Dairy News Australia – September 2020

Bega announces profit

Page 7

Australian Breeding Values feature

Page 25

SEPTEMBER, 2020 ISSUE 119 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS // 3

A2 records big annual profit INFANT FORMULA company The A2 Milk

Lion sale falls through. PG.5

More leaders needed. PG.12

Spring pastures feature. PG.33

NEWS .......................................................3 – 22 OPINION ......................................................... 6 MARKETS .....................................................10 ANIMAL HEALTH ............................ 23 – 24 AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES ...................... 25 – 32 SPRING PASTURE .........................33 – 38 MACHINERY......................................39 – 43

Company, has recorded an annual, after-tax profit of NZ$385 million.

The company has also announced the appointment of David Bortolussi as the new chief executive officer.

Mr Bortolussi will be starting work in Sydney in the new year.

He has an extensive experience with underwear company Pacific Brands.

He joined Pacific Brands in 2009 initially as chief financial and operating officer taking over as CEO in 2014.

The publicly listed company now has a total revenue of NZ$1.73 billion and NZ$337 million in sales into China.

Acting CEO Geoff Babidge said they achieved strong growth in liquid milk businesses in Australia and the United States, with sales across the Group totalling NZ$218.6 million.

"Liquid milk sales in Australia were up 14 per cent to NZ$152 million and sales in the US more than doubled compared to the first half of 2019, driven by improved sales velocity in established stores as well as an expanded store footprint," Mr Babidge said.

"Our targeted exploration of new markets continues — in October we launched infant formula in the city of Hong Kong and in December we launched infant formula in Korea with our partner, YuhanCARE (Yuhan)."

Mr Babidge said they stepped up investment in China label infant nutrition business considerably in the second half of 2019.

They reported sales in a2 Platinum China label infant nutrition of NZ$337 million, double the sales in the prior corresponding period.

They also expanded their presence to 19,100 stores, up from 16,400 stores at the end of the second half of 2019.

US milk revenue grew by 91 per cent.

The long-awaited appointment of Mr Bortolussi comes after the sudden departure of high-profile leader Jayne Hrdlicka last year.

David Bortolussi, new CEO of A2 milk company. Picture: Max Davis.

Some statistics from the A2 annual report indicate the growth of the company.

Mr Hrdlicka took about NZ$3.7 million in remuneration.

Mr Bortolussi will be paid a base salary of about NZ$1.7 million.

Board directors were paid a total of about $1 million last year.

The company said it was planning to install solar power on the roof at its milk processing factory at Smeaton Grange in NSW and will also convert lighting to more efficient LEDs, saving 164,000 kg of carbon emissions annually.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

4 // NEWS

Kyvalley Dairy and A2 milk partnership KYVALLEY DAIRY’S Kyabram factory will be

expanded and upgraded after the company struck a deal with The a2 Milk Company to sell and lease back the milk processing facilities.

Kyvalley Dairy has been a foundation supplier to The a2 Milk Company since 2003, supplying about 55 per cent of the a2 raw milk, and packing 100 per cent of a2 milk products sold in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

As part of the deal, The a2 Milk Company will fund the expansion and upgrade of the processing facility in Kyabram that will be managed by Kyvalley Dairy under a lease and revised long-term supply agreement.

The upgrade will benefit both businesses by providing additional capacity and improved facilities that will create factory efficiencies and ensure the continued delivery of high-quality products

to consumers.

The upgrades are expected to commence early next year.

The new alliance will also include a long-term supply agreement for the sourcing, processing and packing of The a2 Milk Company products.

“This is an exciting outcome for our business and provides security into the future for both our valued employees and our suppliers,” Kyvalley Dairy chief executive officer Michelle Sonnenschein said.

This sentiment was echoed by the Asia-Pacific chief executive officer of The a2 Milk Company, Peter Nathan.

“We have had a very strong and long-term relationship with the team at Kyvalley Dairy Group and this alliance, and our significant investment into the facility in Kyabram, demonstrates our

Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia sold

Remarkable Milk Company chief executive officer Alastair McCredden. His company has purchased the assets of Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia, which went into receivership in May.

Dairy Farmers Australia, but Remarkable Milk Company is looking to work with these farms to provide it with a secure source for its milk supply.

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confidence in the a2 Milk brand, the strength of our partnership with Kyvalley Dairy and the economic benefit a2 Milk continues to have for regional Australia.”

Kyvalley Dairy said the new alliance and the upgrade of the Kyabram facility would provide

the region with employment opportunities and support dairy farming families with secure longterm supply opportunities.

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REMARKABLE MILK Company, which is

majority owned by Kyvalley Dairy, has acquired the assets of Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia, which went into receivership in May. The purchase includes the land, a processing facility and all brands and trademarks.

Remarkable Milk Company was one of the major customers of Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia and also had licence agreements for its True Organic and Remarkable range of products.

Remarkable Milk Company intends to utilise the purchased Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia facility in Geelong, Victoria to invest in further developing the skills of employees.

“Our aim is to offer not just a job but a future for Geelong families,” Remarkable Milk Company chief executive officer Alastair McCredden said.

“Our shareholders are families and they understand the importance of thinking in generations rather than just for tomorrow.”

The purchase does not include the current contracted farms supplying Organic

Kyvalley Dairy board members. The company has teamed up with The a2 Milk Company to expand the Kyabram factory.

AFTER

SunRice Group’s CopRice business has further expanded into Victoria with acquisition of Riverbank Stockfeeds’ dairy and beef business.

The SunRice Group’s CopRice business, a leading producer of stockfeed and companion animal products, signed a purchase agreement to acquire the business in mid August.

The acquisition includes Riverbank’s feed mill at Leongatha, and extensive dairy business across Gippsland and south-west Victoria, which will see CopRice continue the expansion of its Victorian dairy nutrition business.

The acquisition will provide an additional manufacturing facility in the key Gippsland dairy sector to complement CopRice’s existing manufacturing facilities at Cobden in south-west Victoria, Tongala in northern Victoria, and Leeton and Coleambally in southern NSW. SunRice Group chief executive officer Rob Gordon said the acquisition was further evidence of SunRice’s strategy in action.

“A key focus of our company’s 2022 Growth Strategy includes leveraging our strong balance sheet to pursue strategic value-accretive merger and acquisition opportunities,” Mr Gordon said.

“This acquisition will not only see CopRice continue to expand its Victorian dairy business, it will support ongoing diversification of earnings for the SunRice Group.”

CopRice general manager Peter McKinney said the Riverbank investment was supported by CopRice’s recent repurposing of the former SunRice mill in Coleambally into an animal nutrition plant.

“The acquisition of Riverbank will further expand our footprint, and now ensures that we have full coverage of all key dairy regions in Victoria,” Mr McKinney said.

“We have invested approximately $2.5 million to transform the Coleambally facility into a high-quality animal nutrition plant, which is already producing products that can readily supply the north-east Victorian valleys, Riverina and Goulburn valleys.”

The cost of the acquisition, as well as working capital requirements and capital expenditure to upgrade the Leongatha site, is not expected to exceed $10 million.

Completion of the acquisition is expected during the coming months, pending satisfaction of a number of conditions precedent.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS // 5 LION SALE FALLS THROUGH Kirin Holdings Co has pulled the pin up on a deal that would have seen the Japanese company’s wholly-owned Australian dairy firm Lion Dairy & Drinks sold to a Chinese company.

The announcement follows reports the Australian government could block the deal in its first veto since announcing a shake-up of foreign investment laws in July.

Kirin agreed with China’s Mengniu Dairy Co to terminate a $600 million transfer deal signed in November because the Foreign Investment Review Board was unlikely to approve it.

“This is an unfortunate result,” Kirin said.

“But the revival and restructuring of Lion Dairy & Drinks are a top priority and we will continue to look for the best scenarios for the business with Lion.”

Lion Dairy & Drinks, formerly known as National Foods, is a major dairy company that produces, markets and distributes some of Australia’s bestknown brands in milk, dairy beverages, yoghurt, juice and soy.

The Australian Financial Review reported that treasurer Josh Frydenberg planned to go against the advice of the FIRB, which was in favour of approving the deal.

The deal had previously won approval from Australia’s competition regulator in February.

Revised foreign ownership laws give the treasurer last-resort power to vary or impose conditions on such deals or force divestment in the event of a national security risk.

The changes came against the backdrop of increasing China-Australia diplomatic tensions after Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which was first reported in China at the end of last year.

The sale of Lion Dairy would have advanced Kirin’s strategy of offloading underperforming assets.

It would also have given the Chinese government part-owned company control of Australian household brands, such as Pura, Dairy Farmers and Dare flavoured milk.

Dairy code could extend to supermarkets THE MANDATORY dairy code of conduct

could soon be extended to supermarkets, with the possible change a focus of a new Australia Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry.

Farmers and processors will be able to give confidential evidence to the ACCC, which is tasked with discovering potential market imbalance.

While some bodies have welcomed the move, dairy farmer Stephen Brown from Gunbower in northern Victoria said it was hard to be enthusiastic about the inquiry, saying it was unlikely to lead to change.

“They always deregulate the dairy industry and then they always find out it was regulated for a reason and we go around in this endless circle,” Mr Brown said.

“It’s not easy to come up with answers either but biggest one is to stop letting all these dairy products in from overseas.

“The supermarkets are just going to bring in product that makes the biggest profit, so were never going to get a good price as long as that keeps going.”

Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson said including supermarkets in the dairy code of conduct would help address discounted retail pricing that had impacted the industry for years.

“ADF has a longstanding policy that a mandatory code of conduct for dairy needs to cover the

whole supply chain, from farms right through to supermarkets,” Mr Richardson said.

“For years, dairy has suffered from heavily discounted fixed pricing, while the prices on most other perishable products change according to supply and demand.

“It is time for the Federal Government to intervene in establishing an agreed set of retail pricing standards for dairy products on the retail shelves.”

Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation president Brian Tessmann said supermarkets have dairy farmers “over a barrel”.

“You can’t hold on to milk and wait to get a better price, and you can’t dump it [because of EPA laws]. So, whether the product is sitting in your paddock or in packed up in a processing plant, the power is not with you. It’s with the retailers responsible for getting your product into the hands of the consumer.”

While the inquiry is aimed at exploring ways to make the industry more equitable, Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the inquiry is not designed to regulate food prices.

“Instead, it will identify problems and recommend policy options — including a possible all-encompassing Agricultural Code — if appropriate,” Mr Littleproud said.

National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Tony Mahar said the inquiry would benefit the whole food supply chain, from farmers to consumers.

An ACCC inquiry will look into the dairy and fresh food supply chain

“Inquiries into the red meat, dairy and chicken meat sectors have revealed that too often, farmers — as the first link in the supply chain — face real challenges in their ability to negotiate,” Mr Maher said.

Mr Littleproud said the existing grocery code, which Coles, Woolworths and Aldi were part of, was voluntary and only dished out small fines.

“It doesn’t protect small family farms — they don’t have the financial means if they have been wronged to test that in a court of law,” he said.

The ACCC started its inquiry on Monday, August 31, and will report to the government by Monday, November 30.

Leitchville factory to be sold within weeks SAPUTO DAIRY Australia has confirmed its

Leitchville factory in nothern Victoria is subject to a sale contract and is expected to be handed over to the new buyers in September.

Ray White Rochester director Rob Hoskings also acknowledged the existence of an interested buyer, which he did not share details about.

“It is definitely sold. We have an unconditional contract,” Mr Hoskings told Dairy News Australia The retired and partially dismantled milk

processing factory in Leitchville has become infamous for its potential sale falling through a number of times.

The factory was closed by Murray Goulburn in 2010, leaving the small dairy town of Leitchville without its biggest employer.

During the following decade the factory has been on the market, there have been attempts to turn it into a cheese factory with the help of then deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.

The Leitchville dairy factory.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

6 // OPINION

EDITORIAL

Here we go again After just eight month in place the mandatory dairy code of conduct will get examined once again as the competition watchdog contemplates bringing supermarkets into the fold.

And it’s feeling a bit like deja vu.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has commenced on a three-month inquiry covering the whole agricultural supply chain, but some dairy producers and organisations are cynical about the possible outcome.

Camel farm could join others in northern Victoria

For anyone that sat through a consultation meeting about the $1 million a year dairy code of conduct, they would have heard the call to include supermarkets each and every time.

The call for more intervention in the dairy supply chain and equity around pricing has been going on for years.

So why has it taken so long for the industry to be heard?

At this point we must question how many times we can go back to the drawing board and change, tweak and refresh the code before the powers that be admit they should have listened to the industry in the first place.

For years — especially since the introduction of $1-a-litre milk — dairy farmers have been growing concerned about the increasing power of the supermarkets, in particular Coles and Woolworths.

A third camel farm could soon be established in northern Victoria.

Northern Victoria could be set to become the camel milk capital of Australia with a third camel farm proposed for Girgarre East.

Farm manager Simon Coussa said there were about 380 camels on the 84 ha property in Moreton Rd, Rochester.

The application would see dairy company Ausnutria build a 296 ha camel milk farm and processing plant with up to 900 camels on the property as part of a three-stage plan.

The international company employs about five people at the Rochester farm, where they milk twice a day and process liquid milk for human consumption.

Kyabram business Camel Milk Co Australia was established in the region six years ago, and recently won two major contracts for the supply of milk and milk powder within Australia.

Asked about another farm opening in the region, Mr Coussa said he was not bothered by the news as there was a worldwide shortage of camel milk and another farm or two would not make much of a dent in that.

The company plans to milk between 100 and 120 camels by December and expand further in the future.

“Perhaps there could be some interest in getting a co-operative going or something like that,” Mr Coussa said.

Owners Megan and Chris Williams are expecting their busiest season ever.

Camilk has farms in the United Arab Emirates and is developing farms in North Carolina in the United States, and Morocco.

Meanwhile at Rochester, Camilk is preparing to milk up to 150 in its herd this season.

Advertising Max Hyde 0408 558 938 max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Alana Christensen (03) 5820 3237 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher.

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

Regional editor news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

While supply and demand control the pricing of fruit, vegetables and other produce, dairy’s pricing needle is stuck.

The ACCC themselves flagged the growing power of supermarkets and, to a lesser extent, processors as a key issue when they reviewed the dairy industry in 2018.

“The dominant picture that has emerged is one of significant imbalances in bargaining power at each level of the dairy supply chain,” the watchdog wrote at the time.

Now the same body will be calling on producers, processors and advocacy groups to provide their honest feedback about the supply chain in the hope of change.

Time will tell, but for those who respond to inquiries time and time again, only to be ignored, fatigue must be setting in.

As one northern Victorian dairy farmer put it: “They always deregulate the dairy industry and then they always find out it was regulated for a reason and we go around in this endless circle.”

Publisher Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd Printed by Newsprinters Pty Ltd Head Office 7940 Goulburn Valley Highway Shepparton, VIC 3630 Phone (03) 5831 2312 Postal address PO Box 204 Shepparton, Victoria 3632 Australia

WWW.DAIRYNEWSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

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.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS // 7

ACCC rebukes Saputo over breach AUSTRALIA’S COMPETITION watchdog has

issued a warning to dairy processor Saputo after they allegedly failed to publish their milk supply agreements by the 2 pm deadline on June 1.

Under the mandatory code of conduct all milk supply agreements had to be made public by the 2 pm deadline.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleged Saputo did not publish their 2020–21 milk season agreements until around 3 pm on June 1 due to a “very late technical failure”.

The ACCC said Saputo took immediate steps to correct the technical failure.

“Saputo has undertaken to examine its internal processes, review the factors that contributed to the breach and make any necessary changes to ensure it meets the publishing requirements of the dairy code in future,” a statement from the ACCC said.

“While the ACCC accepts that this alleged breach was inadvertent, all dairy processors are expected to comply with the code and should ensure they have proper processes in place, as well as legal and technical support, to enable them to meet their publishing requirements.

“The ACCC takes dairy code compliance very

Australia's competition watchdog alleged Saputo did not publish their 2020-21 milk season agreements on time due to a "very late technical failure". (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

seriously. Non-compliance with the dairy code may result in the ACCC taking enforcement action, including court proceedings seeking a financial penalty.”

More information, including guidance for farmers and processors, can be found at: accc.gov.au/business/industry-codes/dairy-code-of-conduct/ enforcement-of-the-dairy-code

AN HISTORIC YEAR DESERVES A HISTORIC DEAL.

BEGA CHEESE PROFITS BOOSTED Revenue has increased by five per cent and profits have improved by $16.9 million in Bega’s 2019–20 financial results, despite the dairy industry suffering through drought, bushfires and now the impacts of the coronavirus.

Revenue in 2018–19 was $1.42 billion, which increased to $1.49 billion in the last 12 months, while profits increased from just $4.4 million to $21.3 million.

Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin said the company’s diversified dairy and food business and regional milk procurement model were key to managing through the issues the industry has faced.

“I am particularly proud of this year’s business performance given the circumstances we faced, our values and culture always comes to the fore in challenging times,” he said.

Bega Cheese reported strong growth in its export business, continued growth in the domestic grocery business, particularly across the core spreads category along with the launch of a number of new products including a honey range.

The increase in its domestic grocery business was helped along by panic buying and reduced promotional spending.

The company’s net working capital and net debt both reduced by just over $50 million each, with an increased focus on accounts receivable and inventory management the reasons for the

Bega has released its 2019/20 financial records, which revealed the company's profits increased by nearly $17 million.

$56.3 million drop in working capital.

Looking forward, the report said milk supply was expected to increase in the 2020–21 financial year and future growth will be underpinned by ongoing innovation in their product range and branded foods portfolio.

“It has been important to ensure we remain focused on both managing the challenges of the current year and in addition, we continue to build the business for future success,” Bega’s chief executive officer Paul van Heerwaarden said.

“The strong cash generation and associated debt reduction combined with a successful process improvement program positions us well.

“We have continued to invest in new products, markets, technology, infrastructure and our people, all of which will contribute to the success of the business in future years.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

8 // NEWS

China’s demand for Australian dairy to lessen CHINA’S APPETITE for Australian dairy imports could decrease as its economy strengthens.

Rabobank Shanghai-based senior dairy analyst Sandy Chen said the Chinese dairy market would maintain some weakness in Australian dairy commodity prices in the coming months.

“Chinese milk production has remained firm and food service consumption soft, Chinese stocks are mounting, and the lower import demand will be a key factor for Australian exporters,” Mr Chen said.

“The next six Global Dairy Trade events will be critical in setting the commodity and farmgate prices for this region.”

While China’s quarter one gross domestic

product was down six per cent year-on-year, quarter two figures rebounded into positive territory, up three per cent year-on-year.

However, consumer demand has remained slow, with lower retail and food service sales.

Mr Chen said this suggested China’s GDP was driven by the industrial sector and investments, rather than consumer spending.

Chinese dairy processing volumes gradually returned to positive growth since quarter two but are still down by about 2.5 per cent year-on-year.

Liquid milk imports into China year-on-year were relatively flat — down slightly at two to three per cent year-on-year during the first half of 2020.

Mr Chen said this result was “surprisingly positive given the market circumstances”.

Chinese milk powder imports were also down, with the incoming June total for skimmilk powder and whole-milk powder declining seven per cent year-on-year.

“We understand that in March the government directed Chinese companies to increase their coverage of essential materials for the infant milk formula sector, particularly items China has to rely on imports for,” Mr Chen said.

He said geopolitical uncertainty, coupled with the early supply chain impacts of COVID-19, had “very likely” prompted dairy processing companies to shift their inventory model to ensure a higher level of stock.

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY EXPORTS ON THE RISE The value of Australian dairy exports has increased for the third consecutive year, reaching $2.5 billion in 2019–20 — an increase of $50.6 million.

The rise was driven by improvements in price, which offset a decline in export volume as a result of unfavourable seasonal conditions and historically low milk production in 2019.

Rural Bank’s Australian Agriculture Trade 2019–20 report released on August 31 found stronger export demand, particularly for skim milk powder to China, led to a recovery in average export prices.

Cheese and curd exports continued to be Australia’s most valuable dairy export, with the export value increasing by $8.3 million (0.8 per cent) to $997.5 million.

Milk powder exports rebounded in 2019–20, increasing by $22.7 million (2.9 per cent) to $812.9 million, due to an rise in average export price which offset a reduction in export volume.

Skim milk powder increased in value by $37.5 million to $523.1 million, driven by a 36.6 per cent increase in average export price which countered a 21.2 per cent

decline in export volume.

A decline in the volume of whole milk powder led to an 11.9 per cent decline in exports.

Milk and cream exports were higher for the third consecutive year, increasing by $22.1 million (7.4 per cent) to $321.7 million.

Butter exports decreased in value by $43.5 million (-32.5 per cent) to $90.2 million which was driven by widespread reductions to demand, resulting in a 43.7 per cent decline in export volume.

The value of dairy exports are predicted to be higher in 2020–21 as favourable seasonal conditions lead to an increase in milk production.

Although export volumes are expected to be higher, value growth may be restrained by softer growth in global dairy commodity prices, due to demand uncertainty stemming from economic constraints caused by COVID-19.

China remained Australia’s largest trading partner for dairy products in 2019–20, increasing by $65.3 million (11 per cent) to $662 million.

Rabobank senior dairy analyst Sandy Chen says China's lower import demand for dairy will impact Australian exporters.

Value of Australia’s top 10 dairy export markets 2019/20 (A$ million)

Year-on-year % change

% share

China

$662

 +11.0%

26.0%

Japan

$487

 -8.3%

19.2%

Singapore

$186

 +7.6%

7.3%

Indonesia

$170

 +10.6%

6.7%

Malaysia

$164

 +8.0%

6.4%

Thailand

$119

 +12.6%

4.7%

Taiwan

$102

 +4.7%

4.0%

Philippines

$97

 +27.7%

3.8%

Hong Kong

$97

 +6.0%

3.8%

New Zealand

$94

 +7.4%

3.7%

Destination

Growth to China was led by an increase curd exports increased by $1.9 million (1.9 in the value of milk powder exports of per cent).

TH1848M 07-20hjmb $39.6 million (12.2 per cent), primarily Following China, Japan, Singapore, driven by a higher average export price.

Indonesia and the Philippines were www.technipharm.com.au Milk and cream exports increased by Australia’s largest export markets. $4.6 million (3.9 per cent) and cheese and TH1848M 07-20hjmb

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS // 9

Seaweed venture to cut cattle methane THE CSIRO and Woolworths are among inves-

tors in a new company that will commercialise the use of seaweed to reduce methane emissions from belching cattle.

The seaweed asparagopsis has been shown to reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle by more than 80 per cent in research trials in Australia and the United States, the CSIRO says.

AGP Sustainable Real Assets-Sparklabs Cultiv8 Joint Venture, GrainCorp, Harvest Road, Woolworths and CSIRO have committed to investing in the company.

CSIRO scientists estimated if the feed additive were to be adopted by 10 per cent of beef feedlots and dairy industries globally, livestock greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by about 120 megatonnes annually.

That is equivalent to taking about 50 million cars off the road for a year.

The new company, FutureFeed Pty Ltd, has secured $13 million in investment.

Federal Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews said the seaweed

additive to feed was an Australian innovation with immense global potential.

“This is a game-changer — not only for livestock production, but also for our environment — with the potential to create an entirely new industry, while supporting jobs in the Australian agriculture sector,” Ms Andrews said.

The company expects to see commercial volumes of the feed additive supplied into the Australian dairy market by mid-2021, with international markets to follow.

The CSIRO said when asparagopsis was fed as a supplement to cattle, it not only reduced methane emissions, but also supported productivity.

The supplement has been developed and trialled over more than five years by CSIRO in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia and James Cook University.

CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall said FutureFeed was science solving the seemingly unsolvable — reducing the emissions but not the profits.

“FutureFeed enables agriculture and the

Dr Rob Kinley with FutureFeed at CSIRO’s Lansdown research station in North Queensland.

environment to be partners not competitors, helps overcome negative perceptions of the cattle industry, and gives Australian farmers an advantage in the global marketplace as first adopters of this Aussie innovation,” Dr Marshall said.

“FutureFeed is addressing some of the greatest challenges we face, including food security, sustainable production and climate change, by turning science into a real product in the hands of business, so they can turn it into jobs and economic growth.

The company will be exploring market options for greenhouse gas abatement payments for livestock producers that adopt the supplement.

To study just how much less methane cattle produce when fed the Asparagopsis supplement, their emissions are measured in special chambers.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

10 // MARKETS

IF 2020 has taught us anything (in addition to

terms such as social distancing, isolation and coronavirus) it is that things change very quickly.

Just as our last Dairy News Australia article went to print, a resurgence in COVID-19 infection rates and new quarantine measures threw global markets back into turmoil.

While many commodities faced additional downwards pressure due to increasingly negative economic outlooks, dairy markets initially held up surprisingly well on the back of strong demand from China.

However, risks are mounting for the months ahead, and are exacerbated by the ongoing appreciation in the Australian dollar.

The latest COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact buyers’ purchasing appetite as many are hesitant to take on stock, with flow-on impact on overall demand.

While the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak continues to be the main impact on demand for dairy, the direction of supply-side drivers is still unclear.

The Northern Hemisphere season has come to a close with milk production still growing, albeit weaker than earlier forecast.

With the Southern Hemisphere season yet to ramp up, the market is in the usual mid-year limbo.

A clearer supply direction is expected to emanate in the next few months, with early indications suggesting milk production will grow in Australia, New Zealand and part of South America.

Australian milk production continued to surge during the last few months of the 2019– 20 financial year, with estimates suggesting the season finished down just 0.2 per cent compared to the year prior.

The recovery, previously driven by Gippsland and Tasmania, has expanded into other regions with additional production growth expected in the new year.

Over winter, milk powder has been a key positive price influencer for the industry, with

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This has predominately been driven by strong demand from China, while higher oil prices also supported buying from the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region.

Despite relatively strong demand to date, recent GDT auction results, where WMP prices dropped 7.5 per cent, has raised questions about the longevity of these values, and Chinese demand remains a constant source of speculation.

Chinese stockpiles have continued to grow, which could add downward pressure in coming months, especially as the New Zealand production season ramps up.

Skim milk powder (SMP) prices have also remained strong, due to robust demand from China and South-East Asia.

SMP sold from the Oceania region has continued to trade at a premium, compared to product sold from the Northern Hemisphere, with overall production expected to be the key price driver going forward.

In comparison, Oceania butter is now selling

at a discount, as demand for fat products remains relatively weak overall.

While weaker overall, demand has reportedly been quite inconsistent, with sales destined for the retail sector holding strong.

Shoppers have, in most western countries, reportedly continued to buy more butter than pre-COVID-19, as baking seems to be the new favourite pastime during isolation.

This surge in home cooking and baking has continued to support demand for dairy through the retail channel.

In comparison, demand for butter from the food service sector remains subdued.

As unemployment levels rise and incomes fall there could be additional substitution pressure towards cheaper fat alternatives, which if realised may see prices remain suppressed.

United States cheese prices have continued to see significant change in the past month, with prices plummeting, following the record high price in July.

This drop in prices has mainly been the result of weaker demand from the food service sector, due to the looming threat of new lockdowns as

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This appears to have driven more consumers to revert back to the retail shopping instead of eating out.

In Australia, cheese markets have been relatively stable over winter and are expected to face more ‘normal’ supply and demand dynamics in the months to come.

The increase in retail demand for dairy products has continued to support overall demand throughout the past few months and helped keep dairy commodity prices relatively insulated from the broader market turmoil.

With consumers changing their purchasing behaviour by cooking and baking more at home, some of this increase in retail demand might lead to a sustained growth in per-capita consumption, even when quarantine restrictions lifts.

While this is encouraging, the ongoing pandemic has added a lot of uncertainty and volatility to all aspects of life, and the dairy market is not immune to this unpredictability.

With considerable risks on the horizon, we might just have to learn to expect more rapid change as the year progresses.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

12 // NEWS

Better not bigger: lessons in leadership DIXIE DAIRY farmer Brad Collins wants to

hear more farming voices in community leadership roles.

In 2019 Mr Collins participated in Leadership Great South Coast, a community leadership program that gave him an opportunity to develop his leadership skills.

He was sponsored by Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

Mr Collins said he was now more confident talking to people from different backgrounds and more aware of how others viewed the dairy industry.

Mr Collins is a third-generation farmer and runs the dairy business with his wife Tammy at Dixie, south of Terang.

They milk about 240 cows, almost half the previous peak, but for Mr Collins this is a more sustainable and profitable balance.

He said the leadership program helped to inspire his “cleaner and greener” farm.

“It’s not about being a greenie, but listening

to peoples’ needs and growing our businesses to suit those needs,” he said.

“Bigger is not always better and we should always strive to be better.

“I wanted to make my farm self-sufficient, environmentally sustainable and profitable, and that’s what the community wants as well.”

While Mr Collins gained life-long benefits from the leadership program, he often felt like a lone voice for farming communities.

“The hardest thing for me was being the only one from an agricultural business.

“It made me feel like I had to stand up for everyone in business.

“I think it’s important to have farmer representation.

“Our communities wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for agriculture.”

Mr Collins wants that farming voice to grow and he is encouraging other dairy farmers to nominate for the Gardiner Dairy Foundation leadership scholarship.

Dixie dairy farmer Brad Collins is calling on more to get involved in leadership.

“We need to give people a better understanding of the dairy industry and agriculture in general and we need to understand the differences between town communities and agriculture and see how we can bring them together.”

Mr Collins is using his strengthened leadership skills to work for the dairy industry, joining WestVic Dairy as an associate board member and participating in discussion groups.

Mr Collins has also started planning an onfarm community art project and is pushing the region’s credentials as Australia’s food bowl.

“We’re building the dairy industry, but it’s not about the way we want to do it; it’s the way consumers want it.

“There are a lot of good positive stories throughout the dairy industry and we want them to be told.”

Gardiner Dairy Foundation is inviting applicants for its 2021 Regional Leadership programs in south-west Victoria, Gippsland, northern Victoria and north-east Victoria.

Apply at: www.gardinerfoundation.com. au/vrclp

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

NEWS // 13

Grant helps farmer cut annual energy costs A NORTHERN VICTORIAN dairy farmer

plans to reduce his energy costs by upgrading farm equipment with the help of Victorian Government grant.

Graeme Sprun, from Kaarimba t will receive $29,600 towards the installation of a milk chiller to reduce his electricity consumption.

“It will cut costs because the chiller will be running overnight on off peak time, and during the day, off our 15 kW solar installation on the dairy roof,” Mr Sprunt said.

“The milk will be going into the vat at about five degrees and the milk vat will virtually become obsolete.”

The chiller will provide annual energy savings of $7,500 — which is 19 per cent of on-farm energy costs.

Since 1874, the Kaarimba farm has been passed on through generations and cows have been milked there since 1969.

Mr Sprunt runs the 250 ha farm in partnership

with his brother and supplies Shepparton’s Freedom Foods — producing 2.8 million litres annually.

He said the grant would enable them to produce a better-quality product.

“The government pays half and we have to pay the other half, it’s about a $62,000 investment,” he said.

“It’s been a bit time consuming and has taken over two years to be given the go ahead to install it, but you get a lot of good ideas on where to save energy costs, such as more solar power, LED lights and variable speed motors.”

Mr Sprunt said he hoped to have the chiller installed by mid September.

“It will be nice to have it ready to go before summer,” he said.

The grant is part of the Victorian Government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan.

Kaarimba's Graeme Sprunt will install a milk chiller to his dairy to reduce electricity consumption.

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY CONFERENCE MOVED TO 2022 The Australian Dairy Conference has confirmed the next gathering of dairy farmers has been rescheduled to February 2022 in Hobart, Tasmania.

ADC president Ben Geard said given the current COVID-19 climate, the annual event would need to be postponed for the first time in 18 years.

“The board has been adamant all along that we would only proceed if there was absolute confidence that we could deliver ADC in full scale as one of the most notable forums on the dairy calendar,” he said.

“Farmers and networking lie at the heart of our annual gathering and we know how important it is for them to interact and engage with industry members.

“Whilst unfortunate, the health and safety of Australians and our dairy farming community is the priority and we do not wish to undertake any activities that will compromise or jeopardise this position.”

Board members had hoped normality would return but recent coronavirus restrictions had led them to believe activities would not return to normal for some time.

“Travel restrictions are obviously the most impacting on the ability to host ADC, with approximately 500 farmers converging each February at locations across the country,” Mr Geard said.

“It is with much reluctance that we

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Australian Dairy Conference president Ben Geard says the event has been rescheduled for the first time in 18 years.

reschedule but the only option at this given time.

“However, despite the current climate, we remain optimistic that things will improve over the course of the next 18 months and we can host Australia’s dairy farming community here in Tasmania with a particular emphasis on bringing our dairy community together.”

Mr Geard said his thoughts were with industry members and farmers across the country.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

14 // NEWS

Dairy award winners named THE 2020 Great South West Dairy Awards have

been announced, with dairy farmers across the region receiving accolades for their hard work.

Presented online over three weeks the awards saw Doolan Farms, Matt Grant and Paul Thompson named winners on August 19 across a number of categories.

Mr Grant, who sharefarms on his family property at Cowleys Creek, took home the Young Dairy Leader Award, sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

Mr Grant said he was thrilled to receive the award, which had a special meaning to him.

“It’s made extra special as my late friend Andy Powell was the previous recipient,” he said.

“He and Po (his father) made significant contributions to the dairy industry and our local community.

“They left a lasting legacy of innovation, knowledge sharing, volunteering, industry advocacy and helping others succeed, making the local community a better place to be.

“I believe it’s important to help create the community you want to be a part of, and the work those guys put in has really inspired me.”

Doolan Farms in Brucknell won the Natural Resource and Sustainability Award sponsored by Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.

They have a strong focus on reducing energy use overall and using solar to meet as much of the farm’s energy needs as possible.

Paul Thompson’s entry Farming family won the Farm Photo Award sponsored by Jefo Australia.

Mr Thompson and his young family farm at

Timboon, where he took the picture by setting up the camera on a bale of hay.

“It was taken on Christmas Day, that in itself reflects the best and worst of dairy farming,” he said.

The second week of awards on August 26 saw Colac’s Nadine Markham and Isaac Hose from Garvoc named winners.

Ms Markham won the Service Provider Award, sponsored by Moyne Shire after impressing the judges with her dedication, passion and commitment to the industry over 25 years.

In the Employee Award Mr Hose took the honours, winning the category sponsored by Union Dairy Company.

“It’s not why we do the job, but it is nice to be recognised every now and again,” said Mr Hose.

Matt and Alli Reid were announced as winners of the prestigious Dairy Farm Business Management Award in the final week of presentations on September 2, with Phillip Harris and Christopher O’Keefe inducted on to the Western Victorian Dairy Industry Honour Board.

The Reids moved to their Carlisle River farm in 2003 and have since built the business up to 650 ha, milking 700 Holstein and crossbred cows.

“Winning this award is less about the recognition from our peers or the wider community and more about reward for our team. For them to know we are doing our best not only in business management but people and safety management too,” Mrs Reid said.

“It’s definitely about the broader community, we value each and every person who contributes to our business; our family, our employees, our advisers, our bankers and service providers — and have always regarded our journey as a team

The winning photo ‘Farming family’ by Timboon's Paul Thompson.

effort. We appreciate the guidance received and the principles instilled in ‘the know how’ of what it means to do a good job.”

Mr Harris from Larpent and Mr O’Keefe from Warrnambool were inducted to The Western Victorian Dairy Industry Honour Board following their outstanding contribution to the dairy industry over many years.

Mr Harris has had a huge impact on the Colac district dairy industry and more broadly across the south-west.

Along with building a successful dairy farm business at Winslow, Mr O’Keefe has also served the dairy community through a 40-year involvement with United Dairyfarmers of Victoria.

“I feel it a great honour and privilege to be inducted onto the Honour Board, beside the great legends that have preceded me,” said Mr O’Keefe.

WestVic Dairy’s regional manager Lindsay Ferguson said he was happy with how the digital format was received.

“Congratulations to all the winners and

Sam and Peter Doolan recently won the Natural Resource and Sustainability Award at the Great South West Dairy Awards.

runners-up, it has been enjoyable to see the calibre of those involved in our industry over the past few weeks, and to acknowledge and celebrate those that are excelling in our region.” said Mr Ferguson.

Dairy expo goes online THIS YEAR’S South Gippsland Dairy Expo is

heading online, with more than 100 exhibitors presenting their products and services.

Hosted by the Strzelecki Lions Club, this year will celebrate 21 years of providing the local dairying community with an event that showcases the latest in innovation, products and services available to the dairy industry.

More than $590,000 has been raised through the event, distributed back into the community by the Lions club.

Back by popular demand, Matt Harms, from OnFarm Consulting is hosting an event from the cloud titled ‘Dairy Snakes and Ladders — It’s a gamble’.

Featuring panel members Evan Campbell from Yannathan and Phillip Ould and Paul and Louise Sherar from Loch, the event will explore real life instances of farmers who have taken the plunge by investing in dairying.

Sponsored by South Gipplsand Shire Council,

Mr Harms will explore the gains to be made, what the losses can look like and what are the pitfalls for people to be aware of before they embark on an expansion in a challenging industry.

Each panellist will also share their experience and journey of making the leap and how they got there, whether it be with outside equity or surplus stock accumulated from their farm.

Secondary students will get a glimpse into the careers available in dairy through Virtual Ag Careers, an initiative of GippsDairy, Murray Dairy and WestVic Dairy which will be a feature at this year’s expo.

Secondary school students will also go into the running for a $500 school and a $100 student individual/team prize by researching career information from online exhibitors.

Access to the South Gippsland Dairy Expo online event is free. No pre-registration necessary.

“Obviously 2020 has been a challenging time

The South Gippsland Dairy Expo will be held online from September 7 to 21

for many, and it is never more important than it is now for our community groups to be able to raise money to help those that may be in need,” event organisers said.

“The Strzelecki Lions Club are keen to make this event a huge success, so that they can still contribute in supporting their community through this challenging period. So please help

to pay it forward.”

Visit the South Gippsland Dairy Expo online at www.dairyexpo.org.au until Monday, September 21.

For more information, contact event secretary Deanne Kennedy by emailing dairyexpo@ jaydee.net.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

16 // NEWS

New project shines light on female dairy farmers JEANETTE SEVERS

DAIRY WOMEN from eastern Australia are

being sought for a unique project highlighting the visibility and responsibilities of Australia’s female farmers.

The Visible Farmer film project is travelling around Australia to record stories about the women behind food and fibre production, and the vital, innovative role they play.

“We’re hoping this unique documentary series will change perceptions and inspire new generations of women to help shape the future of Australia’s sustainable food production,” producer and director of the project Gisela Kaufmann said.

“The world’s future depends on food security and we hope, by giving women farmers a contemporary, authentic voice and showcasing their diversity across different backgrounds, ages and sectors in Australian agriculture, we will help inspire other women to feel part of the industry.

“Our aim is to show examples of what type of farmers women can be in Australia.”

So far, Ms Kaufmann’s film crew have gathered and produced stories from remote outback Dairy farmers Rodney and Nicole May, Brantina Farm, with Gisela Kaufmann, director and producer of the Visible Farmer series. Photos: Kaufmann stations to urban market gardens, including Productions.

Nicole May, a dairy farmer in the Margaret River region, Belinda Lay, an Esperance sheep and wheat farmer, Debbie Dowden, a sheep farmer in the southern rangelands of Western Australia, goat and lamb farmer Chris Higham of Gascoyne, Melissa Charlick, a market gardener at Gidgegannup, Xanadu wines grape grower, Suzie Muntz, Carnarvon fruit grower, Joanne Symonds, and Rhonda Westerberg, an Albany fish farmer.

Kath Cameron, flower farmer at Metricup, Kimberley pastoralist Darrylin Gordon, and insect farmer Paula Pownall of Coolup, added further diversity to the series of films that have been completed so far.

“Producing these films is a journey to change the broader community’s perception of who a farmer is,” Ms Kaufmann said.

“Many people don’t realise that 49 per cent of all food in Australia is produced by women.

“If we want to change the perception about who produces our food, we need to have the stories to do it.

“We started in Western Australia because the Nicole May, of Brantina Farm, WA, was keen to Rural Regional Remote Women’s Network of WA Cameraman Carsten Orlt filming dairy farmer Nicole May for the Visible Farmer series. show off the many roles of a dairy farmer for was the first women’s group that got back to us the documentary series. and told us to visit.

“Each episode is an inspiring story with pas“Gisela and her crew were really passionate as a career. sion and substance, as diverse as the industry about what they’re doing, but also really patient “I do love the farm and the work I do here, other family members.

“Farming is such a complicated job and filmthe women are working in and the challenges with me. It was fun. the variety in each day,” she said. ing this series I have found more women at the they face.”

“They followed me around for a week and I “A lot of dairy farmers prefer having women forefront of farming than I thought there was,” As with the other women’s stories, was just doing my normal work. milking in the shed. she said.

Ms Kaufmann’s film crew moved their caravan “They came with me to bring the cows in “Sometimes farm work might be a matter “It really is very inspiring, and I think people onto the dairy farm of Nicole and Ronald May; for morning milking and feeding calves and my of strength, but other than that women can do will connect to these stories because they are and spent a week documenting Mrs May’s life. usual day. the same work.” very personal stories.”

“They were very determined to see a cow “I saw a (social media) post about Visible Ms Kaufmann said the project highlighted Each woman approves the film before it is Farmer from another woman farmer, in north- calve down naturally and they waited quietly issues, such as skilled labour shortages in agrireleased for public viewing. ern WA, and I thought, ‘I’m looking forward to so they had the footage for the documentary.” culture, poor internet connectivity, mentoring For more information about the project, or to Mrs May said the project was a good way to and skills development, the data-driven business seeing this project and the women they internominate yourself or another woman, go online showcase the work of a farmer and the jobs avail- of farming, new technologies, the challenge of view’,” Mrs May said. to visiblefarmer.com.au or to the Facebook page “Then my neighbour nominated me to be able in agriculture. combining parenting and farming, community of Visible Farmer.

She encourages women to consider farming responsibilities and working in partnership with involved.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

NEWS // 17

Consistency and care key to delivering results JEANETTE SEVERS

BRANTINA FARM, in Western Australia’s

Margaret River region, is the home of Rodney and Nicole May, who farm alongside their son, Justin.

The 233 ha dairy farm is supplemented by a 200 ha leased property, milking up to 240 Holstein-Friesian cows in a self-replacing herd.

The dryland farm is a combination of hill paddocks, where the cows graze in winter, and summer graze on lowland flat paddocks with a creek undulating through them.

Mr May is the pasture specialist, spraying and fertilising pastures, oversowing and making all the farm’s silage and hay.

Justin works alongside him, and shares the milking roster with Mrs May. They also have a relief milker for two days each week.

“We start feeding out silage from the end of November to May/June,” Mrs May said.

With a reliable pattern and average rainfall of 1000 mm, pasture is oversown with rye-grass and clover in April.

At the changeover of August to September, Mr May closes the paddocks to be cut for silage and hay, with harvest season beginning late Spring.

“We’ll normally get a cut of silage, then we’ll follow with hay,” Mrs May said.

“Most years, we make all the silage and hay we’ll need.

“We make round bales — in 2019, we made 1600 silage rounds (700–750 kg) and 330 hay rounds (450–500 kg).

“We mostly get rain until October, which keeps our grass growing later into the season.

“The creek flats provide good summer grass in those paddocks, for the milking herd.”

Most of the young cattle go to the lease farm.

The family keeps all its young cattle to grow out.

Between 50 and 60 replacements heifers are retained as replacements into the herd and the remainder are selected for the export market, for the 200 kg-plus grid at 200–300 kg.

Steers are sold between eight and 12 months old.

The herd calves for nine months of the year, from September, with peak calving time between February and May. “We used to calve down nearly 12 months of the year, but we’ve slowly changed to reduce the period of calving, to suit us and how we farm,” Mrs May said.

The change began transitioning about a decade ago, coinciding when Mrs May wanted to take on the full responsibility for AI. “I did an AI course, so I could take over from

The May family has changed its AI system to use more sexed semen, with a focus on raising dairy heifers for the export market. Picture: Kaufmann Productions

Nicole May is responsible for calf raising, in a system where cows calve from September to May. Picture: Kaufmann Productions

Rodney,” she said.

“A couple of years after Justin finished school, he did the AI course and we shared the job.

“Now I’m totally responsible for it.”

It coincides with their plans to use more sexed semen from next year.

Cows and heifers will receive two rounds of AI with sexed Friesian semen, followed by mop up bulls — the heifers will run with an Angus bull and the cows with a Friesian bull.

“We want more dairy heifers to sell,” Mrs May said.

Milk quality awarded The farm was recently awarded a silver milk quality award, which joins a series of gold and silver awards received during the past decade.

Mrs May said it was a recognition of their animal welfare and health standards in the dairy, which showed in the vat.

The herd usually produces 2.3 million litres during the year, but this year that target is already being exceeded.

“This year, we’re up 20,000 litres each month because we’re having a really good season,” Mrs May said.

As well as pasture year-round, and silage and hay throughout winter, the cows each receive 4–5 kg of a grain mix in the dairy during milking every day.

The mix includes wheat, triticale, barley, canola meal, lupen, lime, mineral premix including trace elements, salt, canola oil and a concentrate supplement.

The cows are milked in a 16-a-side doubleup, with 90-degree rapid exit and automatic

drafting gates, linked to the Alpro dairy management software.

Using automatic cup removers is augmented by manually applying teat spray.

“I think because we are mostly two people milking in the dairy and we’re the owners and familiar with the cows, we keep an eye on our cows and we know who’s healthy and we can see if a cow has mastitis, and we can do something about it straight away,” Mrs May said.

“We also work clean.

“We all wear gloves, we spray our cows with iodine preparations, and we spray the equipment at every milking with iodine-based solutions.

“So we keep the equipment and the environment very clean, and that shows in the low cell count.”

Nicole May in the dairy. Picture: Nicole May

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

18 // NEWS

Dairy Australia announces board nominees THREE DAIRY Australia board nominees are

standing for election at the 2020 annual general meeting, to be held in November.

There are three vacancies for director positions as serving terms come to an end.

Two of the vacant positions must be filled by milk producers, with the other vacancy requiring a director with skills in agribusiness, innovation and adoption.

Current board member Tania Luckin has been nominated to fill a milk producer director vacancy and is standing for election for a second term, after her appointment to the board in 2017.

She has operated dairy enterprises for the past 23 years and runs a family dairy farm in Heywood, south-west Victoria.

Her contribution to supporting dairy farming also includes serving as a Bonlac Supply Company director, WestVic Dairy Regional Development Program board member and as a member of the Dairy Industry Advocacy Review Team.

Current board member Roseanne Healy has been nominated to fill the agribusiness, innovation and change management director vacancy and is standing for election for a second term, after her appointment as a director in 2018.

She is currently the Grains Research and Development Corporation deputy chair, a director of Airborne Research Australia Ltd and Food Manufacturing and Services and a former director of AgriFutures Australia.

Queensland’s Paul Roderick is standing for election for the first time and has been nominated for one of the milk producer director vacancies.

Mr Roderick has operated his family dairy farm at Harrisville, south-east Queensland, for the past 27 years.

He was a Premium Milk director for 11 years and is a member of the Australian Dairy Conference Board.

Graeme Nicoll will not stand for election and

Three nominees for the Dairy Australia board have been announced ahead of the November election.

will retire from the board.

Dairy Australia’s Board Selection Committee chair Paul Wood welcomed the strong interest from candidates, with 88 applications.

“The selected nominees are talented leaders with an impressive set of skills and experience,” Mr Wood said.

“We are confident they would do a fantastic job representing the interests of dairy farmers and strengthening the dairy industry overall.”

He said farmers needed to register as members of Dairy Australia in order to participate in the director elections.

“We encourage all levy payers to register as members of Dairy Australia in order to vote.”

To be elected into the director roles, each nominee will require more than 50 per cent of the votes cast at the annual general meeting.

For more information, phone 1800 004 377 or visit: dairyaustralia.com.au/members

YOUNG FARMER WINS SCHOLARSHIP Leitchville’s Mitchell Lumsden is the latest Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Australian Fodder Industry Association GenAg scholarship winner.

“We are not dairy farmers anymore; we are crop growers who milk cows,” he said.

The 22-year-old will use the $3000 scholarship to investigate transitioning his family’s pasture-based, grazing dairy operation in northern Victoria to a housedcow total mixed ration system.

His research will focus on the viability of total mixed ration (TMR) farming, especially in low farm gate milk price seasons.

Mr Lumsden said water availability and cost determined dairy profitability in recent years.

“The irrigation water reliability isn’t here anymore, it has changed with environmental flows and foreign buyers,” he said.

“Water is hard to come by, this means to run a successful business we are going to have to think differently and farm differently.”

Mr Lumsden is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and his parents milk up to 800 cows.

Running the family farm is his dream, but since finishing school he has worked at other dairy farms, for a forage contracting business in Canada, and is currently employed by Eade Forages in northern Victoria.

In Canada, Mr Lumsden learned how to manage seasonal and price risk through forage conservation.

He wants to use the GenAg scholarship to further explore this in an Australian context, where farm gate milk prices fluctuate.

“In NSW, they have almost already gone through this transition period — between

grazing and total mixed ration— where we are at,” he said.

“They are more of a dryland operation which can get water sometimes.

“Last year they got zero per cent allocation and we, in Victoria, got 80 per cent.

“We are only 100 metres away from NSW, there’s every possibility that could happen in Victoria.”

Mr Lumsden said he wanted to meet people who have adopted total mixed ration farming and see what changes they have made to their businesses.

“We all know grazing is the cheapest form of feed, but if water is over $250 to $300 a megalitre it is not viable, and you can’t get the quantity of milk out of the cows.”

Leitchville’s Mitchell Lumsden will use a $3000 scholarship to investigate a total mixed ration feeding system.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS // 19

Fatty acids yield benefits NEW RESEARCH from Michigan State

Importance of the C16:0 to C18:1 ratio

University has demonstrated significant improvements in cow productivity with specific fatty acid supplementation through early lactation.

The concept of feeding fat in dairy rations is nothing new — the energy-dense nutrient is hugely beneficial to meeting increased nutritional requirements as cows simultaneously produce milk while maintaining body condition ahead of breeding.

However, developing science continues to improve knowledge on the roles of different fatty acids, the building blocks of fat, on animal performance.

Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients global technical manager Richard Kirkland said research findings presented dairy producers with opportunities to target specific fatty acid blends according to requirements on individual farms.

“Data indicate key roles for palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (C18:1) fatty acids at different stages of lactation and depending on requirements at farm level,” Dr Kirkland said.

“C16:0 is very beneficial in improving milk fat production and yield, but it is now clear that this may be at the expense of body condition and weight loss in early lactation, the knock-on effects of which may include poor fertility.

“In contrast, delivering C18:1 to the small intestine, achieved by supplementing with rumen-protected calcium salts, improves total fat digestibility and can enhance fertility through improved egg and embryo development.

“Unlike C16:0, C18:1 helps partition nutrients toward body fat stores, reducing body condition loss in the critical early lactation period.”

In a study presented at the American Dairy Science Conference in June, Professor Adam Lock’s group from the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University evaluated the response to Mega-Max — a rumen-protected fat supplement containing a 60:30 ratio of C16:0 to C18:1 on cow performance from calving through early lactation.

“There’s a long-standing industry dogma that fat shouldn’t be fed to fresh cows as body fat is also being mobilised to provide energy,” Prof Lock said.

“However, findings from our previous research indicated this needs to be challenged and something that needed to be analysed further.”

During the study, dairy cows were offered a control ration with or without supplementation with the Mega-Max calcium salt formulation from calving until 24 days in-milk.

From days 25 to 67 in-milk each group was further subdivided into control or Mega-Maxsupplemented rations.

“Throughout the fresh period (days one to 24 in-milk), control and fat supplemented cows maintained similar body condition,” Prof Lock said.

“However, the fat-supplemented group saw notable increases in milk fat percentage and yield, resulting in 3.1 kg more energy-corrected milk than the control group.

“Supplementing cows in the fresh period and then throughout the peak period (days 25 to 67 in-milk), had no effect on dry matter intake but increased milk yield by 5.1 kg per day and milk fat content by 0.2 per cent.

“This led to a significant increase in milk fat yield from 1.76 kg to 2.07 kg per day in control and fat-supplemented treatments, respectively.

“Crucially, this was achieved without increased loss of body weight or condition score.”

Managing the C16:0 to C18:1 ratio through lactation Data from this new study support the concept that fatty acid profile through early lactation is crucial to ensuring production responses resulting from supplementation with fat do not push the cow into further negative energy balance.

These findings highlight the opportunity to manage the C16:0 to C18:1 ratio through lactation, said John Newbold, Professor of Dairy Nutrition at Scotland’s Rural College.

“It is clear that when considering fat supplements for dairy cows, lower C16:0, with higher C18:1, supplements are most appropriate through early lactation to help partition nutrients toward body reserves and prevent excessive body condition loss,” Prof Newbold said.

“Furthermore, providing more C18:1 to the ovary is beneficial for development of embryos and the improved digestibility provides an additional boost in megajoules.”

Calcium salts remain the only effective method of supplying C18:1 to the small intestine without disrupting rumen fibre digestion and reducing milk fat production, with the data from Michigan State indicating that a 60:30 ratio of C16:0 to C18:1 in calcium salt form is especially beneficial.

Prof Newbold said moving into mid-lactation, target body condition score should be met so a higher C16:0 supplement can be considered to fuel milk and milk fat production.

For some farms, the supplementation of a high-C16:0 supplement at 80 to 90 per cent C16:0, may be beneficial in late lactation to prevent cows from gaining excess body condition ahead of calving.

Sourcing the right fat supplement

New research from Michigan State University found that feeding calcium salt supplements at a ratio of 60:30 of C16:0 to C18:1 fatty acids significantly benefited milk production in the fresh and peak periods of early lactation without having any negative impact on body condition.

When it comes to fat supplements, Dr Kirkland stressed the importance of rumen-protection.

Rumen-protected fatty acids, such as calcium salt supplements, allow fat to be increased in the diet without negative effects on fibre digestion as is the case with liquid oils or high-fat ingredients such as brewer’s grains.

“Rumen-protection is also essential to deliver

John Newbold, Professor of Dairy Nutrition at Scotland’s Rural College.

Dr Richard Kirkland, global technical manager for Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients.

Professor Adam Lock from the Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University

the unsaturated fatty acids, such as C18:1, to the small intestine for digestion and utilisation by the cow,” Dr Kirkland said.

“Working in tandem with sufficient dietary fat supply and most-appropriate fatty acid profiles, rumen-protected fat supplements offer producers the ability to meet specific nutritional requirements at varying stages of lactation to optimise herd performance.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

20 // NEWS

Campbell appointed Australian Organic director ORGANIC DAIRY farmer Jane Campbell has

been appointed to the Australian Organic board as its new director.

Ms Campbell will assume the position in an interim capacity from previous board director Leo Watling.

Ms Campbell has more than 20 years’ organic dairy farming experience and divides her time between the two operations she runs with her husband Ian — Barambah Organics, in Goondiwindi, Queensland, and East Coast Sustainable Dairy in Raleigh on the mid-north coast of NSW. She also oversees the production facilities in Darra, Brisbane.

The Campbells have been successfully exporting their organic products including milk, cheese, cream and yoghurt to numerous countries since 2012 and have won many national and international awards for their produce.

Ms Campbell, who recently completed a law degree through the University of New England, specialising in Australian consumer

law, environmental law and animal law, said she was looking forward to taking on the role of board director.

“I’ve always been a passionate advocate for farmers rights given how familiar I am with the numerous challenges of organic farming,” she said.

“I also believe in upholding the integrity of the organic industry.

“Ensuring that consumers recognise the certified organic Bud logo and only look for certified organic products is a vital part of that.”

Last August the Campbells expanded into NSW with new venture, East Coast Sustainable Dairy, which like Barambah, produces a full range of dairy products.

“We have 1060 acres in Raleigh, 15 km south of Coffs Harbour, and have really been embraced by the Bellingen community, who are very environmentally conscious,” Ms Campbell said.

“We’re really excited to be farming in the area.

“Ian, who is a qualified rural scientist, has

been doing a lot of soil tests in the paddocks, which have revealed that the soils have a high storage of carbon at 6.5 per cent, which is due to zero till and treading gently on the land.

“Ian is also focused on adding nutrients back into the soil and allowing the soils to regenerate.

“We have also been very careful to not overstock the farm as we are very mindful of animal welfare and are co-existing very well with an oyster farm right on our doorstep.

“The area is ideal for organic farming and we hope to expand the business over time and employ more locals.”

Committed to sustainability, the business does “green packaging” with its bladder boxes made of cardboard, which has a thin plastic liner, as opposed to using 210 g of plastic, across twolitre plastic bottles.

This is a work in progress, with Barambah looking at other liner bags.

Barambah also encourages people to bring their own glass bottles to stores for milk refills.

“We have also bought 250,000 one-litre

refillable glass bottles, since we started their Goodwill Glass Return Project in October 2018,” Ms Campbell said.

“COVID-19 has caused a disruption to the bottles being returned, but we are hoping these beauties will make their way back sometime soon.”

Australian Organic chief executive officer Niki Ford said she was looking forward to the dairy industry experience that Ms Campbell would bring to the board.

“The Australian organic dairy sector is a significant part of the industry, so Jane’s expertise will be invaluable,” Ms Ford said.

“Leo has been a fantastic board director over the past year, however, as the founder of retailer Apples and Sage, he has had to temporarily step back from the position due to the extra business demands COVID-19 has brought about.

“He intends to return to the board as soon as he is able to.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

22 // NEWS

Blockchain technology to give Aussie dairy competitive edge A REAL-TIME dairy payment system using

blockchain technology is being developed for farmers.

As part of the Federal Government’s traceability framework, the blockchain technology — a data structure that holds transactional records while ensuring security, transparency and decentralisation — aims to improve data accuracy and build trust in the supply chain.

The initial phase of the project involves raising awareness of blockchain technology through the delivery of a short video and information paper.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the blockchain technology

would assist in providing transparency for business transactions.

“All sides know they are all looking at the same records and the history of their business relationship,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Open, transparent and trustworthy systems are important for long-term sustainability and global competitiveness.

“Building on standards already used in transport and logistics, warehousing, distribution, retailing and eCommerce ensures Australian producers and processors can participate efficiently and effectively in global markets.”

Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson said blockchain technology was

integral to improving the profitability and efficiency of the Australian dairy industry.

“The transparency and security of shared information using blockchain technology will demonstrate provenance and reduce costs to compete more aggressively in local and global markets,” Mr Richardson said.

“This first phase is all about education.

“It is a precursor to a field trial that will quantify benefits and set us up for a more digitalised future.”

To view the video and information paper, visit: australiandairyfarmers.com.au/ blockchain-and-real-time-payment-system/

Dairy farmers can now access information on how blockchain technology is being used to develop a real-time dairy payment system.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

ANIMAL HEALTH // 23

BVDV: A pest of a virus A COMPLEX and challenging disease, bovine

viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) or pestivirus is widespread across Australia and known to cause significant reproductive and economic losses.

Up to 90 per cent of Australian herds have evidence of exposure to the virus The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview and a reminder of the widespread and potentially catastrophic nature of BVDV. BVDV replicates in a variety of bovine body tissues and is transmitted via a wide range of bodily fluids.

Transmission may be either horizontal (via close contact with infected animals and subsequent inhalation or ingestion of infected fluids) or vertical (passed from infected cow to calf in-utero).

Horizontal infection usually causes diarrhoea and transient immuno-suppression (leaving defences down for other diseases to wreak havoc).

Otherwise healthy cattle with good functioning immune systems will quickly develop immunity and eliminate the virus.

The trouble arises when we start talking about animals that are persistently infected (commonly referred to as PI) or when cattle are exposed to the virus for the first time during pregnancy.

PI animals excrete the virus at much higher levels and for longer periods (often for their entire lifetimes) than animals that are transiently infected.

Transiently infected animals usually only shed the virus for four to 15 days after infection.

Most PI animals do not survive to adulthood, however if a PI heifer makes it to breeding she will produce PI offspring.

This is a less common route of transmission.

Usually, PI calves are born within a herd after previously unexposed cows or heifers come into contact with the virus during gestation.

Infection prior to day 120 of gestation (before the calf’s immune system is properly developed) has a high chance of causing the calf to be born a PI (if it survives to full term).

If exposed early in gestation (before day 40), the embryo may simply die.

Later in gestation (days 100 to 140) calves can develop severe malformations or deformities.

After about day 120 of gestation, calves have enough of an immune system to be able to mount a response to the virus and can be normal (nonPI), however abortion, stillbirth, abnormalities or small weak calves can still result.

Once born, PI calves can sometimes look illthrifty, stunted or scruffy as they grow but can also be visually indistinguishable from other non-PI animals.

Occasionally, PI animals will develop a superinfection and severe mucosal disease will result.

Mucosal disease usually affects PI animals between six and 21 months old and can be either acute or chronic.

Depression, fever, profuse watery diarrhoea are all signs, as are ulcerative lesions in the mouth, feet and vulva causing lameness, drooling and anorexia.

In the severe form, death usually results within a week.

If this isn’t ringing any alarm bells, I’ll point out now that some of these signs may resemble emergency or exotic diseases (such as foot and mouth disease) and if you ever notice an animal on your farm with these lesions, you have a community responsibility to make contact with your local veterinarian at once, or phone the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Testing for BVDV can be done individually by either ear notching or blood testing, or at a herd level by bulk tank milk testing.

Testing for antibodies will give you an indication of the level of exposure and immunity currently in your herd, while testing for antigens is used to identify the presence of the virus itself (usually in persistently infected animals).

Complete eradication of the virus from your herd is possible but should only be attempted in consultation with an animal health professional.

A vaccine (Pestigard) exists and can be used to protect animals that have never been exposed.

Booster doses are required. Once the virus is eradicated from your herd, without vaccination your animals remain susceptible to re-infection.

Strict biosecurity is essential to prevent BVDV infected animals entering your farm.

Ear notching bulls, blood or milk tests from cows and heifers should all form part of your screening process before welcoming any

Dairy News Australia columnist and Kyabram vet Lucy Collins.

new arrivals or animals returning from other locations.

BVDV is a very complicated disease.

The Department of Agriculture and Australian Cattle Veterinarians have extensive resources available with more information.

Management of BVDV will vary from farm to farm.

Your regular veterinarian will be able to help you determine your herd’s current level of exposure and risk, and together you can create a management plan unique to your operation.

Lucy Collins is completing her dairy residency with the University of Melbourne. She works as an on-farm veterinarian in Kyabram with Apiam Animal Health, and alongside her partner on his 600-cow dairy farm in Dixie.

The author has no affiliations (financial or otherwise) with Zoetis.

Source: BVDV Management Guide (Australian Cattle Vets, 2015).

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

24 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Good nutrition can lift fertility A DEMONSTRATION study conducted by

leading livestock nutrition company CopRice has shown a holistic approach to nutrition can significantly increase reproductive efficiency.

CopRice operates a ‘model farm’ in northern Victoria to examine the effectiveness of integrated nutritional strategies and new formulations under ‘real world’ conditions.

“Firstly, we wanted to ensure all heifers achieved their target mating weight by 15 months of age and their target calving weight by 24 months and with a body condition score of 5.5 to set them up for maximum lifetime production.”

Each year, the company implements dozens of projects that aim to optimise animal health, fertility, productivity, environmental sustainability and profitability.

Model farm partners — Fred, Sonyia, Daniel and Ben DeCicco — milk a herd of high production registered Holstein cows at Undera.

Fertility has long posed a challenge to the profitability of the herd.

CopRice model farm manager Ellen Fitzgibbon said the CopRice nutrition team focused on five key areas for improvement.

“Firstly, we wanted to ensure all heifers achieved their target mating weight by 15 months of age and their target calving weight by 24 months and with a body condition score of 5.5 to set them up for maximum lifetime production,” she said.

“Our second priority was to maximise dry matter intake during transition and early lactation, with particular attention on delivering adequate dietary protein to the autumn-calving portion of the herd.

“After that, we focused on managing the body

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condition of dry cows through to peak milk production to limit the amount of time spent in negative energy balance to minimise body condition loss and the incidence of metabolic challenges, and to maximise peak milk production.

“The fourth area of attention was supporting the metabolic and endocrine functions to allow the cows to turn to oestrus and conceive earlier.

“Finally, we wanted to optimise body condition, health and immune function during late gestation.”

The resultant nutrition program utilised the CopRice’s new ‘Lac Cycle’ range of dairy pellets, which are scientifically formulated to meet the unique nutritional needs of dairy cows at different stages of the lactation cycle.

Separate formulations are available for precalving, fresh cow, peak milk, mating, mid-lactation, late lactation and dry cow.

These complete dairy pellets and mineral licks deliver a rich source of metabolisable protein, energy and other nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, a rumen buffer and yeast.

Based on the findings of the latest international research, they promote more efficient rumen fermentation, digestibility and feed conversion efficiency to support optimum health, production, fertility and profitability.

Heifers were fed CopRice calf starter, calf grower and heifer pellets, together with homegrown hay, to deliver an adequate intake of metabolisable protein to support bone and muscle development and allow puberty to be reached as early as possible.

CopRice model farm manager Ellen Fitzgibbon on the Undera property.

After mating, heifers were maintained on a growth rate of 900 g/day.

The results are impressive by any standard.

The heifer program has achieved a 100 per cent success rate, with all heifers calving by 24 months of age at the desired calving weight and body condition score.

Heifer milk production has increased from 77 per cent of mature cow production to 87 per cent.

Body condition loss between calving and peak production has dropped from 1.3 to 0.7 BCS units.

The three-week submission rate has increased from 75 per cent in 2018 to 89 per cent in 2019, while the six-week in-calf rate has increased from 50 per cent to 73 per cent.

“Fertility is a multi-factorial challenge but the success of this program shows that fine-tuning existing management practices and the adoption of cutting-edge nutrition technologies can have a significant impact on farm profitability,” Ms Fitzgibbon said.

The reproductive performance of your herd is influenced by the decisions you make at mating time.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES // 25

AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES

2020’s top herds and best genetics released by DataGene DANEKA HILL

THE PRODUCTIVITY of dairy herds across

the nation has once again been measured in the Australian Breeding Values (ABVs), released this month.

First place among Holstein herds went to Illawambra Holsteins in Kangaroo Valley, NSW, which had an average herd balance performance index (BPI) of 196.

BPI is the measure of an animal’s profitable characteristics, including: survival rate, type, milking speed, temperament, fertility, and feed efficiency.

Illawambra Holsteins is run by fourth-generation farmer Trevor Parrish.

“We’ve been in the top five (of the ABV lists) before and we’ve been first place before,” Mr Parrish said.

He attributed the herd’s long-standing success to the constant weeding out of low-BPI cows.

Mr Parrish manages a milking herd of 260 and will sell up to 100 heifers and milkers a year.

“We genomically test everything and sell off the low ones,” he said.

“If a cow gets mastitis she’ll go straight on the truck.”

Mr Parrish said the ABV data and its compiler — herd improvement body DataGene — were most useful when it came to bulls.

“We aim to sell 30 to 40 bulls a year, so that is where the genetic data works well,” he said.

“We’ll have farmers specifically looking for high scoring polled or A2 bulls.”

Second place in the Holstein breed went to Western Australia’s Carenda Holsteins (BPI 167).

Multi-breed standout, Beulah Farms, completed the podium in third (BPI 161).

Beulah Farms also scored third in the Jersey list and fourth in the Australian Red Dairy Breed.

Beaulands Aussie Reds in Numbaa, NSW, had the highest scoring Australian Red Dairy Breed (BPI 108) herd.

Sam Graham runs Beaulands’ 460 milking

herd alongside his father, Ron Graham, who was involved in founding the dairy breed in the 1980s.

“Getting to the top is a result of years of collecting the best genetic from around the world,” Mr Graham said.

“We are 100 per cent AI and use genetics from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Norway.”

The Beaulands herd’s average BPI was equal to the top Jersey herd, but Mr Graham dismissed the idea of pitting breeds against each other.

“You can’t compare them, 108 for the Jersey is a totally different thing from 108 in a red breed,” he said.

“Our cows are great at converting pasture to milk solids … They’ve been very good in the drought, holding their body condition and calving really well.”

Mr Graham said his top BPI cows were producing 500 litres of milk solids a year from half a tonne of grain.

The Jersey breed’s top score of BPI 108 was achieved by regular list-topper White Star.

The White Star herd has been grazing in Noorat, Victoria, since 1923 under the watchful eyes of a single family.

Con Glennen attributed his family’s success to the decades of attention he and his uncles had paid to genetics.

“We’ve been genomically testing our cows since the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Mr Glennen said.

“We are a commercial farm, we breed for milk.

We sell maybe a handful of bulls.”

Chelmonte Farming outside Toowoomba, Queensland, blew all competition from the water in the Illawarra breed, scoring an average herd BPI of -5.

The second-placed Illawarra herd, owned by B & J Wieck, had a BPI of -41.

The best Brown Swiss herd topped out with a BPI of 41 (Andrew Burgoine, Victoria), the best Guernsey herd achieved BPI 37 (Ian Gallus, Victoria), and best Ayrshire came in at -92 BPI (RM & SJ Livingstone).

The ABVs have been charting the progress of the Australian dairy industry since 1983.

Ben Govett's Tandara Brown Swiss herd in Dingee was judged the second best for its breed in Australia.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

26 // AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES

Top genotyped Holstein females Indices National ID

Long Name

H02110430

ILLAWAMBRA RIVER SLEEPY 3950-CNF-DPFBLF

417033469

IVYHURST MYSTERY3

417062203

ET SHASNAH CS4524

X19AQ0123

LOLLIE

Z179W0174

1051 FLAMER LOLA 1474

H02105669

ILLAWAMBRA LAWSON DALLAS 3914-CNFDPF-BL

417088818

IVYHURST WRANGLER SICILY

H02051960

VALA BANDARES BOLIANA-ET

417115116

1902

417025660

GUNDOWRING 7202

Date of Birth

Owner

07-04-

PARRISH, TJ

2020

& LR

0803-

SEBIRE AP & CM

2017 12-03-

ECCLES AT

2017

& WJ

23-08-

HENRY TW

2019

& TC

10-08-

HENRY TW

2017

& TC

06-01-

PARRISH, TJ

2020

& LR

29-07-

SEBIRE AP &

2017

CM

20-07-

VALA HOL-

2018

STEINS

10-08-

CRAWFORD

2017

R&Y

10-03- HOLLOWAY ID 2017

& AM

Production Conformation

BPI BPI HWI TWI ASI $ Rel

368

ASI Rel

Survival

Overall Mam Type SurRel Type Syst Rel vival

Resistance

Dtr Fert

Fert Rel

SCC

SCC Rel

Workability

Feed Saved Heat

Milk Like Temp Spd

Work Rel

Feed FS Heat HT Saved Rel Tol Rel

431

62

357

222

73

98

98

52

110

44

116

41

172

63

103

103

101

55

51

29

97

38

421

68

309 349 294

77

99

95

68

104

58

112

59

158

66

97

101

102

68

0

35

97

38

414

71

267

340

375

81

96

98

69

103

58

105

55

126

71

102

104

103

70

-110

37

91

38

412

63

320

387

246

74

104

105

55

109

47

112

44

154

65

102

104

100

58

-50

31

91

38

412

70

303

392 289

80

105

107

68

108

57

107

55

143

69

101

105

102

64

-67

36

92

38

405

63

321

397

74

106

102

53

111

45

113

42

161

64

103

105

103

57

-65

30

97

38

402

67

297

355 300

75

101

101

68

105

59

107

60

149

65

98

101

102

70

19

35

93

38

398

66

344

387

190

76

102

108

58

110

50

111

51

162

68

104

105

103

62

42

32

92

38

394

69

324

355

225

77

103

102

68

104

64

111

64

158

70

100

103

102

71

54

35

101

38

394

68

300

351

265

77

100

100

67

106

59

109

58

138

65

103

103

103

71

22

35

89

38

211

Mr Super

CONTENDER Supershot / Numero Uno / Observer 

Mastitis

Fertility

1

#

Australia’s PROVEN BPI SIRE

BPI 354 HWI 281 TWI 358

 Overall Type 106

 Likeability 107

 Milking Speed 101

 Daughter Fertility 108

 Calving Ease 103

 Milk 513ltrs

 A2/A2 Sire

240 Dtrs/45 Herds

For more details contact your STGenetics Area Sales Manager or phone the STgenetics Call Center on 1800 793 465

Pictured: Clydevale Contender Ishka & Clydevale Contender Prudent

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES // 27

Top genotyped Jersey females Indices National ID

Long Name

Date of Birth

Owner

08-09-

WALLACE L

2017

&M

18-08-

BACON RLG

2012

& SL

08-05-

GLENNEN C

2018

& CO

17-03-

GLENNEN C

2017

& CO

217038956

WALLACEDALE VARIE MADGE

C12018305

BROOKBORA LOVE LIES 655

418061634

6194

417029050

6011

Y14WG0046

VALENTINO DAISY 16

12-08-

CARSON AG

2014

& JA

215030385

KINGS VILLE BELLE 100

20-07-

ANDERSON

2015

RG & KL

417119401

BROOKBORA ALDRIN GRAND JENNY

26-09-

BACON RLG

2017

& SL .

415131553

CRAIGIELEA GAY 5588

01-09-

COCHRANE

2015

W&K

812044463

5556

21-08-

GLENNEN C

2012

& CO

417026812

BROOKBORA LOVE LIES 748

23-03-

BACON RLG

2017

& SL

Production Conformation

BPI BPI HWI TWI ASI $ Rel

ASI Rel

Survival

Mastitis

Fertility

Overall Mam Type SurRel Type Syst Rel vival

Resistance

Dtr Fert

Fert Rel

SCC

SCC Rel

Workability

Feed Saved Heat

Milk Like Temp Spd

Work Rel

Feed FS Heat HT Saved Rel Tol Rel

325

65

223

296

273

75

101

102

62

104

56

103

57

100

65

103

101

104

63

-24

29

92

38

315

69

220

325

277

77

106

105

68

108

65

97

65

107

65

103

107

105

72

11

31

91

38

304

66

213

289 236

75

102

104

65

108

58

104

58

106

68

103

105

103

65

-66

31

93

38

300

66

212

271

262

75

103

102

65

107

59

102

60

91

65

103

105

102

66

16

31

93

38

291

71

224

326

184

82

110

112

65

111

63

101

64

124

72

103

107

105

69

-82

30

91

38

290

67

201

297

256

79

104

108

59

107

51

98

50

97

68

106

104

99

62

-18

29

93

38

289

67

189

337

257

79

108

112

58

107

51

93

48

109

69

104

107

105

64

-108

29

98

38

288

68

200 309

213

77

106

106

64

112

62

99

62

132

65

103

106

103

71

-108

30

94

38

288

69

208

175

293

78

90

90

68

98

66

102

67

95

65

101

102

102

73

213

32

93

38

280

64

219

286

195

75

104

109

59

106

52

100

49

114

65

104

106

105

64

20

29

99

38

For more information, including full ABV rankings for cows, herds and bulls, visit: datagene.com.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

28 // AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES

Homegrown sires rate highly AUSTRALIAN-BRED SIRES are leading

is hard to match,” Mr Shelly said.

Proven favourites Maebull and Giles continue to lead the Holstein contingent.

Maebull now has more than 550 milking daughters and still maintains a 300+ BPI ranking, offering breed-leading mastitis resistance and cell count, superior daughter fertility and positive semen conception rate.

the way in the August ABV release, according to Genetics Australia chief executive officer Anthony Shelly.

“We are really pleased with the way our Australian-bred young sires and emerging proven sires are complementing our strong daughter proven sires, to give us a complete offering that

The 2020 addition, Giles, continues to perform strongly with 332 BPI, additional daughters and reliability, with the same breed-leading gestation length and calving ease.

This JoSuper son sires averaged-statured daughters that display excellent width and strength. He is the ideal bull for farmers who experienced success with the highly regarded

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sire Christmas.

Pilbara has emerged as the leading senior genomic sire.

This Perseus son now has a BPI of 394 with super ratings for protein and protein percentage.

This A22 calving ease sire has outstanding ratings for mastitis resistance, daughter fertility and mammary system.

Tirano and Sondalo are Jeronimo full brothers from a VG88 Main Event daughter.

Both ranking in the elite end of the BPI list, they offer excellent production ratings, strong fertility and short gestation length.

Both bulls transmit excellent udders with Tirano having the added bonus of being polled.

Lastin is a Fedora son and one of two young Australian sires over 400 BPI. Positive deviations, shorter gestation and excellent survival are features of this profitable sire.

“We are really pleased with the way our Australian-bred young sires and emerging proven sires are complementing our strong daughter proven sires, to give us a complete offering that is hard to match” He is joined in the 400-plus club by Karat, the leading Australian-bred young sire in the August ABV release.

At 414 BPI with balanced production, outstanding fertility and survival along with an exceptional rating of 110 for mammary system, Karat will be one of the most popular sires available this spring.

His A22 brother Kardew has similar ratings for survival and mammary system with the bonus of higher yields of fat and protein.

“The depth of our Holstein offering is as strong as ever,” Mr Shelly said.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES // 29

Data integral for Brookbora breeding INFORMATION UNDERPINS breeding

decisions at the Bacon family farm in northern Victoria.

The Jersey breeders have reams of data about their family’s Brookbora herd and that’s exactly the way they like it.

“We are overloaded on data,” Sandra Bacon said.

“We use it for breeding.

“We have production data — because we herd test every month — we record all our health records, including our treatments and we have activity collars recording the rumination and each cow’s activity that assists with the management of hot days, that sort of thing.

“We also have genomic information and all the animal’s histories.

“We record as much as we can regarding the herd.”

Now Sandra and her family, including husband Robert, son Daniel and his fiancée Stacey Leppert have started using an industry web portal to combine their information and generate reports about their herd.

DataVat was created by DataGene as a central data repository for the dairy industry and provides farmers with easy access to their own data and a way to research Australian Breeding Values (ABVs).

The Bacons milk 260 Jerseys at Tennyson, calving in autumn and spring.

Their herd is also part of dairy industry’s Ginfo Project.

This means their data contributes towards Australia’s national reference herd for genomic information.

Sandra said DataVat was one of many tools they used for breeding.

“We use the Good Bulls App to narrow down our bull selection and then look up DataVat for more detail on dam and sire ABVs,” she said.

“On the female side, we download their full data and we use it for breeding including their strengths and weaknesses. We use that together with what we know of the cow from day to day, for breeding. It is good to get all the information in one place.”

The Bacons select a team of bulls to use at joining, but individually mate cows to give each animal the best opportunity to improve.

They select sires that score highly for specific individual traits.

Classifications and pedigrees are also considered as part of the Bacon’s breeding strategy.

Milking registered Jerseys underpins the Bacon’s passion for dairy.

Their goal is to breed a healthy and profitable herd, while striving for continuous improvement.

“Breeding of the cows is ultra-important for us,” Sandra said.

“During the drought, we’d say ‘if we didn’t have the herd that we worked so long on, it would be easier to get out’.

“It was the cows that kept us going when things got tough.”

Last year the Brookbora herd produced slightly less than 1.5 kg of milk solids per kilogram of liveweight, averaging 7567 litres/cow/

Sandra Bacon uses DataVat to access information about cows in all the one place.

lactation and 286 kg/cow/lactation of protein 367 kg/cow/lactation of milkfat.

DataVat helps the Bacons combine various forms of herd information, including genomic data from several different sources, such as former industry programs and private companies.

“With DataVat we can access the information from all those animals in the one place,” Sandra said.

“That’s made it a lot easier, we are not trying to get some from here and some from there.

“DataVat also has all of our older animals, so we can go way back to day dot and look at it in one source.”

The Bacons have genomically tested their entire milking herd and all their young stock, excluding the fresh calves.

Increasing the proportion of genomically tested animals at Brookbora Jerseys has been a priority in recent years to build the herd’s dataset.

This data boost and DataVat has enabled them to quantify trends in cow families, which they had suspected, after more than 55 years of breeding registered Jerseys.

“It has shown lines that you just shouldn’t breed from,” Sandra said.

“It’s also shown lines that it wouldn’t matter what you breed to them, they will do well.

“Their maternal line is strong.”

The Bacons use data to improve on-farm decision making, but they also get satisfaction from contributing to the Jersey breed.

“If we can make (genomic data) more reliable then we also get back something,” Sandra said.

“Jerseys are also efficient cows and we need to continue to get that out there.”

For more information visit: www.datavat. com.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

30 // AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES

Top-ranking cows, bulls and heifers deliver AUSTRALIAN SALES of Sexcel sexed genetics

has doubled in the past five months as dairy farmers reduce bobby calves and breed replacements from their most profitable cows.

This comes as one of the country’s most popular Sexcel Holstein bulls, De-Su 12 128 Tailor, held firm in the recent Australian Breeding Values (ABV) release.

With one of the highest scores for udders, at 112, Tailor has been the biggest selling ABS Sexcel

and conventional sire in Australia during the past four months according to ABS’ Australian business operations manager Bruce Ronalds.

Tailor has added 74 milking daughters to his Australian proof and increased to 317 Balanced Performance Index (BPI).

“Tailor had a strong BPI and was identified as a top Australian sire back in April and now he’s improved again,” Mr Ronalds said.

De-Su 13 530 Seville, with a BPI$ of 391 ranked

number four on the Interbull list, he is yet to receive an Australian proof, as he only has 15 daughters milking in Australia.

“With a short gestation, 10 days less than the breed average, he stands out from the pack,” Mr Ronalds said.

“He’s perfect to tighten-up calving, to use over later calving cows.”

Another new standout proven sire is 29HO17334 Wilder Hamlet.

Australian BPI Leaders

With a BPI$ of 347, he’s one of the few black, A2 sires that also has exceptional functional type, Mr Ronalds said.

“There aren’t many that have a Dairy Strength of 103, Rump Composite at 101, Overall Type 109 and Mammary at 107,” he said.

New bull on the block Bred in NSW, Currajugle Snakeoil is the son of one of Australia’s most loved Holstein bulls — SeagullBay MVP and one of the best new Holstein sires on the market according to Mr Ronalds.

“It’s phenomenal, he’s 1.12 per cent of milk fat, I’ve never heard of a bull so high,” Mr Ronalds said.

“His protein is 0.64 per cent, that’s almost double other bulls.

“The cow family averages about nine per cent solids, it’s incredible and important for the bottom-line.”

With 25 milking daughters in Australia, the five-year-old will soon receive an Australian proof.

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• 390 BPI 372 TWI 290 HWI

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Kenobi Giannis is a Holstein sire that ticks all the boxes according to Mr Ronalds, scoring 105 for Calving Ease and 111 for Daughter Fertility.

Hot off the success of outcross Sexcel Jersey sire Forest Glen Craze TRIPP, ABS has introduced ABS Marine to the Australia market this year.

With a 166 BPI, positive daughter fertility and extreme teat length he was what Jersey breeders had been asking for, according to Mr Ronalds.

One of the few Jerseys with a positive score for milk components, new bull CSCMOTOWN (Murray Brook MOTOWN) has entered the genomic ABV rankings at number 16.

Western Victorian-bred, he is a half-brother to the popular CSCJAMIEO and is a standout for Type at 107. Known for his teat length, he is also 109 for udders.

Gippsland-bred CSCTOYOTA (Auburn Vale Toyota), 243 BPI$, boasts a 108 for Daughter Fertility — the highest in the top 11 genomic Jersey bulls.

Top-class reds ABS sales of Red-breed semen have doubled, with the first sexed Red bull 252NR11690 ROEN leading the charge.

Ranked at number one on the Health Weighted Index (HWI) and number two with a BPI of 275, ROEN also has breed-leading Daughter Fertility at 111.

252NR11819 ONSTAD P, sitting just one Australian Selection Index (ASI) point behind Australia’s top Red bull, is heterozygous polled, 106 for Type and 260 BPI$.

The introduction of BRUMUNDDAL PP follows the Australian success of fellow Norwegian high-ranked, heterozygous polled, A2 Red bull 252NR12009 MAURSTAD PP who is also now available in REDX.

• 245 BPI 234 TWI 167 HWI

• A2/A2 sire by the outcross sire VJQuintana • Backed by 3 generations of EX Dams • High components +0.50 Prot% +0.56 Fat% • Positive Daughter Fertility

4969 Hwy, Princes Camperdown Hwy, Camperdown VicVic 32603260 Phone: 03 55 932 016 tlg@tlg.com.au www.tlg.com.au 4969 Princes Phone: 03 55 932 016 tlg@tlg.com.au Sales Manager: Paul Douglas 0447 441www.tlg.com.au 422 sales@tlg.com.au Sales Manager: Paul Douglas 0447 441 422 sales@tlg.com.au

SNAKEOIL breeders: Neil & Simone Joliffe are the proud breeders of Currajugle SNAKEOIL, one of the most exciting sires to hit the market, and are pictured here with two SNAKEOIL milking daughters.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES // 31

Westcoast Perseus ranked number one BPI proven sire WESTCOAST PERSEUS has been named the

new number one BPI Proven sire in the latest Australian Breeding Value results.

Perseus August’s evaluation combines Interbull proof data from milking daughters in the United States, Italy, UK and Ireland as well as his first 29 daughters in five herds in Australia.

Semex Australia and New Zealand general manager David Mayo said it was an outstanding result.

“We have worked extremely hard to identify sires that meet the Australian BPI market,” Mr Mayo said.

“Westcoast Perseus has been a very popular sire since his release, consistently ranking at the top for BPIg, and for his first milking daughters to confirm this is an outstanding result.”

Dixie Park Dairying’s Matt Glennen is milking 22 first-lactation Perseus daughters and praises their consistent breeding pattern and trouble free-nature.

“They are extremely good commercial cows, all keen to milk and feed,” Mr Glennen said.

“They are a very consistent group, all having good udders and their production is towards the top of the herd.”

Holding the number one position at +451 BPI,

Perseus posted a 218 ASI, 308 L Milk, 29 kg of Protein at 0.39 per cent and 27 kg of fat at 0.20 per cent Fat. Trevor Parrish of Illawambra Holsteins who milks 11 Perseus daughters said he’s been pleased with their output.

“A pleasure to milk. They are moderate-sized heifers with great udders and nice teat length,” Mr Parrish said.

Perseus’ dam, View-Home Drman Wsconsin VG-88–3YR-CAN, was an exceptionally uddered young cow according to Semex Australia that moved easily on correct feet and legs, displaying great balance and the ideal amount of size and stature.

The next dam was a VG-87 Robust, then a VG-87 Zenith and then brood cow Pine-Tree Martha Sheen VG-86.

Perseus scored 108 Mammary System, 108 A Perseus daughter group.

Udder Depth, 109 Centre Ligament and 105 Rear Udder Height while also producing cows that especially components,” Mr Hurrell said. perform well on health and fertility traits as well.

“Their type is very good with udders that He ranked a 113 Daughter Fertility, his survival have the ideal teat length, a shallow and excelrating of 109 and low Somatic Cell Score of 190. lent ligament and rear udder height.

Wes Hurrell of Rockwella Farm Holsteins “All have good capacity and very good feet loves his five milking Perseus daughters. and legs.”

“We are very happy with their production,

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SAMITE

Monterey / Mogul / Man o Man 

King of Calving Ease, Prince of Udders

 1.1% Calving Ease

 +2.03 PTAT +2.04 UDDERS

 2492 GTPI

 +1.0 Daughter Pregnancy Rate

Perseus is one of the breed’s leaders for Calving Ease at 106 and a low Stature bull at 99, with the addition of being A2A2 and available sexed.

For more information on Perseus or any of Semex’s sires visit: www.semex.com.au

“We are milking over 50 Samite daughters now, they have ideal temperament as they are really quiet but they are also very aggressive to get milked. We have over 30 on the first round of the rotary each milking. They have outstanding udders and when accessing our heifers for our mating program we were advised that they are the best line of heifers we have scored at our property.

We still remember when the calves were born as a result of Sexed Semen that they were small calves ideal for heifers but the calves were some of Lisa’s favourite calves she has reared.”

Daniel and Lisa Parker, Shady Creek

For more details contact your STGenetics Area Sales Manager or phone the STgenetics Call Center on 1800 793 465

Pictured: Samite Daughters Membrey Family Naringal

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

TYPE & PRODUCTION SIRES DELTANIPPON P

A2A2

BPI 403

RRP $28

ASI 197

Type

Mamm

Dairy Strength

Rump Comp.

Feet & Legs

106

102

99

105

104

No 1 POLLED CRVMESQUITE (3)

A2A2

RRP $24

BPI 275 ASI 183 Type

102

102

105

VDGPRIMESTAD P

A2A2

Fertility

103

No 1 A2A2 with Fert. 103

GGDam Action Dean Smith Ex. 92

BPI 218

Viking achieves three of top five VIKING GENETICS Australia has achieved

three of the top five positions for daughter-proven sires on BPI for the August run.

Reds

Mamm Angularity Pin Set

103

32 // AUSTRALIAN BREEDING VALUES

RRP $14

ASI 167

Type

Mamm

Dairy Strength

Rump Comp.

F & L Ave

102

101

99

101

101

Sire: Onstad P No 3 Red Sire Order through your local provider or call us for a special price on 50 plus straws.

To receive a catalogue—contact us

Mark Handley 0448 487 264

mark@vandiemengenetics.com.au

Jake Handley

0477 137 778

jake@vandiemengenetics.com.au

Jan Simpson

0427 741 199

jan@vandiemengenetics.com.au

Mike Green

0400 385 514

mike@vandiemengenetics.com.au

VIKRTOKYO cemented his number one position with a strong BPI of 291 with 75 Australian daughters on top of his 2656 international daughters.

Tokyo has exceptional production, positive fertility and a conformation ABV that any breed would be proud to own according to Viking Genetics.

VikRFaabeli and VikRFroerup are the other two shining stars in the top five line up.

Faabeli has close to 2000 international daughters in his proof.

He will breed a smaller robust cow with nice udders and good production, perfect for intensive grazing systems according to Viking Genetics.

Froerup is a new sire with one of the highest NTM (Nordic Total Merit) proofs ever achieved as a proven sire.

Holsteins Viking Australia said there were several sires to keep an eye on coming through the ABV system, one being VIKHSPARKY. Sparky is the highest ranked daughter fertility sire (117) with milking daughters that is A2A2.

He has more than 4000 international daughters in his proof.

Viking Genetics said Sparky’s udders and teat length were a feature, but what you could not see on his Australian proof was his amazing daughter resistance to the biggest foot issues in Australia, white line separation and sole haemorrhage.

Watch VIkHRomello and VikHBooth as well, because they have increasing proofs here on top of their Viking proofs.

Milking daughters in Australia are proving popular with Booth transmitting high milk yields to nice medium-size heifers with lovely udders and temperament.

Romello daughters are stylish with strong front ends, lovely udders, excellent daughter fertility and good lactation persistency (NTM proofs).

Jerseys VikJQuintana is emerging through the BPI system as his daughters are coming into production in Australia.

Reports of high classifying daughters with nice stature and chest, udder depth and teat length are becoming common place.

It is early days with 27 daughters in 10 herds here in Australia on top of his 1065 daughters in Denmark, but just these few have almost doubled his BPI score from the April run.

EXCITING AND NEW TO AUSTRALIAN PROVEN LISTS: HOLSTEIN JERSEY

BOB APOLLO

#3 BPI #4 BPI

+321 +167

Other BPI Leaders to watch with early milking daughters in proofs:

Bri-Bro Griff 4520

PO Box 7538 • Shepparton • 3632 Victoria Phone (03) 5831 5559 • Fax (03) 5822 0005 info@wwsaustralia.com • www.wwsiresaustralia.com

HOLSTEIN +413 +367 +333 +332 JERSEY +184 +167

BANDARES HITEST FRANCHISE RAMBO

45 dtrs 71 dtrs 400 dtrs 147 dtrs

CHROME MEGAPOWER

64 dtrs 50 dtrs

Matt daughter in the Philip Wallace (Bellambi Jerseys) herd; photo by Bradley Cullen

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

SPRING PASTURES // 33

Spring Pastures

Maximise your pasture potential

Marco has large bulbs with a high bulb to leaf ratio.

Marco retains its quality well in the paddock for as long as 90 days after sowing. And Marco has good clubroot resistance.

Flexible sowing date At only 55-75 days from sowing to grazing, Marco tetraploid turnip is the earliest maturing turnip available.

Marco – the faster establishing summer turnip

Advantages of this are: Less time out of grass production Two Marco crops in one season are possible T Can be used for late sowing, or where crop failure occurs MARCO IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark Seeds agronomist.

Eastern Victoria, Northern NSW, QLD: Adam Sheedy – 0428 132 096 Western Districts, SA, Tasmania: Bruce Hume – 0427 607 375 Northern Victoria, Southern NSW: Sven Koljo – 0429 375 452 For further information please contact Cropmark Seeds Australia. Freephone: 1800 889 039 Freefax: 1800 889 037

www.cropmarkseeds.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

34 // SPRING PASTURES

Tips for re-sowing pugged pasture crops AFTER SEVERAL dry years, some farmers’

paddocks across southern Victoria have become saturated to a point that it has led to severe pasture damage and recovery will depend on a number of factors when planning what strategies you may wish to take.

Notman Pasture Seeds owner Peter Notman has provided some tips for re-sowing pugged pasture crops.

Pugged pasture re-sowing options Spring re-sowing can be successful when action is taken quickly.

We have observed a large amount of successful spring sowing during our 30 years in the field when there is good planning, timing, seed soil contact and fertility.

The spring pasture re-sowing window is short, so as soon as soils are dry enough to get

machinery the re-sowing should be implemented as fast as practical.

All spring-sown pasture or crop should be fertilised with a complete NPKS fertiliser to enhance germination and early growth.

The options farmers have at their disposal include:

Complete grass renovation for severe damage

Rolling

If areas are too large to renovate to grass this spring, these areas could be identified for spring forage crop or alternatively be levelled in preparation for autumn renovation.

This option is generally only available during a small window of time and on flatter land when soil conditions are dried sufficiently to get machinery on.

Re-sowing for silage bulk If wishing to boost spring silage and hay, an option is using a power harrow to level and topping pasture up with SuperSilage blends16 or Bullet annual rye-grass for increasing yield.

For September permanent grasses, such as Vatbuster perennial rye-grass blend (30 kg/ha) or short-term silage blends (40 kg/ha+) can be re-sown successfully.

Levelling in preparation for autumn

Re-sowing to crop Forage crops in order of planting timing include chicory, plantain, all forage brassicas, millet and rape, fodder beet, maize, millets, Betta Graze sorghum and SSS Sudan sorghum.

Finally, you would expect not to plant any

Notman Seeds has provided tips on how to recover paddocks which have been pugged.

more than 10 to 15 per cent of your farm into summer crops as it can become difficult to feed large amounts of summer crops to cows.

The only exception we would consider is chicory as this can be a grazing crop for an 18-month period.

For summer feed, there is nothing better than Chico chicory – the perfect summer feed.

Chico – the drought buster

Chico’s metre long tap root is able to mine soil moisture and minerals from deep within the soil profile, providing insurance against summer drought.

Its leaf is succulent, high in energy and minerals, and is very palatable.

Chico won’t cause grass staggers or facial eczema, and is tolerant of diamond back moth and white butterfly.

“For a summer-safe, multi-graze summer crop, providing flexible grazing management, there is nothing better than Chico chicory.”

Chico – rocket fuel for livestock CHICO IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark Seeds agronomist.

Eastern Victoria, Northern NSW, QLD: Adam Sheedy – 0428 132 096 Western Districts, SA, Tasmania: Bruce Hume – 0427 607 375 Northern Victoria, Southern NSW: Sven Koljo – 0429 375 452 For further information please contact Cropmark Seeds Australia. Freephone: 1800 889 039 Freefax: 1800 889 037

www.cropmarkseeds.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

SPRING PASTURES // 35

Irrigation tips to maximise pasture growth ALEXIS KILLORAN AGRICULTURE VICTORIA IRRIGATION EXTENSION OFFICER

THIS WINTER we have been lucky enough to receive more rainfall than last year.

Now as we move into spring and temperatures start to rise, the evaporation rate will increase, as will the requirement for irrigation.

Below are some general suggestions to follow, to help you prepare for the approaching irrigation season.

These actions will maximise the opportunity for pasture growth and reduce the chance of breakdowns during the season.

Surface irrigation Farmers with surface irrigation systems can take several steps on farm to ensure their systems are working efficiently.

The first and most important step is to remove vegetation, silt or other blockages from channels and drains to make sure irrigation water flows well, with minimum head loss.

Anything in your channels or drains that slows down the flow of water will cause head loss and increase the chance of waterlogging or losing water to deep drainage, depending on your soil type.

Heavier soils will show waterlogging issues, such as reduced pasture growth and quality, while lighter soils will lose a lot of water to deep drainage.

Ensuring water flows on and off the bay as fast as possible is key to efficient surface irrigation.

Another important step is to check your outlets for any damage during the off-season and repair any outlets that have leaks or other issues.

The last thing on your list is to check your reuse pump is running efficiently and has been serviced and maintained.

Centre pivots and linear moves If you are an irrigator with centre pivot and linear move systems, the first step is to check your sprinkler chart and ensure the sprinkler package matches the chart and your machine.

It is recommended that sprinkler and regulator packages should be replaced every 10 000 hours, at a minimum.

Sprinklers account for over 70 per cent of your system’s performance, therefore it is vital to get this part of your machine right.

While you are there, turn the machine on and inspect your machine for any broken or leaking sprinklers. Ensure your end gun and booster

pump, if you have one, turns on and off in the correct places.

At this stage, checking the pressure at the Agriculture Victoria's irrigation extension officer Alexis Killoran provides irrigation tips to maximise pump supplying the system is also important, to pasture growth and reduce breakdowns. ensure the entire machine can run and maintain the correct pressure.

Running higher pressures than required will waste energy and cost money, while lower presPLANT & CROP sure than recommended will decrease the uniN U T R I E N T S formity of the system.

While the machine is running, measuring the system water pressure with an accurate pressure gauge is important.

Measurements at the second span, middle span, and last sprinkler will ensure the system is running at the correct pressure to supply the spans and the end gun or will highlight pressure problems that need addressing.

A useful tip is to also check your irrigator’s tyre pressures; if they are too highly inflated this can exacerbate wheel tracking, whereas too low pressure can increase resistance and in extreme cases the tyre can come off the rim.

The last thing on your list is to check your pump is running efficiently and has received appropriate servicing and maintenance.

If you are pumping from a river or on-farm Our range of highly-efficient, liquid nitrogen inputs are storage that contains solid trash such as sticks, scientifically formulated to retain nitrogen in the plant or soil. leaves, or large amounts of sediment, consider a screen on the suction to decrease the amount This minimises atmospheric and leaching loss and the of litter entering the pivot and potentially blockacidification of soils. Apply via foliar spray, fertigation or irrigation. ing the sprinklers.

NATURAL NITROGEN SOLUTIONS

Fixed sprays/bike shift laterals Irrigators with fixed or lateral sprays need to ensure that their pumps are operational and supplying the correct pressure for their spray systems.

Running higher pressure than required will waste energy and cost money, while lower pressure than recommended will decrease the uniformity of the system.

Regular maintenance and servicing of pumps can more than pay for itself when ensuring correct functioning and problem prevention.

The next step is to check all visible infrastructure (lines, hydrants, posts, sprinklers) for damage/leaks, and unblock any sprinklers that are clogged.

Hopefully these few tips can help you make the most of your irrigation system and season.

A well-functioning system and correct scheduling of irrigations will set you up to grow the most pasture you can in the most efficient way.

For more information on irrigation scheduling, visit: extensionaus.com.au/irrigatingag/ home or call 136 186.

l l

Nitrogen (22%) Potassium

l

Sulphur

l

Essential trace elements

NEW CERTIFIED

ORGANIC

l

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l

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HEALTHY PLANTS, HEALTHY ANIMALS & HEALTHY SOILS

PLANT & CROP N U T R I E N T S

John McKay Phone: +61 438 918 135 Email: john@ectol.com

www.ectol.com

Russell Speed (Victoria Sales) Phone: +61 427 839 369 Email: russell@ectol.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

36 // SPRING PASTURES

Creating efficiencies, boosting production THE APPEAL of organics is becoming increas-

ingly mainstream, with more than 65 per cent of Australian households purchasing organic products in the past year, according to the 2019 Australian Organic Market Report, and organic dairy equating to nearly half (48 per cent) of all purchases.

With consumer interest in organics on the rise, many dairy farmers are considering transitioning their operation to certified organic.

Russell and Rochelle Crow from Kyabram, Victoria, have been dairy farming for more than 25 years.

In 2016, Russell and his family began transitioning their operation of 450 cows and 2000 chickens to become certified organic.

Russell said while the transition was not easy, he was pleased they made the move when they did.

Today, Russell supplies close to three million litres of organic milk to Australian Consolidated Milk (ACM).

Russell is constantly looking at ways to create efficiencies on farm, so they can continue to meet the growing consumer demand for organic dairy.

When it comes to organic farming, sustainable nutrition can be a costly, labour-intensive exercise, with many dairy farmers creating and using their own compost.

In July, Russell trialled a new, organic input from ECTOL Plant & Crop Nutrients, which provides nine per cent nitrogen in a liquid formulation.

“I’ve been farming organically since 2016 and until now, I’ve haven’t been able to find a certified organic, liquid nitrogen input,” he said.

“One of the difficulties in organic farming is solving plant or soil problems quickly and cost-effectively.

“If I have a nitrogen problem and do not have adequate compost on hand, it can be months before I am able to tend to it properly, which can cause bigger issues on-farm.

“With a slow-release, liquid nitrogen input, I’m able to do a foliar application, which means I don’t have to rely on rain, in order for the plant to take-up the nutrients.

“There are no quick-fixes in organic farming, but finding ways to get the job done more efficiently, to the same organic specifications, is a really big win for us.”

Russell applied 10 litres per hectare of AGB Slow-Release N+TE from ECTOL Plant & Crop Nutrients in July 2020.

In just over a month, Russell noted a clear, visible lift in his crops and pastures.

“So far, we’ve been really impressed with the growth following application of AGB SlowRelease Nitrogen,” he said.

Lucas Corso is pictured with the farm's wheat crops which were planted in March. Slow-release nitrogen was applied at the start of July.

“I can already tell the nitrogen hit is much stronger than what we’ve be able to achieve with our compost alone.

“We’re excited to see the industry responding to growing interest in organic farming, as well the needs of farmers, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve with this product and other liquid nutrients from ECTOL in the future.”

For 20 years ECTOL Pty Ltd has been working with Australian and New Zealand dairy

farmers, offering plant and crop nutrients to farmers seeking more sustainable crop and pasture management, while maintaining a cost-efficient, quality operation.

In 2020 the company introduced a fully certified organic program, which is now available to organic dairy farmers wanting to close the profitability gap with conventional practices, while at the same time giving assurances to educated consumers that the production inputs meet their expectations.

For a high yielding, multi-graze forage rape, it is hard to go past Pillar forage rape.

Pillar is a new, fast establishing, giant type rape, with very good winter hardiness and excellent re-growth ability, enabling multiple grazings potential. Pillar is palatable and can be used for all livestock types and farming systems.

BENEFITS:

Higher yielding multi-graze forage rape

Leafy, giant-type multi-graze forage rape Leafy Very fast establishing V Very high yield potential V Very good re-growth potential V Good disease resistance Can be sown in spring or autumn Suitable for sheep, cattle and deer

PILLAR MULTI-GRAZE FORAGE RAPE – 4TH GRAZING

PILLAR IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark Seeds agronomist.

Eastern Victoria, Northern NSW, QLD: Adam Sheedy – 0428 132 096 Western Districts, SA, Tasmania: Bruce Hume – 0427 607 375 Northern Victoria, Southern NSW: Sven Koljo – 0429 375 452 For further information please contact Cropmark Seeds Australia. Freephone: 1800 889 039 Freefax: 1800 889 037

www.cropmarkseeds.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

SPRING PASTURES // 37

Soil moisture monitoring helps irrigation decisions MORE THAN 1000 Victorian dairy farmers

have experienced improved confidence to make irrigation scheduling decisions through a range of soil moisture monitoring programs.

Murray Dairy demonstration programs were carried out at farms across the region and looked at the impacts of soil moisture monitoring on crop productivity.

Several crop types were evaluated including perennial pasture, lucerne and maize.

Murray Dairy regional extension officer Lisa Menhenett said soil moisture monitoring packages were made up of three broad components — the sensor, the transmission of data and display and the commercial services.

“The type of information provided depends on the type of sensor, data display and software utilised but can include determining whether the soil is wet or dry, capturing changes in drying and wetting of the soil profile, changes in the rate of plant water uptake, depth of penetration of irrigation (or rainfall), watertable depth, root activity and depth as well as salinity and movement of fertiliser,” Ms Menhenett said.

She said farmers saw the most value from soil moisture monitoring technologies at the beginning and end of the season.

“For pasture, knowing when to start the

irrigation gave the greatest boost to production, while at the end of the season it was more about saving water or knowing if it was worth buying more to finish off.

“For maize, ensuring there was adequate water during the establishment stage, and from pollination to when finishing off, were seen as critical to maximising production.

“In addition, the soil moisture monitoring systems helped to make sure the farmer had enough water deep in the soil profile so the maize wasn’t impacted by a series of hot days.”

The review of the trial sites found the information provided by the soil moisture monitoring was useful for farmers in learning when to irrigate a crop that they had never grown before or using a new irrigation system such as a centre pivot.

“All participating farmers said the use of soil moisture monitoring fine-tuned their existing decision making and was seen to reduce the guesswork, allowing them to make decisions more precisely and reduce risks associated with growing a high value crop,” Ms Menhenett said.

For more information and to read the full report on soil moisture monitoring, visit: tinyurl. com/SMM-Report

Murray Dairy regional extension officer Lisa Menhenett and farmer James Tyler inspect a soil moisture monitor in a flood-irrigated maize crop at Tongala.

(03) 5659 2314

Top Crop Forage varieties & blends are unique summer forage varieties that can deliver high quality summer feed with excellent regrowth & reliability in the drier conditions. Warmer season varieties have proven track record for reliable summer production under all conditions, delivering feed for stock when you need it most.

Ideal summer forage specialists.

• Reliability in drier conditions • Excellent re-growth potential • High quality summer forage • High in ME & minerals • Ideal for re-grassing program • Suitable for all livestock classes

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

38 // SPRING PASTURES

Options for your spring cropping needs FOR CUSTOMERS looking for spring crop-

ping options, Cropmark Seeds has some valuable options in the form of Chico chicory and Pillar forage rape.

The products are well tested under our conditions and have stood the test of time on farms in various parts of Australia during several years.

Cropmark has a large forage plant breeding program and places huge emphasis on intensive trialing under real farm conditions before commercialisation to validate the performance of the varieties we market.

The decision as to just what forage crop you sow depends on your conditions and your needs.

Chico chicory For a longer-term forage crop, which can be used as a high-quality multi-graze summer and autumn forage or used as a medium-Term 18 to 24-month forage crop, then Chico chicory is the answer.

Chico is a high-quality forage, which is high in metabolisable energy and minerals and has un-surpassed animal performance potential — be it livestock growth and fattening, or for milk production.

It has a long tap root, reaching as much as a metre into the ground.

This enhances its drought tolerance and insect pest tolerance above and below the ground.

Importantly, Chico is tolerant of diamondback moth and white butterfly — pests that can devastate other crops.

Chico should be sown at six to eight kilograms per hectare, along with one to two kilograms each of red and white clovers, such as Reaper red clover and Mantra white clover as is suitable for sheep and cattle.

For those looking at shorter-term forages, Pillar forage rape should be considered.

Cropmark Seeds say Chico chicory is a longer-term forage crop option.

Pillar forage rape Pillar forage rape is a multi-graze forage that can either be planted in spring as a summer forage crop or planted in the autumn as a winter feed.

While high yielding and high quality, Pillar can handle tough conditions once established; making it a versatile crop for finishing lambs when other pastures are losing quality and dry matter yield.

It is combination of high per hectare yields and high-forage quality supports high animal

performance and live weight gain potential.

This means more lambs per hectare turned off quicker than other types of forage rape.

Pillar should be sown at a rate of three to four kilogram per hectare at 10 mm depth.

Pillar is well suited to sheep and cattle farming operations.

Rotational grazing is recommended with up to four to five grazings possible where climatic conditions allow.

For more information, visit: www.cropmarkseeds.com or call 1800 889 039.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

MACHINERY // 39

Case IH balers tick the boxes A DRAMATIC increase in hay demand recently

has been well documented, with extended periods of drought exacerbated by bushfires through the summer.

During this time Scott Somers has seen his own hay production increase from 30 per cent to nearly 80 per cent of his 4000 ha mixed farming operation at Warracknabeal in western Victoria.

“We were fortunate to get some reasonable seasons here, so our production has been quite high,” Mr Somers said.

“Drought has had a small impact on our demand, but the main driver has been an increase in clientele.”

He said about 70 per cent of oaten hay production and 50 per cent of straw production was exported.

This export demand has ensured hay continues to be a major part of Mr Somers’ operation, but he said the drought was far from over in some areas.

“I feel really sad hearing people say the drought is over.

“We recently delivered hay and straw to Broken Hill and south-west Queensland and it’s still devastating out there.

“We certainly haven’t slowed down and the variety of customers is broad.”

With hay accounting for such a large part of his operation, reliable, efficient machinery is important to Mr Somers.

He purchased his first Case IH large square baler in 2017 and has just added a second LB434S XL to his fleet.

“We get great consistency in bale shape and dimension with the LB4; they make a very square brick and compared to competitors they’re cheaper to buy and require very minimal maintenance,” he said.

“The Optum 270 is a very user-friendly tractor on a baler. The cabins are comfortable in terms of the positioning in the seat and where things are situated, a short wheel base means it rocks a bit smoother and turns well, and the suspension makes it very comfortable.”

With five front-wheel-assist tractors required just for hay, Mr Somers knows firsthand how intensive hay can be.

“You’re doing a lot of applications in one go.

You’ve got to harvest by cutting, it’s got to be raked, stacked, carted.

“And when you’re doing that over a large area and a large number you have to have a lot of equipment working effectively.

“We have a fantastic relationship with O’Connors; if I have a problem they do

Scott Somers with his CaseIH LB4 baler

everything they can to make sure I’m up and running 24/7.”

Case IH has announced a number of upgrades on 2020 LB4XL balers, including the new-generation TwinePro knotter for greater strength and less twine off-cuts, a stronger pick-up system and

redesigned rotor cutter tines to improve cutting performance in high volume conditions.

For more information, contact your local O’Connors branch or visit www.oconnorscaseih.com.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

40 // MACHINERY

New header lineup for Australian market JOHN DEERE has updated its entire header

with twice the wing range as a MacDon FD1 FlexDraper, and with uniform cut height,” Mr Koelln said.

“Easy to use, these drapers pick up and sweep the down or lodged crop across the cutterbar to recover more crop thanks to a consistent distance between the reel fingers and cutterbar, improved reel range and increased reel-drive motor torque.

“Optional John Deere Grain Saver Draper Belts can also help to reduce canola cutterbar loss by up to 25 per cent when compared to traditional, smooth draper belts.”

HDR Drapers are available in 10.7 m (35 ft), 12.2 m (40 ft), 13.7 m (45 ft) and 15.2 m (50 ft) cutting widths to bring more crop into your combine with each pass.

All RDF HydraFlex Drapers feature a new Two-Speed Center Feed Section that lets operators slow down the feed drum and centre feed belt by 20 per cent compared with the 700FD. “This puts more grain in the tank by reducing

The BP15 Belt Pickup can deliver a 20 per cent faster feed rate than its predecessor the John Deere 615P.

free grain loss, while operators can easily go from low to high speed when direct heading canola,” Mr Koelln said.

“RDF HydraFlex Drapers reduce grain loss and let operators harvest at faster speeds without sacrificing cut quality.”

John Deere is also offering the BP15 Belt Pickup for small grains and canola growers who need to harvest more hectares per hour with an X Series, S Series or T Series.

The BP15 features improved feed rate adjustability to handle large or bulky crops with a standard two-speed auger drive sprocket that delivers

a 20 per cent faster feed rate when needed, that is ideal for harvesting canola.

A slower speed feed rate can be used for less bulky crops, such as cereals and grass seed, while a factory-installed crop shield minimises grain loss by preventing it from building up and laying on the feederhouse.

“Less time will be spent making adjustments as no tools are needed to modify the height of the large, 51 cm (20in.) gauge wheels for varying window conditions and crop types,” Mr Koelln said.

V-TWIN 950

line-up for combines to include new HDR Rigid Cutterbar Drapers, RDF HydraFlex Drapers, a BP15 Belt Pickup, and CR and CF Corn Heads.

Each is compatible with most S Series and T Series Combine Harvesters, as well as the recently announced John Deere X Series, to help achieve maximum harvesting capacity while minimising grain loss when operating under a wide range of crops and conditions.

John Deere HDR Rigid Cutterbar Drapers are ideal for small grains, canola and pulse growers who want to maximise their harvester’s hectares per hour across various crops, changing conditions and uneven or rolling terrain, while capturing more grain — especially for down or lodged crops.

John Deere tactical segment manager Marko Koelln said the new releases offered a number of features.

“The HDR has a new hinged frame that provides unmatched terrain-following capability

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

MACHINERY // 41

The new master of feeding grass silage has entered the field FARMERS ARE reaping the rewards of a new

Hustler feedout wagon Combi RX, which the company says is the most versatile wagon on the market over the past 43 years.

The wagon, which was officially launched at last year’s Mystery Creek field days in New Zealand, combines the best of silage wagon, bale feeder and combi wagon in one machine.

The wagon can handle grass silage, square or round bales, root crops, feed waste and maize silage.

A durable new 15 mm thick high-density floor loading of heavy root-crops no longer damages the floor.

At the flick of a switch in the cab, FeedControl automates the operation of floor and elevator movement for windrow consistency and simplicity of operation.

Load up some tricky rounds and squares in the same load then simply flick the switch and you get full control to save blocking, unlike a conventional wagon.

The RX Range is a game changer when it comes to feeding grass silage and any other type of supplementary feed, according to Hustler.

The optional wireless scales and feed management system Feedlink will let you program the exact feed amount and helps track and improve feeding routines.

The two-speed flat floor design eliminates spillage between the cross floor and the elevator and prevents root crops from bending bars and jamming the rear floor.

The elevator is designed to drop the feed off at a higher point, compared to silage wagons.

This will let you feed over hot wires, into

bunks, hay racks or hard against the fence.

It also means that feed won’t get run over or squashed into the mud when distributing in a sacrificed paddock.

The newly improved visibility of the wagon allows you to see the entire wagon load from your tractor seat.

See exactly how much feed is coming up the elevator and where it is placed for increased control and less feed waste.

The RX Combi Range uses all hydraulic drives to connect and disconnect to the tractor instead of PTO shafts.

This makes the unit extremely easy and quick to reconnect when using the feeding tractor for loading. For more information visit: hustlerequipment.com.au or call: 1800 750 428 or 0435 371 311

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

SAVE HAY & MONEY

26-09-2019 8:24:09 am rpt from sept dna export 26-06-2019 9:12:17 am

In a time where input costs are a high, feed out your hay in the most efficient way possible, with a Bale-Up Hayfeeder.

42 // MACHINERY Plenty of stock available.

Australian steel.

Australian made.

Employing locals, all our feeders are made in Australia, using Aussie steel, we are sure to have a feeder to suit your requirement.

Log onto our website or give us a call.

Save hay the Bale Up way!

THE LATEST grassland Moore Unidrill has

Trailing Feeder $6600 inc GST

$2800 inc GST per unit

Standard cow feeder $2350 inc GST

Moore Unidrills boasts unique row spacings

Bale-Up Hayfeeders Phone 0458 590 766 • Fax 03 5859 1137

rsgarth@hotmail.com www.baleupfeeders.com

been designed with ease of use in mind for dairy farmers.

Gippsland based machinery supplier Seeding Solutions Victoria’s Stuart McLaren said the Unidrill’s 3.5 inch row spacings were one of a kind and extremely desirable.

“It gets the grass seeds closer together so when it grows it creates a shade canopy to prevent weeds from growing and ultimately means less chemical use,” Mr McLaren said.

He said key features of the Unidrill included more control and less maintenance for farmers.

“Hydraulic depth control allows for adjustable seed depth to suit any condition, and narrow row spacing — 32 rows at 90 mm spacings — allows the seeds more room to germinate,” he said.

“The 700 litre Kverneland ACCORD hopper will cope with all seeds, from small to large, without having to change seed rollers.”

Mr McLaren said farmers liked that the Moore Unidrill was a heavy duty machine, with the self-cleaning Guttler roller allowing them to work in versatile conditions and get extra

work days in.

“It only has four grease points and rubber torsion suspension, which allows for a low maintenance, low wearing machine for farmers,” he said.

He said the disk drill can cut through trash and existing pasture and a compact three point linkage chassis allows for quicker headland turn performance in smaller fields.

The weight can be reduced to 2300 kg for working in conventional seedbeds, or softer conditions, or increased to 4000 kg depending on requirements.

The Moore Unidrill also features 410 x 5 mm serrated boron discs, a folding rear filling safety step with safety rail and LED road lights.

For more information and to arrange a demonstration, phone Stuart McLaren on 0455 833 118.

WHY COMPROMISE MCINTOSH TITAN SERIES SILAGE WAGONS

With their carefully thought out design, all steel construction, and large range to choose from McIntosh Silage Wagons have the strength, performance and durability that sets them apart from the rest.

Unique features: •Sizes from 12m3 to 28m3 •13mm Titan series floor and elevator chains •5mm steel floors, 3mm pressed steel sides •Heavy duty elevator system •Large high capacity 1200mm wide cross conveyor •Heavy duty chassis, axles and wheel combination •Plenty of options to suit individual needs

E OF ANTAG V D A E 150K TAK ON TO I S N E T OFF THE EX WRITE 20 X A T T INSTAN ST ECEMBER 20 1 D VOID ENDS 3 W TO A O N R E ENT ORD OINTM DISAPP

INTEGRATION WITHOUT THE RUNNING COSTS MCINTOSH BEATER WAGONS

Designed to integrate different fodder products together the McIntosh Beater Wagon gives you even and consistent feeding, suited for feeding onto feed pads or in the field. Our modular design, heavy duty PTO drive system, larger drive chains and sprockets are all designed for long life and easy serviceability.

Unique features:

•Sizes from 12m3 to 28m3 •13mm Titan series floor •5mm steel floors, 3mm pressed steel sides •Large high capacity 1200mm wide cross conveyor •Unique safety stop technology prevents damage to rotors and floor chains if blockages occur

MCINTOSH FARM MACHINERY

for more information or to find your nearest dealer, please contact:

TRACMAC FARM EQUIPMENT

86 Roberts Court | Drouin 3818, Victoria, Australia Phone 03 5625 1522 | Mobile 0418 515 510 allans@tracmacs.com.au | www.tracmac.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2020

MACHINERY // 43

Planning ahead now for soil improvements WHILE THE crops are in and growing, farmers

are mulling over their management plan for next season and what they can do to further improve productivity, efficiencies, and soil health to optimise every drop of rain they receive next season.

K-Line Ag director of sales and marketing Bill Larsen has been talking with farmers across Western Australia as they look at re-evaluating their soil improvement techniques.

“They are progressive and always considering new management practises and methods that will help improve yields,” he said.

Mr Larsen said the new large Speedtiller Powerflex models, Rippers and the Wheel Track Renovators are becoming increasingly popular.

“One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to soil improvements,” he said.

“We’ve had growing interest from farmers wanting both a MaxxRipper and a Speedtiller Powerflex.

“These farmers tend to have non-wetting soils, a light sandy soil on top with clay deep down in the profile. They are experiencing good results in soil structure and production levels, by first ripping and then cross passing with a Powerflex.

“The Powerflex leaves the clay nicely incorporated through the top 10 cm of soil, rather than in big clay clods, thereby improving both soil structure, water retention and crop yields.”

The large Powerflex models weigh between 7.5 tonnes and 22.5 tonnes and have between 50 and 125 discs operating at any one time. The newest addition to the range of K-Line machines is the 15.5 m Mammoth Powerflex.

This model is particularly well suited to large scale farming operations.

The Speedtiller Powerflex by K-Line Ag is the answer to chemical resistant weeds, residue management and incorporation, soil structure improvement and seedbed preparation according to Mr Larsen.

The other tool of choice that is seeing great results across the region is the K-Line Ag Trackattack.

Popular among controlled traffic farmers who have started to notice compaction and rutting along wheel tracks in cropping paddocks.

K-Line Ag has developed the answer to these tram-line maintenance issues, with the Trackattack — a simple but effective unit designed to level wheel tracks.

It leaves the track smooth when working in trash, kills any weeds growing on the track edges, and leaves an even, level tramline, which is important to ensure GPS equipment maintains consistency.

“When producers are faced with new challenges and pain points we like to work along side them to develop the tillage and seeding machines that meet their requirements.” Mr Larsen said.

If you have any questions about the K-Line machinery range or would like to discuss its application on your property, call K-Line on 1800 194 131 or visit your local K-Line Dealer.

Codemo Machinery salesperson Neil Streat standing in front of a 15.5m Speedtiller Powerflex.

TECH TALK ADVERTISING FEATURE

Replacing maize silage in TMRs A demonstration study conducted by CopRice has shown that a ‘loose blend’ of processed cereals, vegetable protein meals and non-forage fibres can provide a cost-effective alternative to maize silage during times of limited supply.

CopRice is one of the leading providers of nutritional solutions and advice to the Australian dairy industry. The company operates a ‘model farm’ in northern Victoria to examine the effectiveness of its integrated nutritional strategies and new formulations under ‘real world’ conditions.

Model farm partners, Fred, Sonyia, Daniel and Ben DeCicco, milk a herd of a high production registered Holstein cows at Undera. Their herd comprises a mix of two-thirds spring-calving cows and one-third autumn-calving cows.

Historically, the family has provided a partial mixed ration (PMR) to their cows over summer to complement lucerne pastures and fodder crops. However, faced with the complexity of an exceptionally dry summer and escalating water costs, the family opted to supply a total mixed ration (TMR) to their herd last summer.

The initial ration comprised farm-grown pasture silage (68% DM) and maize silage (12% DM) and purchased vetch hay (10% DM) and cereal hay (10% DM).

This was supplemented with 6.2 kg/day of CopRice dairy pellets fed in the bales.

With declining stocks of maize silage, CopRice investigated how to maximise utilisation of the pasture silage content and reduce the level of purchased feed resources. The maize silage component and part of the vetch and cereal hay levels in the TMR were replaced with a ‘loose blend’ of processed cereal grains, vegetable protein meals and non-forage fibre sources.

The blend contained high levels of rumen degradable protein and by-pass protein to support rumen function, high levels of digestible starch to provide energy density and essential amino acids necessary for high levels of milk production.

Following an adaptation period, the levels of vetch and cereal hay in the TMR were reduced by about 20% and the amount of pellets fed in the dairy was reduced to 4 kg/day, while total feed offered to the herd remained the same (24.7 kg/day).

The reformulated TMR had a marked impact on boosting milk production efficiency and margin over feed costs when measured at six weeks (see panel).

These improvements continued until the completion of the project at eight weeks,

Nutritional specifications of the three rations during the trial period.

Specification

when cows were transitioned back to forage pastures and new-season maize silage.

CopRice now markets a range of commercially-available ‘loose blends’ under the DairyBlends brand name.

They utilise a range of processed cereal grains, vegetable protein meals and non-forage fibre sources to complement available feed resources or to replace conventional feed ingredients that may be in limited supply.

Depending on seasonal availability, ingredients may include processed wheat, barley, maize, lupins, canola, soybean, cottonseed, palm kernel, almond hulls and grape pomace.

THE RESULTS This demonstration trial found that feeding a customised CopRice Dairyblends ration in conjunction with home-grown feed sources can improve milk production and rumen health.

• Average milk production increased from 27.5 L/day to 30 L/day • Butterfat composition increased from 4.2% to 4.59%

Original TMR

Trial TMR

Final ration

2528 (20%)

2608 (20%)

2521 (19%)

268 MJ

271 MJ

264 MJ

Starch %

15%

16%

20%

• Total milk solids production increased from 2.04 kg/day to 2.4 kg/day

NDF %

30%

28%

39%

• Margin over feed cost increased by 0.63 c/cow/day

Metabolisable protein % MJ ME/kg DM

• Protein composition increased from 3.2% to 3.45% protein

For more information about how CopRice can deliver measurable improvements in the health, fertility and performance of your herd, please contact CopRice on 1800 029 901.

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