion of his herd four years ago; now, they test every heifer born on the property.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

ANIMAL HEALTH // 37

Know your poison THERE ARE more than 1000 plants in Austra-

lia that have been recorded as toxic to animals.

This article discusses some common plant toxicities that can affect cattle.

Nitrate/nitrite High levels of nitrate in plants is toxic to grazing cattle. Nitrate can have a direct effect on the gastrointestinal system causing diarrhoea but the major problem is caused when excess nitrate is converted to high levels of nitrite in the rumen.

Pasture and forage will accumulate nitrates under stress conditions such as prolonged periods of low light, low moisture, pest infestation or if excess nitrogen is applied via fertiliser or farm effluent.

Increased risk of toxicity is also commonly seen in certain forage plants during rapid growth in highly nitrogenous soils. High risk plants include: ■ Rye-grasses (Lolium species) ■ Cereal grasses (oats, barley, maize, wheat) ■ Sorghums ■ Millet ■ Kikuyu ■ Brassica species (turnips, kale, rape) ■ Certain weeds (e.g. pig weed, mint weed, variegated thistle, capeweed).

Early signs include staggering and blindness.

Death is often rapid (hours), but animals may be seen with rapid, gasping breathing and convulsions. Many individuals may be affected. Prompt veterinary treatment is required in affected animals.

Risk of nitrate poisoning can be reduced by feeding suspect pasture in the afternoon, feeding for a short period of time and offering hay prior to grazing.

Cyanide Cyanide poisoning can occur in animals fed sorghums and sometimes couch grasses. These feeds can accumulate cyanide (prussic acid) under certain conditions, such as overcast periods or very hot weather when plants wilt during the heat of the day.

Affected cattle show rapid deep breathing, salivation, muscle twitching or trembling, spasms and staggering. Death may occur within a few minutes to an hour.

Blue — green algae Blue - green algal blooms can occur in fresh, brackish and marine waters during summer and autumn, usually under drought conditions when water levels in dams and lakes are low.

The most commonly affected organ is the liver and affected animals tend to present with

either sudden death or they may develop jaundice and signs of photosensitisation.

The prognosis is poor once the animal is showing signs. Control is through prevention of access to areas with algal blooms.

Bracken fern Fern species are often drought - tolerant with rapid revival after rain. The toxin ptaquiloside may cause different syndromes depending on the dose and duration of exposure.

Acute poisoning often results in fatal infections and/or haemorrhages due to bone marrow suppression.

Clinical signs do not occur until there has been access to bracken for two to eight weeks.

Signs may be sudden and include loss of appetite, depression, ill - thrift, fever, dysentery, drooling saliva, dryness of the skin and red urine.

Death usually occurs in one to five days, although affected cattle may continue to die for up to six weeks after removal from bracken exposure.

Prevention involves restricting access to bracken especially if pasture availability is poor.

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They cause chronic and fatal liver damage. Such plants are relatively unpalatable but are more likely to be eaten during feed shortages or if ensiled or present in hay.

Affected animals may show depression, poor appetite, ill - thrift, jaundice and mild photosensitisation. Once animals are showing clinical signs, treatment is often futile.

If you are concerned about disease in your herd an early diagnosis by a veterinarian can prevent costly losses.

A veterinarian can examine stock, take blood and undertake post-mortems to see if a plant poisoning is involved or if other disease such as infections or metabolic disturbances have occurred.

■ Dr Gemma Chuck is a veterinary consultant for Apiam Animal Health, where she designs and delivers technical training programs for dairy farmers and veterinarians.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

38 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Budgets and compromises ROD DYSON

TOUGH CONDITIONS in the dairy industry have seen every farm closely scrutinising costs in an effort to allocate available funds to the most cost-effective options in virtually every area of their operation.

The cost of treatment at drying-off is one of the areas under examination and we have been having some interesting discussions with farms about the best option with the least amount of compromise for that individual farm.

To have those discussions, it is good to reflect on what we are trying to achieve at dry-off, both for the individual cow and for the herd.

For the individual cow, the group being driedoff and the herd as a whole, drying-off is generally the single biggest opportunity to make a difference to the infection status of those animals, and it is also the best chance to reduce the risk of mastitis at the subsequent calving.

This means we should consider options and compromises in terms of two broad goals for drying-off — firstly, the treatment/cure of existing infections and secondly, the prevention of new infections both during the dry period and

especially at calving.

It is also important to remember that the effectiveness of these outcomes will be determined not just by what treatments are applied at dry-off, but also by how we go about the overall dry-off process.

The treatment options will include antibiotic dry cow therapy, internal teat sealant (or a combination of both), whole herd therapy, selective therapy, and maybe different choices of these options for different cows or groups of cows.

It is an ideal time to have a discussion with your vet to achieve the most cost-effective option for you, with the minimum amount of compromise.

It will be of great help in your discussion with your vet if you have at least some background information available, which is likely to include some of the following: What is your bulk milk cell Count history for the last two years?

What are the mastitis bacteria likely to be in your herd? Do you have recent milk culture results?

How many, and which cows, are likely to be infected? Do you have herd test results available?

What is your preferred length of dry period?

Do you have a history of higher than optimal levels of clinical mastitis around calving? Countdown suggests that if more than 5 per cent of cows have mastitis within the first two weeks following calving, it is likely to be a significant problem.

If you are not already using teat sealant, should you be considering using it?

What is the environmental risk likely to be during the calving period?

What is your budget?

How the actual dry-off process is managed also has a significant impact on the outcomes. It is likely that a discussion will consider: The timing of drying-off.

How you will get each cow’s production at dry-off down to below 12 litres/day, but above 5 litres/day as recommended by Countdown.

Management of cows on the day of dry-off.

The actual technique for administration of treatments.

Handing and management of cows both immediately post dry-off and for the next few days.

A successful dry-off program will successfully transition each cow from being a milking cow to being a dry cow, maximise the effectiveness of

Poison risk in stockfeed NSW has added to the risk of stock feed poisoning, especially in sorghum crops being grazed or cut for hay or silage.

All year there has been ongoing reports of cattle deaths across the region and tests by Feed Central have found elevated and unsafe levels of prussic acid and nitrates in hay and feed crops, increasing to above 20 per cent of samples tested. The real problem now is that recent rain can cause the risk to elevate.

Feed Central quality assurance co-ordinator Tonya Girle said nitrate and prussic acid levels increased after rain or irrigation in sorghum, millet, lucerne and other crops.

“Prussic acid results as a stress response in the plant and even though the plant will grow after rain, it still initially gets the signal that it’s stressed or has been stressed so it produces more prussic acid,” Ms Girle said.

“Likewise, when plants don’t grow properly due to extreme conditions, they don’t use nitrogen to make protein and instead store it as nitrate to be ready when it can grow. Until growth catches up, that extra nitrogen is stored in the plant as nitrates.”

Ms Girle said the very dry conditions broken by intermittent rain from storms made the plants start to grow but then run out of water,

causing both stress and reduced growth.

“They’re trying to grow and expect the next lot of water but in the meantime they’ve accumulated these toxins,” she said. “The heatwaves and the wind have contributed to the problems and the rain makes it worse.”

Ms Girle expected test results over the next few weeks to reveal higher levels of toxins. “The highest risk can be feeding sorghum and a range of other forages after rain when there is fresh regrowth,” she said.

“Most farmers would be aware that cattle die after rain because of issues with feed. It’s important that you test your feed and wait a couple of weeks after rain before cutting hay to allow the nitrates and prussic acid to settle down.”

Feed Central is offering on-farm testing kits for farmers to make sure their feed is safe and has developed fact sheets to explain the risks and to suggest management strategies to cope with the impacts of extreme weather conditions.

“Test kits are the cheapest and fastest way to protect your stock. If toxins are not detected, it’s safe to feed and if they are detected we advise you get the comprehensive tests to find out how much toxin is present before feeding.”

The free fact sheets and details on the onfarm testing kits are available from the website www.feedcentral.com.au

■ Rod Dyson is a veterinary surgeon and mastitis adviser at www.dairyfocus.com.au

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the dry cow therapy in terms of both the cure of existing infections and the prevention of new infections, and avoid antibiotic residue violations, especially when the cows calve again.

And because it is usually a significant investment of money, as well as time and effort, it is probably worth doing well!

The options chosen at drying-off are usually the single biggest influence on the risk of mastitis at the subsequent calving and early lactation, so if finances have resulted in compromises to your dry-off program and you have had to choose an option at drying-off that was not necessarily “the best”, there are some “workarounds” at calving time which will help to lessen the risk of mastitis at calving.

Next month, we’ll look at some of these options to help reduce that risk, commonly with little or no monetary expenditure, because no matter what option you decide on, prevention of clinical mastitis and new infections at calving has got to be a good outcome for the rest of the lactation.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS // 39

For sale: wear and tear on patience GRUNT JOHN DROPPERT BUYING THINGS is easy, most of the time.

Not as easy as it should be, of course. I for one have had far too many experiences along the lines of “Sorry mate, is me coming here to spend my money at your establishment an inconvenience to you?”

In general though, most people are happy to take your hard-earned and swap it for something they’d advertised as around about the same value.

Selling, of course, is a different matter. The asymmetric, cripplingly unfair world where human behaviour intersects with economics dictates that for most of us, being offered somebody’s money in exchange for an object or

service is much, much harder.

Why, you ask, has my mind been drawn to this timeless and uninspiring aspect of human existence? Necessity, of course.

With earthmoving projects completed, an empty pipeline and a full mortgage, it’s time to face the inevitable and move on the Case 580 Super M backhoe that has occupied my shed, time, repayments and domestic consciousness for about 18 months.

As a recap, the machine was purchased to pick up where others had failed. First, a no-show contractor. Second, a ‘budget spec’ 40-year-old Chamberlain backhoe. Third, and most valiantly, the front-end loader on my Deutz tractor. In short order, the Case tore great swathes of dam floor, stockpiled clay as high as the cab, and effortlessly overloaded the farm truck.

Hot summer days turned the cab into a furnace, but it didn’t even matter.

Hoses were replaced, rams resealed, and the front axle refurbished. It cost money, but it moved dirt like nothing else could (save an excavator of course …verboten).

When the dam was done, it trenched all the services in half the time of a hired mini excavator

Farmer Adrian Dauk from Delamere is pictured with Scott Evans from Emmetts , Oakbank, checking out the John Deere model 6140 with a Kuhn fertiliser spreader at the DairySA conference.

and twice the style.

It tickled decades worth of randomly distributed tree stumps out of the ground, relocated water troughs and demolished anything impeding progress.

With ride control engaged, it was the wheelbarrow of choice for moving hay bales, comfortably exceeding 30 km/h on the farm track where other machines pitch and heave.

But now that it’s for sale, what matters more than any of this is that it has 14 155 hours on the clock. A noteworthy total, and had I any delusions that it wasn’t, they wouldn’t last long. For every inquiry is accompanied with a report of the hours, as if I hadn’t myself typed them into the advertisement.

Happy as I am to applaud an eye for detail, and entertain good faith negotiations, I find the subsequent steps that some buyers take to be a little too far of a stretch.

A particular favourite being the type that, having read and reminded me of the high hours on the machine, will peer under every cover, kick every tyre, pull every lever, and pronounce that it ‘has a bit of wear here and there’. Well spotted, my dear chap!

Then there are the vanishers … But that’s the nature of the game, and as they say, ‘The customer is always right!’ Or something.

The DairySA conference included a machinery display by prominent machinery suppliers. Dairy farmer Glen Dohnt from Monteith is pictured with Doug Montgomery from Ramsey Brothers, Murray Bridge, taking a look at the Case IH Maxxum 110.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

40 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Steiger wins Paris award CASE IH’S Quadtrac CVXDrive, known in Australia as the Steiger Quadtrac CVT, won the 2019 Machine of the Year title in the XL category at the recent biennial SIMA exhibition in Paris.

The accolade was given in recognition of the benefits of the proven continuously-variable transmission.

Case IH Australia/New Zealand product manager for high horsepower tractors, Alyx Selsmeyer, said it was a great endorsement for the tractors and good news for local customers.

“The Steiger Quadtrac CVT was released into the Australian market in 2017 and is the world’s first articulated tractor with Continuously Variable Transmission,” Alyx said.

“It’s important recognition for the benefits of CVT, with Case IH the only manufacturer to offer it in these types of high horsepower machines. Customers who’ve invested in one of these tractors notice immediately the fuel efficiency and operating benefits.”

As well as targeting fuel efficiency and

operator fatigue, the CVT transmission provides faster acceleration to field or road speed, full power availability at low ground speeds for special applications and implements, and full hydraulic flow availability at low ground speeds, for the likes of direct drilling and planting. The result is increased productivity with faster cycle

times and maximum fuel efficiency.

“It all adds up to a tractor designed to ensure the most efficient operation at all times, in all conditions, regardless of the task or terrain, with the capacity to reduce engine speed to the minimum required for the tractor’s workload, in order to maximise fuel efficiency,” Alyx said.

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NZ WESTLAND CO-OPERATIVE TO BE SOLD The New Zealand Westland Cooperative will be sold to a Chinese dairy company, Yilli.

The company is offering shareholders $3.41 a share, representing an enterprise valuation of about $588 million.

Yilli is the largest dairy producer in China and Asia and acquired Oceania Dairy Limited in 2013 and since that time it has invested about $650 million in establishing milk powder, infant formula and UHT production lines for Oceania.

Westland chairman Pete Morrison said the board believed that the proposed transaction represented the best available outcome for its shareholders, and had the unanimous support of the board.

“The acquisition price represents an attractive price to the Westland shares’ nominal value. Westland will seek shareholder approval for the proposed transaction at a special shareholder meeting which is expected to be held in early July 2019,” Mr Morrison said.

“Under the proposed transaction our shareholder farmers who are existing suppliers upon the implementation of the scheme will receive the benefit of Westland’s commitment to collect milk and pay a competitive payout of a minimum of the Fonterra farm gate milk price for 10 seasons from the season commencing 1 August 2019.”

Mr Morrison said a supplier committee comprising five representatives from existing Westland suppliers and five representatives from Westland (under the new ownership) would be formed to maintain communications and transparency between existing Westland suppliers and Westland going forward.

Westland, largely based in the south island of New Zealand, had been paying suppliers NZ$6.07 for standard milk last season.

The company had total receipts of about $671 million last financial year.

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Michael Parks’ story...

Looking across at his neighbor’s farm, Michael Parks could see the results they were getting with the quality of the pasture he could see growing. They were using a Tow and Fert 1000 to spray Nitrogen and other high analysis fertilisers onto their pasture.

Having seen the Tow and Fert operating Michael began to look into the options available. What appealed to him was the ability of the Tow and Fert to mix, dissolve and then spray the liquid Nitrogen in one tank without any additional effort.

Since purchasing the Tow and Fert Multi 1200 Michael says the farm is looking great, “we’ve noticed an immediate response to the evenness of the grass cover, there is no striping now compared to solid application with a bulky.”

The evening or night before the next days milking, fill a Tow and Fert with effluent. Mix in your Urea and leave it to cool overnight.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS // 41

US manager learns the ropes AMERICAN-BORN ALYX Selsmeyer was

working for Case IH at the brand’s headquarters in Wisconsin, in the United States, two-anda-half years ago when a job opportunity on the other side of the world was too good to refuse.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate had always had Australia on her destination wish list, so when a product manager role with the brand’s Australia/New Zealand division came up, Ms Selsmeyer didn’t need any convincing the time was right to follow that dream.

She started as the product manager for sprayers and high horsepower, in January 2017, and after overcoming some of the initial hurdles, has embraced the role and the opportunities it provides to see Australia’s vast regions.

“Obviously the weather’s a lot more temperate here for the most part; people are farming all year round here whereas back home there are very small planting and harvesting windows because of our very cold winters,” Ms Selsmeyer said.

“Australian farmers are putting a lot more hours on equipment compared with back home where someone would buy something and trade it in regularly but only be putting a limited number of hours on it each year.

“In the mid-western US, the harvesting and planting windows are so short and you’re farming a lot less land because the yields are so high.

“Here, relatively, yields are lower per hectare and you’re farming a lot more land.”

Ms Selsmeyer has also come to appreciate how the likes of government subsidies and crop insurance schemes in the US change the landscape for farmers and appreciates how most Australian farmers are successful with so much less assistance.

“It makes them really efficient operators and better decision-makers because they simply have to be. There is no safety net,” she said.

“Australian farmers are putting a lot more hours on equipment compared with back home, where someone would buy something and trade it in regularly but only be putting a limited number of hours on it each year.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2019

42 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

There was plenty of interest from farmers on the day.

John Deere was one of many tractor brands at the day.

Try-outs at Elmore A CHANCE for farmers to see machinery in action was the point of a cropping and tillage day held at the Elmore Field Days site on March 13.

Elmore Field Days committee member Andrew Holmberg said the day was beneficial for manufacturers and buyers.

“We are here today to allow the machinery companies and manufacturers to be able to show their equipment in real life situations, so prospective buyers can see it that way,” he said.

“You can have the brochures or obviously the internet is a big source of information

nowadays, but to actually see it in real life is always beneficial.”

Mr Holmberg said it was pleasing to see so many exhibitors be a part of the day, especially in a dry season.

“You don’t always have perfect conditions to operate in and I think it’s always good that manufacturers want to operate their equipment in the tougher years,” he said.

“Generally it will show (that) if they do a good job in tough conditions, they will do an exceptional job when we have moisture as well.”

Farmers gained a close look of how different machinery worked in dry conditions.

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