Dairy News Australia - June 2024

Input prices nd a steady balance

BY ISABEL DANDO

AS HIGHLIGHTED in Dairy Australia’s latest Situation & Outlook report, the 2023-24 season has so far presented differing challenges by region and time of year.

However, steadying input prices, stronger than expected water availability (in some regions) and generally favourable seasonal conditions at critical times have all been, and will likely remain, a supportive force through to the end of June.

As we look ahead to 2024-25, these supportive dynamics will provide a strong resource base, even if dry conditions persist in some areas.

El Niño has ended and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is expected to remain neutral through to the end of July. As such, the long-term outlook for the winter months indicates a roughly equal chance of both above and below median rainfall for much of the country.

The far south of Western Australia, South Australia and south-west Victoria are the exception, however, with below median rainfall remaining likely over the same period.

For some areas, promising rainfall in autumn provided a much more positive start to the winter growing season than initially expected.

In those regions, this has taken pressure off short-term feed demand, while in others, such as south-west Victoria, conditions remain drier than average and demand for supplementary feed remains elevated.

Similarly in south-west WA and parts of SA, autumn pasture growth has been hindered by low soil moisture and minimal rainfall.

Across other parts of Victoria, southern NSW and Tasmania, the viability of grazing opportunities stemming from recent rainfall is dependent on how quickly winter temperatures set in.

In an almost complete reversal from last year, strong green feed availability, and conserved fodder stores on-farm, are both mitigating demand for purchased feed for northern and eastern NSW.

Coupled with a strong start to the winter growing season, confidence around feed supply over the longer-term continues to grow in these dairying areas.

While dependent on follow-up rainfall, there is general optimism around feed availability through to the first half of the 2024-25 season.

Current fodder pricing is reflective of elevated demand from both winter feed contracting and for filling immediate feed gaps in some areas.

As such, prices for most fodder lines are expected to remain relatively steady or move down over the medium to long-term, once hay production plans are realised at the end of 2024.

This is on account of strong pasture availability and conserved fodder stores on-farm in some dairying regions likely balancing against higher demand out of others.

With a supportive autumn break now ‘in the bag’ for many cropping regions, planted areas across the country are expected to be largely on par or slightly above last season.

Therefore, looking ahead, local grain price movement will also largely depend on whether favourable conditions continue for eastern Australia and whether WA remains dry.

Globally, supportive signs for buyers continue in fertiliser markets.

Heading into an already typically slow demand period, assuming no surprises, prices are likely to remain under pressure.

Close to normal production levels across Europe, and theoretical return of Chinese nitrogen-based fertiliser exports, both adding to expectations that there is little upside to prices, especially over the short to medium term.

Indicative values of diammonium phosphate (DAP), urea and muriate of potash (MOP) are currently 8 per cent, 25 per cent and 11 per cent below the five-year average respectively.

Water availability remains strong across much of southern and eastern Australia, despite drying conditions in some parts over autumn.

Water levels of monitored storages in Victoria remain between 48 per cent to 94 per cent of capacity, and temporary water prices remain at historically low levels.

Average prices across northern Victoria and in the Murray Irrigation system are currently 89 per cent and 78 per cent below the five-year average, at $21/Ml and $14/Ml respectively.

Continued strong water availability and low prices are likely to carry into next season, with strong reserves not only boding well for 202425 opening seasonal determinations, but also if dry conditions weigh on feed production prospects throughout winter.

Operating conditions currently vary significantly among dairying regions; however, a sustained normalisation of feed and fertiliser prices will help to ease the unpredictability that has defined input markets over the last three years.

In a similar dynamic to the 2023-24 season, a generally strong resource base, timely rainfall and favourable conditions in some regions will support the stabilisation of input costs into 2024-25.

Breeding for dairy success. PG.14

United by the love of milk. PG.16

Dairy farmers feel confident. PG.19

Isabel Dando is a Dairy Australia analysis and insights adviser.

FARMERS QUESTION FONTERRA’S LONG-TERM GAME

The withdrawal of Fonterra from processing in Australia’s dairy industry could open the gates to a flood of imported dairy products, several dairy leaders have speculated. Fonterra has announced it was putting its Australian business up for sale.

While Australia has had limited exposure to competition from New Zealand, two dairy leaders have questioned whether the exit could lead New Zealand to send more of its product into the Australian market.

There are a number of theories swirling around the industry about Fonterra’s strategy, the timing of the sale, and the announcement of the departure of a senior executive, on the same day as Fonterra announced its restructure.

Global markets chief executive officer Judith Swales, who was Australian Fonterra CEO at the time of the controversial cut to milk prices in 2016, is leaving the company.

Current Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell said the change in the co-operative’s strategic direction presented a natural juncture at which Ms Swales had considered her future.

“Judith has been an important part of

Fonterra since 2013, having started her time in our Australian business,” Mr Hurrell said.

“She has held a variety of significant leadership roles across the co-op and has been a critical part of the Fonterra management team.”

Ms Swales will leave Fonterra on July 31.

Fonterra has given limited information about the sale of its Australian arm.

Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billings noted the announcement of the sale was only a couple of weeks out from the deadline for factories to announce their new season’s milk price, although he doubted Fonterra would jeopardise its prospects of a good sale price by forcing down prices.

Mr Billings didn’t think it was a surprise, as over the past two years the company had discussed divesting its Australian arm.

He said Fonterra New Zealand, which paid a lower price for milk, might look at Australia as a new market for its product

“At the moment, New Zealand dairy farmers are some of the lowest paid globally, and New Zealand might like to take advantage of that.”

Mr Billings said the Fonterra factory network across the three main dairy areas in Gippsland, western Victoria and northern Victoria made an attractive opportunity.

But he didn’t believe there was a single buyer who could be well positioned to buy all of the businesses, including the factories.

“It would be nice if we retain some

brand names like Western Star, which was developed in south-west Victoria. It would be nice to have it back in Australian hands.”

While some of the reasoning behind the strategy was difficult to fathom, Mr Billings said it was clear Fonterra was exiting milk pools around the globe, as their decisions in China, Argentina and Sri Lanka indicated.

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free said the best outcome from the sale would be the breaking up of the Australian factory network and the introduction of new players, which would add to competition in the dairy processing sector.

He said less desirable would be the purchase of the whole company by existing processors, or the sale to Coles or Woolworths seeking vertical integration.

Mr Free said one outcome could see Fonterra New Zealand importing more dairy products into Australia.

Fonterra Oceania managing director René Dedoncker has reassured suppliers that a new owner would have to honour existing milk supply agreements.

Fonterra sale raises alarm

FARMERS ARE concerned the sale of dairy giant Fonterra’s Australian assets could drive the prices they get for their milk further down.

The New Zealand company — which owns Western Star butter, Perfect Italiano cheese and the Mainland brands — operates eight manufacturing sites across Victoria and Tasmania and employs some 1600 people.

Fonterra chief executive officer Miles Hurrell has confirmed a “step-change”, a move that could include selling its Australian assets.

One Gippsland producer, Aaron Thomas, said the news had spooked some in the industry.

“This type of language, from any processor, just adds another level of uncertainty,’’ he said.

Mr Thomas said any sale must not reduce competition in an already shrinking market.

“My hope is if Fonterra do sell the Australian arm or parts of their business, an outsider or new player is the purchaser and not an already Australian-based processor.”

Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billing agrees.

“The concern for dairy farmers in Victoria is that if it takes competition out of the market, particularly if one of the other big multinationals does come in and buy it," he said.

The decision represents a shift for Fonterra, which determined to retain its entire Australian business after a review three years ago.

“That was in a different context, for example, only Australia was in scope,” a company spokesperson said.

According to dairy farmer and Victorian United Dairy Farmers president Bernie Free, “less competition generally means that there’s less risk of people competing for your milk”.

However, Rabobank senior dairy analyst Michael Harvey said a deal prompting competition concerns would need to be approved.

“That will be for the regulators to tick off,” he said.

“It depends on who buys it.“

Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billings.

Fonterra products made in Stanhope, northern Victoria.

Crunching the milk numbers

BY JEANETTE SEVERS

ONE OF Australia’s key dairy analysts believes dairy farmers could be pleasantly surprised by the milk prices offered for the 2025 financial year.

John Droppert, Dairy Australia’s head of economics, data and insights, told Dairy News Australia there was a lot of pressure on milk processing companies to secure supply.

While initial offers in June might hover around $8/kg of milk solids, he expects the standard farm gate milk price will rise to $8.50 or higher. Some of this price differential could depend on the region where dairy farming occurs.

He expects there will also be stepups during the year.

There are definite expectations of farmers choosing to move processors this year, based on the offered pricing system and productivity incentives.

But processors also did not want to secure an excess amount of milk.

That meant they would have to negotiate — potentially at a loss — with other processors to offload excess milk during the season.

“I estimate initial milk prices will soften to $8/kg MS, but range up to $8.50,” John said.

“I think initially we’ll see some conservative price offers, then the market and farmers reacting to that and the processors reacting to each other.

“If dairy farmers are planning for $8, I think they’ll be delightfully surprised.

“And I think we’ll see milk processors that are prepared to lose milk supply.”

Milk processors are trying to lower the expectations of dairy farmers, while acknowledging they may have little control over the marketplace.

That may mean milk processor companies will wear rising input costs for another year, but seek to offer lower prices going into FY2026.

“Later on in the season, if we see market recovery, if we see milk production falling too far, the competition between processors heats up,” John said.

“This season, milk production grew during the spring and processors ended up with more milk than they wanted. I don’t think they want to do that again.”

Allan Hood, CEO of Bulla Dairy Foods, told Dairy News Australia that he spent April and May meeting with suppliers on their farms to discuss their expectations, and how hard it would be to meet those expectations.

“Farmers want the price to stay high and competitively high,”

Allan said.

“They are expecting a price correction for this next year, but there’s still mistrust at the farm gate about why that needs to happen.

“The market in Victoria will drive the milk price. The milk price will be set based on who wants milk.

“The industry needs to work together, so the dairy industry in Australia is strong for everyone.

“The dairy industry in Australia is in crisis. There’s a disconnect between what farmers and processors want.”

Some of the key considerations for milk processing companies were rising input costs and lack of skilled labour.

Allan said Australian products sold into the domestic market were competing with global imports and a key factor was the cost of production.

“Imported dairy products are our biggest challenge,” he said.

A lot of dairy products coming into Australia out of Asia were being packaged at appropriate food grade, but much cheaper than Australian processors can. This affected the shelf price, and consumer choice.

Australian manufacturers competed on brand.

“We need to drive the brand, be efficient, diversify our product offerings and invest in telling our stories about the industry,” Allan said.

He said the government needed to make some hard decisions about alleviating inflation and cost of living pressures for consumers, and to promote Australian brands.

“The industry needs to lobby hard to raise awareness about imported products, price, food safety and quality, biosecurity ... these are issues for all Australians.”

Mancel Hickey, Group CEO of Goulburn Valley Creamery and St David Dairy, said milk prices expected by dairy farmers were a significant

issue for processors.

“Milk processors and dairy farmers need to adapt to the market conditions,” he said.

“We need to change what we do. We each need each other and collectively our costs continue to go up.”

John Droppert said growth in the Australian milk pool was unrealistic in the short term. Some of the barriers included the cost of entry into the dairy industry in Australia, cost of labour and availability of skilled labour, and risk aversion.

From a processor perspective, John estimated growth in cheese, especially cream cheese, and liquid milk.

“Liquid milk is a staple of the Australian dairy industry and a stable business base, less exposed than other products and unlikely to grow in demand,” he said.

“There’s certainly opportunities in skim powder because we’re a market that’s hungry for butter fat, so the domestic market is a safe place for butter fat.

“So turning that skim milk powder into a [value-added] product is a pretty key opportunity.

“Cheese, cream cheese, butter,

skim and the nutritionals manufactured from whey powder are all growth opportunities for manufacturers and dairy farmers.

“I think we’ll see the industry consolidate to more of a focus on those categories.”

Growth is significantly less in products like whole milk powder where competition is more intense from overseas manufacturers.

John forecast the global market for dairy would remain sound, but Australian farmers would receive fluctuating returns.

“World population and per capita consumption of dairy products keeps growing.

“Milk prices year-on-year have grown about three per cent and I think we’ll continue to see that growth in the medium term.

“Everyone is expecting prices to soften and I wouldn’t be surprised if they remain soft going into the 2026FY season, before we start to see recovery and prices pick up again in the second half of the decade.”

The caveats are around input costs of feed and fertiliser.

See pages 6, 19, 20 and 21 for more stories about milk pricing.

John Droppert, Dairy Australia’s head of economics, data and insights, said farm gate milk prices were expected to soften in the next two seasons, before rising again.

Allan Hood, Bulla Dairy Foods CEO, said dairy farmers were putting pressure on processors to continue to pay high prices at the farm gate.

Understanding milk pricing

BY JEANETTE SEVERS

UNDERSTANDING THE milk pricing structure, milk solid prices, the ratio of fat and protein, and how to apply it against your production curve and dairy farming business was the focus of two seminars in May.

The innovative seminars were run by GippsDairy at Drouin and Sale in south-eastern Victoria, and specifically aimed at women in the dairy industry.

Speakers were farm business consultant Gerard Murphy, GDM Agricultural Consulting, and Dairy Australia analyst John Droppert.

Participants worked through examples to understand how to differentiate between price per litre and price per milk solids in processors’ contracts.

They worked through spreadsheets to understand how butterfat, protein and productivity incentives were calculated.

Gerard Murphy warned about the many vagaries between processors contracts that require a deep analysis.

“It’s important to understand if you calculate your input costs based on litres, but the contracts you’re being offered are based on milk solids (MS),” he said.

“It’s also important to understand if the prices quoted in your contract are ex-GST or inclusive of GST. This varies between processors.

“And some processors quote prices that don’t include deducting levies, while others do deduct levies, or some levies, before offering their final price.”

Gerard recommended getting independent advice about processors’ contracts from your lawyer and accountant.

He discussed how and when milk quality is a bonus or penalty, how weather and input costs can affect milk income, and seasonal risk.

“Conditions can vary by processor,” Gerard said.

“The contract can include detail about how you’ll be paid for quality, but if you don’t get to that quota you are penalised for it.”

He listed examples against decline of milk quality.

“If you have a large number of cows calving in a very short time, that decreases your milk quality,” Gerard said.

“If you have a very wet farm, you might be better off if you are with a processor who tests for quality twice a month, rather than three times a month.

“Also be aware of what penalties apply in any given month. Some processors pay a $/kg MS bonus while others charge a percentage penalty against your milk price.”

Gerard also discussed productivity payments.

“If you dry off for a month, that affects your annual payment,” he said.

“A low spring, high autumn price can create seasonal risk. If you’re an irrigator and receive a low water allocation in autumn, that affects

your pasture production, and therefore milk production and the payment you receive.

“If the milk price is heavily loaded to autumn production, and irrigation is turned off by the supplier — or you aren’t an irrigator and there’s no autumn break rainfall — pasture growth slows, you need to buy feed, you may need to offload cows.

“This is about managing risk. Don’t compare your business to your neighbours or other family members. That’s comparing apples and oranges.”

Dairy farms ranged in equity from long-term and consolidated ownership to highly leveraged and high-risk.

“You need to do an evaluation on your figures and your farm’s production only,” Gerard said.

Gerard recommended a good risk management tool was to look at milk supply based on the farm’s production curve, not full production.

“Locking in the price for a portion of milk production allows flexibility when it comes to making decisions around supply,” he said.

“These decisions are about risk mitigation.

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“If you have a spring calving herd, you might be working to have 80 per cent of milk production by the end of January.

“As well as calving pattern, other variations that impact on how that’s achieved include pasture and feed supplies.

“Lower milk production results from low water allocations, drought, lack of timely rainfall, and deciding to dry off during late summer rather than autumn.

“You might make decisions about cutting back on the amount of feed that’s available and this affects whether the herd continues to milk at peak production for the rest of the season.

“When you calculate the milk price you need to achieve, you also need to look at other costs of production — including the cost of labour to produce grass, the cost of feed, fertiliser, depreciation and changes in inventory.

“A break-even milk price is to be cash neutral after all production, living, debt and capital costs.”

Gerard said another risk mitigation tool was to forward contract input costs in good seasons, to offset against poor weather conditions or a declining milk price.

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Sarah O’Brien is the GippsDairy chair and farms at Denison in the Macalister Irrigation District.

Participating in the seminar at Sale gave her some key takeaways.

“I think dissecting the milk prices and understanding how the processor company has come to those figures is really empowering stuff,” Sarah said.

“It helps me to check and re-check how they’ve done their job and what goes into the back end of the milk our farm is producing each month and what we’re being paid for.

“Understanding what goes into milk price allows us to make decisions on our farms about our businesses and where we’re heading on-farm.”

ɋ Go to www.dairynewsaustralia.com. au to read an extended version of this story with more insights from Sarah O’Brien and John Droppert, and to see more pictures.

ɋ Also see pages 5, 19, 20 and 21 in this edition of Dairy News Australia for more stories about milk pricing.

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.

Letters should be concise and carry the name and town address of the author, as well as a contact phone number, not for publication.

Sarah O’Brien, a dairy farmer at Denison, said the seminar’s value was in understanding how to calculate the milk price, apply it in budgets, then make decisions about input costs and herd numbers.

Gerard Murphy, GMD Agricultural Consulting, provided an in-depth analysis of how to differentiate between processors’ contracts and how to understand milk price.

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Australia’s best ‘real’ milk

BY JEANETTE SEVERS

A SMALL processing company in far East Gippsland, Victoria, is producing the best milk in Australia.

And the owners are sharing the accolade with all the farmers who supply milk to them, their workers, supporters and customers.

Gippsland Jersey was named Australia’s best milk in the Dairy Industry Association of Australia awards ceremony on Friday, May 17. It followed the accolade of being named Victoria’s best milk only a week prior.

Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds co-founded Gippsland Jersey eight years ago on the back of the dairy crisis with the collapse of Murray Goulburn, claw backs and unsustainable farm gate milk prices.

Both were suffering individual crises – Sallie the heartache of her father (a dairy farmer) taking his own life, and Steve wondering whether he, as the fifth generation family member, could keep operating the dairy farm.

Sallie has a background in marketing and Steve is a dairy farmer with a background working for milk processors. Steve and Bec Ronalds were the first suppliers of milk to Gippsland Jersey.

As the customer base grew over time, more farmers have been recruited as suppliers. There are now five dairy farms supplying milk for the brand.

“We want to keep growing the brand and customer base, so we can recruit more farmers,” Sallie said.

Gippsland Jersey was founded on three pillars – to pay farmers a decent farm gate price for milk, wellbeing through social change initiatives promoting rural mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and a third pillar of promoting kindness.

At the time Gippsland Jersey was founded, Australia’s dairy farmers were producing almost 10 billion litres of milk.

That has since dropped to about eight billion litres, and continues to decrease.

That period has also seen the rise and growth of small and boutique dairy processors and product manufacturers.

That includes the growth of boutique paddock to plate producers.

All milk bought by Gippsland Jersey is sourced from small, family-owned farms.

Initially, the Jersey milk was processed by a third party. A crowd funding campaign enabled the renovation and redevelopment of a dairy processing factory on the family farm at Lakes Entrance owned by Sallie’s mother and late father.

This site is now the milk processing facility, production factory for value-added dairy

products, cool store and distribution centre for Gippsland Jersey.

Since opening their own processing factory, Sallie and Steve have diversified their product development beyond the staple of liquid milk.

Initially, wholesale supply of liquid milk to cafes, restaurants, supermarkets and general stores, was supported by a fleet of caravan cafés selling milkshakes and coffees.

They now operate five caravans across Gippsland and in Melbourne.

Two are stationary — located at Lakes Entrance Slipway and in Stratford — and three travel to events, representing the Gippsland Jersey brand.

Alongside processing liquid milk in one and two litre bottles, value-adding produces cultured butter, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, crème fraiche, non-homogenised milk specifically created for baristas and, a recent new addition, yoghurt.

Steve and Sallie have held an on-farm event for baristas, café and restaurant owners and cheesemakers each year for the past three years, which has grown from an initial 84 to more than 200 attendees in 2024.

The focus of the day is to educate attendees about milk and dairy farming and their connections to the finished product.

Gippsland Jersey is one of those smaller processors and dairy producers that is obviously, as

In the DIAA national Awards of Excellence, Gippsland Jersey achieved the highest scoring unmodified full-fat milk.

“We’re calling it the Best ‘Real’ Milk in Australia,” Sallie said.

“Our flagship product is Gippsland Jersey Full Cream Milk, and now DIAA have deemed it our jewel in our crown.

“What a journey the past eight years have been for us.

“It has been an eventful journey, with many ups and downs. We’ve faced numerous challenges, including the ongoing pursuit of perfect milk quality.

“There’s been times when it hasn’t met expectations, and we’ve had to change course rapidly.

“We’re confident now that Gippsland Jersey consistently offers incredible quality and it’s the best milk for coffee, breakfast, or to enjoy any way.”

For Sallie and Steve, a lot of the sacrifice to achieving success among their peers has been around family.

“Our families have provided unwavering support throughout this journey,” she said.

the saying goes, punching well above its weight.

“We want to be the number one household table milk in Gippsland and Melbourne,” Sallie said.

“We continue to build brand awareness, producing a premium Jersey milk and supplying customers that respect and value our product and our farmers.

“We do this with a marketing budget that’s the equivalent of the sniff of an oily rag. But we’re up for the challenge.”

Gippsland Jersey products are distributed through Victoria and NSW.

Last year, Sallie represented Gippsland Jersey at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival food and drink hall of fame awards, and was one of the 2023 inductees.

Sallie was recognised with the local hero accolade, for her role in co-founding the company and its principles of fairer milk prices and supporting the wellbeing and mental health of dairy farmers and their families.

In May this year, Steve and Sallie celebrated consecutive accolades from the Dairy Industry Association Australia’s Victorian and national awards.

In the DIAA Victorian Dairy Product Competition, Gippsland Jersey was awarded Overall Milk Champion for its full cream milk, and highest scoring pasteurised (homogenised) milk.

“Many sacrifices have been made, and we couldn’t have done it without their understanding and commitment.

“Our children are observing our efforts, and perhaps they will be the ones to further develop Gippsland Jersey, one day, when Steve, Bec, Pete and I step back.

“At least, hopefully, we are offering them an example of how to pursue your dreams and achieve them.”

Sallie said the farmer suppliers and factory workers needed acknowledging for their commitment to the brand.

“We attribute all the credit to our farmers, who produce the incredible raw milk and care for their cows and farms in a beautiful manner.

“We also acknowledge our factory staff, who take immense pride in their roles and work tirelessly day after day to create exceptional products.

“Lastly, we appreciate our entire team for handling the product with care and delivering it to our most important people – our customers.

“We value everyone involved with Gippsland Jersey.”

At the national awards, Gippsland Jersey also received Gold awards for its full cream milk, its unhomogenised milk, its light milk and its ghee, and Silver awards for its unsalted butter and cultured sour cream.

Gippsland Jersey co-founders Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds with the Overall Milk Champion award from Dairy Industry Association of Australia (Victoria).

their recent awards as Overall Milk Champion (Victoria) and national Award of Excellence for their milk, as well as gold and silver medals for their milk and butter.

(dairy farmer).

Choosing Jersey milk for their brand was about more than sourcing it from the original farm.

Steve said Jersey milk was a superior dairy product.

“It’s a very dense, heavy milk, that’s high in fat and protein. It’s got more calcium and vitamin A and D,” he said.

“It’s got 4.2 per cent fat, it’s a much more

fuller milk, and that’s where all the flavour and the taste is.”

A company with heart at its centre, Gippsland Jersey has become known for its annual calendar project, which also grew out of the downturn in the industry and the death of Michael Bowen, Sallie’s father.

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Gippsland Jersey co-founder and dairy farmer Steve Ronalds with some of the dairy farmer suppliers and customers for the product, celebrating

Pictured are (back) Steve Ronalds, Sophia and Trevor Stammers (dairy farmers) with their children Dimi and Anna, Siahn and Kevin Le Brocq (dairy farmers), Luke Wallace (dairy farmer), (front) Travis Pearson (barista and café owner) and Mel Wallace

Holbrook NSW – 20 g/ha (18 DAT)

Holbrook NSW – 10 g/ha (18 DAT)

Holbrook NSW – Untreated (18 DAT)

Ardomona VIC – Pasture: Annual Ryegrass (27 DAT)

Celebrating with coffee after Gippsland Jersey’s recent Victorian and national Awards of Excellence for their milk are (back, from left) Mel Wallace (dairy farmer), Steve Ronalds (dairy farmer and Gippsland Jersey co-founder), Kevin Le Brocq (dairy farmer), Luke Wallace (dairy farmer), (front) Sallie Jones (Gippsland Jersey co-founder), Sophia and Trevor Stammers (dairy farmers) with their children Dimi and Anna, and Siahn Le Brocq (dairy farmer).

Australia’s best ‘real’ milk

Continued from page 8

The calendar each year tells a story of 12 farmers or farming families in Gippsland, and is launched at a community event held at the Lakes Entrance factory site just prior to Christmas.

“We know farmers are the backbone of the economy,” Sallie said.

“We want to see more family farms remain sustainable and that’s why we need to pay them

a fair price, so they remain in the ownership of each generation.

“For us, it’s absolutely worth getting behind agriculture here in Gippsland.”

Adding further social awareness to the brand, each milk bottle is labelled with a story about a farmer supplier.

“We think it’s important people who buy the milk know about the farmers and the cows producing this product,” Sallie said.

SUPPLIERS IN SYNC WITH GIPPSLAND JERSEY

Luke and Mel Wallace from Poowong North milk about 200 Jersey registered cows using three Lely automatic milking systems — more commonly known as robots.

A few years ago, they reviewed their entire system, based on decision making to ensure they were able to continue in dairy farming.

Their decision making included seeking a better farm gate return for the effort they put into dairy farming, and, more recently, changing from a herringbone to the automatic milking system.

They chose to supply milk to Gippsland Jersey after it launched, because of shared synergies and value systems.

“Gippsland Jersey appreciates the hours we put in on the farm and they’re prepared to reward us, by paying a fair price for our milk,” Luke said.

“I know the names of every one of my cows, and the names of their mothers and fathers, just as my father did, and his father before him.

“We know our cows, they rely on us and we rely on them.”

Their decision to become suppliers was consolidated five years ago, and they are pleased to be part of the Gippsland Jersey community.

“People who are buying Gippsland Jersey milk for the first time contact us to

give us feedback about how much they like the milk,” Luke said.

“And they appreciate we’re caring about the cows and the farm environment.”

Luke and Mel participated in the recent on-farm barista’s open day, held at Jindivick, and last year hosted the event on their farm at Poowong North.

They are celebrating the recent awards for Gippsland Jersey milk, but Luke is particularly proud of the butter, which received gold and silver medals in the Dairy Industry Association of Australia national awards.

“It’s the best butter you’ll ever taste,” he said.

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Luke Wallace cares about his cattle and their environment. This type of personal connection to their animals is behind he and Mel Wallace’s decision to supply milk to Gippsland Jersey.

Could raw milk cheese take

MAKING SPECIALTY cheeses from raw milk could help Australia’s dairy industry unlock significant value, according to a report published by NSW sheep dairy farmer and cheesemaker Mike Cains.

The findings are contained in the Nuffield scholar’s report, which is the result of travel to the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.

Mike’s Nuffield scholarship was sponsored by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s RAS Foundation.

“Australia has great potential to have a thriving domestic and export cheese industry but at the moment, our production is skewed towards the commodity liquid milk market,” Mike said.

He found the Australian cheese industry — across cattle, sheep and goats — could follow the “extraordinary pathway” mapped out by craft beer and wine, which have promoted high-quality artisanal Australian products.

“There’s no reason why Australian cheese can't follow the same pathway. But it needs supporting structures around it to make sure it happens.”

He explained regulatory burden would need to be reduced, and domestic distribution channels broadened.

Mike and his wife Cressida have a deep understanding of the regulations, with their business — Pecora Dairy — becoming the first to be licensed to make raw milk cheese in NSW when regulations changed in 2016.

Mike said it was difficult and expensive to

meet the additional requirements authorities imposed on them to prove the safety of raw milk cheese, compared to more conventional products.

“As an industry, we need to increase the profile of our domestic cheesemaking.

“We need to celebrate our best products more enthusiastically, allow more flexible arrangements between processors and farm gates, because at the moment it’s very difficult for cheesemakers to access raw milk unless they're prepared to milk the animals themselves.

“Raw milk cheese can be a pathway to profitability for farmers, especially smaller farmers, who are otherwise choosing to leave the industry.”

Demonstrating the potential quality of raw milk cheese, Mike and Cressida won the coveted Royal Agricultural Society of NSW President's Medal at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for their Pecora Dairy Yarrawa, a semihard, raw sheep milk cheese.

The top honour is awarded to the best product across food and wine categories, and considers taste as well as the product’s environmental, commercial and social impact.

Mike’s travels further cemented his belief in the potential for raw milk cheese and he has no doubts about consumer demand for Australian raw milk cheese.

“Australia imports over 100,000 tonnes of specialty cheese from Europe every single year. And Australian specialty cheese production is

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Mike and Cressida Cains in Aveyron, France, with a wheel of Laguiole AOP cheese.

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tiny compared to the amount that we that we import.

“We have a great appetite and great appreciation for quality cheese.”

Mike said Australians love quality locally grown products, such as our wines and craft beers, and dairy is well positioned to benefit from this.

“We have a fantastically run dairy industry that produces milk of flavour, quality and complexity.

“And we just turn all of that into a commodity. There’s definitely a place for Australian cheeses.”

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Mike Cains with the goats of St James Dairy in Cumbria, UK.

Tom Duneen from Bo Rua on-site near Cork, Ireland, with Mike and Cressida Cains.

Mike Cains making cheese at Applebys in Cheshire, UK.

Breeding for dairy success

BY SOPHIE BALDWIN

THE HERD of the Spunner family is testament to what a good eye for a dairy cow and avid interest in proven cow families can achieve.

Graeme and Heather, along with son Shane, milk 300 Holstein cows all year round on their Berrigan farm in southern NSW.

And breeding quality cows, from strong cow families, is at the core of their success.

They are extremely proud of the fact two of their cows, Eagle Ridge Bradnick Legume and Sharett Park Natalia Lulu 2E, have joined Holstein Australia’s elite list of top cows for producing more than 20,000 litres across a single lactation.

And not only have they made the list, but Natalia Lulu produced more than 20,000 litres twice and Bradnick Legume three times, across separate lactations.

Rather than use AI on their milkers, the Spunners run herd bulls which are rotated through the herd — the only AI they use is sexed semen on their synchronised heifers.

Rotating the bulls through the herd monthly makes it easy to keep track of genetics and also reduces the need for an additional staff member. They have about eight herd bulls on rotation.

In 2018, Sharett Park achieved Master Breeder status from Holstein Australia and at that time the family had 184 Elite cows, 32 of which were two-year-old heifers — five of these heifers produced more than 1000kg of milk solids in their first lactation, along with 94 cows.

Because the family choose to not genomically test their cows, their top cows are omitted from the Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) despite their figures often placing them well up at the very top of the list.

In August 2023, four-year-old Chevy Pearle had a BPI of 607 and in December a BPI of 642, and would have been number one in the Sustainability Index for the last three ABV runs.

She is currently 211 days into her lactation and has produced 10,291 litres and 757kg MS.

“Chevy has been omitted from the list because she is not genomically tested so I would argue the list is not a true reflection of the top Australian cows,” Graeme Spunner said.

“There seems to be no place to recognise naturally bred cows, the industry would rather sweep them under the carpet because they don’t suit the agenda.”

There have been many outstanding cows produced by the Spunners over the years, none more so than Sharett Park Natalia Lulu 2E.

A standout cow and one of Australia’s highest ever production registered cows, she produced 21229 litres and 1133kg MS in her third lactation (305 days). She was bred by their own herd bull Nash (a Shottle son), who went on to sire many high producing cows in the herd.

It was a sad day for the family when Lulu was retired and on her passing, she was buried on the family farm.

“Lulu was the best cow I have ever seen and it still upsets me today to think about what she could have achieved; I don’t think I will ever see another cow like her,” Graeme said.

Eagle Ridge Bradnick Legume is a cow the family purchased from master breeders Kerry and Russell Eagle of Finley back in 2019, and while they can’t take any credit for her genetics, she produced 21,598 litres and 1169kg MS in her

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third lactation over 294 days (Legume has now had three 20,000 litre lactations in her lifetime).

Today as an eight-year old, Legume has produced 23754 litre and 1400kg MS over 387 days and is due to be dried-off at the end of April.

Other elite cows include Olive Agassi who was sired by Hillveiw Park Agassi, a bull they purchased from McPhees Hillview Park Stud. She produced 1246, 1466 and 1279kg MS over three consecutive years

The Spunners remain sceptical of genomics and have been able to breed many high-producing, sustainable, quality cows without it.

They will continue to breed their own bulls and source others from quality cow families, even though outsourcing is becoming increasingly difficult.

“There are not as many bulls around because

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more and more people are using sexed semen,” Graeme said.

“Once upon a time the good breeders had bulls for sale and you could go and see their mothers in the herd and check out their herd test figures.”

Current bull Lego is the only herd bull to have 21,000-litre cows on both sides of his pedigree. He is Bradnick Legume’s son and sired by Natalia Lulu brother Ludo.

“He is only young but he is strong and is showing goods signs already,” Graeme said.

Heather, who rears the calves, has noticed calves sired by their herd bulls are more resilient, better doers and as a result are easier to rear.

Breeding quality cows will continue to remain a focus for the family and they will continue to do it with an eye for a good cow and family and not an ABV list.

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Eagle Ridge Bradnick Legume has produced 23,754 litres of milk and 1400kg of milk solids in 387 days and is due to be dried-off at the end of April.

Sharett Park Chevy Pearle has been omitted from the ABV list despite having a BPI of more than 600 because she is not genomically tested.

Herd bull Lego is the only bull bred by the family to have 20,000-litre dams on both side of his pedigree.

Berrigan dairy farmer Graeme Spunner.

Help for Foodbank

SAPUTO DAIRY Australia has renewed its national partnership with Foodbank for a further two years.

SDA says this will help ensure the food relief organisation can provide a consistent supply of fresh milk to the many Australians doing it tough.

Foodbank Australia CEO Brianna Casey said more than 3.7 million households struggled to put a meal on the table in the past year.

“Foodbank relies on the invaluable support of our partners like Saputo Dairy Australia to meet the increasing demand for nutritious food and groceries,” Ms Casey said.

“Saputo have been donating fresh milk to Foodbank for over a decade and its committed support is making a difference in communities across the country.”

SDA commercial director Cameron Bruce said the company would continue to deliver on its community commitments, “working alongside Australia’s biggest hunger relief charity to provide dairy nutrition to those who need a hand”.

“We remain committed to supporting Foodbank with our fresh milk donations, discounted long life milk and dairy products,” Mr Bruce said.

“With our long history of giving back to the communities where our employees live and work, and with the current cost of living challenges, this partnership with Foodbank is a valuable way for us to support families in need.”

SDA is a long-time partner of Foodbank, contributing dairy products that help support thousands of frontline charities since 2011.

In 2023, SDA’s support provided the equivalent of 594,100 meals for people experiencing hardship and 8400kg of other grocery items.

SDA further supports the efforts of Foodbank through its employee volunteering program, with its Melbourne team members recently lending a hand at Foodbank Victoria in Yarraville.

Supermarket inquiry

In the face of the cost of living crisis, a Senate committee examining supermarket prices handed down its final report on May 7, laying out 14 reform recommendations.

The report called for divestiture laws to break up the supermarket duopoly of Coles and Woolworths, should supermarkets carry out "unconscionable conduct".

The inquiry also called on the Federal Government to establish a price and competition commission to examine the practices of supermarkets and other industries.

It also recommended the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, which governs the relationship between supermarkets and suppliers, be made mandatory by September 30, taking in codes of conduct for dairy and horticulture.

Saputo Dairy Australia employees at Foodbank in Yarraville.

United by the

BY JEANETTE SEVERS

An initiative to introduce Gippsland dairy farmers and Melbourne baristas to each other and talk about milk has grown beyond the organisers’ expectations.

When Gippsland Jersey co-founders Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds held the first on-farm barista day three years ago, they were surprised that 84 people attended.

This year, the third annual barista day, 224 people registered and attendees represented café and restaurant owners, chefs, cheesemakers, baristas, coffee roasters and milk drinkers.

People travelled from as far afield as Wagga and Sydney, and Victoria’s Western District, and as close as Shady Creek and Warragul, to the on-farm day held on a dairy farm at nearby Jindivick, in Victoria.

Most attendees were from Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

“Our on-farm barista day is an opportunity to learn about milk, especially Jersey milk, meet our farmers and just generally learn about what goes into making a bottle of milk,” Sallie said.

The day included coffee, scones with jam and cream, a lunchtime dessert of coffee gel with butterscotch, cream and ice-cream, a farm walk to meet the cows, milking and coffee art contests, a discussion about dairy farming, the state of the dairy industry, how milk is processed and mental health.

Gippsland dairy farmers Mark Wilms and Joe Meggetto shared their personal mental health stories.

“In our discussions in the paddock, among the cows, we talked all things farmers, farming, milk brands and, of course, our Jersey cows — they are the stars of the show,” Sallie said.

“We feel the gap in understanding between country and city shrank a bit, and all those people from the city now understand a bit more about farming’s challenges and opportunities.

“The dairy farmers were able to interact with people who value what they do – producing milk and in an environmentally responsible way, looking after their cows.”

Steve Ronalds spoke about the importance of the dairy industry in Australia — since Gippsland Jersey was founded, the national annual milk pool has shrunk nearly two billion litres.

In that time also, pricing at the farm gate has varied and often been unsustainable.

“The farm gate milk price has been too low for too long, and that’s led to shrinkage of the number of dairy farmers in the industry,” Gippsland Jersey supplier Luke Wallace said.

“The $1 for one litre of milk game played by the supermarkets devalues milk and the hours that go into producing a quality product.

“Farmers have to slut themselves around to get the best price for our product,” Steve said. Imports of dairy products have risen,

Some of the baristas, cheesemakers, chefs, café and restaurant owners who attended the onfarm day hosted by Gippsland Jersey out in a paddock with milking cows.

love of milk at barista day

and continue to carve into the offerings for consumers.

In May, Australia became a net importer of dairy products.

“The coffee beans you use are only half the story,” Steve said.

“You’re here today to learn about the other half of the story — milk, particularly Jersey milk.”

One of the pillars of the Gippsland Jersey brand is mental health and the company does that by producing a calendar each year, highlighting 12 dairy farmers, and supporting dairy farmers to speak about their industry and the challenges they face.

Joe Meggetto was profiled in the first Gippsland Jersey calendar, and has since become an advocate for pursuing mental wellbeing.

“At the end of the day, farmers are working on their own up the back paddock and it can be lonely,” Joe said.

“I have mates from school, from football, and from community groups I’ve been involved in.

“But there’s things you don’t want to talk to them about, and your mental health is one of those things.

“The biggest thing that changed my life was seeing my GP.

“I’m on a bit of medication that I take every day.

“There’s someone out there for everyone to see and talk to.”

Joe recently reached out to Mark Wilms, who dairy farms alongside his wife, Lisa.

They are profiled in the 2024 calendar produced by Gippsland Jersey.

Lisa noticed Mark become withdrawn and was struggling to do his work around the farm.

Joe spoke about how, talking to people, meeting new people and telling his story was a key part of his mental health therapy.

It took a long time for Mark to finally admit he needed help and to seek it.

He is at the start of that journey.

“Share your problems. A problem shared is a problem halved,” Mark said.

ɋ For more stories and pictures from the barista day, go to: https://www. dairynewsaustralia.com.au/

Kayne Allan from Caravan Chai, Carrum Downs, a manufacturer and wholesaler of chai tea; ex dairy farmer from Neerim Junction Gary Edney; Gippsland Jersey co-founder Sallie Jones and Ian George, whose career in hospitality included 40 years studying the techniques of growing and roasting coffee overseas.

Serene Yu from Sydney is a micro-roaster of coffee beans, a boutique speciality. She was recently named Australia’s representative to compete in the World Coffee Roasting Championships in Copenhagen in late June. Serene was at the Gippsland Jersey barista on-farm day at Jindivick in May.

Joe Meggetto and Mark Wilms are dairy farmers in Gippsland. They spoke at the barista day about the challenges in the dairy industry and how that affects their mental wellbeing.

Irrigators? Problem Solved.

Finding the key to longevity

AN

AUSTRALIAN world-first dairy database including more than 100,000 cow records could hold the key to longer-lasting cows.

The database was developed from information derived from 30 NSW dairy farmers as part of the Dairy UP project.

Researchers used blood samples, herd recording and farm management information and provided each farmer with specific codes to record the reason a cow was culled from the herd to form the database.

Dairy UP project leader Ian Lean said this level of detail about the culling of cows holds the key to predicting and preventing diseases.

“This research is the first time we really have deep insight into the things that remove Australian dairy cows from the herd,” Dr Lean said.

“Now we have this detailed information, the focus will be on identifying things that will increase the productive life of the cows.”

Increasing the longevity of Australian dairy cows is a crucial part of the Dairy UP project.

Longer-lasting cows are more profitable, have a smaller carbon footprint and open the door to new income streams for dairy farm businesses with the sale of additional younger cows, heifers or dairy beef.

Studies have demonstrated that by increasing the percentage of older cows a herd can produce 16 per cent more milk than a younger herd, while — thanks to sexed semen, fixed time insemination and retaining more older cows — dairy farmers have more options to explore dairy beef or heifer sales.

Keeping a productive cow in the milking herd longer also ensures that this cow provides a return on the investment in her as a young calf and heifer.

The information derived from this new database will also underpin further Dairy UP research into the critical mating weight of Holstein heifers and how this can increase a cow’s longevity.

Dr Lean said increasing the productive life of dairy cows is good for the sustainability and profitability of a dairy business and demonstrates the environmental and social credentials of the dairy industry.

“Keeping dairy cows for longer is just another activity Australian dairy farmers are doing to reduce the carbon footprint of their systems,” he said.

“A longer productive cow is

Profitable year is ‘in reach’

AUSTRALIA’S DAIRY farmers are ‘in reach’ of a fifth consecutive year of overall profitability, despite lower minimum farm gate milk prices forecast for the season ahead, according to a new industry report.

In its recently-released Australian Dairy Seasonal Outlook 2024, titled Walking a Tightrope , agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank says “all signs indicate that, with diligent budgeting and planning, the average Australian dairy farm business will post a fifth consecutive season of profitability in 2024-25”.

This is despite a drop in farm gate milk prices expected for farmers in the southern milk pool.

Rabobank expects minimum farm gate milk prices across the southern Australian manufacturing pool to range between $8 and $8.20/ kg MS (milk solids) for the season ahead, down about 11 per cent from the current pricing.

Report author, RaboResearch senior dairy analyst Michael Harvey, said with the deadline for the new-season milk pricing looming (on

DAIRY FARMERS FEEL CONFIDENT

Farmer confidence in the Australian dairy industry is currently in its most stable period in a decade.

Improved weather conditions, a strong milk price and overall stable input costs have provided grounds for profitability, Dairy Australia’s May Situation and Outlook report has revealed.

Eliza Redfern, Dairy Australia’s analysis and insights manager, said the data collected as part of the 2024 National Dairy Farmer Survey indicated that Australian dairy farmers’ confidence remained buoyant.

“Despite increased climate and market volatility over the last four years, the proportion of farming businesses feeling positive about the industry’s future over that time has remained relatively steady, at 68 per cent in 2024,” Ms Redfern said.

“The data also shows that 80 per cent of Australian dairy farmers are feeling positive about their own businesses and back-to-back profitable seasons have led to a growing number reporting they are in a ‘stable and happy’ position.”

The Situation and Outlook report also showed the Australian dairy industry’s milk

June 3), Australian dairy companies find themselves “walking a tightrope”, needing to send strong price signals to milk suppliers while navigating a backdrop of softer market returns.

“In a market short of milk — and with an ambition to build momentum around the current milk supply recovery in Australia — dairy companies need to present sustainable milk price signals to suppliers in order to remain competitive,” Mr Harvey said.

“However, Australia’s milk supply recovery is ahead of schedule — with some excess

production is now expected to be higher than previously forecast.

“Australia’s total milk production for the 2023-24 season is now likely to exceed Dairy Australia’s previous forecast, ending this season two to three per cent higher than last season,” Ms Redfern said.

“For the 2024-25 season, Dairy Australia is expecting volumes produced to drop slightly, between zero to one per cent, maintaining a national milk pool around 8.3 billion litres.”

The report said the stabilisation of farm input costs may help mitigate some pressure during the 2024-25 season.

However, a tighter outlook for farm margins will impact farmer confidence and ultimately milk production, while existing challenges around labour and farm exits limit growth more broadly.

In the retail sector, dairy continues to perform well despite the now entrenched cost-saving shopping behaviours of Australian households.

volumes being channelled toward bulk ingredients and commodities, which are underperforming in local and export markets — meaning parts of the product mix are loss-making.

“Meanwhile, the domestic market is delivering better returns for dairy following a period of hyperinflation across the grocery aisle, but consumers choosing to trade down as a result of cost-of-living pressures is negatively impacting the domestic retail channels.”

ɋ For a more detailed version of this story, go to: https://www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au/

The volume sold of cheese, dairy spreads and yoghurts continues to grow, each increasing between 0.8 and two per cent in the 12 months to March 2024.

The report also confirms that the flow of overseas dairy products into Australia had reduced.

“Australian dairy markets may still be under pressure from international product both globally and domestically, but Australia’s imports of overseas dairy products are slowing,” Ms Redfern said.

“Over the season-to-date from July to February 2024, import data shows 7.4 per cent less product has crossed the border compared to the same period last season.”

After some initial recovery leading into 2024, global dairy commodity markets are still searching for balance between supply and demand pressures.

Lacklustre demand for dairy continues to limit commodity price increases. Therefore, stagnant global supply will likely provide underlying support for dairy export commodity prices in the near term. ɋ For more information and to view the latest Situation and Outlook report visit: https://dairyaustralia.com.au/sando

Dairy farmers’ confidence remains buoyant, according to the latest Dairy Australia Situation and Outlook report.

Opinion | Times are tough

BY JOHN WILLIAMS

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY processors are a critical part of the dairy supply chain.

Their viability is essential to securing a thriving dairy industry and keeping manufacturing local.

Processors pay about $6.1 billion to dairy farmers annually and turn their precious raw milk into cheese, butter, milk and yoghurt loved by Australians and the world.

However, times are tough.

Dairy factories are closing. Others are reducing their footprint.

Our dairy products are not globally competitive.

Aussie dairy is being replaced on-shelf with cheaper imports.

Why are we talking about this?

Dairy processors cannot keep buying raw milk for more than it can be sold as a manufactured product.

It was a hard lesson they learnt this season when demand to fill factory capacity drove up milk price.

Processors’ goal is no longer to fill capacity. It is to secure their viability and keep the doors open — and in turn secure a sustainable dairy supply chain.

It’s a responsibility they take seriously because:

Australian dairy processors directly employ 20,000 people.

Almost 60 per cent are in regional Australia and a quarter in the highest job skill categories.

Australian dairy processors are providing life-long careers and contributing to vibrant regional and rural communities — the local footy team, primary school and local businesses.

The regional contribution dairy processors make cannot be underestimated.

Dairy processors want to pay a fair price to the dairy farmers they work with.

This will not change.

However, the price paid must be sustainable so processors can remain economically viable.

We understand dairy farmers are also facing cost pressures.

This is why it’s essential the price paid to

dairy farmers can be sustainably maintained for the year ahead.

What does this mean?

Dairy processors can’t change the cost of electricity and gas or influence the cost of production in international markets. They won’t compromise on quality and nutrition. They are making tough decisions to protect jobs and the dairy products we know and love.

In the lead-up to opening farm gate milk price announcements, it’s important to understand how farm gate milk prices in Australia are determined and the variables at play.

By 2pm on Monday, June 3 (June 1 falls on Saturday), dairy farmers will have a month to assess milk price offers and contract terms from processors.

Dairy processors will develop their own view

of what they will pay, with careful consideration to their product and market mix.

We expect to see raw milk demand more closely linked to market conditions.

The facts for financial year 2025: Seventy-one per cent of Australia’s milk production is trade exposed, competing with imports and exports.

The spot Commodity Milk Value (CMV) is about $7.30/kg MS. About 30 per cent or $2 below the current weighted average Australian southern region farm gate milk price of $9.40/kg MS.

Spot prices of major commodities have dropped during the past year.

Dairy imports are up 17 per cent, impacting the competitiveness of locally produced products.

Australian dairy exports have dropped about 17 per cent.

At the start of the FY2024 season, there was a $3 or 30 per cent difference in farm gate milk prices between Australia and New Zealand. This now sits about 20 per cent or $2.

In the past 18 months, 11 dairy processing businesses have announced a closure. We must work together to better balance the risk across the supply chain.

We want a thriving dairy industry well into the future.

– John Williams is the Australian Dairy Products Federation chair.

For more information, visit ADPF’s Milk Value Portal at: https://milkvalue.com.au

This letter is in response to John Williams’ opinion piece (see page 20).

It should be noted that the call for a reduction in milk prices has been from Janine Waller, executive director of Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF), and John Willliams, president of ADPF and executive at Saputo Dairy Australia.

Saputo finds itself in a curious position, having secured a bargain with the purchase of Murray Goulburn, selling off liquid milk facilities, further reducing its footprint by closing factories.

Due to the effect on surrounding communities like Rochester, Finley, Cohuna and Nathalia, suppliers have abandoned the once mighty giant; it is a mere shadow of its former self, earning the title of ‘Milk Price Wooden Spooners’.

Australia has a diminishing milk pool — eight billion litres back from a 12 billion litres peak.

Farmers endured years and years of prices below the cost of production, driving thousands of people out of the industry — the young, vulnerable and the brightest, some of whom are no longer with us after the clawbacks of 2016.

We now have a Dairy Code of Conduct to address this misuse of power.

The current season price of $9.40/kg MS average, or roughly $0.69/litre, is on par with Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Ireland, France, etc.

Interestingly, the only country he (Mr Williams) draws comparison with is New Zealand, who export 95 per cent of their produce.

Our Tasman neighbours have endured a world of pain at NZ$8 price this season.

Landowners have slashed costs, reduced staff, diversified, changed industries or sold up as a result — this is the model he would have us follow.

So, is it really that tough in the manufacturing space?

We continue to see your company profits soar, while the person taking all the risk, working seven-days-a-week, is sacrificed.

It is time for the real questions:

Why is processing so extraordinarily inefficient in this country?

Why are you producing goods destined for an already-saturated market?

Why do you think you need to undercut the cheapest wholesaler of dairy goods? Is that a sustainable industry?

Why do you see paying world-parity milk price as an injustice?

All the above-named countries also have to compete with New Zealand.

You are calling for the world’s cheapest milk — sending a message that says, without it you’re not profitable!

We will not subsidise you any longer.

Gayle Clark, Katandra West, Victoria

Winter Fair marks 10 years

BY SOPHIE BALDWIN

WHAT STARTED out as an idea to showcase autumn calving cows, has turned into a premier event, with the National Herd Development Winter Fair celebrating its 10th year.

Organiser Clare Modra said the group had no idea how much the Winter Fair would grow when they first floated the idea, around a kitchen table all those years ago.

“We never planned for such a successful and ongoing event,” Clare said.

“It really started out as a show to cater for autumn cow calving cows and now it complements International Dairy Week and is very much programmed into the calendar of Holstein breeders across the country.”

This year’s event will be held from July 2 to July 4 at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre in central Victoria.

A change to the calendar will see the junior judging and showmanship classes hosted on the Tuesday, along with an educational seminar for the kids.

On Wednesday, the dry heifer classes will kick-off at 10am. A Power of Women in Dairy afternoon tea will be held at 3pm.

The in-milk classes will start 10am on Thursday.

Clare said they were expecting good numbers again this year.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm around the industry and it is great to have Australian-grown

talent for our lead and associate judges this year.”

As always, Clare said the event would not be possible without the help of sponsors both big and small.

National Herd Development has continued on again as major sponsor, along with Apiam who have come on board to support the junior

judging and showmanship classes, Bega the Youth Show and Elders the Red Show.

Lead judge Lachlan Fry has judged multiple cow breeds in every state in Australia and is looking forward to this year’s event. He was the Winter Fair associate judge in 2015 and is honoured to step up into the top role.

From Brunswick Junction in Western

Australia, Lachlan runs a mixed Holstein/ Jersey alongside his family.

Associate judge Courtney Afford, from Woods Point in South Australia, operates Billabong Farms along with her parents, and runs her own Holstein and Ayrshire stud called Billaview Genetics.

Courtney has shown cows her whole life and has had many successes over the years. She recently started judging shows around Australia and was associate judge for the Jersey Show at IDW in 2023.

She is excited to have been chosen as associate judge for this year’s Winter Fair and is looking forward to working with Lachlan.

And for Anthony Shelley’s daughter Layla, 14, the Winter Fair will see her showing for the first time a heifer given to her by the Dixon Family from Emu Banks Holstein.

“We are not a farming family, but I work in the genetic industry and Layla has loved cows ever since she was little,” Anthony said.

“She went away to a youth camp at Noorot back in January and came home with this heifer.

“She has been looking after it for six months and was keen to take her to the fair.”

Anthony said he loved the environment of the dairy industry and what it does for his daughter when she is around the cows.

“It’s such a positive environment and brings joy to Layla so of course I am going to support her,” he said.

Entries for the Winter Fair close on June 7.

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Want to learn more of our technology? Then get in touch! Bright farming is yours by choice

Power of Women in Dairy scholarship winner Emmalea Wishart in the show ring at Winter Fair 2023.

New shed gives flexibility

BY SOPHIE BALDWIN

WITH HIS old calf shed about to fall over, Rob Gundry knew it was time to tick off one of the last big ticket pieces of infrastructure on his northern Victorian dairy farm.

Milking 470 split-calving cows on the Gunbower property means there are around 100 calves each autumn and spring to go through the system — a bigger shed with walls that slide open to let the sun in has given Rob the flexibility he needs.

The new 40m x 8m shed, with concrete floor, is located close to the dairy for ease of management.

“We get our calf milk straight from the line and it is pretty easy to just fill up the buckets and cart them over to the calf shed,” Rob said.

“We have made up a trolley to avoid heavy lifting and we can duck over and feed the calves during milking.”

Once the calves hit the shed they are fed once a day, every morning.

“We build them up to about four litres over a week and we stay around that volume for the whole time they are in the shed, which is around five to six weeks, depending on how well each individual calf is doing,” Rob said.

The calves have access to a grain mix and straw from day one and once they hit six weeks, they head outside and are fed off the big calf trailer for another month or so before they are weaned.

Rob said when it came to building the shed location won over orientation.

“It is not ideally orientated but to compensate for that we have installed some big doors so we can open them up and let the sun in and that will be a major advantage over the old shed,” he said.

The shed is built to house around 80 calves

at its peak with eight pens of 10 calves.

“We decided to bite the bullet and put in a cement floor so we can clean the shed out between batches and we have made it so we can easily hose the whole area out as well,” Rob said.

The calves are bedded on pine shavings which are easy to source in bulk or in smaller bags.

Rob prefers the smaller bags for ease of use, even though they are probably a little dearer to purchase.

“It just saves having a big pile sitting outside in the elements — not only can they look messy, they can also get very wet.”

When it comes to calf health, Rob said one of the best moves he ever made was to get the help of a vet to debud the calves.

“The vet just puts the calves to sleep and then we vaccinate, ear tag, debud and check out their navels, teats and general health.

“Again, it’s a bit more expensive — but it is far easier on the animals and humans, and we will continue to do this in the future.”

The last few years have been pretty busy for the Gundrys, with the building of a new rotary dairy, an underpass and a calf shed.

“We have pretty much ticked off all our major infrastructure builds now except for some sort of feedpad.”

Rob said his cows enjoy heading out to the hay rings for a feed before they head off to a paddock, so he is looking at building a more permanent structure.

“Currently they just go into a couple of sacrifice paddocks and it works really well except for when it comes in wet.”

He said he is also looking at reducing herd numbers to around 400 to take some grazing pressure off his pasture.

“The trouble is we have so many young stock running around the place, it is hard to reduce numbers.”

H Calf coats provide the extra warmth to help your calves survive harsh weather conditions.

H Breathable and water-proof with a quilted inner lining.

H Available in three sizes.

H Machine washable.

H Easy to put on and take off –Velcro closure on the front and buckle leg straps.

The main feature of the new shed is the ability to open it up to the sun to compensate for the not ideal orientation.

Gates enable the pens to be opened up for ease of access.

The pens will be divided in half when the shed is finished.

Raising a healthy calf

WHEN A calf is born, we hope they have a long, productive life ahead of them as future members of the herd.

We know that productive cows begin life as healthy calves, and therefore the job of calf-rearing is incredibly important.

When a calf is born, its gastrointestinal system is in an immature state, only capable of digesting milk.

Establishing a healthy bacterial population in this early stage of life is vital to gut and rumen development. A well-functioning rumen optimised to digest solid food is key to successful weaning.

The calf is often exposed to harmful pathogenic bacteria in the environment, which can lead to outbreaks of disease such as diarrhoea.

This, in combination with stressors (for example, adapting to a calf shed, tagging, dehorning) and having a developing immune system, can lead to significant health costs.

The importance of the microbiome It is the microbes in the rumen that actually digest feed.

In the young calf, this digestion process both stimulates the rumen and gut development while providing energy for the calf to grow.

The more efficient microbial digestion is, the bigger the gains in liveweight and the better equipped the calf is to cope with weaning, as well as meeting future critical weight targets.

How can MYLOhelp calves?

MYLO is an Australian-made, liquid probiotic containing three strains of Lactobacillus bacteria (L. casei, L. buchneri and L. paracasei), which have been shown to be beneficial to calf health and productivity.

MYLO is antibiotic-free, certified organic and has no withholding periods.

Research has shown that calves receiving a daily 10ml dose of MYLO:

Are up to eight per cent heavier (6kg greater than the control group).

Have heavier, more developed rumens and intestinal organs.

Show an earlier interest in feed and have the ability to be weaned up to 10 days sooner.

Have a more diverse rumen microbiome.

By starting MYLO in your calves from birth, you’re ensuring their gut is populated with beneficial bacteria.

MYLO can be used to support hygienic calf-rearing practices as the probiotic bacteria can help outcompete pathogens in the gut, helping keep calves healthy.

How to use MYLO

MYLO is a liquid formulation, which allows it to be easily mixed into milk or milk replacer.

The dose rate is 10ml/calf/day from birth. It costs $9/calf (over a 10-week weaning period).

– From Terragen.

Research shows the level of milk fed pre-weaning has long-term impacts on that animal’s immune system.

MORE MILK FOR BETTER CALVES

New research has shown the nutrition a calf receives early in their life can positively influence their overall health and resilience as they grow and get ready to join the milking herd.

Successful calf-rearing means calves grow well and remain healthy even when exposed to infections.

University of Melbourne PhD candidate Emma Ockenden has spent the last three-and-a-half years examining the impact of two different feeding strategies on calf immune responses pre-and post-weaning.

The results showed the level of milk fed pre-weaning has long-term impacts on that animal’s immune system.

Current industry standard is a minimum of four litres of milk fed daily to calves from birth until weaning.

Recent years have seen dairy farmers examine their feeding routines and take up accelerated feeding; that is, an increased level of nutrition.

One accelerated method of feeding calves involves feeding at least eight litres of milk a day from a few days after birth until weaning.

Emma wanted to see if feeding higher levels of milk in early life would impact how the immune system of those dairy calves responded in comparison to calves fed at the current industry standard.

dairy calves reaching weaning, Emma was also interested in what happens to these calves post-weaning.

Post-weaning, pasture-based heifers are typically put out to pasture in paddocks away from the main milking herd or put on agistment properties where they receive less intensive management.

This led Emma to examine whether the accelerated method of feeding calves had longer-term responses or effects post-weaning.

Post-weaning, these groups were all reared as per normal farm practice.

The research was able to show that calves fed at the higher level of milk pre-weaning still had a better immune response regardless of what their post-weaning feeding regime was.

“We repeated the immune response challenge post-weaning when calves received a booster vaccination at 12 months of age,” Emma said.

“Even though the calves fed at industry standard pre-weaning had caught up to the other calves in weight, they still did not display the same level of immune response that the accelerated milk fed calves showed.”

On-farm calf-rearing practice implications

Consider your calf feeding practices and whether the amount of milk you are feeding calves could be increased.

The immune response was measured during the pre-weaning phase via a blood test before and after vaccination of the calves.

If you increase the amount of milk fed pre-weaning, you still need to keep your focus on consistent growth over the first two years of life.

“A superior response to the vaccine correlates to an animal that is more resilient, and we wanted to see if the level of nutrition or volume of milk fed to the calves influenced this,” Emma said.

Results of the blood test showed the calves fed the higher volume of milk had a superior immune response in comparison to those that were fed at industry standard.

It is likely that this superior immunity will pay off as cows that are better able to resist disease will be more likely to produce high levels of milk, calve each year without difficulty, and remain in the herd for a long time.

All calves involved in the experiment were then weaned based on age rather than weight, with the calves receiving the higher level of milk being between 15 and 20 kilograms heavier than the calves fed at industry standard.

The calves involved in Emma’s research are now entering the milking herd at Agriculture Victoria’s Ellinbank SmartFarm, where their performance will continue to be monitored to determine their milk production and other impacts that early life nutrition can have over the life of the cow.

While the increased amount of milk fed to the calves paid off with higher growth rates and improved immune responses in

This research will form part of the DairyFeedbase23-28 research program, which started last year.

DASCO Calf Health

Helping protect and grow your next generation

Supplements & Electrolytes

KWIK START

Colostrum supplement, made from genuine dried bovine colostrum.

ELECTRO-G

Effective energy source with zero Sodium Bicarbonate so it can be offered before or after feeding milk.

OPTIGUARD

An all-natural anti-diarrhoeal & toxin binding loose lick, fed ad-lib to help manage calf health.

SANGROVIT CSPX

All-natural, plant-based additive for whole milk & milk replacer, which regulates intestinal inflammation and/or reduces its impact.

BIOBOOST

Probiotics

BIOCALF

SUPERCALF

SUPERCALF PLUS

High-performance rapid-response probiotic paste that promotes immunity and recovery from illness and/or stress.

CALF KLENZ

A powerful, liquid alkaline (low foaming) detergent. Effective at handwashing temperatures.

Potent daily probiotic powder for whole milk or milk replacer.

CALF-SAFE

Effective, organic disinfectant spray that is safe to use without removing calves from pens.

Advanced powdered whole milk and/or milk replacer probiotic additive. Contains Actigen®

GERMIDET

Australian-made, non-irritant & biodegradable germicidal detergent & general disinfectant.

Premium, medicated alternative to SuperCalf, with Bovatec® & Actigen®

ZORBIFRESH ACTIVE

A bedding conditioner that kills pathogens on impact, absorbs moisture & contains Eucalyptus to naturally repel flies.

Service to back the products

DAVIESWAY CREATED AUSTRALIA’S most comprehensive calf rearing division — and then took everything a step further.

Not only does this Australian family-owned business offer everything from supplements, calf feeders and colostrum management through to hygiene and housing, it also regularly hosts networking luncheons, and it hand-picked two staff members who live and breathe helping Australian farmers rear healthy and happy calves.

Daviesway sources its products from around the world or manufactures them at its DASCO plant at Heidelberg, in Melbourne.

And the company has the team to help customers get the most from those products.

Brendan Johnson is DASCO’s general manager (the manufacturing side of Daviesway’s business).

Raised on a dairy farm, Brendan has spent more than 20 years in rural merchandise — many of them focusing on calf rearing.

He is the name behind Daviesway’s decision to become the first business in Australia to manufacture dried colostrum. Kwik Start is today a staple on many Australian farms.

Other hero products include Daviesway DASCO’s bestselling probiotic paste, BioBoost, ZorbiFresh Active (a bedding conditioner that absorbs up to 199 per cent of its weight in moisture), and BioCalf (a probiotic daily powder in-milk supplement with an industry-leading 15.5 billion colony forming units).

The heart of the calf rearing team is Cindy Lucas and Keryn Nunan.

Cindy used to rear up to 500 calves a year and continues to run Calm Calf Contract Calf Rearing in northern Victoria. Her role is to offer support, a fresh perspective and solutions when they are needed.

Keryn is a former farmer, who has held several territory sales manager roles in ag retail. She

across

still rears calves.

and into

Cindy predominantly operates on-farm. Keryn focuses on supporting the retail stores, but both women can easily move between the two.

Brendan says Cindy and Keryn offer practical experience, they relate to the pressure-points all calf rearers face, and they bring an important aftersales connection that is changing outcomes and elevating results.

“Calf rearing can be a lonely job when things aren’t going well,” Brendan said.

“To be able to bounce ideas off someone who understands exactly what those challenges are, can be reassuring.

“Cindy and Keryn thoroughly understand the products, how to use them, and they are very focused on making sure our farmers have local access to the products they need, when they need them.”

Services the Daviesway’s calf rearing team offers include:

Calf rearing audit — a great way to identify where to start.

Calf shed design, pen layout and bedding options/protocols.

Hygiene and sanitising procedures.

Colostrum management.

Feeding programs.

Milk feeding equipment options.

Calf health assessment checklist and standard operating protocols.

Contact Cindy Lucas on 0427 192 421 or at:cindy.lucas@daviesway.com.au

Contact Keryn Nunan on 0461 349 371 or at: keryn.nunan@daviesway.com.au

Daviesway’s products are available in ag retail stores throughout the country.

The first 3 months are so important to your calves’ future in the herd, so don’t compromise, use Veanavite No1 Calf Pellets.

operates

Victoria, Tasmania,

southern NSW from her northern Victorian base. She

Cindy Lucas on-farm helping her customers rear their best calves.

Keryn Nunan supports the retail side of Daviesway’s calf rearing range.

Optimise lifetime feed conversion efficiency.

IMPROVE HEALTH

What if you could proactively improve calf and cow health sothey can better withstandchallenges, including those caused by mycotoxins?

REDUCE PATHOGENIC BACTERIAL LOAD

What if you could control calf diarrhea before an outbreak, and reduce the incidence, severity and duration of other common diseases that affectthe feedconversion efficiency of lactating cows and your bottom line?

ONLY CELMANAX

PROMOTE PRODUCTIVTY

What if you could add nutritional insurance to every stage of your cattle’s lives resulting in healthier heifer calves that join the milkingherd ready to contribute at a high level, and lactating cows that spend less time off feed.

Research demonstrates: CELMANAX

Has been shown to:

•Agglutinates and binds E. coli and Salmonella enterica.

• Agglutinate and bind E. coli and Salmonella enterica

•Reduces the incidence, severity and duration of mastitis and cryptosporidiosis infection.

• Reduce the incidence, severity and duration of mastitis and cryptosporidiosis infection

• Reduce blood stress markers during and after transport and temperature stress.

•Reduces blood stress markers during and after transport and temperature stress.

• Minimise cytotoxic damage caused by a variety of mycotoxins and carryover of aflatoxins in milk

• Improve weight gains and performance in calves and milk yields in lactating cows

•Minimises cytotoxic damage caused by a variety of mycotoxins and carryover of aflatoxins in milk.

•Improves weight gains and performance in calves and milk yields in lactating cows.

Distributed By:

Be careful with calves

AGRICULTURE VICTORIA conducts regular audits of bobby calves at saleyards, calf scales and abattoirs, and says producers have responsibilities when transporting calves.

AgVic

Livestock Welfare Compliance

Program manager Veronica Campbell said authorised officers still find unfit calves being supplied for transport and sale, and calf trailers that are over-crowded or don’t meet the prescribed requirements.

The requirements for transporting bobby calves are detailed within the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines –Land Transport of Livestock. These standards are mandatory in Victoria under the Livestock Management Act 2010.

Ms Campbell said everyone along the supply chain is responsible for bobby calves, including sellers, buyers, transporters, scale operators, livestock agents and saleyard and abattoir staff.

“Bobby calves that are fit for their intended journey must be healthy and alert,” she said.

“They should weigh at least 23 kilograms, be strong, able to bear weight on all four limbs and able to rise from a lying position. Their hooves should be firm, and their navels dry, wrinkled, withered and shrivelled.

“If a calf isn’t fit to load, appropriate arrangements must be made for its care or treatment. If in doubt, leave it out.

“Bobby calves must be assembled and transported to ensure delivery in less than 18 hours from last feed with no more than 12 hours spent on transport, unless moving between rearing facilities where the journey must be less than six hours.”

Calves must be fed within six hours of loading. Anyone in charge of bobby calves must have a record system that identifies when the calves were last fed prior to transport.

Calves must be protected from the weather during transport and be kept clean and dry. This means the trailer or crate should have an enclosed front for protection and appropriate bedding or material on the floor of the trailer to reduce the risks of slipping.

“All bobby calves must have sufficient space in the livestock crate to be able to lie down on their sternums during transportation,” Ms Campbell said.

“It should also be remembered, it is an offence in Victoria to use an electric prodder on calves, regardless of whether or not the electric prodder is working. Anyone who uses or places an electric prodder on a bobby calf can be prosecuted.”

For further information, visit the Agriculture Victoria website, call 136 186 or consult with animal health and welfare staff at your local Agriculture Victoria office.

Everyone along the supply chain is responsible for the welfare of bobby calves.

Whipping up some winners

QUEENSLAND BROUGHT out its best cheese and ice-cream for a prestigious competition at the Brisbane Showgrounds last month. Australia’s best cheese, dairy, ice-cream, gelato and sorbet were crowned in the Royal Queensland Awards.

Blackall Gold Washed Rind, produced by the Sunshine Coast’s Woombye Cheese, was named Australia’s best cheese while Wicked Ice Cream from Port Douglas took the title of Australia’s best ice-cream for their Coconut Delight sorbet. 2024 Grand Champion Cheese or Dairy Product of Show winner Woombye Cheese has won Champion Queensland Cheese or Dairy Product of Show for its Blackall Gold Washed Rind for three years running (2022, 2023 and 2024), while Wicked Ice Cream has proven itself to be one of the nation’s finest ice-cream producers, winning three of the five major awards this year.

Chief judge of the Royal Queensland Cheese and Dairy Awards and Royal Queensland IceCream, Gelato and Sorbet Awards, Russell Smith, said the standard of the entries in the ice-cream competition was exceptional and world-class.

“The winning Coconut Delight sorbet from Wicked Ice Cream is just superb,” Russell said.

“It has a beautiful balance of flavours between the freshness of the coconut and the underlying salt level.”

Russell said Woombye Cheese’s Blackall Gold Washed Rind was the cheesemaker’s best yet.

DAIRY RESULTS

Grand Champion Dairy Product of Show: Blackall Gold Washed Rind by Woombye Cheese.

Grand Champion Ice-cream, Gelato or Sorbet of Show: Coconut Delight by Wicked Ice Cream.

Champion Cow's Milk Cheese of Show: Blackall Gold Washed Rind by Woombye Cheese.

Champion Non-Cow's Milk Cheese of Show: Fresh Goat Cheese Chevre by Meredith Dairy.

Champion Dairy Dessert or Yoghurt of Show: Natural Yoghurt by Maleny Dairies.

Champion Butter, Milk or Cream of Show: Bulla Double Thick Cream by Bulla Dairy Foods.

Champion Buffalo, Goat, Sheep or Other Non-Cow's Milk Product of Show: Fresh Goat Cheese Chevre by Meredith Dairy.

Champion Queensland Cheese or Dairy Product of Show: Blackall Gold Washed Rind by Woombye Cheese.

Champion Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry Ice-Cream or Gelato of Show: Fiordilatte by Juliettes For Lovers of.

Champion Flavoured Ice-Cream or Gelato of Show: Creamy Gourmet Banana by Wicked Ice Cream.

“Woombye Cheese was the Grand Champion back in 2022 and they have reclaimed the title this year because their washed rind entry boasts exactly the flavour

profile we are looking for in this style of cheese,” he said.

The same competition also crowned winners in beef, lamb and seafood categories.

Champion Ice-Cream or Gelato of Show: Fiordilatte by Juliettes For Lovers of.

Champion Sorbet of Show: Coconut Delight by Wicked Ice Cream.

wireless solution means you have total control from your mobile phone or computer

• WiSA improves water use efficiency and can reduce labour costs

• WiSA’s automated irrigation system can improve the sustainability of your dairy farm, vineyard, orchards, and fields Contact us:

ProDairy can assist you with the development of a tailored plan:

• On-farm visit by a ProDairy veterinarian.

• Review of the current biosecurity principles, the major risks and actions taken to reduce those risks.

• Development of a customised biosecurity plan.

Visit prodairy.com.au for more information.

2024 Royal Queensland Awards Grand Champion Dairy Product of Show winners Stefan Wilson and Beth O’Leary from Woombye Cheese (Sunshine Coast) and 2024 Royal Queensland Awards Grand Champion Ice-Cream, Gelato or Sorbet of Show Michelle and David Middleton from Wicked Ice Cream (Port Douglas).

Prevention better than cure

BY DR ROBERT BONANNO

PREVENTATIVE HERD health is based on identifying risks, assessing the likelihood and potential consequences of that risk and then determining how best to eliminate, mitigate or manage the risk.

So in reality, preventative herd health is simply about identifying and managing risk.

There are far too many risks that can impact on herd health to control them all so we must make a risk assessment that considers the likelihood and potential impact to determine which risks we should concern ourselves with.

A good example of this would be transition cow diseases like milk fever, RFM, metritis or ketosis.

These problems would have a moderate to very high likelihood of occurring if no preventative actions are taken and a moderate impact on herd health and productivity with potentially severe impacts on individual animals.

Based on this risk assessment, it is really simple to justify spending some time, resources and money on preventative actions to manage or mitigate the risks of transition by implementing management like lead feeding, good dry cow management and early lactation monitoring or health interventions.

Often without even knowing it, we make risk assessments and adjust herd

management to implement prevention strategies in order to reduce the impact of disease in a proactive way rather than deal with the consequences.

There are other risks that, while they could have catastrophic consequences, the likelihood of them occurring are actually quite low so implementing management or controls is either not necessary or based on individual farmers risk appetite.

In some cases, changes on-farm like increasing herd size, intensification of stocking rate or changing feeding system can significantly change your risk profile for certain animal health diseases from low or very low likelihood to moderate likelihood which makes us change our thinking to implement prevention strategies.

Botulism is a great example of a disease that has the potential to cause significant losses in dairy herds, but the likelihood of it occurring changes depending on management factors that we determine.

In a pasture-based dairy in southern Australia, feeding only hay or small bale silage, the likelihood is quite low, and most farmers unless they are extremely risk averse would be unlikely to implement a preventative vaccination strategy for botulism.

But if they decided to move to pit silage fed out in bulk, the risk would increase and you may consider implementing a vaccine program.

If you decided to purchase a mixer wagon

and feed a TMR to the herd, the likelihood of an outbreak is sufficiently high that on a risk/ reward basis It would always be my advice that a TMR-fed herd should vaccinate against botulism.

In this example you have a disease where the farm feeding system doesn’t change the consequence but definitely changes the likelihood of the disease occurring, so a good preventative herd health plan takes the changing risk into account and adjusts the management inputs accordingly (by vaccinating) to mitigate the risk.

There are a small number of farms that I work with who have a structured, documented approach to risk management in the form of a risk register that considers individual problems and assesses their likelihood, consequences and what current and future controls are needed to manage that risk.

In a perfect world, our herd health plans for every farm would be so organised and structured but in reality, I struggle to even get written treatment protocols developed, implemented and consistently applied on dairy farms so my dream of risk registers on our farms is probably still a fair way off.

That said, I would definitely encourage all dairy farmers to take a look at their current herd health spend and determine how much of it is preventative and how much is reactive and then to further assess the value and return on their preventative spend.

Preventative herd health is all about determining what the root cause of a problem is rather than just medicating the symptoms and then taking that diagnostic information and determining the risks and management factors that may be contributing to the disease and what preventative strategies we can put in place to prevent future cases.

Talk to your experienced herd health veterinarian for assistance with developing your farm’s herd health plan.

ɋ Dr Rob Bonanno is a Prodairy regional veterinary lead based in Gippsland, Victoria.

Adsorption

Biotransformation

Bioprotection

New tech boosts Puma range

CASE IH’S AFS Connect has now been rolled out across its popular Puma range of tractors.

The AFS Connect Puma has a host of new design features and performance updates, including the connectivity capabilities of its larger Steiger, Magnum and Optum stablemates.

“The Puma has always punched well above its weight when it comes to performance and versatility in the mid-range of our tractor models, and now with the addition of the AFS Connect platform it’s made an already strong tractor even better, offering customers everything they could once only find in our larger tractors,” Case IH Australia/New Zealand product manager for Puma tractors Lawrence Polga said.

The new AFS Connect Puma models will also come with continuously variable transmission (CVT) as standard, and a new 260 horsepower model will be introduced, where previously the range stopped at 240hp.

There’s also bigger rear tyres, stronger front axle, and on the higher horsepower models in the range, a bigger back axle as well.

The most significant upgrade is to Puma’s technology capabilities, with the Case IH AFS Connect telematics package allowing for instant two-way data transfer between the tractor and the AFS Connect online management portal, giving owners and farm managers complete control over farm, fleet and data management.

Tractor performance and implement operating data are immediately, securely and continuously sent to the online portal for monitoring by the owner and/or operator.

“So they are able to make management decisions more precisely and with greater speed, supported by instantly-accessible and accurate data, both current and historical. You can also monitor real-time information such as the location of the tractor, its fuel levels and other key management and performance data,” Lawrence said.

He said owners could also choose to allow their Case IH dealer to remotely monitor their tractor’s AFS Pro 1200 terminal screen via AFS Connect, providing the opportunity for dealer notification of early warning signs of a tractor issue, remote service access, and operating advice based on machine data.

“Having that connectivity between the farmer in the paddock and the dealer allows us to minimise their downtime and if they choose, to be connected to their machine for any types of product improvements like software and future updates.”

A new hydraulic cab suspension will be introduced for better comfort on the new models, and there will be an option for advanced vehicle suspension (AVS), a fully- integrated suspension system combining front-axle suspension, cab suspension and rear hitch to provide the operator with a higher level of driving comfort.

There’s a new fuel tank with increased capacity of 457 litres, ergonomic steps, a storage box on top, and at the bottom, in front of the steps, is a dedicated storage area.

A new larger cab features a premium leather seat with active suspension features and full cooling and heating capabilities, and the operating experience is further enhanced by a new drive pedal, which provides enhanced precision and control for slow-speed inching, field work with headland turns, and high-speed travel on the road.

Increased storage, large coolbox and multiple USB sockets will also be welcomed by operators.

Also in the cab, there’s a multi-controller armrest and its multi-function lever, larger AFS Pro 1200 touchscreen monitor with greater functionality, and A-pillar tablet instrumentation for engine/transmission information read-outs.

“The inclusion of AFS Connect takes the Puma’s capabilities to a new level, giving users a versatile tractor with continuously-variable transmission that offers even more in terms of comfort, capability and connectivity,” Lawrence said.

Case IH’s AFS Connect Puma has a host of new design features.

� inner body temperature (± 0.01 °C)

� drinking cycles and water intake with TruDrinking™

� rumination with TruRumi™

� heat detection including insemination window

� abort detection

� calving prediction (~15h in advance)

Discover your hidden potential with smaXtec! With smaXtec you increase herd health AND profitability!

� feeding tool with ration groups

� optional: pHmeasurement