Dairy News Australia - April 2018 - With Gippsland Region

APRIL, 2018 ISSUE 90

GIPPSLAND REGION

Bruce Manintveld with his Jersey herd on his Mirboo North farm.

Riding out tough times with low-input system STEPHEN COOKE

BRUCE AND Fiona Manintveld’s low-input

farming system enables them to achieve a cost of production of $4/kg/MS, which is helping them achieve their business goals despite the

past two tough seasons.

The former GippsDairy Focus Farmers run a 320-head Jersey herd on a 146 ha farm at Mirboo North they purchased five years ago. They have recently leased a further 56 ha next door, to run their young stock.

Mr Manintveld said the low-input system

reduced the workload, which meant he did not have to employ labour. Mrs Manintveld, who works off-farm for Agriculture Victoria in Ellinbank, contributes 0.3 of a labour unit, primarily with calf rearing, herd testing and helping out where required.

Mr Manintveld said he worked on average

between 50 and 60 hours a week.

“If we paid labour it’s almost going to cost an additional 50¢/kg, and I don’t want to take on the hassle of employees,” he said.

Conitnued page 6 >

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

2 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Chairman’s message

Make the most of resources conducted at the Agriculture Victoria site at Hamilton and the Agribio site at Bundoora into improved rye-grass performance are examples of where the dairy levy has been invested into areas that will have long-term impacts on improving outcomes for dairy farmers.

GippsDairy and Dairy Australia continue to run programs like Cups On Cups Off, Feeding Pastures for Profit, Tactics for Tight Times and Fert$mart, just to name a few. These programs are currently providing improved financial benefit to many Gippsland dairy businesses.

Long-term investment in research and development is a different ball game. Research work carried out by DairyBio and the development of

THE DRY autumn has left many bare areas in our pastures.

As I was going through our planning options for over-sowing these pastures, I had a look at the Forage Value Index website. It got me thinking about the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the dairy industry moving forward.

The Forage Value Index is a rating system that helps farmers make informed decisions when choosing pasture species. It’s only new and will require a few years to reach its full potential, but it doesn’t take too much imagination to see the benefits that it will soon provide to every dairy farmer.

The FVI and the mind-blowing research being

the FVI, for example, require investment by the dairy industry, with support from governments who recognise the importance of the dairy sector to the wider economy.

The FVI has been a collaborative effort between Dairy Australia, Agriculture Victoria, Australian Seed Federation, Meat & Livestock Australia and DairyNZ. This sort of collaboration has meant a better product for fewer dollars invested by dairy farmers.

In a world market, investing in research means Australian dairy farmers can remain competitive. FVI is already a part of farming life in New Zealand and Ireland, so Australian farmers need access to similar information if we are to

keep pace.

Once these resources have been developed, it’s up to us farmers to make the most of them.

The growing traits and performance of each ryegrass cultivar is now available through the FVI, making planning for this season’s planting a lot easier.

There’s a lot of hard work being done behind the scenes by some very talented people to improve the profitability, performance and sustainability of dairy farmers. Now it’s up to us to turn all that knowledge and data into a better bottom line on our own farms.

• Grant Williams GippsDairy chair

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 3

Gippsland dairy on show travelled through Gippsland in February, with 30 farmers and service providers from around Australia enjoying insights into the region’s production systems.

The tour took in some of the most productive and attractive farmland in the region as it headed towards its first stop in the heart of the Strzelecki Ranges at Ellinbank, where the Victorian Government’s National Centre for Dairy Research and Development is located.

From there, it moved into the rolling hills of West Gippsland where a visit to Tarago River Cheese offered participants the chance to see a working dairy farm combined with a specialty cheese production facility. They also had the chance to taste some of their wonderful cheese.

The final stop of day one was at Willow Grove, where Ian and Kerry Cougle have set up a large herd dairy business with an associated beef operation.

The tour dinner that night saw Macalister Irrigation District farmers Michael and Sarah O’Brien share their journey through the industry. Agriculture Victoria’s Alexis Killoran also spoke about innovations in the irrigation sector.

Day two took participants through the heart of Victoria’s power generation industry to southeast Gippsland where Won Wron farmers Paul and Lisa Mumford have a Jersey herd that is a showpiece of genetic investment Later that day the tour moved to the property of Fish Creek farmers Graeme, Jenny and Shaun Cope, who run a large herd operation in one of

Tongala farmer and ADC organising committee chair Scott Fitzgerald catches up with GippsDairy chair Grant Williams at Tarago River Cheese in Neerim South.

UDV representative Julia Carter, Jeffrey Gijsbers from Elizabethtown in Tasmania and the Gardiner Foundation’s Ashley Eldridge at Paul and Lisa Mumford’s Won Wron farm.

THE AUSTRALIAN Dairy Conference tour

the most reliable rainfall areas in Australia.

GippsDairy regional extension co-ordinator Tony Platt said the tour was an unqualified success, with participants eager to learn from successful farmers running unique farming systems.

“The best indicator of interest in these sort of events is the number of questions being asked — and it was often difficult to get the participants back on the bus because they were so engaged with the farmers they were visiting,” Mr Platt said.

“I’d like to thank all the farm businesses involved for sharing their stories and opening up their farms to a busload of complete strangers.

“It was a really worthwhile exercise and a great way to kick off the Australian Dairy Conference.”

The tour group at Graeme, Jenny and Shaun Cope’s Fish Creek farm.

Farmer confidence is down VICTORIAN FARMER confidence levels have

dropped to the lowest level since 2015, a new survey reveals, with dairy among those taking the biggest confidence hit.

Rabobank’s latest Rural Confidence Survey has found that uncertainty remains prominent across the industry, despite a two-year run of positive sentiment.

Commodity prices were cited by 61 per cent of the Victorian farmers surveyed as a key reason they expected conditions to worsen.

However, the prices were mainly a worry for those in dairy, with prices raised as a concerning factor for 78 per cent of dairy farmers.

Rabobank regional manager for southern Victoria and Tasmania, Hamish McAlpin, said despite seasonal uncertainty, the long-term fundamentals for agriculture remained unshaken.

Completed in February, the survey found there were more Victorian farmers expecting the industry to get worse in the next 12 months than get better.

More than one in five farmers now hold a negative view, up from 10 per cent last quarter.

However, 55 per cent of those surveyed anticipate similar conditions to last year.

“Now farmers are wondering what’s around the corner as they hope for good autumn rains

to set them up for winter and the upcoming cropping program,” Mr McAlpin said.

“While it is still early in the season and there is a bit of time yet with the average break in late April, this year’s outlook all really hinges on when, and how much rain, falls in the rain gauge during autumn.”

He said while there was increased competition locally for milk, the dairy industry continued to face pressure from global markets that were leading to a depressed world outlook for prices, feeding uncertainty surrounding local farm gate milk prices in 2018–19.

More A2 milk to flow FONTERRA AND The a2 Milk Company

(a2MC) are set to join forces, announcing plans to link Fonterra’s global milk pool and supply chain with a2MC’s brand strength to create more business opportunities.

As part of the agreement, Fonterra will now contact farmers about sourcing an A2 milk pool for products in Australia, with a similar milk pool to be developed in New Zealand with a view towards exporting to South-East Asia and the Middle East.

Announcing the deal on February 21, Fonterra chief executive officer Theo Spierings and a2MC managing director and chief executive offi-

cer Geoffrey Babidge said the partnership was designed to generate returns for both companies by growing demand in local and international markets of A2 products.

“The partnership is intended to fast-track market growth and this creates opportunity for our farmers to create additional value from their milk,” Mr Spierings said.

“We continue to see a strong future for dairy based on our existing range of products, including recent additions such as organic, low-lactose and high-protein milk choices that consumers seek out for a premium.

“Consumers like to have choices and the

growth of a2MC-branded nutritional powders and fresh milk sales in Australia, for example, shows the potential. This partnership is all about finding ways to continue to delight our consumers and generate more value for our farmers.”

Fonterra will also exclusively supply nutritional milk powder products in bulk and consumer packaged size for sale in a2MC’s priority markets and explore potential for a2MC-branded cheese and butter in Australia, New Zealand and China.

A jointly owned packaging facility will also be explored as an extension of the arrangements to cater for growth.

CHALLENGING TIMES AHEAD Dairy Australia’s February Situation and Outlook report points to farmers finishing this season in better shape than last year, but warns increased Northern Hemisphere milk production could mean challenging times ahead.

Dairy Australia senior industry analyst John Droppert said European year-on-year production growth had hit six per cent, prompting a deterioration in market sentiment. Production in the United States was up 1.4 per cent in the year to December.

“Prices are steady-to-higher but the reality of Northern Hemisphere expansion cannot be ignored and the fundamentals point to downward pressure on milk prices in southern regions in the coming months,” Mr Droppert said.

“The size of Europe’s dairy herd has begun to fall so that is a good sign that the growth spurt we’re seeing should soon moderate.”

Mr Droppert said a decline in New Zealand milk production had limited the impact of increased supply on commodity prices, as had double digit growth in Chinese and Japanese imports.

New Zealand farmers were hit by an extremely dry summer and the impact of some welcome January rain was likely to be offset by lower feed surpluses.

As predicted in the October Situation and Outlook report, Australian milk production growth was driven largely by the southern export-focused dairy regions of Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and southern NSW. Domestic-focused regions saw milk production fall over the same period, particularly northern NSW (three per cent down) and Queensland (five per cent down).

Dry conditions in those regions added to the challenge of flat or lower domestic milk prices. Milder weather in Western Australia saw production remain stable.

The Australian domestic market remained stable, with volume growth continuing in most major dairy categories. Sales value growth remained strong, with the exception of cheese, where retail prices remained under pressure.

Mr Droppert said a number of processors had demonstrated confidence in the industry’s longterm prospects, recently announcing plans to significantly boost processing capacity.

“The challenge for those processors will be in how they support and grow a profitable milk supply base to realise the potential of their manufacturing footprints while their competitors battle to retain their existing supply base,” he said.

“Amidst the contrasting short and medium-term market signals, any inducement to produce more milk or retain existing suppliers will need to account for risks that remain in the global market.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

4 // GIPPSLAND REGION

RURAL RUMENATIONS RURAL RUMENATIONS with Katie MacAulaywith Katie MacAuley

Columnist Katie MacAulay lives in South Gippsland, and has been married to a dairy farmer long enough to appreciate the smell of good silage.

She loves chooks, enjoys stacking hay bales with the tractor and wonders why the lawn grows twice as quickly as the grass in the paddocks.

You know you’re a farmer, when …

A CITY-BASED friend of mine recently commented that farmers are a special mob. After a lifetime of interacting with farmers, I knew exactly which characteristics she was talking about.

Here are my observations. If you agree with the majority of these statements, you’re a farmer: You don’t talk about the weather to be polite but because you think it’s important.

You follow the weather forecast the way most people follow sport.

You can run through a pugged-up paddock in gumboots without twisting an ankle.

7 am is a sleep in.

‘You reap what you sow’ is not a figure of speech.

Photos are not the first thing you feel like shooting when you see a mob of kangaroos in a recently sown rye-grass paddock.

You still wear the same suit to weddings that you bought when you reached adulthood.

You own 13 beanies but only one tie.

You can’t understand why wedding parties want to pose in front of a dilapidated, rusty shed when there’s a new Colorbond one nearby. Ditto patches of yellow flowers (ragwort) or purple flowers (Paterson’s curse).

You fall asleep at wedding receptions. After

all, you got up even earlier than the bride, despite the fact that you don’t do hair and makeup.

You don’t wear a wedding ring to work because you know they are dangerous.

While the rest of the antenatal class turns pale watching the educational video, you shrug.

“What? Cows do it all the time. Only difference is the number of legs.”

You offer breastfeeding advice based on your experience in the dairy (and sometimes it’s actually helpful!).

You plan holidays around when your herd is dry, not around ‘Holiday Deal of the Day’.

You think blackberries are for spraying, not

picking (although you won’t say no to a homemade blackberry and apple pie).

When everyone else heads for the beach, you head to the dairy.

You want to spray a paddock whenever there are sheets drying on the clothesline.

You regularly service your vehicles but you don’t have time to visit the doctor for a check-up.

You’re too busy to chat but as soon as you see another farmer, you talk for an hour.

You never ever give up — whether it’s milking cows while sick with a bug that would wipe out a mere mortal or trying to persuade your spouse you need a new tractor.

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 5

Genetics may ease heat stress MARTIN AULDIST

THE MODERN dairy cow is highly susceptible to the effects of heat and in the Australian climate, the effects of heat stress cause millions of dollars in lost production every year.

Temperature and humidity that exceed certain thresholds lead to significant declines in milk production, feed intake and fertility.

These problems can be exacerbated in grazing cows because the opportunity for providing shade, sprinklers and fans is often limited to when the cows are at the dairy.

As a consequence, Agriculture Victoria researchers have been working to identify and breed heat-tolerant dairy cattle.

The Genomic Estimated Breeding Value (GEBV) for heat tolerance in Australian dairy cattle was developed by a DairyBio research team led by Thuy Nguyen at the AgriBio Centre for AgriBioscience, validated by an Agriculture Victoria research team at Ellinbank led by Bill Wales, and implemented by DataGene.

The validation involved selecting heifers that were predicted to be either heat-tolerant or heatsusceptible, and exposing them to a mild-moderate heat challenge in a controlled-climate environment.

“We wanted to mimic the daily fluctuation in temperature and humidity that would occur during a mild to moderate heat event in the temperate climate,” Josie Garner, a member of the Agriculture Victoria research team at Ellinbank, said.

“Therefore we set the temperature to fluctuate between 25°C at night and 33°C during the day, with 50 to 60 per cent relative humidity,” she said.

“We also wanted to simulate the fact that heat events in the temperate environment are commonly sporadic, sudden and short-term, resulting in large temperature increases from generally mild summer conditions.

“The duration of these heat events is commonly four consecutive days, so that is how long our imposed heat challenge lasted.”

The consecutive days are important because they minimise the opportunity for the cows to dissipate body heat and, as a result, the increases in body temperature can accumulate from day to day.

During the 32-day experiment, 24 heifers that had been identified as heat-tolerant and 24 heifers that had been identified as heat-susceptible were exposed to the controlled heat challenge and their production, physiology and metabolism responses were measured.

“What we found was that the genomicallyselected heat-tolerant cows maintained higher milk production and feed intake during the heat challenge,” Ms Garner said.

“They also maintained a core body temperature that was 0.6°C lower than heat-susceptible cows — a remarkable finding.

“A proportion of the milk yield difference was directly related to the reduced feed intake, but the experiment also demonstrated thermoregulatory differences between heat-tolerant and heatsusceptible cows.

“The heat-tolerant cows were able to dissi-

pate heat more efficiently via evaporative cooling.

For example, they had a skin surface temperature that was 1.7 °C higher, which indicates greater heat dissipation through the skin surface.”

Overall this experiment demonstrated that genomic selection for heat tolerance is a promising option for increasing the resilience of the Australian dairy herd in the face of the increasing threat of heat stress.

This research was funded by the Federal Agriculture Department, Dairy Australia and the Victorian Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources Department.

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6 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Low-input system delivers < Continued from page 1

The cost of production includes a figure, taken from the Dairy Australia Dairy Base program, for the couple’s labour, which works out to $130 000 annually.

The Manintvelds were sharefarmers at their previous farm, starting with minimal machinery and going into debt to purchase 250 Jersey and crossbred cows at an average of $850/head.

“There was nothing flash about the cows but they did the job,” Mr Manintveld said.

By the time they left, they owned everything outright and had saved $500,000, which they used as a deposit to purchase their current farm.

“Our farming style is a very simple, repeatable system,” Mr Manintveld said.

“We used it successfully when we were sharefarming before buying this farm and carried the practices forward to here.

“We used a consultant while sharefarming. Every month he looked back and said we did everything at the same time as the previous year.

“We are grass-based and don’t tend to bring feed in, because for us there’s usually not a return in it, especially with milk prices sub$5.50.

“A simple system with low inputs equates to low labour usually.”

Mr Manintveld said the system and low cost of production helped them navigate the price cuts of 2016 with minimal stress.

The goal when they purchased this farm was to be debt-free in 10 years and, halfway through, they remain on target.

“In the back of my mind, the prices of the last few years were always going to happen at some stage. It’s never fun while they’re happening, but we were prepared and it hasn’t impacted on the goal,” Mr Manintveld said.

The Jersey cows are roughly 420 kg liveweight and average 4500 litres and from 420 to 430 kg of milk solids.

“It’s not huge production but I don’t expect it and don’t chase it. The season dropped out two years ago and production dropped 15 per cent. For us, that was a better option than buying in feed and feeding them.”

The herd is fed home-grown grass and silage and about a tonne of grain.

“This year we did 150DM of silage. Normally we do 120DM but had more cows so pushed it a bit. We can get through with 120 rolls of hay, just for the dry cows.”

The Manintvelds finished their two-year period as Focus Farmers two years ago.

“You pick up ideas from other people and

Bruce Manintveld with his Jersey herd on his Mirboo North farm.

hopefully people can pick up stuff from us. You find there are different ways of dealing with the same problem,” Mr Manintveld said.

“The big picture hasn’t changed for us. We have refined the feeding a bit more, but nothing major. We made small changes but came away

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 7

The farm produces enough hay to feed the dry cows.

knowing we were on the right track.”

They are still involved in a local discussion group.

“We go to a different farm every month.

With six farmers, there are six options for each problem but it’s up to you to decide which one you want to use.

“With so many options you can walk away pulling your hair out, which is what happened sometimes at the Focus Farm, but it’s about assessing which ideas are relevant to how we run our system.”

Since buying their farm, they have spent more than $300,000 on capital, including installing an effluent system, upgrading the stock water system, improving all laneways and

All laneways have been improved since the farm was purchased five years ago.

updating the dairy.

More than $200 ,000 has been spent updating the 28 swing-over dairy, including ADF machines that were being installed when Dairy News visited.

“Basically we’ve spent everything we were planning on spending in the short term, we just need to get rid of debt now.”

Mr Manintveld is looking at installing a robotic rotary in five years, once all current debt has been paid.

“I’m looking at robotic rotaries but not too closely now as I might want to put it in now,” he joked.

“It will add cost but hopefully I’ll retrieve some of that back by doing a better job outside the shed. We’ll see.”

More than $200,000 has been spent updating the 28 swing-over dairy, including ADF machines that were being installed when Dairy News visited.

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8 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Power prices rising but solar panels still shine STEPHEN COOKE

DAIRY FARMERS will see a return on any investment in renewable energy, according to Lindsay Anderson, who has four solar panel systems on his Athlone dairy farm.

Mr Anderson has four five- kW solar panel systems feeding into the grid. He installed these in 2010 so receives the premium feed-in tariff of 66 cents per kW hour.

However, even though farmers installing systems today won’t receive this premium price, Mr Anderson said they would still receive a return on their investment.

His investment cost $60, 000 in 2010. He installed them over a 12-month period and the cost of installation dropped by half in that time.

He puts 23 ,000 kW hours into the grid each year and currently earns $15, 000 a year (net).

“When I first installed it, for every kW of solar I sent out, I could buy six back. This has dropped from six to three with recent power rises.

“We were in credit for power for the last seven years but now prices have gone up so much that this will not be the case.”

Even with current prices, Mr Anderson said if you were to install a solar system now you would get a 12 per cent return on investment by sending all power generated back into the grid, and up to 27 per cent if you consumed all the solar power internally.

“The cost of installing systems is still coming down compared to the rate of power prices which are still going up!”

Mr Anderson’s system includes a tracking panel system, which boosts yields by 25 to 30 per cent. However, he would recommend installing more panels instead of a tracking system as it was better financially.

Mr Anderson runs an Insentec double box robot dairy, which is powered through an offgrid system with 10 kW (soon to be 15 kW) solar panels, a small wind generator, a back-up 3 kW DC generator and a bank of 16 lead carbon batteries with a total capacity of 26.4 kW hours.

Three four- kW inverters supply three-phase

Athlone dairy farmer Lindsay Anderson with his robotic milker.

power to the robot dairy and ensure the robot can keep operating at full voltage for four to five hours or longer in the case of a grid failure.

Power is only taken from Mr Anderson’s SWER single phase grid supply when solar and

batteries cannot provide it, mainly at night.

In his case, security and quality of grid supply is becoming increasingly important.

“Recent grid brown-outs and spikes across the state have seen a number of dairies

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 9 damaged,” he said. “My set-up isolates my robot dairy from these events.”

When the batteries are fully charged, excess power can be used to run hot water or water chilling systems. Mr Anderson said inverters were now 96 to 98 per cent efficient.

The robot dairy has VSD drives to enable him to control the surge load. “It meant we didn’t need to install more plant to cover the surge load.”

Mr Anderson bought the farm in 1989 and is currently running 140 head, predominantly Jerseys, off about 162 ha (including an adjacent block of 40ha).

He was milking up to 400 head before illness and subsequent labour problems saw him invest in the robotic dairy. He was told he could milk 130 head with his robot but he pushed the boundaries and milked up to 190 head a day year-round.

He culled heavily in 2016, when milk prices fell, to 140 head but plans to build his milking herd up to 220. Improvements to the robot software mean he can milk 220 a day.

“New software to find where the teats are has improved the attachment time by 25 per cent.

Milk quotas are going in Europe so they are continually tweaking the system.”

Mr Anderson said Insentec had investigated how he had managed to milk more cows through the system than the company thought was possible and that knowledge has now been adopted worldwide.

He calves all year round and still utilises the batch milking system he did before he had robots.

Cows are in multiple herds that are milked either once a day, twice a day or 2.5 times, and are brought to the dairy yard in batches of up to 70 at a time. They are then left, enter the robot to be milked, and are sent from the dairy to that herd’s paddock.

There will be between three and five batches through the dairy on any given day.

Those milking twice a day get a better selection of silage, and those milking 2.5 times gain the river flats as well as silage. Those milked once a day just get silage.

Cows receive one to 1.5 tonnes of grain annually. They average from 5000 to 6000 litres annually across the Jersey herd, with fat of 4.3 to 4.8 and protein of 3.3 to 3.8.

Silage is fed at the dairy in rack-type feeders. The same feeders are used in the paddocks and are moved as required and topped up every second or fourth day, resulting in labour savings and less wastage. Cows can eat as much silage as they like.

Mr Anderson is constantly assessing improvements to solar systems but his desire to maximise efficiencies on his farm doesn’t stop there.

He is also on the virtual fencing sub-committee, which he is very keen to trial.

“If we had virtual fencing we would run more herds of a smaller number,” he said.

“Virtual fencing would mean you could bring cows on demand instead of batches. You would know where every animal is on the farm.

“The possibilities are endless.”

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Solar panels and a wind turbine on top of the dairy.

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70 CELEBRATING

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

10 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Home-grown feed saves time and labour FOR FARMERS who may traditionally buy

their feed from an external source rather than growing it on-farm, there’s one good reason for a change this winter, according to PGG Wrightson Seeds’ product development manager Allan Mudford.

It’s been a particularly dry spring and summer season for farming — and in many cases that’s led to quite heavily grazed paddocks, creating a reduction in feed options over the coming months.

Mr Mudford said home-grown pastures were often the most cost-effective production systems.

“If you’re buying in feed, it’s an extra input cost. Home-grown feed can save you time and labour, enabling you to invest that back into

PUTTING SCIENCE INTO SOWING Dairy farmers selecting perennial rye-grass varieties for autumn sowing have been urged to back their decision with science by tapping into Dairy Australia’s Forage Value Index.

The FVI enables farmers to choose cultivars that will deliver the best results based on their location, farming system and forage needs.

other areas, so that your farm becomes more productive and profitable.”

This year in particular, home-grown feed may be even more cost effective.

“Hot and dry weather conditions last spring and over summer across the country has seen a drop in the available amount of quality hay and silage,” Mr Mudford said.

“This lower supply also means higher current prices for hay and silage.

“The unfavourable conditions has also led to a marked drop in the average nutritional quality of available hay and silage,” However, when it comes to implementing a successful home-grown pasture system, autumn is a particularly important time of the year — and

Dairy Australia program leader Peter Johnson said the index ranked the performance of 30 of Australia’s most popular perennial rye-grass varieties, relative to typical climatic conditions across the country’s south-eastern dairy regions.

“By giving farmers the tools to put a really strong evidence base behind their decisions, the FVI can make a real difference to farm profitability,” Mr Johnson said.

Australian dairy farmers invest about $80 million each year on renovating

making the right decisions now can significantly affect pasture production levels and livestock performance.

“Creating optimal home-grown feed supplies depends on a number of factors,” Mr Mudford said.

“Not least of which is the ability to choose the best varieties, in the right place, for greater long-term supply.”

To avoid the common problem of feed deficits, Mr Mudford said growers should consider the long-term goals of their pasture system, rather than merely taking a short-term approach.

“Careful planning, selection and preparation will give a much better feed production curve — so growers should consider everything

pastures with perennial rye-grass cultivars.

“Before the FVI, there was very little independently-tested information on the traits and capabilities of these existing cultivars so farmers tended to stick with what they knew,” Mr Johnson said.

“Now they have an accurate and reliable way to assess the economic value of individual cultivars, it’s a lot easier for farmers to make the decision to invest in pasture renovation and increase their productivity and profitability.”

To be included in the FVI, each cultivar must have seasonal yield data from at

TRENT CRAWFORD

from selecting the most fertile areas and choosing the right pasture to sow, to implementing good weed and pest management practices, and also considering the best seed preparation techniques,” he said.

least three, three-year trials using strict experimental protocols. Cultivars are then scored by multiplying their seasonal yield against the economic value, as determined by case studies in different dairy regions.

For more information about the Forage Value Index, go to: www.dairyaustralia. com.au/FVI The Forage Value Index is an example of the dairy service levy at work. For more information on this and other levy investments, visit: www.dairyaustralia. com.au

Binginwarri Focus Farmer with wife Belinda (2012-2014)

PAUL SHERAR

I think by being the Focus Farmer I definitely gained more than if I had been a support group member of someone else’s Focus Farm. You are actually pushed to implement ideas, which is a good thing.

It’s not all about people coming in and saying we are doing a great job, it’s about listening to advice on ways you can do things differently to improve.

Loch Focus Farmer with wife Louise (2014-2016)

JON RYAN

Part of the Newry Ryan/Clynes Focus Farm (2012-2014) We found the experience particularly positive and got a lot out of it. I would recommend it to anyone in the early stages of their business, in a transitional stage or just anyone who wants to improve their business.

Focus on improvement GippsDairy is seeking expressions of interest from dairy farmers for their next round of three Focus Farms starting in July 2018. Focus Farms will operate over two years with funding provided by Dairy Australia and GippsDairy.

This is achieved by close monitoring of farm activities and expenditure and support from an experienced farm facilitator and support group made up of farmers and local service providers.

The Focus Farm project focuses on farm businesses while integrating farm family needs. The project aims to improve profitability through strengthened understanding of operational costs, maximising home grown feed and managing risks to the business.

Applications should be submitted by COB, Friday, 20 April 2018. If you would like further information please contact Karen Romano for an EOI application form on 0417 524 916 or email karen@gippsdairy.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 11

Renewed calls to end tail docking RESEARCH SHOWING less than one-in-10

dairy farmers still dock cows’ tails has prompted renewed calls for farmers to eradicate the practice altogether.

While the latest Dairy Australia Animal Husbandry Survey found 91 per cent of dairy farmers had stopped docking tails, it still occurs on some farms, mainly in the higher rainfall areas of Gippsland, western Victoria and Tasmania.

The Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle only allow tail docking of cattle under veterinary advice to treat a tail injury or disease. Compliance with these guidelines is dairy industry policy.

Australian Dairy Farmers’ Animal Health and Welfare Policy Advisory Group chair Andrew Lester said he had not experienced any problems since ceasing tail docking at his Tasmanian dairy farm 12 years ago.

“We did grapple with how we would manage mastitis and dirty udders and those sorts of things but mastitis levels haven’t been elevated beyond what we had before we stopped docking,” Mr Lester said.

“We also had concerns about the operator issue of being flicked in the eye with a tail, but we’ve never had any damage from it.”

Mr Lester said ceasing the practice altogether would be a positive step for the welfare

of Australia’s dairy herd.

“The tail is obviously something they need to defend themselves against insects. It’s a comfort thing for them and it’s probably why they have a tail in the first place,” he said.

“Two or three times a year we have an extra person in the dairy to trim the dirty and long tails so there is a cost but, when you take into account animal welfare and public perception, I think the benefits definitely outweigh that cost.”

Dairy Australia’s animal health and welfare policy manager Susannah Tymms said tail docking in the dairy industry was largely based on habits, attitudes and tradition, rather than good science or real need.

“Farmers who have given the practice away discover that cows with full tails are just as easy to manage as those without,” Ms Tymms said.

“Switch trimming is one alternative, with excess tail hair trimmed once or twice per year to minimise the problem of dirty tails.

“Other strategies to manage cows without tail docking include calm, consistent milking practices, good dairy design, fly control and the use of tail clips.”

For more information on managing cows’ tails, go to: www.dairyaustralia.com.au/ switchtrimming

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

12 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Focusing on herd and staff improvement STEPHEN COOKE

SHAREFARMER BRENTON Ziero wants to

improve the efficiency of both his herd and his staff.

Through his involvement with the GippsDairy Focus Farm program, he believes he is on track to do both.

Mr Ziero has worked for owners Steve and Bec Ronalds for seven years on their Jindivick farm, moving into a sharefarming role five years ago.

Under the arrangement, he receives a 37 per cent split and provides machinery, 20 per cent of the herd (80 cows) and almost all of the labour.

The business also has one full-time employee, one part-time employee and a casual relief milker.

A fourth-generation farmer, Mr Ronalds wanted a sharefarmer so he could spend more time with his family, something Mr Ziero also hopes to achieve.

They milk 390 Jersey cows for the Gippsland Jersey milk brand on 165 ha and have a 120 ha turnout block.

Mr Ziero’s goals when he started the Focus Farm program were to: ■ Feed cows better.

■ Grow bigger heifers.

■ Improve labour structures.

Discussions with the Focus Farm support group can illustrate what you are already doing well.

“It turns out our heifers are big enough,” Mr Ziero said, enabling him to concentrate on his other goals.

He said improving staff performance was a two-way street, and he will implement more meetings and provide more structure and intentional communication, to ensure his message is received.

To improve feeding, a complete mineral mix has been introduced for the cows, under the guidance of Chris Morton from Browns Stockfeeds.

This has complemented the decision to improve pasture management to produce more homegrown feed for the herd.

“We’ve been putting more grass down the cows’ throats and really improved the nutrition side,” Mr Ziero said.

Sharefarmer Brenton Ziero and farm owner Steve Ronalds.

With a better mineral mix and more protein, the herd has less lactation milk fever, less mastitis and improvements in foot health.

Cows milked better through spring and summer, and held on better, and there was 10 to 15 per cent increase in production compared to

the previous season.

Mr Ziero has improved his pasture management by maintaining a closer eye on pasture growth and quality and acting quickly.

“We’re keeping pasture short, through aggressive topping, mainly with the tractor,

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 13

The Jersey herd.

agistment and dry cows. We make sure we graze paddocks at the right time.

“We make sure the contractor is here when the silage is ready, and not when he can make it, and being more efficient with fertiliser through better timing. We’ve reduced the amount of urea as a result and didn’t use any over spring.”

They aim to produce 900 tonne DM silage each season and just enough hay for the dry cows.

Extension of an effluent line first established three years ago will enable them to spread effluent from their pond across 70 per cent of the farm.

The initial 800 m of effluent line was extended by a further 700 m last month. This investment, partly funded through a grant from Melbourne Water via the Fert$mart project, means effluent can be spread across a further

Steve Ronalds owns the Gippsland Jersey brand.

45 per cent of the farm. Effluent is extracted from the pond and spread throughout the year, except for the depths of winter.

“Pasture grows a lot better, and we’ve significantly reduced the amount of nitrogen and P, K and S we put on,” Mr Ziero said.

Extra grass means they are buying and feeding less grain, with no change to production.

About 12 ha of summer crops are planted each year in the worst paddocks. A Notman Pasture Seeds’ blend of paja, rye and millet provides three grazings before the paddock is planted back to perennial pasture.

“There’s not much millet in the mix, but it does better if it’s wet. It covers all bases for wet and dry paddocks,” Mr Ronalds said.

They grew 9.5 tonne/ha DM over this dry summer but 12.5 tonne/ha DM the previous summer, which was kinder.

Brenton Ziero with Jersey calves, which he raises.

“That’s the thing with summer crops, if growing well, you don’t need it, but when you need it, it doesn’t grow as it’s been drier.”

The herd calves three times a year for milk flow — calving 30 per cent in February-March, 10 per cent in June and 60 per cent in August-September. Calves are fed colostrum and put onto the robot feeder as soon as possible.

The herd averages 6200 litres and 500 kg of milk solids over the year.

When Mr Ziero became a Focus Farmer, his aim was to finish a better farmer than he

started.

“I reckon I already am, which was the whole idea of it,” he said.

“I’ve changed the way I farm for the better.

It’s helped just having the support group there with its finger on the pulse each month.”

For Mr Ronalds, watching the improvement in Mr Ziero has been the reward for the effort they have put into the Focus Farm project.

“For me, this is all about Brenton, but whatever he does, obviously, affects what we do as a business,” Mr Ronalds said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

14 // GIPPSLAND REGION

April reminders Pastures Have a plan for pasture management on the home farm and out blocks. It could include the following: ■ Drainage: Wet farms need drainage to be able to be managed to their potential. Soil and pasture issues related to drainage can only be fixed by improving drainage. Wet soils in Gippsland tend to drain better across the surface than they do down the soil profile, therefore surface drains make sense.

■ Fertiliser: If you have not put your normal application of fertiliser on, and pasture has already started growing, it might be good to include nitrogen in your fertiliser application for additional growth.

■ Areas for milking cows, dry cows and young stock: A planned approach to feeding pasture to groups of cows and young stock is an advantage, although the ability to change the plan to suit soil conditions and pasture growth rates is important. Preparing areas of pasture before they are required is key; a wedge of pasture for winter management will create options for grazing and best milk production from pasture.

■ Management for new or over-sown pasture: When managing newly sown pasture, consider timing – based on the weather, soil type and farming system.

Early planted pasture is very productive provided it does not get too dry or hot once is has emerged; late planted pasture can result in very slow pasture development and paddocks that are prone to pugging in the following winter and spring. Control broadleaf weeds in new and old pastures once the weeds are about 3cm to 5cm in diameter and most plants have emerged.

Do the ‘pluck test’ to check newly sown pastures are ready for grazing. Newly sown pastures can support more than three live leaves and should be grazed before canopy closure. Allowing plants to grow more than two leaves results in root development and the production of tillers, leading to increased persistence. Avoid overgrazing new plants; leave at least 4cm to 6cm residual.

■

■

Weed management in established pastures: Barley and winter grass are both annual grasses and should be controlled once they have struck with selective herbicides.

This needs to be carefully planned and managed well to get a good result. Speak to your local agronomist for advice. Broad leaf weeds such as cape weed and flat weed need to be controlled once all have struck and before the weather becomes too wet to allow all the appropriate areas to be sprayed. Broad leaf weeds have a major impact on pasture productivity throughout the year and are well worth controlling.

Pasture pest activity: Keep an eye out for lucerne flea and redlegged earth mite in pastures; they are easily controlled and can be damaging to pastures if left untreated Redheaded cockchafers are often a problem in autumn; they are not able to be controlled but some management can minimise the damage to pastures.

Test pasture in affected areas, that’s ready to graze, for pulling by grabbing pasture and trying to pull it out. If it pulls out, consider pre-graze topping the pasture to minimise cows pulling out the pasture.

Cows ■

Prepare to dry-off spring calving cows (depending on calving date). The process

■

of drying cows off well will impact the likelihood of mastitis in the following lactation.

Prepare a plan for dry cow feeding and transition cow feeding, along with your preferred calving areas on the farm, to minimise labour and to maximise cow comfort.

Heifers ■

■

Feed calves well with healthy weaning weights in mind using milk, fresh water, some fibre and calf pellets.

Feed quality supplements to dairy heifers.

Advice from the InCalf project suggests that heavier, well-grown heifers get in calf easier, produce more milk in their lifetime, compete better with mature cows and survive longer in the milking herd.

Business management ■

Review your third quarter GST results, have a look at cash flow by month and check your cash position going into winter. A discussion with the bank may be necessary to allow for best input timing and management this winter.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 15

May reminders Feed planning ■

■

■

Have a plan to feed all the stock on your farm with fodder that’s feed-tested, which is likely to get you better grown and conditioned stock and more profitable milk production.

This is very important for young stock that are commonly underfed during autumn and winter.

Due to dry conditions, think about doing a stocktake of current feed stocks and plan for purchase where there are shortfalls.

Pastures Establish a wedge of pasture after the autumn break: ■ Aim for grazing pressure that leaves residuals of 4cm to 6cm between the pasture clumps.

This ensures faster growing rye-grass plants in autumn.

■ Average daily pasture growth rate will be 15 to 30kg DM/ha/day following autumn rainfall or irrigation.

■ Spray broad-leaf weeds when plants are 3cm to 5cm for best results; ensure all weeds have struck before spraying.

■ Plan your grazing rotation without areas of renovated or over-sown pasture as

■

■

these areas may take some time to become available if rainfall comes late in autumn.

Have a plan for wet soil conditions should they occur; stand-off paddocks and suitable feed sources may be required this winter.

Use nitrogen fertiliser to boost pasture growth if required. For more information, see: fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com. au/dairy-soils-and-fertiliser-manual/ chapter-12-nitrogen-and-nitrogenfertilisers/

Establishing and managing new pastures: ■ Check new pastures for pests such as redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea. If found they will need to be controlled as soon as possible to reduce damage to the seedlings.

■ Do the ‘pluck test’ to check newly sown pastures are ready for grazing. The plants need to be well anchored in the ground so they will not pull out; sometimes just waiting until a wet soil has dried out is enough for the plants to stay in the ground during grazing.

■ When grazing newly sown pasture for the first time, if possible use a large mob of animals that are lightweight (young stock) for short periods of time to lightly graze new pastures to a 4cm to 6cm residual.

■ Follow the first grazing with broad-leaf weed

■

spray, if it’s required, to allow the pasture tiller to thrive.

Consider the use of nitrogen to strengthen the plants and grow more dry matter after the first grazing.

Water ■

Stock ■

Due to dry conditions where pastures may not be performing to usual autumn standards, consider supplementing the milking herd diet, especially autumn-calving cows, with quality feed that has been feedtested and meets their requirements.

Young stock ■

■

Investing in feeding young stock well provides a return to your business in more than one way. They get back in calf more easily as first calvers in the herd, produce more milk than under-grown heifers and contribute to a more predictable calving pattern as they are calved down at 24 months old rather than 30 months old.

Prepare your calf rearing facilities; consider disease and ease of operating as priorities. For more information, see: www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animalmanagement/Animal-welfare/Calves.aspx

■

Make a note in your diary of irrigation trouble spots that need maintenance.

Farm channel maintenance, irrigation stop maintenance and pump maintenance need to be planned ready for the next irrigation season.

Assess your current water supply needs and capacities. If upgrades or maintenance of them is required, make plans for development and plans to manage the system as it is for the period before development.

Business management ■

■

■

Once complete, take the time to check your planned cash flow against your GST for the third quarter.

Plan your tax with your accountant or make an appointment to do so.

Prepare to plan next financial year’s budgets, taking into account the current milk price and input costs and considering the things you want to do on the farm in the next 12 months.

Diary dates May Employment Essentials A step-by-step guide to employing people correctly on dairy farms.

Issues discussed will be payroll, individual flexibility, agreements and staff management. For more information or to RSVP, phone Leah Maslen on 0448 681 373 or email: leah@gippsdairy.com.au Macalister Irrigation District

Tuesday, May 22

Macalister Irrigation District

Tuesday, May 1 and 8 10.15am to 2.30pm South Gippsland

Wednesday, May 2 and 9 10.15am to 2.30pm West Gippsland

Friday, May 4 and 11 10.15am to 2.30pm

South Gippsland

Wednesday, May 23 West Gippsland

Thursday, May 24 Farm Business Fundamentals This course is for farmers who want to have accurate information when they need it, understand what makes cash and drives profit, make profitable operational decisions, improve cost control, manage risk, increase resilience and create a farm recording system that works for them. For more information or to RSVP, phone Leah Maslen on 0448 681 373 or email: leah@gippsdairy.com.au

National Muster Get the facts behind the claim that there are real profit gains to be made from using breeding indexes and genomics. For more information, phone Sallie Clynes on 5624 3900 or email: info@ gippsdairy.com.au Leongatha South

Thursday, May 10 at 10am

June

South Gippsland

Focus Farm Open Days The final Focus Farm Open Days will be held in late June across Gippsland. Lunch will be provided at all days. RSVP to GippsDairy for catering purposes on 5624 3900 or info@gippsdairy.com.au

Feeding Pastures for Profit (FPFP)

Fish Creek Focus Farm Final Open Day

Monday, May 14, 21 and 28

FPFP develops dairy farmer skills and decision making in growing and optimising pasture consumption. The program involves two days ‘up-front’ classroom-style delivery plus five on-farm group days over the next 10 to 12 months. Each participant is entitled to a one-off farm visit to support pasture rotation decisions. Places are limited; for more information or to register, phone Karen Romano on 0417 524 916 or email: karen@gippsdairy.com.au

Tuesday, June 26 10.15am for a 10.30am start until 2.30pm Jindivick Focus Farm Final Open Day

Thursday, June 28 10.15am for a 10.30am start until 2.30pm Won Wron Focus Farm Final Open Day

Friday, June 29 10.15am for a 10.30am start until 2.30pm

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