Dairy News Australia - September 2019

MG reserves top $200 million PAGE 8

FARM INVASION INQUIRY OPENS IN GIPPSLAND: PAGE 4

SEPTEMBER, 2019 ISSUE 107 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

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End of the line for another dairy factory, see page 3

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 3

Milk quality winners. PG.14 The Tongala Nestle factory.

ABV release feature. PG.17

Nestlé to shut Vic factory CHEAPER DAIRY imports have been

Spring pastures feature. PG.25

NEWS .................................................... 3 – 38 OPINION ....................................................... 6 MANAGEMENT ............................ 10, 11, 14 ABV FEATURE ................................. 17 – 23 SPRING PASTURE FEATURE ..... 25 – 1 ANIMAL HEALTH ................................... 32 MACHINERY..................................... 34, 36

blamed for the shock announcement of Nestlé Tongala’s closure in northern Victoria.

The announcement the factory would wind down operations by late next year to mid-2021 took the town, once known as the centre for dairying in the region, by surprise with 106 jobs to disappear.

Nestlé said tinned milk production was set to move overseas, the property sold off and eligible employees supported to find new jobs.

General manager Andrew McIver thanked colleagues for their strong contribution to the company and said the closure was in no way a reflection of their efforts.

“People just don’t buy tinned milk like they used to, and cheaper imports have eroded our business further,” Mr McIver said.

“At the same time, the equipment in this factory is old, and the investment we need to make sure it can operate reliably in the future means that the factory is no longer viable.”

In recent years Nestlé has invested to improve the viability of the factory by adding new product ranges. This has included producing Maggi culinary products since 2010, Nestlé Health Science medical nutrition products from 2012 and Milo Ready to Drink since 2017.

“These ranges have supported the factory, but as milk is bulk of what the factory makes, the newer ranges aren’t enough to maintain manufacturing at the site,” Mr McIver said.

Throughout the next 12 to 18 months, all production at the factory will progressively move, mostly to Nestlé factories overseas, with final closure anticipated between late next year and mid-2021.

“We are sad to be losing committed and talented colleagues and I want to thank each person who has worked at the factory for their hard work,” Mr McIver said.

“Today, our primary focus is on ensuring we do what we can to help each person prepare for their next step.”

A magazine advertisement extolling the virtues of milk made in Tongala.

Campaspe Shire Mayor Adrian Weston said council would play a role in assisting employees to find more work in the area.

"Council is extremely disappointed at this announcement recognising the impact on not only the workforce, but their families, friends and wider community," Cr Weston said.

"The Tongala factory has been a major employer in our shire for many years.”

Following the closure, the site will be vacated and sold. Equipment currently at the site is either owned by Nestlé or leased, and as it will be relocated, will not be part of the sale.

Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said it was devastating news for the community.

"It will be an extremely difficult time for workers and their families as they face the reality of the next 18 months," he said.

"The dairy crisis has hit many people in our region hard and the loss of 106 jobs in a town like Tongala will test the resilience of the community."

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

4 // NEWS

Farmers urged to give voice to inquiry JEANETTE SEVERS

FARMERS CAN still make submissions

to the Inquiry into Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Victorian agriculture, which began hearing verbal evidence at the first panel sittings, held at Bairnsdale on Tuesday, August 20 and at Warragul the following day.

That was the message to Dairy News Australia’s readers from panel chairman Nazih Elasmar MLC, and secretary of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee Patrick O’Brien.

Mr O’Brien encouraged people to contact him by email at patrick.obrien@parliament.vic.gov.au to indicate they would like to be heard before the inquiry panel.

Mr Elasmar said although the formal date for submissions had passed (August 2), the panel would continue to accept written submissions and invited people to inquire about presenting their view verbally to the panel. There will be several public and some closed opportunities to provide verbal evidence, over the next couple of months. The inquiry panel is expected to report to government in February.

The inquiry is the result of a parliamentary representation from The Nationals Melina Bath, . Ms Bath questions why farmers need to be educated about dealing with activists when the question should be, how the wider community deals with activists so they do not impact on agriculture.

In a statement, the Victorian Farmers Federation has claimed animal rights activists and their supporters authored hundreds of submissions to the inquiry. Other submissions have been authored by farmers, meat processors, truck drivers, livestock saleyards agents, feedlot operators and representative bodies including Law Institute of Victoria, the VFF and UDV, Agriculture Victoria, Australian Meat Industry Council, Australian Dairy Famers and Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Among the invited spokespeople presenting evidence and talking about their personal

The Inquiry panel at Bairnsdale, chaired by Nazih Elasmar (with white hair) and instigated by Melina Bath (far right). Labor’s Mark Gubb sits at Mr Elasmar’s left. Animal Justice Party’s Andy Meddick sits on the far left of the panel.

experience at Bairnsdale and Warragul were farmers from across Gippsland and as far afield as Avoca. Themes already emerging were across biosecurity, personal fear of trespass and, strangely for an inquiry focused on investigating activism, farmers were being expected to justify their animal welfare practices.

Panel member and Animal Justice Party elected representative Andy Meddick, , disputed that animal rights activism and farm invasions were widespread and suggested farmers ask people who trespass on their properties if they are activists.

However, Agriculture Victoria has collated the number of recent instances reported to Victoria Police and submitted that information to the panel.

“In recent years, animal rights activists’ actions have included blockades, trespass, undercover employment and covert surveillance,” the AgVic submission states.

Of 1485 complaints about animal welfare practices on farms recorded in 2017–18 by AgVic, only two were prosecuted. From May 2018 to May 2019, 11 instances of protest and 11 instances of trespass related to animal rights activism were recorded by Victoria Police. These included

blockades at several meat processor plants close

by Melbourne in April this year, during a mass mobilisation of animal rights activists.

One meat processor that was targeted had to bring in police after animal rights activists chained themselves to parts of the manufacturing plant, causing the plant to close down and affecting biosecurity protocols as well as worker safety. Another meat processor, who asked for anonymity, was forewarned that animal rights activists would target his business. He phoned police and three vehicles with officers patrolled his plant for the full day. He also employed private security to allay employees concerns.

“There was a real risk of animal welfare and worker safety being affected,” he told Dairy News Australia.

“We have a unionised workforce and the union is very careful about protecting the workers. If we had to close down because of animal rights activism, our export orders would be affected — and consequently Australia’s reputation for safe food.”

The inquiry panel members will hear verbal submissions during the next two months at Warrnambool, Horsham, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Melbourne.

The inquiry panel was invited to Bairnsdale, in East Gippsland, by local member and National Party MP Tim Bull.

Nationals MP, Melina Bath, who instigated the inquiry in an effort to protect farmers and gauge the effectiveness of existing legislation, told Dairy News Australia she was concerned that some witnesses required closed presentations, in real fear of reprisals from animal rights activists.

That was evident in the verbal submissions heard by this journalist. Time and again witnesses stated their real fear of invasion by animal rights activists — their farms being their homes.

Meg Parkinson from Fish Creek described her disturbing encounter with two people who climbed a fence to invade her property and said they wanted to take animals away with them.

John Buxton, Stratford, who detailed his extensive animal welfare practices and property responsibilities to the inquiry panel, said “animal rights activists’ attacks on farms and meat processing plants affect everyone going about their peaceful lives — and the government should be reliable for protecting everyone. Animal rights activists invading the farm should be prosecuted to the full law.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 5 “The legislative body has a responsibility to maintain a peaceful, harmonious society,” he said.

He said he used the best scientific advice and seeks input from animal nutritionists to ensure his “animals have the very best chance of a good life”.

Chris Nixon, a dairy farmer at Bete Bolong, described how animals, like humans, have people they like and dislike.

“Activist invasions on farms do not help animals. Invading farms frightens and alarms animals and rapidly escalates the risk of harm and injury to animals and people,” Mr Nixon said.

“Our animal welfare programs are based on their safety and health. When we muster our animals to do health checks, we then leave them alone for three days so they can settle down after the stress of that interaction.”

Mr Nixon detailed the impact of biosecurity contraventions and referred to government and industry investment in public surveillance and awareness campaigns to reduce the risk of diseases on farms. Every farmer contributes to that education and surveillance through the commodity levies they pay.

Mr Nixon referred to the impact of African Swine Fever already reducing global protein sources by 10 per cent and that it has been identified at airports because of the mobility of people who wilfully ignore biosecurity protocols and laws.

“People think they have a right to come onto farms without permission. At the moment we can only lock gates and put signs up,” he said.

“Our home is our workplace. Worksafe has the right to come into my house and workspace

to check on things, with no notice. But someone setting up a camp on my farm is the same as me camping in their yard or coming into their home without invitation.”

Mark Gubb, Labor, asked witnesses how to change the practices of the small number of farmers who do not follow industry standards and guidelines. Invariably the response was education and market forces.

“Market forces have standards we need to meet to sell our product; I’m for letting the market provide the solutions,” Mr Nixon said.

Melina Bath spoke to Dairy News Australia after the two Gippsland hearings at Bairnsdale and Warragul.

“It’s obvious farmers go to considerable lengths to conduct a level of care — you can see the farmers’ passion for caring for their animals. But they are animals bred for meat,” Ms Bath said.

“The agricultural community takes their industry animal welfare standards seriously, from paddock to plate.

“It is vitally important we have these rural and regional hearings. We’re hearing the real experiences of people — the abuse they’ve copped from activists, the disrespect and lies are appalling.

“The story we heard over and over again was the activists are after media attention.”

Ms Bath and Mr Meddick referred to the law and how it was being interpreted by the judiciary, sometimes with ludicrous results, such as the alleged $1 fine to an animal rights activist who stole a goat and removed its NLIS tag — an offence that has jail time and a considerable fine attached to it.

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Animal Justice Party members were at the Bairnsdale hearing into the Inquiry, to support their incumbent, Andy Meddick MLC (centre) who is a member of the Inquiry panel. Helen Jeges, Tarra Valley, is the grand daughter of a dairy farmer and Kim Dutton, Paynesville, said it was interesting to hear both sides of the story.

In a judicial hearing at Sale’s courthouse last year, farmers were fined thousands of dollars and placed on good behaviour bonds when they were found guilty of offences related to NLIS tags.

Both parliamentarians said it was important the judiciary was educated about rural life and why laws were in place to protect farming.

Western Australia, NSW and Queensland governments have recently overhauled their legislation — including bringing in on-the-spot fines among the penalties that can be brought against activists.

“The judiciary system exists because of laws made by parliament. Parliament can set penalties

around those laws,” Ms Bath said.

“We need to contemporise our laws in the face of unlawful trespass and activism.

“There are multiple avenues for members of the public to report their concerns and for those concerns to be investigated, without vigilante behaviour. We can shore up police resources, if we find from this inquiry that is what is needed.”

Ms Bath said activists did not have the right to ignore the importance of biosecurity protocols and walk across farm paddocks and into buildings.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

6 // OPINION

EDITORIAL

Does dairy matter?

Taking a punt pays off Calivil’s Craig Lister is on cloud nine after one of his bulls topped the ABV’s national best Holstein bull rankings.

The bull, Calister MAEBULL, now based at Genetics Australia’s Bacchus Marsh farm, is the number one BPI and SCC bull in Australia, and features in the top one per cent for HWI (health) and TWI (type), and in the top five per cent for calving ease and daughter fertility.

He is also A22 and 102 for heat tolerance and positive for feed saved.

He has 96 per cent reliability for production, 129 milking daughters, and a BPI of 323 making him Australia’s number one daughter-proven Holstein bull.

This is the first time one of Mr Lister’s bulls has achieved the top ranking and he said it was a relief as much as a reason for celebration.

“I was relieved,” Mr Lister, from northern Victoria, said.

“He’d been number two or three for a few years.”

Mr Lister, who milks 350 to 400 mostly highlyranked registered Holsteins, purchased MAEBULL

as an embryo from the United States to introduce a new cow family.

“I looked for cow families that I admired for their consistency in breeding profitable, productive Holsteins, and for embryos with bloodlines that had worked well in Australia.”

The embryos that led to MAEBULL were from a cow sired by Shottle, one of the most famous Holstein bulls in the past 20 years who had worked well in Australia.

Her dam was sired by Oman, who turned the Holstein breed around with health traits to address fertility and longevity problems.

“Both those bulls had worked well in Australia,” Mr Lister said.

Mr Lister said Genetics Australia “took a bit of a punt” on MAEBULL. “He was on the lower end of the genomic bulls under the Australian system,” he said.

“A bit of a punt was taken that, once more information was known, he would turn out pretty well.”

Advertising Max Hyde 0408 558 938 max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Geoff Adams (03) 5820 3229 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher.

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

Regional editor news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

If you’re living in metropolitan areas you have come across an interesting campaign developed by Dairy Australia to promote the industry, but, most likely if you are reading this, you aren’t living in a city.

Dairy Australia has changed the focus of its marketing to try to target influencers and opinion makers in an area of thought called, ’social licence’.

This is not like your heavy vehicle licence!

It’s more about the acceptance of one sector of a community to operate their enterprise in the wider community.

That social licence for dairying has been under prominent attack by animal liberation activists in high profile farm invasions, but the principle has also been under pressure from a range of other directions, including health advocates and environmental lobbyists.

Years ago the dairy industry ignored the spurious claims of pseudo health professionals who claimed milk caused all manner of ailments, but the myths have continued to multiply, in part due to the advent of social media and the popularity of unqualified commentators.

Recent news from the Heart Foundation, reported elsewhere in this edition, sets the record straight about dairy products and their value in a balanced diet.

But there is a huge job ahead of the industry’s marketing gurus.

It’s become quite popular for commentators to chip away at traditional staples in the Australian diet and to ride the wave of misconception to attract more keyboard clicks.

Dairy Australia has developed the campaign to address issues like animal health, environment and nutrition to tackle the themes head-on.

Consumers can use the Dairy Matters website to ask questions from a professional panel established by Dairy Australia.

Dairy News Australia strongly recommends farmers visit the site and use it in discussions with their friends and neighbours about the future of the industry and it’s place in a modern society.

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 2019

NEWS // 7

Farmers win solar battle DAIRY FARMERS near Camperdown have

claimed victory after Victoria’s planning tribunal rejected a $150 million solar farm.

Three neighbouring dairy farmers were among the objectors who feared the Bookaar solar farm could be a flood and fire risk.

Corangamite Shire received 81 objections to the plan, which would have been Australia’s largest solar farm, and rejected the proposal last year.

The proponents, Bookaar Renewables, appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) which refused the plan in August.

Bookaar Renewables had proposed up to 700,000 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on part of ‘Meningoort’, north-west of Camperdown.

The total property is 2024 ha and used for agriculture, primarily cropping, beef and sheep production. The site for the proposed solar energy facility was 588ha.

The land is surrounded by three dairy farms.

One of the farmers, Andrew Duynhoven, said he and other neighbours were concerned about drainage and runoff and feared their land could be flooded.

“I’m not against solar; I’m against doing it badly,” Mr Duynhoven said. “If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to get it right.

“My main objection was about hydrology. The velocity of water delivery on the landscape would change and we could lose half our farms to floods.

As dairy farmers we’re all under pressure to keep prime agricultural land in good condition.”

Mr Duynhoven, a former Country Fire Authority volunteer captain, said there was potential for “substantial fuel loads” on the planned solar farm.

About a third of objectors were farmers and neighbours, while others had concerns about planning policy support for renewable energy facilities and the impact on significant landscape values and visual impact.

In its determination, VCAT said the hydrological assessment of the proposal was inadequate.

“The applicant has done little more than undertake a high-level desktop drainage and flood risk assessment.”

“The tribunal considers that the drainage, runoff and flooding issues are a threshold matter that needs to be resolved as part of the planning approval.”

VCAT also described the bushfire assessment as inadequate. “The applicant’s expert

OBJECTORS LOSE Disappointment was the main reaction of dairy farmers objecting the approval of three solar farms in northern Victoria, despite new guidelines not yet being implemented into the planning scheme.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved three contentious solar farms on August 23, which he had deferred until further strategic work was undertaken on the future use and management of irrigation infrastructure in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District, and consultation was completed on the now released solar guidelines.

One of the main issue’s farmers have with the sites is they will be built on prime agriculture land, land which is currently being upgraded by the area’s irrigation water body, Goulburn-Murray Water, for $2 billion.

evidence does not comprise a substantive risk and hazard assessment. There is no draft fire or emergency plan.”

The tribunal found the solar farm would not have an unacceptable presence in the landscape and that the land’s agricultural attributes and potential were not of such significance that it couldn’t be considered for a renewable energy

facility as a matter of principle.

Bookaar Renewables, is a joint venture partnership between landowners Stewart and Bev Macarthur and their family and Infinergy Pacific.

The company did not respond to requests by Dairy News Australia for comment.

On its website, it says the Bookaar Solar Farm would have a generation capacity of about

200MW. It estimated the completed solar farm would provide enough clean renewable energy to supply up to 80,000 average homes.

“The project is part of a transition to help ensure Australia develops a modern, robust and cleaner energy supply; helping to provide the Australian economy with more resilience in a rapidly changing global economy.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

8 // NEWS

MG has $265m in funds THE FINANCIAL shell of fallen dairy co‑opera-

tive Murray Goulburn is sitting on $265 million in equity, but it is still unclear how much investors will see once the company is wound up.

The group, which exists to fulfil financial reporting obligations and manage retained litigation, reported a $24.4 million loss for the year to June 30, with operational income having completely dried up following Murray Goulburn’s sale to Saputo last year.

The group said $6.92 million in interest income was more than offset by litigation costs tied to the $42 million Endeavour River class action settlement in June.

The Endeavour matter was launched on behalf of 1300 investors who lost out when the former milk processor unexpectedly cut milk prices and downgraded profit guidance in 2016.

The group said the bulk of the settlement was covered by insurance, with the remaining $8.2 million to be recovered by a third-party insurer.

The group now awaits the outcome of a second class action proceeding, known as the Webster Class Action, with a trial date set for February next year and an estimated trial time

of four weeks.

Financial reports lodged with the ASX on August 20 showed the group still had $264.5 million in total equity, down from $288.9 million a year ago.

The group said it would be wound up after the retained litigation was finalised, with the remaining funds — if any — to be distributed among shareholders and unit-holders.

“The board is of the view that the group can and will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due, however, as the winding up of the group is intended to occur at an as yet undetermined point in the future, these financial statements are not prepared on a going concern basis,” the co‑op said in its report.

Australia’s corporate watchdog ASIC has announced legal action being taken against the former managing director.

ASIC has started proceedings in the Federal Court against former managing director Gary Helou and former chief financial officer Brad Hingle, alleging a failure to disclose to the stock exchange, sensitive market information in a timely manner. ASIC alleges they were involved in the breaches in their continuous disclosure

obligations under the Corporations Act; and breached their duties as directors and officers to act with reasonable care and diligence by failing to adequately monitor the financial position and performance of Murray Goulburn against the

February Earnings Guidance.

They are also accused of failing to inform the board before April 26, 2016 of information which indicated the February Earnings Guidance was unlikely to be achieved.

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NEWS // 9

Infant milk pushes up A2 result CEO JAYNE Hrdlicka said the business results

were driven by strong performance across their portfolio.

“The continued growth of our infant nutrition products was a strong contributor to the results with sales totalling $1.1 billion for the year — an increase of 46.9 per cent on the prior year,” Ms Hrdlicka said.

“This was driven by share gains in China and Australia.

“We achieved pleasing growth in our liquid milk businesses in particular within Australia and the USA –with total fresh milk growth of 22.9 per cent and revenue of $174.9 million across the group.

“We grew sales of other nutritional milk products by 17.3 per cent, delivering total sales of $65.8 million. This was driven by milk powders and supported by new products launched towards the end of FY18 and in the fourth quarter of FY19.”

Australia and New Zealand business revenue was $842.7 million, up 28.3 per cent, and EBITDA of $388.2 million represented an increase of 48.1 per cent.

It had $NZ413.6 million ($A391 million) in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, which was up 46.1 per cent.

Ms Hrdlicka said the company was proud of its results in her first year as chief executive delivering record profit and market share.

Revenue for the 12 months to June 30 jumped 41 per cent to $NZ1.3 billion, with revenue from China and other Asian countries increasing 74 per cent to $NZ405.7 million.

CMC Markets chief market strategist Michael McCarthy said the result was slightly below analysts’ forecasts and noted the stock was close to its record high.

A2 shares are still up more than 30 per cent for the year and trading at 42 times earnings.

Shares of rival infant formula makers Bellamy’s, Bubs Australia and Wattle Health were down between 1.2 and 3.1 per cent at 10.51 am.

A2 said it would exit the United Kingdom liquid milk business because there was more opportunity in greater China and the United States.

US sales grew 160 per cent to $34.6 million, although the segment had a earnings loss of $44 million as A2 invested in distribution and brand awareness.

In China, A2’s earnings were up 52.4 per cent to $123.9 million and A2 said the business was expanding its presence in mother-and-baby stores in the country.

In Australia, A2 said A2 Milk was the fastest-growing fresh milk brand in the country and the leading premium milk brand, holding a record 11.2 per cent market share.

A2’s FY19 results ■■ Full-year revenue up 41.4 per cent to $NZ1.3 billion ($A1.2 billion).

■■ Net profit after tax up 47 per cent to $287.7 million ($A272.3 million).

The A2 Milk company has announced a net profit after tax of $272.3 million in the 12 months to June 30 as infant formula sales surged in China.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

10 // MANAGEMENT

Efficiencies in scale as US producers expand operation Iowa brothers Brad and Scott Feuerhelm are so confident in the future of demand for dairy products in the US, they have built a new barn and rotary suitable to milk up to 4000 cows.

SIMONE SMITH REPORTING FROM THE USA

EVERYTHING LOOKED new. There were

Scott and Brad Feuerhelm from Iowa in the US stocked their new dairy farm with extra cows from their previous property, excess cattle from other farmers and herds from retiring dairy farmers.

no marks on the walls and any manure which splashed on the milking machines was quickly pressure cleaned-off.

The 80 Holsteins calmly chewing their cuds where spinning around on a shiny rotary platform.

Above all this, in the enclosed viewing platform, there wasn’t any furniture and even the paint smelt fresh.

Owners of the operation, United States brothers Scott and Brad Feuerhelm explained how they were new to dairy farming.

They grew crops and farmed pigs until 19 years ago.

But this 3150-head dairy operation known as Perry Creek Dairy is the second farm they have set-up in north-east Iowa, in the famous midwest corn belt, in less than two decades.

They along with their father Alan milk 5750 cows and plan to expand their newest operation to milk up to 4000 cows, pushing their total cow numbers across two sites to about 6600.

But it is not just the scale of their dairy operation which sets them apart in the US, the family is expanding when large parts of the industry, particularly smaller operators, are exiting due to margin pressures.

“I really like dairy because it really adds value to our cropping,” Scott said.

“If you are hog (pig) farming all you really get out of it is manure. Here we are selling silage and pumping manure back out onto that ground.” “(Dairying) has sort of changed now from 20 years ago, with consolidation,” Brad said.

“Twenty years ago, a 1500-head dairy was a big dairy, now we’ve got 3500 and multiple sites.”

The Perry Creek operation has been running since March with the housed cow, total mixed ration system going from zero cows to 3200 in three weeks.

The family stocked the business with excess cows from its first farm called Plymouth Dairy and bought-in total herds from dairy farmers exiting the industry or the excess cows from other herds.

Scott wouldn’t say what they paid for the cows, but said the rate, in early August, was about $US1600 ($A2358) per replacement and they paid less than that.

The Feurerhelms investigated installing robotics with boxes in each pen of the barn but said it would have cost three times the amount of the rotary and they would have milked half the cows.

There were also considerations with labour costs. They have 60 staff working across the two sites and thanks to the new dairy were able to double the herd size by “only” adding another 10 staff.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

MANAGEMENT // 11

There were other apprehensions about new robotic technology which plagued the brothers.

“The other thought, was they are kind of new in US; technology is good, but we’d rather be the second or third guys and let others work the bugs out,” Scott said.

Other concerns included training the cows between the two dairies as the Plymouth operation wasn’t robotic.

The Feurerhelms received bank finance for Perry Creek, starting with 40 per cent equity.

They anticipate paying off the operation in 12 years.

The cost of production at Plymouth was $US16.25 per 100 weight (about $A0.53 ¢/kg milk) the brothers budgeted on achieving a cost of production in the low “15s” ($US0.15¢/hundred weight) at Perry Creek (about $A49¢/kg). This reduction in cost would come from additional cows with less staff.

“The capital cost went up and the labour went down,” Brad said of the new operation.

Milking includes three employees, three “in the pit” and one pushing cows from the barn into the dairy. The third person acts as a “rover” reattaching milking machines or doing odd-jobs.

There’s an automatic teat spray.

Each cow at Perry Creek dairy is milked three times a day. Milking is ongoing, except for downtime for cleaning. Staff work 12-hour shifts, but at Plymouth Dairy they work eight-hour shifts.

Scott and Brad said the shift lengths were decided by staff and a roster ensured weekend work was shared.

Up to 80 per cent of their workforce is Hispanic with employment tenure varying from two weeks to 16 years. Scott and Brad said all wages were above the minimum ($A10.69/hour) with workers starting at $A12.50/hour and moving-up quickly. He said most were paid $A19$A22/hour with some $A25-$A29/hour.

Their new barn is 400 x 800 feet (122 x 244m), or about 3 ha and has 96 industrial fans down one side and 54 hanging from the ceiling. These fans maintain airflow at about 10 to 11 km an hour, vital for cow comfort and it also helps keep flies at bay.

Cows are calved and “freshened” at Plymouth Dairy, before being trucked the 24 km to Perry Creek. This helps manage work-flow and promotes efficiency, the brothers said.

Production in early August was 90.5 pounds per cow/day (about 41 kg) with a 3.6 per cent butterfat and 3 per cent protein. The somatic cell

“Twenty years ago, a 1500-head dairy was a big dairy, now we’ve got 3500 and multiple sites.” count was averaging 125 000 to 130 000, something Scott and Brad were thrilled about following a hot and humid July − their most dangerous month for herd health issues.

The family supplies two customers with milk.

One is dairy co‑operative Agropur about 64 km away where the Feuerhelms milk is used to produce cheese. The other is a customer at nearby town Le Mars called Blue Bunny and it’s famous in the US for its ice-cream.

Feed bunkers sit at the back of the dairy site at Perry Creek, with each bunker clearly labelled.

The Feuerhelms use about 40 per cent of their own feed at Perry Creek and this includes about 55 000 tonnes of corn silage from their own farm. The rest of the feed is bought-in from local farmers.

In early August, the herd received 62 pounds/ cow/day of dry matter (28 kg) and included alfalfa (lucerne), soybean meal, cotton seed and minerals with sugar beet pulp used to extend the corn silage.

Breeding extra numbers, in the lead-up to starting Perry Creek, had been a priority for Scott and Brad.

Previously the family bred the genetically inferior “bottom-end” of their herd to beef bulls, but in recent years everything has received dairy semen as the farm has been in an expansion phase.

All virgin heifers and those on their first lactation receive sexed semen, everything else gets conventional dairy semen.

With the coldest month of the year down to about -11°C and rare cold “blasts” pushing conditions to -34°C, all calves on the property are carted south to Kansas more than 1000 km away within days of birth. Calves are trucked three times a week.

The heifers are raised in Kansas and then moved to a feedlot in the nearby state of Nebraska when they are 400 to 500 pounds (181–226 kg).

They don’t return to Iowa until 30 days before they calve.

ANIMAL MONITORING

The Feuerhelm family installed an 80-unit rotary but considered robotics. They said robotics didn’t stack-up economically.

There’s basically no demand for Holstein bull calves, according to Brad and Scott.

They are also trucked south and sold for $A74 but it costs $A34 to get them to a farm at Kansas.

Perry Creek Dairy is set to expand by 800 cows with the site, including effluent storage capacity, designed for this number of cows.

The brothers said 4000 at Perry Creek was the “perfect size” and ensures they have efficiencies of scale but are also able to dispose of effluent cost effectively.

Perry Creek is anticipating production of about 50 million gallons (220 244 cubic metres) of manure a year.

Annually the manure will be pumped out of lagoons with 25 cm-diametre hoses which stringout across the paddock for about 10 km to inject it into the ground.

Manure is also sold to local farmers at “roughly” 75 per cent of the local price for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.

Manure disposal is one of the main reasons why the brothers decided 4000 cows was the perfect size for a dairy operation.

“Go down to south west Kansas lot 8000, 9000, 10 000 dairying on dry lots,” Brad said. “(We can), get rid of manure relatively close, everything within five to six miles (eight to 9.5 km). When you start with 10 000 cows the circle gets bigger and the cost of pumping it.”

Looking ahead, the brothers said their biggest challenges were labour “keeping key people

24/7

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excited and engaged”.

They tackle this by “finding the right cow people and then (getting) out of their way”.

Farmgate milk and feed price risk management is managed via hedging with assistance from a private company in the nearby state of Wisconsin.

Hedging came into the business after the milk price crash in 2009.

“After that fiasco we learnt about margin management,” Brad said. “Making a little is a whole lot better than losing a lot.”

The amount the business hedges depends on where they see the global dairy market. In early August, they had 25 per cent of their milk, for the rest of the current season hedged against risk.

Nothing is locked in for next year, but they said if the margin was right, they would hedge up to 75 per cent of their production to ensure certainty.

They don’t match hedges for milk and feed, they are done separately and with different percentages.

Scott and Brad were bullish about milk prices for next year and although moving into dairy has been a “big learning curve” they haven’t regretted making the switch.

Their roles are mostly hands-off and managing staff, but they are still required to muck-in when needed.

“We still get dirty enough!” Brad said.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

12 // NEWS

Farming smarter reaps rewards for SA farm PRODUCING 2.1 million litres of milk with

an annual rainfall of 350 mm has meant Gary and Ros Zweck and their son Justin have had to farm smarter.

Their system is based around a TMR and a feed pad which can challenge controlling cell counts and mastitis.

“We’ve undoubtedly made some fairly dramatic improvements to our practices compared to how we were operating a couple of years ago,” Gary said.

Changes include keeping the loafing area surfaces as dry as possible and upgrading the lane by laying rubble mixed with cement dust to give it a firmer base, reducing the impact of wet weather.

On a daily basis, Gary cultivates cow pens with a small linkage cultivator which breaks up and mixes fresh manure with old composted manure, helping to break it down faster.

“This ensures our cows can loaf comfortably on the drier surface, reducing contact with wet manure,” Gary said.

To keep a low BMCC, the business has adopted a blanket dry cow and teat seal treatment program.

“Not only has this driven the milk quality

higher but it has had the two-fold effect of reducing our vet bills for mastitis treatment, and with less culls over time.”

High milk quality has also been maintained by encouraging employees to undertake Dairy Australia’s two-day Cups on Cups Off course delivered by vet Simon Edwards, part of the flagship Countdown program.

“The course highlighted the strict practices that need to be adhered to in order to reduce mastitis which include wearing gloves, washing and drying teats before putting cups on, covering 100 per cent of every teat with teat disinfectant, and keeping the teats dry for up to an hour after leaving the shed.”

The Zwecks ensure there is feed already on the pad when cows leave the shed, believing good stockmanship is vitally important to reducing stress during the milking process.

With a direct milk supply that has strict quality guidelines — only accepting grade one level milk — the Zwecks have plenty of reasons to keep their eyes on the prize.

“We can’t afford to take our focus off milk quality, so all our decisions drive that outcome,” Gary said.

When it comes to advice for others, Gary is a strong advocate of herd testing as an important driver of any dairy farm.

“Herd testing is the key to knowing what your cows are achieving and where they sit within the herd, simplifying all the decision making,” Gary said.

Gary is excited about the future and the potential for leveraging the data available to farmers’ fingertips.

“There’s so much more we can do with herd testing, there’s really no limit to the possibilities,” he said.

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TAIL PAINT is how my grandfather improved his heat detection guesswork, and its pretty much how we still do it.

Most people who sell tail paint in New Zealand tell us this is OK – and I guess, for them it is.

Trev Dugan, who farms out by Governor’s Road agrees with them and has doubled down on tail paint this season by trading up to some cutting-edge tail paint technology and going fluro - he says that if this pays off for him he may even look at getting one of those new phones you can carry around out of the house that have no wires.

The use of tail paint as a way to indicate the possibility a cow has submitted, and is therefore in heat, dates back to Victorian and New Zealand dairy farms in the late 1970’s.

Since then, despite pretty much everything else changing, we still are using this basic method on many dairy farms. Tail paint is used to suggest cows that are in

heat by indicating those which have been mounted, resulting in the tail paint being rubbed off.

Where other parts of the dairy world have seen amazing innovations and improvements using the technology that has been invented or improved since the 1970’s (back before cell phones, the internet, personal computers , tries were still worth 4 points, rugby players were amateurs and there was no lifting in the lineouts) – the improvements to tail paint based heat detection have been limited to the colours they use, the cans and how sticky the paint is.

Perhaps its time to move on from the old school to the new school of heat detection, especially when you consider how important accurate heat detection is in a seasonal calving system like New Zealand. If you miss a heat you can stretch your calving pattern – missing days in milk, creating avoidable empties – and ultimately sending cows to the works for “pennies on the dol-

lar” compared to the value they would have if they were able to stay in the herd.

Once you have applied the tail paint it is essential to be skilled at reading the tail paint – a bit like my great-grand mother used to read the tea leaves, which is how we found out that my great great uncle was actually a wizard called Estus who apparently was shape-shifting late at night and had to be cured with a particularly strange concoction of castor oil, leeches and hot baths.

This Tail Paint analysis would be most easily carried out during milking – and if you happen to be 12 feet tall or have a telescopic neck, the height of your cows rump at milking is no obstacle to taking a good look to assess the scrapings.

For everyone else it would be terrific to have a way to assess heat indications using oestrogen instead of witnessing a possible

symptom of what will happen amongst herd mates if it is acting on her system.

And if this could be done automatically and accompanied by automatic drafting you could free up a whole labour unit.

Or instead of thinking a better system, you could stay with the “old ways” and just tweak the paint itself, playing at the edges of improvement – maybe you could think of a new brighter colour, stickier paint or larger can for tail paint and just keep hoping your farm hand has improved his or her ability to notice the difference between a cow in heat and a cow.

If there was a better way – it would pay for itself in no time at all, by giving you the possibility of lower AI costs, fewer empties, more days in milk, more replacements, fewer culls and just get rid of the hassle and stress that checking for heats creates.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

14 // MANAGEMENT

Secret to top quality milk is all-round approach AFTER YEARS on the cusp of the dairy indus-

try’s top prize for milk quality, Yarroweyah dairy farmer Chris and Nicole Hibberson have been announced the 2019 winner of Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards.

Maintaining a focus on mastitis management and milk quality has resulted in better outcomes for herd health and the bottom line for the couple after it purchased its 90 ha flood irrigated dairy farm.

Producing high quality milk comes down to three factors — maintaining excellent teat condition, early detection and treatment of mastitis, and herd testing the 220-cow, split calving mixed herd.

“I’m finding really good teat condition is the best way to control mastitis,” Chris said.

Chris is often in the dairy and keeps a close eye on the herd and milkers.

He routinely uses a chlorhexidine teat spray in the dairy and teats are kept clean and inspected for any abnormalities at every milking.

“Identifying and treating cows when they first come in is one of my secrets to keeping a low cell count throughout the whole year,” Chris said.

When a case of mastitis is identified, Chris uses an intermuscular antibiotic to treat all

four quarters, rather than treating quarters individually.

Cows are clearly marked after treatment for ongoing monitoring and management.

A major challenge for the business is addressing spikes in cell counts immediately after calving.

As a preventative measure, all cows receive dry cow treatment, which treats existing infections that were not cured during lactation and reduces the number of new infections during the dry period.

For one to two months following calving, all cows are stripped weekly, and more often if heifers are prone to mastitis.

Not only does this help to detect clinicals, it also helps to accustom cows to the milking process and provides an effective signal for milk let-down.

In early lactation, Chris checks to see that all cows have been milked out properly.

Keeping the cows calm is important, as calm cows kick the cups off less often, have better milk let-down and move through the dairy more easily.

Machinery and rubberwear is also serviced regularly to harvest milk efficiently and maintain

healthy teats.

Chris says he has seen improvements in his Bulk Milk Cell Count (BMCC) of 20 000–30 000 cells/ml in changing his rubberwear from round to triangular liners.

Teat condition is not just managed in the dairy — Chris is a firm believer in providing enough shade to cows in the hotter months to reduce the risk of health problems including mastitis, especially for his autumn calvers.

When cows experience heat stress in late pregnancy, it suppresses their immune system for several weeks, leading to a higher risk of mastitis.

Chris aims for a yearly average around 60 000 cells/ml.

This number spikes after calving, but Chris believes that addressing any issues early puts his cows in a better position for the remainder of the lactation.

“From around three months, the cell count drops right back, even as low as 40000 (cells/ ml), and I have very few mastitis issues, so it saves on the vet bills.”

Herd testing is conducted once a month to allow Chris and Nicole to make informed decisions about their herd during a tight season.

Herd testing assists them to see which cows are more prone to mastitis and how they respond to treatments.

Chris does not believe there is any special secret to maintaining milk quality, but instead believes in making incremental gains across the business.

Chris Hibberson.

Mastitis prevention maintains winning quality NSW DAIRY farmers James, Peter, Cheryl and

Katrina Neal have just won their fifth consecutive milk quality award − staying up-to-date with best practice for mastitis prevention and treatment is keeping them at the top of their game.

James believes milk quality is essential to the industry’s social licence to operate.

“It’s great to be recognised for supplying high quality milk to consumers year after year. It’s so important for the industry’s reputation that dairy farmers produce good quality milk,” James said.

The Norco suppliers have consistently achieved an annual BMCC ranging between 67 to 77 by paying close attention to maintaining farm infrastructure and implementing a stringent system of mastitis controls.

This is no mean feat for a 700-cow mixed herd of Holsteins, Jerseys, Aussie Reds and crossbreds.

“Muddy udders produce mastitis, and we get an average of 1100 mm of rain per year, as well as extensive flooding events,” James said.

To reduce the impact of mud, gravel laneways and the network of farm drains are kept well maintained.

To limit pugging, Peter has implemented a series of laser scraped drains in each paddock to reduce the build-up of water, while minimising the depth of the drains.

To keep udders clean, drains are also fenced off during wet periods.

Monthly herd recording is seen as critical to identifying cows with elevated BMCC and James can access a website within 24 hours of herd recording, including a weighted average report which shows the impact of individual cell count history on the herd’s average cell count.

Rapid mastitis testing is then used to identify the problem quarter.

“The quicker you can identify the cows with mastitis, the better the chance they can be cured,” James said.

To limit mastitis at calving particularly during wet conditions, blanket antibiotic treatment and teat sealing is used.

The washing of teats is minimised to prevent bacteria from entering the teat end.

For James, upskilling his farm team to prevent mastitis and achieve a low cell count is a crucial part of maintaining high milk quality.

He ensures the farm stays up-to-date with the latest information and staff are encouraged to attend Cups on Cups Off training as part of Dairy Australia’s Countdown program.

“Cups on Cups Off courses give our staff a basic understanding of the important things to look for in the herd and dairy for mastitis management,” James said.

As well as attending training, James ensures resources such as the Countdown farm guidelines are kept on hand for his team to refer to.

Oxley dairy farmer James Neal has picked up a milk quality award for the past five years.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 15

Dairy gets heart health approval DAIRY AUSTRALIA has welcomed new advice

from the Heart Foundation which says regular fat milk, yoghurt and cheese are healthy options for Australians.

The updated advice means the Heart Foundation has removed its previous restriction on regular fat milk, cheese and yoghurt. The organisation has confirmed these products do not increase or decrease the risk of heart disease or stroke, and are a source of healthy nutrients like calcium.

Dairy Australia’s Human Health and Nutrition Policy manager Melissa Cameron said the new recommendations are good news for dairy.

"The Heart Foundation’s announcement reinforces the clear nutritional benefits of consuming recommended serves of dairy as part of a healthy diet,” Ms Cameron said.

“This new advice is based on a growing body of high quality evidence which shows it’s

important to consider the effect of the entire food matrix, rather than focus on single nutrients, like saturated fat.

“Dairy is one of the five recommended food groups according to Australian Dietary Guidelines. Both regular and reduced fat varieties of milk, cheese and yoghurt are associated with numerous health benefits, including a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and type 2 diabetes.”

The latest data from Dairy Australia shows that in 2018–19, more than two thirds of consumers purchased regular milk over reduced and non-fat varieties from supermarkets — a 12 per cent increase from just 56 per cent of consumers a decade earlier.

For more information, visit the Heart Foundation’s website.

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A three cheese beef burger. The Heart Foundation has released a new report on dairy foods and cardiac health. Picture: Chris Court photography.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

16 // MANAGEMENT

Business prize for Tongala farmer

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A2 has seen Tongala dairy farmer Bonita Koch awarded Rabobank’s annual Dr John Morris Business Development prize at a graduation dinner in Sydney in July.

Mrs Koch participated in the bank’s Executive Development Program — a 12-month course she undertook to improve and develop her business sense.

“Farming had taken a back seat while I focused on starting a family. I was looking at becoming more involved again, but I felt I was lacking confidence and motivation, so I decided to take on the program,” Mrs Koch said.

Mrs Koch and her husband Merv milk 700 split-calving cows on 220 ha.

She said her defining moment during the course came when she was told, “If you are doing the same as everyone else, expect to get paid the same”.

That particular message really hit home and became the catalyst behind the drive to change to producing A2 milk.

“The program helped set the strategic direction of our business and also gave me the confidence to look outside the square at other options and not stay the same as everyone else,” she said.

Setting goals to transition the business was important and included a plan to change processing companies by January of this year and to supply A2 protein milk by July 1.

The timing for change in the northern Victoria dairy industry was not ideal, with drought conditions and high feed and water prices, but the couple decided the risk of doing nothing was even greater.

Mrs Koch used her newly learnt negotiation skills to move the business from one processor to another.

They then decided to sell the majority A1 cattle and buy in the A2 genetics they required, reducing the changeover period significantly.

They presently run two herds and are expecting to be totally A2 by autumn next year.

All young stock on the property also contain the A2 gene.

“We feel fairly confident going forward that we can create a larger margin to be able to withstand the seasonal conditions like drought, water prices and high feed costs and even the high costs of labour going forward in the future,” Mrs Koch said.

“The numbers certainly show it being sustainable and viable for our business going forward.”

Mrs Koch was one of three Victorian dairy farmers selected to attend the EDP as a scholarship recipient of the Gardiner Dairy Foundation, in conjunction with Victorian Dairy Industry Regional Development Programs.

The Executive Development Program has been run by Rabobank for farmers since 1999, with more than 750 of Australia’s and New Zealand’s most progressive farmers now graduates of the program.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

ABV FEATURE // 17

ABV FEATURE

Stuart and Kylie Nailer milk 215 cows at Ringarooma, in Tasmania’s northeast and have used sexed semen to provide a herd boost in what was otherwise a tough year with the farmgate milk price cut and drought.

ABV RELEASE PROMPTS SIRE REVIEW The August release of Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) and the upcoming joining season will have dairy farmers around the country thinking about the next best sires to use over their herds.

While breeding enthusiasts will delve into great detail and enjoy lengthy discussions with others, many dairy farmers want a simple process to make good breeding decisions.

DataGene caters to all ranges in the spectrum, publishing ABVs for 40 traits including production, type, health as well as the Balanced Performance Index (BPI) which combines in a single figure the key traits that influence a cow’s contribution to the dairy business. The simplest way to choose bulls is to look for the Good Bulls icon; these bulls meet DataGene’s minimum criteria for BPI and reliability and are available for purchase.

Both the breeding enthusiast and the pragmatic decision maker can have confidence that Australia’s genetic evaluation system delivers the best prediction of an animal’s performance under local dairying conditions.

DataGene chief executive Matt Shaffer, said the Australian system was one of the best in the world because it is independent, underpinned by science and backed by big data.

“ABVs are based on Australian data to give the best possible prediction of an animal’s performance under Australian conditions. Other breeding values are designed to give the best predictions

for performance under their local conditions,” he said.

“Overseas data enhances the Australian system however it is adjusted to allow for environment and management differences between countries.”

The Australian dairy industry has given the responsibility of genetic evaluation to DataGene, an independent, industry-owned organisation that has no commercial interests in selling semen or cattle.

Australia’s genetic evaluation system is underpinned by world class science through the DairyBio collaboration. With industry organisations like DataGene, Holstein Australia, Jersey Australia and NHIA also onsite, it is one of the few integrated genetic facilities in the world, bringing together researchers and industry to create practical tools for dairy farmers.

Multiple Australian studies have determined that higher genetic merit cows (based on BPI) produce more milk solids than their herdmates with lower genetic merit. They also last just as long, if not longer in the herd, debunking the theory that higher genetic merit cows are less fertile and less likely to last. These findings hold across different breeds, dairy regions and feeding systems.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

18 // ABV FEATURE

Sires’ success is proven THE DESIRE by ABS to make better cows

faster has never been more evident than in the August ABV proofs, delivering top sires in both the Holstein genomic rankings and sires with Australian milking daughters The success of the ABS genomic program is reflected in the number eight proven sire Glomar Superlucky, whose first proof with 180

daughters is the fastest sire ever proven by ABS in Australia — with a 272 BPI and positive milk and components, plus very good health traits and high farmer likeability.

National sales manager Paul Quinlan said ABS was confident Glomar Superlucky was always going to be up near the top because of excellent early genomic data and customers

saying how much they loved milking the daughters.

Genomic testing is making breeding decisions more reliable at a much younger age, and the Genetic Management System and genetic audit allows dairy farmers to choose both elite genomic sires and reliable Australian proven sires based on breeding records kept on the

VikingHolstein x VikingRed x VikingJersey

home computer.

“GMS removes the guesswork and makes it easy to customise breeding plans that demonstrate the desired outcomes in an easily understood and transparent form,” Mr Quinlan said.

“We’ve been saying for some time that we want to make better cows faster and we’re finding more and more farmers are taking up our offer to assess where they are when it comes to their breeding program and goals. Some are achieving their breeding goals, but many have found themselves going off-track with their breeding development program.”

The genetic audit report focuses on breeding the right cows along with the best to maintain continuous improvement.

“The question we always ask is, why do cows leave your herd? Do you really know how good or bad your replacement heifers are?

“A breeding plan isn’t too difficult if you have the data and focus on what matters to you, and making the correct choices is critical for longterm viability.”

Sexed genetics ABS offers Sexcel sexed genetics to breeding programs, offering an even greater opportunity to accelerate genetic progress.

Along with elite dairy sires, ABS offers a complete breeding solution to maximise farm profitability. The audit tool identifies the best cows and heifers to breed to conventional or sexed semen and the lesser genetic progeny (cows and/ or heifers) to the ABS Beef InFocus product line.

“It’s becoming more and more important to value-add with the livestock available on farm, and with smart tools and clever breeding decisions around Sexcel sexed genetics and ABS’ Beef InFocus, long-term dairy operations are adding multiple income streams rather than relying just on milk payments,” Mr Quinlan said.

Jersey fertility is a key ingredient

Maximize your herd performance with GoldenCross® Choose GoldenCross with three strong VikingGenetics breeds in a rotational crossbreeding system to get the best results. High production from VikingHolstein, great solids from VikingJersey and superior health from VikingRed. Read more: www.vikinggenetics.com.au

ABS’ partnership with Central Sires Co-operative continues to bring a balanced group of quality Jersey sires to breeders. Three new exciting sires are being added to the ABS Jersey team this year.

CSCDYNAMITE Gelbeado Park DYNAMITE comes from the number one genomically tested cow in Australia, Gelbeado Park Raceway Cocoa 4608. This sire offers excellent health traits which includes 103 for Daughter Fertility and a BPI of 264.

CSCJAMIEO Murray Brook JAMIEO is another sire that expresses very good health traits including exceptional overall type 110 and udders 113 with a BPI of 231.

CSCTOYOTA Auburn Vale TOYOTA has a deep and successful cow family that dates back to the 1940s and features fertility and longevity.

The family has passed through three different owners and for the past 40 years has been a centrepiece of the Trotman breeding program. The dam of Toyota, Auburn Vale Laurette 2696 and family consistently classify 86 to 87 points. As expected, Toyota has exceptional health traits, which includes breed-leading daughter fertility of 107. His proof is very good across all traits, production, health and type and fits into the ABS team very well with a BPI of 227.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

ABV FEATURE // 19

Scientists expand genetic horizons Australia’s geneticists are leading the world in expanding the horizons of genetic selection of dairy cattle.

WHAT DO you achieve if you take a team

of clever geneticists, give them state-of-theart research facilities and supply them with exceptional herd performance records? Worldleading advancements in breeding tools for dairy farmers, says Matt Shaffer, chief executive of DataGene, the organisation responsible for driving genetic gain and herd improvement in the Australian dairy industry.

“Australia was the first country in the world to release tools nationally enabling all dairy farmers to breed for improved feed efficiency and heat tolerance,” Dr Shaffer said.

“DairyBio’s scientists are working at the cutting edge of genetic technologies. And there’s more exciting tools in the pipeline.”

DairyBio was formed to bring science and industry together to create practical tools for farmers. It is a joint initiative between Agriculture Victoria, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

The team works in purpose-built facilities at the AgriBio Centre for AgriBioscience in Bundoora.

With molecular and quantitative geneticists in the same building, it is one of the few integrated genetic research facilities in the world.

It is also home to industry organisations like DataGene, Holstein Australia, Jersey Australia and NHIA. “It’s very powerful having science and industry co-located. Amazing things are possible when you combine a real-world perspective with great scientific minds and the latest technologies,” Dr Shaffer said.

“Molecular geneticists extract the DNA from hair and skin samples while quantitative geneticists analyse the data. There’s very few places in the world where these teams work so closely together.

“Ultimately their work is about identifying and linking gene variations to the traits that dairy farmers want to improve in their herds, like improved milk production, fertility or mastitis resistance. The outcome is genomic Australian Breeding Values — ABVs,” he said.

The combination of genomic technologies and herd performance data has enabled DairyBio scientists to develop ABVs for traits that are difficult to measure such as heat tolerance, feed efficiency and health.

The complete sequencing of the bovine genome, the development of cost effective and reliable methods to DNA test large numbers of animals, access to increased computing power and investment in research are all playing a part in these developments.

Big data Developing genomic ABVs relies on access to performance data from Australian dairy herds.

Herd records allow geneticists to link specific genes to animal performance for specific traits.

Collected from herd testing, pedigree, conformation, health, fertility and management records, this data is mapped to DNA markers for the associated genes.

A group of dairy herds with exceptional records plays a special role Australia’s genetic evaluation system. Collectively known as Ginfo herds (short for Genetic Information), their animals are DNA tested so they can be crossDataGene chief executive Matt Shaffer says Australia’s geneticists are leading matched with performance records. the world in expanding the horizons of genetic selection of dairy cattle.

Ginfo currently consists of detailed records from about 150 dairy herds, with Holstein, Jersey, Aussie Red and cross breeds located across Australia’s eight dairying regions.

Linking differences in cow performance to genetic markers is a challenge given the very large data sets involved.

“We are talking about ‘big data’; for example, Australia’s genetic evaluation system has 193 million test day records plus we exchange data with overseas industries,” Dr Shaffer said.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that most traits are influenced by multiple genes. For example, fertility is thought to be influenced by 1000 to 5000 separate genes.

“Advances in computing power give us the capacity to process massive volumes of data. We are privileged to have some of the best brains in the world in the DairyBio team.

“Combine that with a healthy dose of practical perspective and we have the ingredients for a world-leading genetic evaluation system.”

For more information contact DataGene on (03) 9032 7191 or enquiries@datagene.com.au or www.datagene.com.au DataGene is an initiative of Dairy Australia and the herd improvement industry.

“We are talking about ‘big data’; for example, Australia’s genetic evaluation system has 193 million test day records plus we exchange data with overseas industries.”

– Dr Matt Shaffer

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

20 // ABV FEATURE

Trial sparks interest A TRIAL of sexed semen three years ago ignited one

Stuart and Kylie Nailer on their Tasmanian farm.

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cent rise in Balanced Performance Index (BPI), a measure of the traits that contribute to profitable dairy businesses. It now sits at about $105.

The sexed semen result provided a boost for the family in what was otherwise a tough year with the farmgate milk price cut and drought.

“That year we did the experiment with the sexed semen, it was a really good result,” Stuart said. “We had 25 heifers and got 60 per cent in calf. We were stoked.”

From this joining, the couple decided to focus on breeding Holsteins rather than the Jersey-Holstein and three-way way cross which they had been breeding. Stuart and Kylie both believe there’s more opportunity for gains with Holsteins and have made the most of tools such as genomics and corrective mating in recent years.

They ramped-up their use of sexed semen across both heifers and cows and this coming year plan to sell no bobby calves. Instead, they will use sexed semen to breed replacements and an Angus mop-up to provide calves for the local F1-market.

Last year, they joined with two sexed semen sires; one delivered a 72 per cent in-calf-rate and the other 55 per cent.

Using sexed semen for the first time wasn’t the Nailers’ first foray into changing breeding at their farm. The couple’s first priority – when they took over the property – was to tighten the seasonal calving. It was initially spread across four months and they now have it back to August and September.

“We had to take a whack to tighten it,” Stuart said.

“We had an empty rate of about 20 per cent for two years, but then it tightened-up.

“That was when we woke up to the fact we needed higher fertility bulls and bulls with high daughter fertility. Then we got some really good results.”

Stuart and Kylie use the Good Bulls App to make breeding decisions. Calving ease and daughter fertility are paramount and they look for sires with a reliability of at least 70 per cent. BPI has also been a focus. Stuart said the Good Bulls App made decisionmaking easier, by narrowing-down bulls which suit their breeding focus.

“We don’t get caught-up in the nice pictures (of bulls) or anything like that,” he said.

Genomic testing has started to play a larger role in the Nailers’ decision-making.

“We now have numbers to play with and hope to eliminate the bottom 20 per cent (through genomic testing) by culling early and before we spend money on them for rearing,” Stuart said.

They would like to sell these calves to local farmers as replacements putting the income towards paying for genomic testing.

The Nailers currently service a local market for F1 calves and hope to continue this to make the most out of every animal on farm.

“Our goals are to maximise (the value of) every calf that’s born,” Stuart said.

“Our attitude would be that if we have a good 60 replacement heifers, they are the ones that get sexed semen and the best cows. Everything else gets, if possible, F1 beef sires to maximise the calf value. That’s our ultimate goal in the back of our minds for twoto-three years’ time.”

Changes have also been made across the entire farming system.

Ten per cent of the farm undergoes pasture renovation each season, initially planted out for a summer crop and then back into perennial ryegrass. This crop, which includes pasja and millet this year, provides feed for the warmer months on top of 60 ha of irrigation. The farm is about 82 ha, with some agistment. The herd is fed about 1.8 tonne/cow/lactation in the bail.

August 2019 ABV’s Production has lifted from a herd total of 75 000 kg of milk solids three years ago, to 96 000 kg MS last year and the herd is on-track for 105 000.

Tasmanian dairy farming family’s passion for breeding and laid a foundation for the business’s future.

Stuart and Kylie Nailer milk 215 cows at Ringarooma, in Tasmania’s north-east, with their children – Sophie, 14, Kaiden, 13, McKenzie, 11 and Oaklea, 8.

They moved from Queensland six years ago, initially buying the farm in partnership with Stuart’s parents. Since 2014 the herd has recorded a 425 per

www.genaust.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

ABV FEATURE // 21

A decade in the making for three-way breeding results THE USE of three-way cross breeding in dairy

operations is a popular topic at present. With more farmers using the system, and herd conversions are obtaining critical mass due to decisions made in previous years, the results of taking such a strategy are now starting to show.

Josh and Lilli Philp run more than 700 head at Riverbank, a 440-hectare dairy farm they lease from Josh’s parents Barry and Vicky at Garvoc in Victoria. Barry and Vicky came to the farm from New Zealand in 1996 and started milking NZ Friesians.

After struggling with herd health issues and trying to breed a smaller cow, they introduced a two-way Jersey cross.

In 2008, looking for a more systematic way of breeding to create the cow they were looking for, the Philps chose to use the VikingGenetics GoldenCross program. When Josh and Lilli took over the herd in 2017 they continued the transformation, with around 95 per cent of their cows now with the three-way cross genetics.

“When we made the decision to go for the three-way cross, Dad was looking for better health and fertility across the herd,” Josh said.

“We also wanted to lift the average size of the cows, but not too much. A medium cow suits us best.”

GoldenCross is a three-breed program that uses VikingHolstein, VikingRed and VikingJersey genetics. In the top positions for health and production traits worldwide, they have been bred in Nordic countries, where testing and

record keeping is arguably the most detailed in the world.

The Philps work closely with VikingGenetics Australia to select the right sires for breeding.

“We are careful with sire selection, using the local VikingGenetics team’s expertise to guide our decisions. She knows what we are trying to achieve, so provides us with a list of suitable options which we then choose from,” Josh said.

With the sires, Josh says they look for good health, fertility and the right size parameters, as well as milk production and positive fat and protein scores. Using AI only for around nine The Philps run a 700 head herd at Garvoc. weeks, the couple are achieving 90 per cent incalf rates.

Across the herd, the Philps are achieving an Australian Red crosses, as there was enough average of 6 155 litres per cow per annum, with ADHIS data for that combination to give statis4.5 per cent milk fat and 3.6 per cent protein. tical reliability.

Somatic cell count is averaging 110 000.

The research found there are measurable “The animals have got to last and get in calf farm management benefits from choosing to use well. They need to walk. We now have no masti- three-way cross genetics, although Dr Coombe tis and no hoof issues, no lameness,” Josh said. says it is not necessarily for every operation.

“We are happy with the results. It is working “It costs money to raise a dairy cow, so when well and proving successful for us.” looking at the effectiveness of breeding programs, we consider profitability not simply proBacked up by research ductivity. They are not the same thing,” she Independent dairy consultant Dr Jo Coombe has explained. researched the benefits of using three-way cross “It is a combination of factors that make a difgenetics in dairy operations. Completed for Dairy ference — fertility, production, and of course feed Australia through the University of Melbourne, and running costs. We tend to find the greatest her project looked at the implications of applying benefits from cross breeding are in operations three-way breeding for dairy farming operations. that are predominantly pasture-based, those that The project looked at Holstein, Jersey, don’t require as much supplementary feeding.

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“The major benefit for three-way crosses is the fertility and sustainability of cow turnover.

If you are turning over your animals less often, the herd is more sustainable and stable.”

Dr Coombe says that VikingGenetics’ approach to the three-way cross is different to many of the other dairy genetic providers.

“Probably the most noticeable difference is that they don’t consider the use of a three-way cross as diluting any ‘purity’ of the parent breed genetics. Rather, they see it is as a benefit when looking for a flexible and sustainable herd management strategy.

“It is important that farmers have a breeding plan to suit their operation, that they can adapt to their circumstances to achieve improved herd sustainability and animal health.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

22 // ABV FEATURE

Number one bull for daughters GENETICS AUSTRALIA have released its

August proof update with Calister Maebull the new number one daughter proven bull.

Maebull’s stable breeding value has held him in good stead as other challengers have fallen away with refinements to the ABV methodology.

Craig Lister with sons Alex and Ollie and a Maebull daughter in their herd.

Over 40 years of working with LIC has helped Dornauf Farms achieve 600kg milk solids per cow.

With 129 daughters in his production breeding value, Maebull provides a reliable balance of production, type, health and fertility.

He ticks all the key type boxes: lower pins, wider chests, shallow udders and longer teats.

Outstanding ratings for cell count, fertility and heat tolerance round out the offering from this elite A22 sire.

Genetics Australia said it continued to source the best possible genetics from around the world to fuel Australian breeding programs.

JSMontana from the Jetstream stable is now adding daughters and the reports are very encouraging. This A22 sire delivers a balanced production profile from snug well attached udders. Great health and fertility will ensure that JSMontana has long-term appeal.

Genetics Australia said Douggan retained the number one ranking from the April ABVs and remained the premium choice for Jersey genetics.

“Douggan emphasises dairy strength and is an exceptional component improver with strong health and fertility scores,” Genetics Australia said.

The Genetics Australia Jersey bull team continues to go from strength to strength with some exciting bulls coming through the system.

Genetics Australia dominant Jersey team also includes the number one proven sire Irwin, thanks to its partnership with World Wide Sires US. The Genetics Australia website is now updated with the latest ABVs. visit genaust.com.au

“Douggan emphasises dairy strength and is an exceptional component improver with strong health and fertility scores.”

But every year is a fresh challenge.

It’s all about finding better, smarter ways of doing things for Dornauf Family Farms, LIC’s oldest customers in Australia.

55 years ago they started out with 71 cows averaging 100kg of milk butterfat per season. They soon realised that the traditional Australian cow did not suit their Tasmanian dairy farm. So in the early 1970s the Dornaufs started working with LIC, focusing on breeding long lasting cows with great fertility and production capacity. And they have never looked back. Today their business has grown into four farms, with 2100 cows producing an outstanding 600kg milk solids each per season.

Genetics Australia number one daughter proven bull Maebull.

For three generations Dornauf Family Farms have been pushing the boundaries and their business is thriving, but they know there’s always room for improvement.

Contact us to learn more about how LIC can help with improvement on your farm.

1800 454 694 | admin@licaus.com.au | licnz.com.au

There’s always room for improvement

Douggan has retained the number one ranking from April ABVs and remains the premium choice for Jersey genetics.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

ABV FEATURE // 23

Data drives WA business EVERY DECISION on Bob and Jacqui

Biddulph’s dairy farm is data driven.

There’s no stone unturned when it comes to measuring and monitoring performance for the self-confessed ‘number crunchers’.

“We keep a lot of records, but that’s only so we can look at them and make decisions,” Jacqui said.

“From paddock performance and the number of hay rolls coming out (of each paddock) to seed selection, we do financial analysis of the business every year. With breeding, it is not much different. We like to keep our herd genetically modern, using new bulls all the time rather than older bulls. We are completely commercially focused: our money comes from selling milk and we want cattle that last.”

It is no surprise that the couple have embraced Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) for females, based on genomic testing, pedigree estimates and their own performance records.

“We have a report on our herd, every cow from milking to non-milking,” Jacqui said.

“Some calves were born on 8 April and on 17 April we got their pedigree-only BPI.” The Balanced Performance Index (BPI) is an estimate of an animal’s genetic merit, based on the traits that contribute to farm business performance under Australian conditions.

The couple milk 420 registered Holsteins at Cowaramup near Margaret River in Western Australia on about 300 hectares with the support of a 125 ha run-off block and 50 ha of leased land.

The focus on data and its use for driving farm performance started with Bob’s parents, Eric and Maureen, who began registering the herd in 1975. Targeted, individual matings underpin the Biddulphs’ breeding program, a task which relies heavily on data.

“Frustrated” that data was not available on heifers until their first lactation, Jacqui developed her own formula to determine an animal’s genetic merit — half the sire and half the dam’s breeding value.

“We’ve always focused on strong cow families, three generations of type and udders and now we use cow BPIs as well. All the information is there now and more importantly it is readily available,” Jacqui said.

“I’ve reared bulls from maiden heifers now that we have got more information. Before they hit the dairy, we know a fair bit about them.

We genomically test our home-bred bulls to confirm they are good enough. This early information puts us in front compared to where we used to be.”

Constantly pushing for genetic gain, earlier information has helped the couple sharpen their focus for culling and export heifer selection. Inseminating all the heifers and running an extensive AI program with the main herd ensures the couple has plenty of replacements each year.

Their annual replacement rate is 25–30 per cent, with young animals keeping herd health issues to a minimum.

These extra heifers also mean there’s more available to send to the export market.

Traditionally, 30–50 animals are exported each year.

The bulk of the heifer sales come from laterborn heifers which means they can be sired naturally. Jacqui said it was important to ensure the heifers sold were also “quality stock” and that’s why genomically testing the home-bred bulls was crucial. She said one of the bulls running with the heifers had a 241 BPI, something she

was pleased with considering he was home-bred.

The Biddulphs’ herd calves from February to the end of May, to make best use of their 180day pasture growing season. Jacqui said everything’s hand fed until peak lactation, before they hit the home-grown pasture to complete most of their lactation on grass. “It’s about matching grass growth to the lactation curve to manage costs,” she said.

Profitability is at the heart of all business decisions, including breeding. Thorough analysis of sires starts as soon as DataGene’s April ABV proofs are released, with bulls selected within 24 hours. This tight time frame’s crucial to ensure semen arrives in Western Australia in time for joining. The DataGene Good Bulls Guide is a starting point for sire selection with the BPI the primary source of information.

Bob and Jacqui Biddulph and their daughter Hannah.

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Office: (02) 60 404 373 Visit our website: www.stgenetics.com.au and LIKE us on Facebook

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

24 // NEWS

Nationals MP, Tim Bull who invited the panel to Bairnsdale for hearings, with Inquiry panel chair, Nazih Elasmar MLC.

Inquiry panel members, The Nationals Melina Bath MLC and Liberal's Western Victoria Region MP, Beverley McArthur. Ms Bath instigated the inquiry.

Colliding views on inquiry focus JEANETTE SEVERS

FARMERS NEED to ask trespassers if they are

animal rights activists. That was the facetious view of Andy Meddick MLC, a member of the panel committee conducting a public inquiry into the impact of animal rights activism on Victorian agriculture.

Mr Meddick is also a member of the Animal Justice Party and told Dairy News Australia his mission is to put an end to livestock agriculture.

During the public hearing and in an exclusive interview, Mr Meddick disputed that people who are illegally on farms or in meat processing facilities are there with the intent to break the law.

Mr Meddick believes the inquiry is investigating not only “the role of animal activism on animal agriculture in Victoria … and trespass, but is also an inquiry into Victoria’s animal welfare laws and their adequacy”.

It was obvious from the tone of questions from some members of the panel committee that, like Mr Meddick, there is confusion about what they are investigating — far too many questions were asking farmers and processors to justify their animal welfare practices.

Whereas farmers and processors were trying to keep the focus on the fear and economic and biosecurity challenges that animal rights activists engender by trespassing on private property.

Mr Meddick made it clear his intent is shaped by his belief that Victorian agriculture is rampant with poor animal welfare practices and outcomes.

Mr Meddick is pushing for CCTV throughout meat processing buildings, in livestock feedlots and similar intensive infrastructure, and on farms. He wants industry standards to be legislated and the establishment of an independent office of animal welfare.

He and his fellow inquiry panel members need farmers to inform them of the animal welfare codes and practices they have to follow in order to produce food for domestic and global markets. But the issue is bigger than that — it is inherent on the agriculture industry to inform urbanised Australians about how their food is produced. That will give animal rights activists

less traction for their agenda, to close the dairy and livestock industries.

According to the submission made to the inquiry by Agriculture Victoria, Victoria is Australia’s largest agricultural producer — with 25 per cent ($15 billion) of the nation’s gross agricultural production in 2017–18. Victoria is home to 25 per cent of Australia’s farms.

More than 70 per cent of Victoria’s farms are livestock-based — producing 60 per cent of Australia’s milk, 44 per cent and 18 per cent respectively of the nation’s lamb and beef meat.

Victorian farms produce 53 per cent of the nation’s animal fibre exports and 47 per cent of Australia’s skins and hides exports. Victoria’s livestock industries are major employers in rural areas, with 52 000 people employed on farms and in processing businesses.

There are 21 licensed domestic abattoirs and 18 licensed export abattoirs in Victoria.

In Gippsland, in a 100 km radius, there are 10 meat processors, many of which employ 150 to 400 people; thereby being a key employer in the region, creating thousands of jobs within and without the meat industry. There are three regulatory organisations whose employees practice the right to arrive unannounced to audit those meat processors.

However, Mr Meddick believes there is not enough legislation in place for regulating animal agriculture on farms and trucks and in feedlots, saleyards and abattoirs.

He believes and supports the submission from PETA that CCTV should be compulsory in meat processing facilities and on farms — “in all facilities where animals are raised and killed” — and he asked each witness at the two public inquiries in Gippsland if they also supported installing CCTV cameras.

Ron Paynter, a dairy farmer at Ellinbank, has spent many decades hosting tours on his farm from school and university students, overseas and local trade delegations and general visitors.

He has always ensured strict biosecurity processes were followed, providing footbaths for visitors’ shoes and keeping visitors to laneways and outside the perimeters of calf-raising facilities.

His empathy for other people extended to following a vegetarian diet when he hosted

an exchange farm worker for three months; the worker was a practising Hindi. He has also hosted a person who identified themself as vegan and wanted to tour his farm. Mr Paynter made a submission to the inquiry and also spoke to Dairy News Australia.

“We’ve had thousands of people visit Paynter Farms. My point in making a submission was to emphasise our open gate policy. We need to be informing the moderate middle Australia about what modern agriculture is and why respect for food is incredibly important along the food supply chain — how that animal lives and why and how it dies,” he said.

“People should be making ethical decisions about eating meat and dairy products and wearing animal fibre. Even a vegan diet has environmental stewardship responsibilities and challenges.

“It’s quite scary that because of the internet, people are given a false understanding about agricultural industries. The level of polarisation from animal rights activists is quite extreme and they won’t engage in a dialogue with farmers because they believe farmers are their enemy.

“Ellinbank (the government’s key dairy research facility and next door to Paynter Farms) has cranked up its security and all it needs is activists to spread their trespass across our property to violate our biosecurity.

“We don’t know where they’ve been before they’ve come onto our property and what pathogens they are carrying on their shoes and boots.

Farmers have a responsibility to the general public and our export markets to follow strict biosecurity protocols around producing food.

“Activists can have salmonella on their shoes from walking around an urban pond that has ducks and other wildlife. We don’t want that disease in our herds. When you have radical ideologues running around, the deliberate introduction of pathogens is a risk of bioterrorism to Australian agriculture.”

Mr Paynter ensured his staff and his family were aware of police advice, disseminated by the UDV at its annual conference (which he attended), about how to deal with trespassers.

“We were told to be non-confrontational, gather evidence by taking photos and recording

these people, phone the police and keep staff safe,” Mr Paynter said.

“But where we work is where we live — this has increased our mental stress and that of our employees. Even the risk of activists surveilling your farm from outside your property is confronting, provoking and mentally stressful.”

Mr Meddick told Dairy News Australia that farmers cannot assume people who were illegally on their farms were animal rights activists.

It was a line he also followed in his questioning of witnesses at the two inquiries.

“You need to ask them if they are animal rights activists,” Mr Meddick said to Dairy News Australia.

His argument is that anyone has the right to enter private premises and take animals because they are concerned about the welfare and health of those animals — that act did not make them animal rights activists. Mr Meddick’s passion is to close down animal agriculture in Victoria, although he expressed doubt that will occur in his lifetime.

Even while supporting animal rights activism, PETA Australia’s Paula Hough (vice president and deputy general counsel, Asia-Pacific), admits that animal rights activists who trespass are breaking the law and that farmers have a right to be safe in their homes (which are also generally their workplaces).

Ms Hough is concerned the inquiry will convert an “unreasonable fear into a reasonable one by working to ensure the public comes to understand animal rights activists as a tangible physical threat”, requiring specific categories of criminal offences and increased penalties.

“During the ‘Gippy Goat Farm Café Protest’, a tag was removed from the ear of a stolen goat in violation of section 9A(2) of the LDC. Although the monetary penalty for breaching this section is 60 penalty units, capped at the time at $9671.40, the protester received a $1 fine.

Whilst the information is not publicly stated as a motive of this particular activist, the issue of tagging livestock is portrayed as cruelty by some animal welfare organisations,” the LIV’s submission states.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

SPRING PASTURE FEATURE // 25

g n i r Sp

e r u t s a P

Dairy farmer Luke Davison from Ecklin South in a paddock of flourishing Vibe Italian rye-grass.

Late heading grasses maximise spring timing GROWING LEAFY, quality, late heading Italian

rye-grass cultivars right through the silage and hay season has become a valuable tool for Australian dairy farmers looking to maximise flexibility and production.

Late heading cultivars provide a significant advantage in late spring and early summer quality, as they maintain leafiness for longer, go to seed head later and tend to produce less aftermath heading (returns to vegetative state quickly after heading).

New late heading cultivars make grazing, silage and hay management easier by growing luscious, high yielding feed for longer.

At the forefront of new late heading rye-grass breeding is Vibe Italian Rye-grass.

Bred with persistence in mind, Peter Notman from Notman Pasture Seeds said Vibe Italian rye-grass had shown superior persistence under varying environmental conditions and dairy management systems without sacrificing yield.

“It’s been a part of a 15-year persistence breeding and endophyte Italian rye-grass programe from Cropmark, and naturally it’s shown very good persistence in its class without animal toxicity.”

He said as a diploid Italian it handles hard grazings well and the new breeding technology

gives advantages over previous Italian rye-grass varieties “It seems to hang on in there when some other Italians won’t.”

By maintaining leafiness later, late maturing rye-grasses offer silage harvest flexibility to farmers by holding onto quality.

“Vibe handles hard grazings very well, and at +27 days heading date compared to Nui, it is up to 10 days later heading than traditional Italian rye-grasses,” Peter said.

Adam Sheedy, operations manager of Cropmark Seeds, has witnessed first-hand the success of Vibe.

“Our persistence program has been running twenty years now, and Vibe is a real game changer in terms of Italian rye-grasses,” Adam said.

“In our Australian run trials we have noticed significant yield and persistence benefits of the Vibe rye-grass, compared to the nil endophyte varieties” Continuing into spring from winter, the later maturing Italian rye-grasses with improved genetic traits are giving economic gains to dairy farmers.

“We are really starting to see the results of this, coupled with the higher dry matter yields.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

26 // SPRING PASTURE FEATURE

Investment in quality seed UPPER MURRAY Seeds from Albury will

launch the new Silver varieties of lucerne at Henty and Elmore field days in Victoria after they garnered plenty of interest at AgQuip in August.

“We launched our new lucerne varieties in northern NSW in August at the AgQuip field days and received some really positive feedback about both varieties,” Upper Murray Seeds northern NSW agronomist Tony Christian said.

He said feedback about SilverSky included, “SilverSky is powering along in the cold conditions, it is obviously as winter-active as you claim.”

Meanwhile, feedback about SilverLand GT included: “SilverLand GT is the real deal in terms of grazing tolerant lucerne. Looks like

you could graze it every of the week because of its low crown. And it’s staying green now, not drying off like the other lucernes with a winter activity level five.”

SilverLand GT SilverLand GT is an extremely persistent, moderately winter-active variety that withstands significant grazing pressure, and with a high level of disease and pest resistance, is a long-term crop option for any producer.

Key features include: ■■ Australian bred, high winter-dormancy.

■■ Persistence due to a low crown.

■■ Suitable for good winter rainfall areas.

■■ Predominately used for summer forage.

■■ Saline tolerant up to 10 000ppm.

Brad Forsyth, Monto of Monto in Queensland, in a paddock of Silver lucerne.

The erect and leafy variety has a rapid regrowth rate after cutting, or grazing by sheep or cattle, and will persist through those tough, dry conditions.

Suitable to inland regions of Australia, SilverLand GT grows well on a wide range of well drained soils including deep loams, sands, loam over gravel or clay and under ideal conditions, is

likely to persist for at least 10 years.

It does not produce as well on shallow soil types.

Silverland GT is sown at a depth of 1 cm and at a rate of 6–15 kg/ha alone or 1–4 kg/ha as a component pasture blend.

Mr Christian said SilverLand GT was highly

Introducing the new stars of our Silver Lucerne range.

5-7-9-11 Silver Lucernes for every Australian dairy farm.

SilverLand GT withstands real grazing pressure.

It’s highly persistent and tolerates salinity.

Winter Activity 5

SilverSky is highly winter active, produces impressive DM and suits most lucerne growing areas.

Winter Activity 11

Which one will grow your business?

SilverLand GT • Silverosa GT • Silverado • SilverSky See more at www.uppermurrayseeds.com.au Available from your local rural supplier.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

SPRING PASTURE FEATURE // 27 regarded due to its ability to produce top quality, out-of-season feed.

“It has a high leaf-to-stem ratio, excellent palatability and digestibility, and has good levels of metabolisable energy making it a reliable source of crude protein.”

SilverSky Mr Christian said SilverSky was another outstanding lucerne variety that set the bar high in terms of dry matter production, performing extremely well through winter and summer and making it ideal across a wide range of forage systems.

Key features include: ■■ High yielding premium quality lucerne suited to fodder production.

■■ Persistent and extremely winter-active.

■■ Rapid regrowth, especially during winter.

■■ Australian bred to suit most lucerne growing areas.

Sown at 6–15 kg/ha alone or 1–4 kg/ha when a component of a pasture blend. Sow at approximately 1 cm depth.

Suitable to grow in the sub tropics through to dryland, SilverSky thrives on irrigation and tolerates frosts and cold winters.

Like SilverLand GT, SilverSky grows in a range of well-drained soils.

Sowing depends on the rainfall and climate of the region; autumn establishment is better suited to winter active or highly winter-active varieties as they have better frost tolerance.

Delayed sowing provides an opportunity to

SilverSky lucerne showing its impressive leaf-to-stem ratio. It shows a lot of leaf compared to other varieties and produces enormous amounts of dry matter.

improve weed control and seedbed preparation.

For spring establishment aim to sow midAugust and onwards as soil temperature and daylight increases.

The third generation of the Sutherland family is now involved in the privately-owned Upper Murray Seeds, which is a vertically-integrated seed business with a focus on quality products,

excellence and professional service.

For more information visit www.uppermurrayseeds.com.au

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 Very fast establishing Very high yield potential Very good re-growth potential 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 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.cropmark.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

28 // SPRING PASTURE FEATURE

Cropmark spreads summer options WITH SPRING here many producers will

be looking closely at their summer cropping options and Cropmark Seeds has plenty to choose from, according to operations manager Adam Sheedy.

Mr Sheedy said it depends if you are looking for quick feed single graze dry matter or multigraze potential, remembering these crops should never be more than a third of your cows daily dietary requirements.

Multi-graze options Chico chicory is a fast-establishing summer herb of high yielding quality forage, high in ME and minerals. It is palatable, leafy and succulent and great for increased livestock performance and has improved drought resistance due to its one-metre long tap root.

Chico is tolerant of insect pests including diamondback moth and white butterfly and its popularity has continued to grow due to

tolerance, quick regrowth and the fact it can be grown as an 18-month plus crop.

Chico is high in energy and minerals and has a crude protein of 18 to 25 per cent and an ME of up to 13.

It can be sown dry or under irrigation for higher yields and can be sown alongside red clover or other summer crop mixes.

Cropmark recommends sowing at a rate of 6 to 8 kg/ha, at a depth of 10 mm and rolled after for good seed soil contact.

Sow with DAP at 100 kg/ha once soil temperatures are at 12 degrees or above. First grazing should be at the seven-leaf stage and re-graze around 25 days or 25 to 30 cm height, for post emergence fertiliser apply urea at 80 kg/ha post grazing or utilise effluent.

Mr Sheedy said Pillar rape was an exciting new, fast establishing, high yielding multi-graze giant type forage rape with strong re-growth potential and good disease tolerance.

Marco turnips are a quick maturing crop.

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.

Marco – the faster establishing summer turnip

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

Advantages of this are: Less time out of production Two Marco crops in one season are possible 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 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.cropmark.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

SPRING PASTURE FEATURE // 29

“We tend to get strong and leafy re-growth when grazed to this height and we are getting strong feedback from farmers saying they are getting four to five grazings under good conditions.”

Adam Sheedy

He said it was ideal sown as a spring sown break crop or in a re-grassing program in the autumn.

Use of a pre-emergent chemical will ensure no competition of broadleaf weeds and grasses, including bent and couch grasses.

Ideal grazing height is about 10 cm residual and Pillar shows great utilisation as livestock graze the stem.

“We tend to get strong and leafy re-growth when grazed to this height and we are getting strong feedback from farmers saying they are getting four to five grazings under good conditions,” Mr Sheedy said.

South-west Victorian dairy farmer and agronomist Luke Davidson was looking for something to sow in a sacrifice paddock and read about Pillar rape.

“We wanted a multi-graze crop and we had four grazings over a tough summer,” Mr Davidson said.

“We power-harrowed at 3 kg/ha and then direct-drilled over it in the autumn with Surge Italian rye-grass and I was exceptionally happy with Pillar and I will be using it again.”

It is recommended to sow Pillar at a rate of 3 kg/ha, at a depth of 10 mm and rolled after for good seed soil contact.

Sow when soil temperature is 10 degrees and rising and use DAP at 100 kg/ha. First grazing is about 85 to 100 days; and be vigilant for caterpillar or diamondback moth, treat with insecticide if necessary.

Apply urea at 80–100 kg/ha post grazing and when rain is imminent.

Single-graze option If you are looking for a quick maturing crop, then Marco turnips are your best option, Mr Sheedy said.

Marco turnips are the earliest maturing on the market at 55 to 65 days from sowing to grazing, which means less time out of production.

Marco turnip is a tetraploid, tankard type, with a high bulb to leaf ratio.

The bulb retains its quality for as long as 90 days after sowing and offers good resistance to bolting and club root. Marco has a high ME and given good soil moisture can produce very high yields.

Mr Sheedy recommended Gaucho insecticide treated seed to protect the seedling during early establishment and to sow at a rate of 2 to 2.5 kg/ ha.

Sowing at 10 mm and rolled after for good seed soil contact. Use DAP at 100 kg/ha at sowing and sow once soil temperatures are at 12 degrees and rising. Post emergence fertiliser: apply urea @ 150 kg/ha at full canopy closure; that is, when the soil can’t be seen.

If you have pugged or sacrifice paddocks,

now is the time to future plan and prepare for your autumn sowing program, Mr Sheedy said.

“It is advisable to prepare your ground well for your summer crops by power-harrowing a fine seed bed, followed by rolling and this will allow you to just spray out in the autumn and direct drill causing little to no soil disruption and therefore keeping the soil structure less affected and in better shape to avoid pugging next winter.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

30 // SPRING PASTURE FEATURE

Heritage sows seeds in Australia’s north A DRIVE to expand Heritage Seeds into north-

ern Australia is continuing with the opening of a new $15 million state-of-the-art facility in Toowoomba, along with the ramping up of production and efficiencies at Walkamin.

National production manager Jeremy Gittins said the Toowoomba and Walkamin developments would service increased production and sales in the north and help strategically resource the region.

“We are bringing production, sales and operational staff together into a new office at Walkamin, assisting business continuity,” Mr Gittins said.

The appointment of a northern production agronomist has also been announced with James Gowan based in the heartland and specialising in tropical grasses and legumes — a move which allows Heritage Seeds to increase its service, alongside Brian Loccisano.

“James will service northern production zones and the NT, and Brian will support the southern region and northern NSW,” Mr Gittins said.

“We are getting resources in the right locations on-site, and we are looking forward to further building relationships and developing new production areas.”

Mr Gowan was raised on a coffee farm and has worked with many growers over the years

through his role as an agronomist with Landmark in Mareeba and as the northern sales manager for Incitec Pivot.

Currently, the majority of seed growers for Heritage Seeds are located on the Atherton Tablelands, producing predominantly tropical grasses and legumes, including stylo pastures, for beef and dairy production.

“Other than some floods earlier in the year and the flooding west of the Great Dividing (Range), it’s been a good season and tropical grass seed is coming off the Atherton Tablelands now,” Mr Gowan said.

He said he was strongly attracted to Heritage Seeds’ growing tropical pasture portfolio and its expansion in the Atherton Tablelands and into new areas, including irrigated areas west of Georgetown and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

“The company has a great reputation, a good mix of products for the end user, its own research and development and new products coming online.

“In northern Australia, there is a large opportunity to help producers improve their pastures,” Mr Gowan said.

“With higher beef prices the last five years, producers can now look at improving things and Heritage Seeds has the seed production to meet that demand.”

Chico – the drought buster

James Gowan, pictured inspecting a stand of Callide Rhodes grass, has joined the Heritage Seeds team and upgraded facility at Walkamin in Queensland as the company’s northern production agronomist.

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

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 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.cropmark.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

SPRING PASTURE FEATURE // 31

Rates and timing are keys to nitrogen use MURRAY DAIRY hosted ‘Making It Stack

Up’ — a workshop about getting the most from spring silage in Echuca recently.

Incitec Pivot’s Lee Menhenett spoke on maximising production through strategic fertiliser and water use, understanding how pasture systems utilise nitrogen, rules around nitrogen and the links between water and nitrogen.

Mr Menhenett said the key driver behind profitability of nitrogen use was rates and timing.

“If you don’t use it you lose it and if you get those things right, you will be able to kick some serious goals,” Mr Menhenett said.

David Lewis from Lallemand Animal Nutrition provided information on getting quality cereal silage into your stack through harvest timing decisions and quality over quantity, managing cereal silage if the season cuts out and increased ensiling challenges of cereals in the region.

Whole crop cereal silage can be ensiled at two stages: Flag leaf: Boot stage — lower yield, generally higher metabolisable energy (ME) and crude

protein (CP). Cut crops at 10 cm height and use tedder immediately after mowing or a mower conditioner, harvest ideally with a precision chopper.

This is a difficult stage of growth to wilt because it is early in the season and Mr Lewis recommends the use of silage additives if the silage isn’t wilted enough.

The stack should be sealed straight after harvest or bales must be wrapped in four to six layers at the site within hours of baling.

Avoid cutting at clear liquid stage because it often has low palatability.

Late milk: Soft dough stage — higher yield, variable ME and lower CP. For the best results use a precision chop forage harvester with direct cutting front, a precision chopper with pick-up front can be used but mow only, leave swath wide and avoid raking to minimise leaf and grain loss.

The addition of aerobic spoilage inhibitor additives is beneficial.

Using a loader wagon is risky because the chop length is often too long and impossible to compact well, while the use of a baler can cause

dry matter and quality losses through grain and leaf loss.

Mr Lewis recommends if storing in round bales to use normal additives to assist fermentation, while large square bales under sheets require aerobic spoilage inhibitor and vermin must be controlled because they will chew through the plastic to get to the grain.

He also touched on the characteristics of different fodder types: Barley is okay to cut early, although it is lowyield and best suited for a whole crop high-starch yield. It has a short harvest window and the lowest NDF and is prone to lodging.

Wheat is a good option for both early cut and whole crop.

Triticale grazing helps quality on forage types; select grain variety for a whole crop. It has high lignin.

Oats are a great option for higher protein and digestibility but not ideal as a whole crop due to low grain-to-plant ratio and dry at grain fill stage.

Grain types are generally suited for whole crops while forage varieties are more suited for

early cut and grazing options.

Among the crowd of 40 farmers at the workshop were David and Denise Gebbie from Timmering.

The dairy farmers are currently milking 300 cows.

They planted extra crop for hay this year to rebuild reduced fodder stocks, but they fear an early end to the irrigation season due to high water costs will force them into hand feeding earlier then they would like.

“We have around 130 ha of crop for hay and another 40 ha of sub for silage,” Mr Gebbie said.

“We planted extra oats to take through to hay this year and they are all looking fairly handy, as long as the rain keeps coming.”

Business discussions at this stage have centred around using irrigation to finish off the crops to get hay on the ground if required.

“At this stage we are anticipating keeping stock numbers the same but if things turn really bad we will be destocking like everyone else,” Mrs Gebbie said.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

32 // ANIMAL HEALTH

The rise and fall of antibiotics PERHAPS ONE of the greatest medical break-

throughs of our age was the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming in 1928.

New antibiotics were rapidly discovered which revolutionised the means by which infectious diseases were treated.

Common human infections became easily curable and outbreaks of infectious disease were readily controlled. However, just a few years after the golden age of antibiotics, warning signs of developing resistance were observed.

Just as Flemming had predicted, previously susceptible bacteria were evolving and mutating to develop resistance to antibiotics at an alarming speed.

Although the magnitude of this problem is still unclear, it is proposed that abuse and misuse of antibiotics is largely responsible for the development of resistance.

In less than 100 years after antibiotic discovery, we now face a grim scenario for the generation to come where most antimicrobials might no longer be effective. Human and veterinary medicine may once again enter an era where common bacterial infections could once again prove lethal.

Antibiotic usage in food animals improves more than just animal wellbeing but also has economic benefits for food animal producers along with a safer public health sector.

Significant quantities of antibiotics are used in animal production industries and consequently the incidence of antibiotic resistance has increased.

Antibiotics are a valuable tool in the dairy

industry, and when used responsibly, they are vital for the maintenance of good animal health and welfare.

Bacterial resistance to these valuable treatments is considered a threat to the viability of dairy farming and consequently a threat to human health.

Everyone who is involved in the use of antibiotics is responsible for helping prevent antibiotic resistance. In the dairy industry this includes farmers, farm workers, veterinarians, and pharmaceutical companies.

New dairy technology aids antibiotic use Knowledge of the resistance status in your herd is the key to choosing the right treatments for your cows, and for monitoring and preventing the development and spread of resistance.

However, bacterial resistance to antibiotics is not as clear cut as being resistant or susceptible.

Most mechanisms of bacterial resistance depend on the concentration of the antibiotic present.

The Dairy Antibiogram is a new technology, developed by Bayer Animal Health, and is performed on a simple bulk milk tank sample.

It detects and monitors antibiotic resistance in the two most common mastitis bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus uberis, and assesses a range of antibiotics.

The test measures the minimum concentration of an antibiotic to prevent bacterial growth, allowing veterinarians and farmers to make informed decisions on the most effective treatments.

Using this data, an antibiogram can be developed for individual bacteria and compared over time to detect new levels of antibiotic resistance.

Dairy farmers, in conjunction with their veterinarians, now have a unique opportunity to build reliable susceptibility testing into their mastitis programs, and to use this data to guide responsible antibiotic use.

APIAM ANIMAL HEALTH GEMMA CHUCK

The author has no affiliations with (financially or otherwise) Bayer Animal Health or the Dairy Antibiogram as discussed in this article.

Dairy Antibiogram adds value to industry A Dairy Antibiogram can give you valuable information which, with the direction from your veterinarian, could help you: ■ Plan to use effective mastitis treatments.

■ Know the resistance status of your herd and how this compares to other herds in Australia.

■ Develop a biosecurity plan to protect a ‘good’ resistance status.

■ Identify potential ‘resistance’ issues in your herd, allowing further investigation and management.

■ Monitor your resistance status over time.

■ Help the dairy industry demonstrate responsible antibiotic usage.

As with all new technologies the uptake of this test in Australia has been variable so far.

The technology and reporting are very promising and have the potential to be considered a routine surveillance tool in the future.

If you would like to know more about the Dairy Antibiogram, call your local veterinary clinic to discuss how it could help with the management of mastitis and use of antimicrobials in your herd.

Bacterial resistance is becoming a major, modern issue.

Mastitis is one of the most common forms of bacterial infections.

Nutrition will aid heifer growth WELL-GROWN HEIFERS are more likely to

reach their full potential for milk production and recover their rearing costs earlier, therefore it is key to have a management plan for your heifers and not neglect them.

The critical times for feeding young stock are post-weaning and when there is a shortage of quality pasture.

It is worth remembering well-grown heifers are an investment in your herd’s future and your business.

Plus, they will get in-calf and then back incalf more easily.

Depending on your situation, there are several options for feeding young heifers.

If you have them, good-quality pasture and good-quality hay will support healthy growth rates.

If pasture and hay are in short supply, you could feed minimal fodder and provide supplements in a trough.

You will need to ensure the diet meets the

heifers’ nutritional needs, considering energy, protein and fibre, plus manage the risk of acidosis (concentrate levels in the diet should not exceed 50 per cent).

As a rule, when pasture quality is poor, highquality supplements containing at least 11.5 MJ ME/kg dry matter and 16 per cent crude protein will be required.

You can check whether your heifer feeding plans are enough by setting growth targets for your heifers and monitoring growth using scales, girth tapes or height sticks.

If your heifers suffer a growth check, they will be able to make some catch-up growth.

But remember, catch-up growth is usually fat and muscle and you may not be able to make up any check in frame size.

You will need to watch out for under-sized heifers gaining too much weight before calving, as this increases the risk of calving difficulties.

Appropriate management of livestock needs to be a priority for everyone in the dairy industry,

including in challenging times such as dry seasonal conditions.

Allowing livestock to become malnourished may constitute an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

For more information on heifer rearing, read the Dairy Australia manual Rearing Healthy Calves or visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au and search ‘heifer management’ or phone Sarah Chaplin at Agriculture Victoria on 0439 275 896.

For the latest on all assistance and information available on managing dry seasons, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or phone 136186.

—Dr Sarah Chaplin development specialist Agriculture Victoria

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 33

Farmers urge united front to save industry DAVID JANKE wants the dairy industry — sup-

pliers, processors and supermarkets to forget the last eight years and move forward— as a united front, starting with a base milk price of $1.50/ litre for all milk sold into the fresh milk market.

He is pushing hard to save the last of the Queensland dairy industry.

David and his wife Cindy have been milking cows just out of Toowoomba for 40 years.

He says if things don’t change over the next few months his 320 cow dairy farm will be the next statistic.

“For the first time in 40 years we might not be able to sow a summer crop, if we don’t get drought-breaking rains before October we are finished — we can’t afford to buy in fodder unless we start to receive a fair price for our milk,” David said.

Over the last 12 months hay that was delivered for $400/tonne has jumped to $750 while wheaten hay has gone from $300 to $600/tonne, combine that with unprecedented drought and the business like so many others in Queensland, is bleeding money.

“Dairy is our only source of income. It has always been that way, it is our primary business.”

– Peter Garratt

“For the last eight years we haven’t been able to spend any money on capital and things have been line ball, we can only handle that for so long,” David said.

He believes the introduction of cheap $1 milk has decimated the dairy industry.

“Twenty years ago, a litre of milk was $1.30 in Queensland — a price of a $1.50 doesn’t even cover the cost of inflation over that time.

“A flat milk price all the way through will benefit everyone and with a bit of sense we can have a good viable industry again; we can’t sell milk for less than what it was 20 years ago.

“If people think $1.50 is too much, the cost of a litre of milk in New Zealand is $3,” he said.

David is concerned about the future of the industry and the rapid exit of so many, especially young farmers.

“If we don’t do something soon there will be no future left in the industry.”

The Jankes recently opened up their dairy farm to government ministers and representatives in a bid to illustrate the devastating position the industry is in.

“We had a great reception but I am not giving

up the pressure, we need to get the message out to everyone,” David said.

“The National Dairy Plan need to implement what we suggest or we are not going to get anywhere.

“I have had phone calls and there is 110 per cent support behind me.”

David is now working hard to get representatives from Coles and Woolworths on farm.

“They don’t seem to want to get out of their air-conditioned offices but I am keeping the pressure up,” David said.

Peter Garratt, 37, is another Queensland farmer feeling the pressure.

His family has been milking cows for 90 years on its South Brook property.

He is hoping his farm will be around in the next 20 years so his two young sons can make the decision whether or not they want to farm for themselves.

But he is not sure if that is going to happen.

“If we don’t get some relief from both ends — if we don’t get rain or a shift in farm-gate milk price — we will have to borrow more money and go into more debt and you can only do that for so long,” Peter said.

“Dairy is our only source of income. It has always been that way, it is our primary business.”

Irrigation provides 25 per cent of the Garratts’ herd diet.

The rest is grown from summer crops which are harvested, stored and fed out over the year in a TMR. There were no summer crops last year and this year is looking no better.

Peter said an increase in milk price to $1.50/ litre would reinstate the value of milk, flow back to the farm and put him back into the game long term.

“Shutting down is a real fear and it is something I don’t want to have to think about. I don’t want to do anything else. My skillset is set up around dairy but we have been doing it at a significant loss for the last six months — our assets are set up exclusively around dairy and we don’t have any choice.

“You can’t just turn a dairy cow off.”

Peter said all milk that left the Australian farm gate was quality fresh milk regardless of the size or brand.

“If they want to sell cheap milk source it from places like Vietnam, market it accordingly and see who wants to buy it.

“If Australian farmers get paid a viable price for their milk there is huge potential for everyone, but at the moment the numbers don’t add up and we are all in a desperate situation.”

Queensland dairy farmer Peter Garratt is feeling the pinch on the farm that has been in his family for 90 years, shutting the operation down is a real fear he doesn’t want to think about.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

34 // MACHINERY

Sneak peek of new tractor technology at AgQuip VISITORS TO this year’s AgQuip Field

Days from August 20 to 22 at Gunnedah enjoyed a sneak peek at the next generation in Case IH’s high-horsepower tractor technology.

The new AFS Connect Magnum, powered by the company’s Advanced Farming Systems precision technology, was launched in North America earlier this year, with the tractor due in Australia in late 2020.

However, Case IH provided AgQuip visitors with a special preview of the machine, showcasing a range of operational and styling changes that build on the Magnum’s already solid reputation for endurance, power and performance.

Described as a “true integration of tractor and technology”, the AFS Connect Magnum features a new display, operating system and receiver, and redesigned cab.

“This new Magnum features levels of connectivity producers haven’t had before, providing new opportunities when

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it comes to running their business,” Case IH Australia/New Zealand high horsepower product manager Alyx Selsmeyer said.

“This connectivity also means additional support features to minimise down-time and the ability to make decisions on the tractor’s operation from the location of your choosing.

“The operator experience hasn’t been overlooked though, with a new cab design providing greater comfort, more storage and enhanced ease of operation.

“Whatever the weather and however long you’re in the tractor, everything possible has been done to keep you comfortable and working at your optimum level.”

The AFS Connect portal is the door to the AFS Connect Magnum series tractor, allowing operators to view field operations, fleet information and agronomic data from a desktop or tablet anywhere, while also giving the option of sharing data with trusted advisers and suppliers.

Remote features also set this next-generation tractor apart, with remote display viewing allowing a farm manager or dealer to see what an operator is seeing on the AFS Pro display in the cab, while the remote service tool allows dealers to remotely identify maintenance and service needs.

The Case IH team has spent the past few months putting the new Magnum through its paces on Australian farms in preparation for its official launch next year, conducting field tests in a variety of conditions and across different farming practices.

“It’s been great to see what it’s capable of in our diverse and demanding conditions, and we’re confident producers will like what they see when it becomes available in 2020,” Ms Selsmeyer said.

“The ‘next level’ connectivity of this tractor is obviously impressive, but performance in the paddock is what has always stood the Magnum apart and that remains as evident now as it always has been.”

The new AFS Connect Magnum has been put on show for the first time in Australia at the AgQuip Field Days before it's officially launched into the Australian market in 2020.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 35

Nominees for DA election DAIRY AUSTRALIA has announced the three

board nominees standing for election at the 2019 AGM to be held in November.

Josephine Rozman is standing for the finance and governance position, Jeff Odgers has been nominated for the milk producer position, and Paul Wood is standing for the research and development position.

There are just three vacancies this year.

Ms Rozman is an experienced company director with finance, risk and accounting skills gained through executive and board roles at Elders Limited, Wine Australia Corporation and AustOn Corporation (a subsidiary of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan) which invests in agricultural sectors in Australia.

Mr Odgers has been nominated to fill the milk producer position. Jeff owns a dairy farming business and is currently a non-executive director of Bega Cheese Ltd and has knowledge of the dairy industry, farm management and consumer goods.

He has served two terms as a director and was appointed chair of Dairy Australia in December 2017.

Professor Wood has been nominated for the research and development position. He has over 30 years’ experience in agricultural R&D and is standing for election for a second term. Having been successful as a research scientist and R&D leader, is internationally recognised for his work in veterinary immunology and vaccine development and as an inventor of several patents.

Jan West is not restanding for election.

Chair of Dairy Australia’s Board Selection Committee, David Lord, said the nominees “bring a broad set of skills and experience that will add value to our goal of supporting farmers today, and the sustainability of the industry into the future.”

To be successfully elected into the vacant director roles, each of the three nominees will require more than 50 per cent of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

36 // MACHINERY

A number of new equipment options will be available for the CLAAS Quadrant.

New equipment for big square balers CLAAS WILL introduce a number of new

equipment options, including an integrated bale weighing system, and a high-end LED lighting and a pull-out knife drawer, for its Quadrant 5300, 5200 and 4200 big square balers.

CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca dealer principal Brendan Caffery said the bale weighing function should appeal to all farmers and contractors.

“Weighing takes place during the baling process, so there’s no delay in the baling operation,” Mr Caffery said.

“Individual bale weights — accurate to plus or minus 5 kg even at speeds of up to 20 km/h — are displayed on the Isobus control terminal in the cab.

“Bale weights can then be saved according to the job or paddock for later processing or invoicing.

“Operators using the CLAAS Telematics remote monitoring system can also use this data to plot crop yield and bale moisture across the field.”

Mr Caffery said the new LED lighting system will ensure user-friendly operation and maintenance when working at night.

“It comprises seven high-quality lights fitted to key components of the baler, including the drawbar, flywheel, feed rake and bale chamber,” he said.

Quadrant 4200 can also be specified with the pull-out knife drawer already found on the larger 5300 and 5200 models.

“Being able to pull out the knife drawer

dramatically reduces the time required for a complete knife change from one hour to just 15 minutes,” Mr Caffery said.

“This time saving will be a real boon for contractors, not to mention making it much easier to maintain and replace the knives, resulting in better forage quality and throughput.”

The new features will be available on all 2019-delivery machines.

For more information, contact CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca on 5480 1855.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS // 37

Dairy plan group named FORMER UDV president Adam Jenkins and

Blighty dairy farmer Malcolm Holm headline the members of a dairy industry task force, which will advise on options to reform the industry’s organisational structures.

The eight-person panel was announced on September 3 and will report to the Australian Dairy Plan Committee, comprising the chairs of the four partner organisations and independent chair John Brumby.

Reform of current dairy industry structure and advocacy arrangements was highlighted as a priority issue for the dairy plan at regional workshops held across Australia and at a national workshop held on July 30 and 31.

“The number one issue during dairy plan consultation meetings was reform of current industry structure and advocacy arrangements," Mr Brumby said.

"In response we’ve established a dedicated task force to recommend options for transformational change.

“We opened up the application process for membership of this task force, to ensure that anyone with relevant experience had the opportunity to be considered.

"We received more than 30 applications,

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"From these applications, we’ve appointed a strong team which can bring an enormous amount to this process along with an independent view.

“Ensuring that dairy has the most effective, agile and well-resourced structure is an absolutely crucial element for us to get right.

"We can learn from other industries which have successfully reformed their organisational structures.

“We all agree on the potential for dairy to speak more clearly with a strong and unified voice, to direct combined resources to industry priorities, to be more nimble in addressing challenges, to be more streamlined and remove duplication.”

Other members of the Joint Transition Team are: Shirley Harlock (Victoria), Wes Judd (Queensland), Greg McNamara (NSW), Bruce Donnison (Victoria/Tasmania), Lauren Finger (Victoria) and Michelle Lawrence (Tasmania).

A summary of key outcomes from the national workshop of the Australian Dairy Plan can be found at: www.dairyplan.com. au/consultation-summary

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019

38 // NEWS

National milk production slows AUSTRALIAN MILK production for the 2018–19

season has reduced by 5.7 per cent to 8.8 billion litres, down from 9.3 billion litres the previous year.

The number is a revision upward of Dairy Australia’s previous estimate of 8.45 billion litres, due to additional data received for milk supply in the volatile production regions of northern Victoria and southern NSW. The news looks set to worsen this season with Dairy Australia anticipating a further drop in national milk production of between 3 and 5 per cent or around 8 billion litres.

More grass More MILK

Queensland experienced the biggest drop of all states with production reducing by 10.2 per cent to 358 million litres down from 399 million.

Production in Victoria has dropped from 5.9 billion litres to 5.4, a drop of 6.8 per cent.

NSW 1.1 billion to 1.082, a drop of 5.4 per cent.

Western Australia experienced a drop of 2.9 per cent, South Australia, 1.6 per cent while Tasmania a small drop of .4 per cent.

Regionally, northern Victoria has experienced the biggest drop in production of 12.3 per cent to 1.69 billion litres down from 1.9 billion.

TOW AND FERT: ONE VERSATILE MACHINE ALL YEAR ROUND

Above: Alan Marx with his Tow and Fert Multi 4000 applying his brew in Taranaki. The Tow and Fert’s versatility is one of the many benefits on farm allowing for multiple products to be applied to pasture in one pass.

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DO THINGS YOU HAVE NEVER DONE ON THE FARM BEFORE WITH A TOW AND FERT. Once upon a time there was a separate machine for everything. A bulky spreader for your solid fert, a liquid spray machine for foliar applications like weed spray, and a seed spreader for overseeding your pasture. Farmers would make three trips out onto the farm for the application of these products.

As a specialist liquid spray machine, the Tow and Fert has been designed to enable farmers to dissolve their N fertiliser in the tank in minutes, suspend UFP solid fertilisers in the liquid, spray small round seeds such as chicory, plaintain, clover and swedes, and even apply weed spray when required, all while using effluent as a base liquid.

The revolution in farm machinery technology has continued to make farmers more efficient and the Tow and Fert is at the forefront of this change. Tow and Fert’s patented liquid spray technology means that farmers can now use one machine for all three of the above applications on their farm.

Tow and Fert is not only revolutionising the application of fertiliser for dairy farmers, it is also saving them money by significantly reducing capital fertiliser inputs and helping to increase milk production.

Tow and Fert is a machine that you will quickly come to realise is an indispensable part of your farming system.

“IT’S A MAGIC WAY TO UTILISE ONE MACHINE TO DO A BROAD SPECTRUM OF JOBS ON THE FARM.” Alan Marx on his Tow and Fert Multi 4000 Beneath the shadow of Mt Egmont in Taranaki, Alan Marx is farming 330 cross breed LIC cows on 120 hectares. Running a conventional style dairy farm, Alan was looking for a better way to do things when he came across the Tow and Fert.

“I spoke to a contractor who was spraying fert with a Tow and Fert for a friend in Southland. I realised that the machine could do a lot of things that I wanted to do other than urea. This is a very versatile machine and it’s ticked a lot boxes for me in terms of its versatility.”

Alan’s farm nutrition system includes a number of different products such as molasses, lime flour, urea, magnesium sulphate and seaweed extract and selenium.

“The other thing I’ve done is spread my small seeds, I’m talking about clover, chicory and plaintain. The Multi 4000 has a 6 tonne payload, so half of that is water and the other half is product. I’ll chuck in 40kgs of plantain seed and 40kgs of red or

white clover at the same time. There is no extra labour, no extra machinery costs and the strike through the seed being broadcast through the Tow and Fert is absolutely unbelievable.”

Alan Marx

And as for the results on the farm, “One of the things we’ve noticed on farm is how even the grass is growing and the grass sward is very, very thick.

We have got a lot greater plant density since we’ve been using the Tow and Fert. I’ve described the grass to a lot of people as carpet grass, it’s as even as the pile on a carpet.”

And when it comes to milk production in the VAT “The results of the improved grass growing are that we are producing more milk.

It’s as simple as that.”

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“This is the hard evidence of what we could see happening, and we are delivering the message to industry and government...”

Bernice Lumsden dairy farms in the northern Victorian town of Leitchville.

She said her dairy business had destocked more than 500 cows and heifers because of the water crisis.

“If we destock much more, there comes a point where it is not worth dairy farming anymore,” Mrs Lumsden said.

“Dairy is an intensive and high-input business, and once people leave the industry they will not return.”

Mrs Lumsden said many farmers had left the industry because they could not afford further operating losses on the back of the hard years of the 2015–16 and 2016–17 milk crisis.

“I talk with farmers daily who are buckling under the financial impossibility of the water market,” she said.

“The frustrating part is there was 100 per cent allocation last year, but the combination of reduction of water in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District consumptive pool and the increased demand further down the river outside of the GMID has seen the water price skyrocket.”

Last year the average price of temporary water in Zone 7 Vic Murray traded for $487/Ml, up from $140/Ml in 2017–18.

This year it is trading above $650/Ml. UDV president Paul Mumford said the situation was a clear reflection of the trouble northern Victorian farmers were facing around the issue of water.

“This is the hard evidence of what we could see happening, and we are delivering the message to industry and government, but it is an arduous task and we are well aware how critical timing is,” Mr Mumford said.

He said while there had been the introduction of some minor policy, he said there needed to be a whole lot more done to support the industry, including short-term solutions such as rate relief, which could put money straight back into the farmer’s pocket.

Murray Dairy chief executive officer Jenny Wilson attributed the loss to an increase in farmers exiting, along with those remaining milking fewer cows to reduce input costs.

“We estimate farm exits to have increased to 14 per cent in the last year across the GMID and the figure is even higher in the southern Riverina, which is facing another year of zero allocation,” Ms Wilson said.

“There is likely to be further exits this year despite a reduction in fodder and grain costs and strong milk prices.”

She said northern Victorian milk production was closely correlated with the temporary water price.

“The price dairy can pay for water is lower than other commodities that rely on the market, including horticulture,” Ms Wilson said.

“Dairy has alternatives to irrigation that horticulture doesn’t have, however, most dairy farms rely on irrigation, even if it is just the shoulder season to boost autumn and spring production.”

Ms Wilson said some farmers with little equity or high exposure to the water market were transitioning out of the industry, while those who remained were looking at diversifying their water portfolio and looking at options including leasing and co-investment as opposed to buying directly from a volatile market.