Dairy News Australia - June 2018 by Dairy News Australia

Fonterra sets target of $6.20/kg MS PAGE 3 HEALTHY CALVES

Steps to success at Jelbart Dairy. PAGE 28

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Genomics improves herds, profits. PAGES 13

JUNE, 2018 ISSUE 92 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE Comparing notes in Brazil . PAGE 4

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NEWS // 3

Fonterra forecasts closing price of $6.20/kg ciency improvements, which means we have the right asset base to play to our strengths in cheese, whey and nutritionals.” Mr Dedoncker said Fonterra expected seasonal growth from its existing farmers to continue next season, which would help it meet customer demand. Fonterra opened at $7/kg MS in New Zealand. It is currently paying $6.75/kg MS in New Zealand. Saputo Dairy Australia (formerly Murray Goulburn) announced a step up in its farmgate milk price of 5c for fat and 11c for protein. It increases the average farmgate milk price for the 2017–18 season to $5.68 kg/MS, up from $5.60/kg. It will be paid to all current WCB and MG suppliers. Australian Dairy Farmers Corporation will

FONTERRA AUSTRALIA says its forecast closing farmgate milk price for the 2018– 19 season is $5.50 to $6.20 per kilogram of milk solids. Fonterra Australia Managing Director René Dedoncker said the range was based on “market indications which show a continued positive global supply and demand picture” “Demand is expected to remain strong, especially from China and for butter and AMF, and the global dairy market’s current prices are expected to continue throughout the new season,” Mr Dedoncker said. He said their decision to invest in cheese markets in China and Japan provided more opportunities to grow the value of farmers’ milk. “At the same time, we continue to make effi-

UDV Conference. PG.12

pay up to $6/kg MS this season. To receive this price, suppliers must produce more than 44 per cent of their milk for six months from mid-February. Those who produce less than 39 per cent during this time will receive an opening price of $5.60 kg. ADFC had been supplying 200 m litres to Bulla Dairy Foods but negotiations have broken down. It has not disclosed where the milk will go. Bulla is now seeking its own supply base. Earlier this year Bega Cheese said it would continue its 2017–18 price of $5.63/kg MS through to September. Bega will announce milk payments for October onwards before September.

Rain sweeps through southern Victoria

Pasture-based in USA. PG.25

GRUNT: Chinese whispers. PG.35

NEWS ..................................................... 3–17 OPINION .............................................18–19 MARKETS ........................................ 20–22 MANAGEMENT ............................. 23–26 CALF REARING ...............................27–31 ANIMAL HEALTH ......................... 32–34

Rain swept through southern Victoria last month, with south west Victoria and Gippsland receiving good falls. Beeac farmer James Breen has received about 50mm in May and said although the late rain meant a very narrow growing season, it was gratefully received. The average rainfall on the farm is 480 mm and with the cold winters the autumn break is crucial. “If we miss rain here we’re done,” he said. They have planted a mix of pastures, which will benefit from the rain. Although the ground is getting colder and the growing season will be shorter, it will ease the pressure for the season ahead.

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4 // NEWS

Global supply must rise 26% in next decade STEPHEN COOKE

GLOBAL MILK production will need to increase

by 26% in the next decade to meet expected consumer requirements, according to Torsten Hemme, the Managing Director of the Germanbased IFCN Dairy Research Centre. Dr Hemme addressed dairy farmers from around the world at the Alltech ONE18 Conference held in Lexington, Kentucky, last week. “In the next ten years we will need 26% more

milk. It will be demanded and will be produced. Most of this milk will be produced in emerging countries,” he said. “Dairy farm numbers and structure will change radically. Fasten your seat belts, we might underestimate speed.” Oceania has the largest average size of dairy farms in the world with 364 cows. North American farms average 180 cows, while the average in South East Asia is 1.9 cows. Cost of milk production around the world differs by a factor of 10. IFCN data shows the milk world production growth rate in 2016 was the lowest since 1997,

caused by poor prices and adverse weather conditions, but was increasing again. Dr Hemme said it was unclear whether the increased production would come from an increase in cow numbers or higher yields. He said technology will accelerate structural change and the IFCN has begun benchmarking the impact of new technology on farm. He also warned that the industry depends on the trust and preference of consumers on dairy. “If this industry continues at 2.3% demand growth a year, we all have a relatively comfortable future.”

Torsten Hemme.

However, he said volatility will always be part of the industry as “we live in a complex and fast changing dairy world”. Disruption could be caused by a multitude of factors, including “not getting sustainability right and not getting millennials on board”. Dairy consultant Jack Rodenburg, Dairy Logix, said farmers who lead in labour efficiency will lead in the future. This will lead to larger farms. “Economies of scale result mostly from scale of mechanization,” he said. • Alltech funded Stephen Cooke’s visit to the One Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

Comparing notes in Brazil STEPHEN COOKE

FARM TOURS provide an opportunity not only to see what you could adapt on your side of the fence, but to benchmark yourself against farms around the world. Marcelo Siqueira hosted Brad and other Australian farmers on tour with Alltech Lienert Australia. Queensland dairy farmer Brad Motley had this opportunity when he visited the Siqueira family’s farm in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Both are humble men but are very good at what they do and have similar operations. Brad, with his wife Karen and father Colin, plus his son Jayden returning, runs 350 Holstein and crossbred milkers on 486ha, at Pinelands near Crows Nest, southern Queensland. Marcelo is a sixth generation farmer, milking 340 cows three times a day as part of a mixed business that also finishes beef cattle and grows coffee and soya beans. The largest difference is labour, with the

Siqueira family employing 18 employees for the dairy alone. Labour is so cheap that on farms throughout Brazil it is as easy to employ extra staff as it is to find further efficiencies in the system. Brad, like other Australian farmers, has been driven to find efficiencies to remain profitable. “Marcelo’s farm was not dissimilar to what we are doing, they just have cheaper labour,” Brad said. Brad utilises a feed pad for four months of the year over summer but would like to build sheds similar to Marcelo’s, which are common in South America and Europe. “It’s a good set-up with cows being shedded. Milking cows 3 times a day would be good but you need 1000 cows to make it in Australia due to employment required. “There’s cheap labour (in Brazil). It wouldn’t pay at home.” Marcelo says farmers in Brazil have realised they must get bigger to survive. “It is difficult to plan in this country but we are trying to grow.”

Due to his size – there are only about 10 farms with 1000 cows in Brazil – and milk quality, he receives 1.35 real/litre (A48 cents). Other farms are receiving about 90 real/l (A32 cents). Ten years ago there were no farms with more than 500 cows. Now, people see they have to grow because there’s a small margin for profit. The smaller farms are going broke. The Brazilian milk market is at the whim of Government intervention. If prices grow too much the Government will buy milk from neighbouring country Uruguay, or powder from Holland, to reduce prices for its citizens. Uruguay is very efficient and has a lower cost of production, that’s why we have to be more efficient,” Marcelo said. On the 29th of each month, Brazilian farmers are told the price they will receive for what they produced that month. There is no security. When Brad tells Marcelo he has a 3-year contract, the Brazilian laughs and rolls his eyes. It’s clear better milk prices is an issue farmers can agree on worldwide. • Alltech funded Stephen Cooke's attendance

Dairy farmers Marcelo and Brad Motley on Marcelo’s farm in Brazil.

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NEWS // 5

ADIC sticks to its guns with review of voluntary code A SCHEDULED review of the dairy industry’s voluntary code of practice, adopted last July by the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) and signed by a majority of processors, will proceed despite industry demands for a mandatory code to be adopted. The ADIC (the umbrella body of Australian Dairy Farmers and processors) launched the voluntary code last July. The code sets guidelines regarding pricing structures, loyalty payments and dispute resolution, and applies to contracts between farmer and processor. State farmer bodies from all dairy states are also signatories to the code. However, the competition and consumer

watchdog, the ACCC, said a mandatory code of conduct should be implemented as part of its recommendations from its 18-month review of the dairy industry. Most State farmer bodies have now called for a mandatory code to be adopted. However, ADIC Chairman Terry Richardson has said it committed at the launch of the code to undertake a review of its effectiveness after a 12-month period and that this decision would stand. “ADIC is conducting a scheduled review of the Voluntary Code of Practice, which was agreed to by all state dairy farmer organisations,” Mr Richardson said. It is expected the review will be complete

by the end of June. Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) will then hold a series of forums aimed at educating farmers on how the ADIC recommendations will be implemented. “The review will determine how effective the Voluntary Code has been and whether it is necessary to adopt a different approach. This could be a prescribed voluntary code, mandatory code or another mechanism altogether. Nothing is off the table,” Mr Richardson said. As part of the process, the ADIC will analyse separate reports handed down by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the federal Senate’s Economics

Reference Committee (ERC). The final ADIC report will include options to improve contract processes, increase price transparency, build industry capability and bolster the Code of Practice. Mr Richardson said the review would involve stakeholders across the dairy supply chain to ensure the best outcome. “The Code of Practice is a vital part of restoring relationships across industry,” he said. “We want to ensure we get the Code right and the review process is the best way to achieve that outcome. “At this stage it would be wrong to preempt the outcome of the review.”

NSW says code ‘waste of time’ PROMINENT NSW dairy farmer Adrian Drury has labelled a proposed review of the voluntary industry code of conduct as a “waste of time, resources and energy”. Mr Drury, the acting Farmers Group President of NSW farmers lobby group, Dairy Connect, said the Australian Dairy Industry Council, which incorporates Australian Dairy Farmers and the processing sector, should back the ACCC recommendation for a mandatory code of conduct. Mr Drury said the Australian Dairy Industry Council had “turned its back” on recommendations made by the ACCC following its 18-month probe into the dairy industry. “The voluntary industry code currently operating has been an abject failure. It has died and should be put to rest,” Mr Drury said.

“If it was working, the industry would already have fair, balanced, plain English, milk supply agreements. It doesn’t.” Dairy Connect CEO Shaughn Morgan said a majority of the state dairy bodies, aside from the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria, support a mandatoary code. “So why do we need to fluff around into the future,” he said. Mr Morgan said the Australian Dairy Industry Council’s plan to convene forums to educate farmers on how the new ADIC recommendations would be implemented was “bureaucracy gone mad”. “The ACCC has delivered a comprehensive report into the Australian dairy industry and its eight recommendations are straight-forward and should be supported across the industry.”

“The voluntary one is due to go through a The ACCC’s final report indicated that the Commission was of the view that a mandatory 12-month review and discussions with procescode of conduct was necessary for remedying sors to strengthen the voluntary code. If that the identified market failures in the dairy indus- doesn’t work then we’ll have to look at a prescribed code,” Mr Hoey said. try. “(The mandatory code) would be so difficult In its final report, the ACCC stated: The voluntary code will remain, by its very nature, to change and that costs money and ultimately an ineffective way to address problems. The that would have to come out of dairy farmer’s process of creating a mandatory code would milk cheques. I don’t see many advantages.” Processors have also called for the impleinvolve extensive industry consultation, but government involvement in the development mentation to be delayed, with Fonterra telling of a prescribed code would mitigate the imbal- the competition watchdog the voluntary code ance between processor and farmer influence. must be allowed the time to work. Australia's verticalofmixA number other processors, including Katunga dairy farmer and member of thebiggest er dealer ADF National Council, Daryl Hoey, believes a Lion Dairy and Drinks, expressed concerns mandatory dairy industry code of conduct will regarding how a mandatory code of conduct be subject to years of red tape and delays and would be applied to differing business styles in may not improve the position of dairy farmers. the industry.

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6 // NEWS

Californian farmers battle on all fronts STEPHEN COOKE

RISING LAND costs, a declining labour force

and heavy State Government regulation are hurting California dairy farmers. Farmers frustrated at a State Government they feel doesn’t appreciate their value to the world’s fifth largest economy expressed their concerns to a group of New Zealand farmers who travelled to California with Alltech, held in conjunction with the company’s annual One: Ideas Conference held in Lexington, Kentucky. Dairy farmers on California’s coast utilise pasture and the majority have become certified organic to access premium prices. Farmers in the nearby Central Valley utilise total mixed ration (TMR) systems and are reliant on irrigation. However, the farmers visited had similar concerns about the future, with over-regulation and looming labour shortages top of the list. When David de Sousa, a second generation farmer south of Modesto, was asked the biggest problem facing the dairy industry in California, he replied: “The Government, no questions asked, and the second biggest problem is the government! “We have the highest COP in the US for milk because of land prices and the cost of regulation. We have the biggest farms in the US now because people need to grow to stay alive.” David’s father, Armelin, came to the US with only ‘money in his pocket’ and now owns two farms, milking 2200 cows and running 4000 head across two farms. “My father built an empire. That couldn’t be done today,” David said. “Local dairymen say the breakeven price is rising every year. It’s now $16-$17 per hundredweight (100lb). We’re getting $11-$12 and haven’t made money in three years. “We’re cutting costs at the moment but in three years there will be a drastic minimum wage rise.” The minimum wage in California is $10/hour for a 10 hour day/6 day week. In 2023 this will rise to $15/hour for an 8 hour day/five day week. Any-

thing over 40 hours will be double time. The de Sousas are paying $14/hour and providing housing and all utilities. They currently employ 20 staff across the two farms. California has strict environmental regulations that farmers need to comply with, which adds further costs. The de Sousas recently had to lay concrete pads under their manure and silage, at a cost of $200,000. “Now the Government is talking about a ‘cow fart tax’. Once you get into that, you know your industry is overregulated.” Property tax rates are also rising as the land values rise due to demand caused by the profitability of almond plantations. This district has doubled in value in two years from $37,500 to $75,000 a hectare. David said farmers can grow between 22703400kg of almonds per hectare and receive $1.80/ kg. They planted 14ha of their farm to almond trees three years ago. “We’re trying to jump on the winning team,” he laughed. Fourth generation farmer Jennifer Beretta, from Beretta Dairy, in Santa Rosa, says the children and grandchildren of the Mexican immigrants who used to supply labour to the agricultural industry now want to work in factories as opposed to the work their parents did. It is making employment far harder to source. “When we were kids growing up on this farm, people would come here daily looking for work. Now they don’t, and if they do, the first thing they ask is do you have a house.” Californian regulations make it difficult to put housing on a farm. Adding a house could take up to 12 months to gain approval; a dairy or new barn will take about two years. “Permits are crazy,” she said. California is arguably the most ‘liberal’ and ‘green’ State in the country, and farmers believe the Government is pandering to this vote at the expense of agriculture. State government officials have immediate access to farms to inspect the progress of endangered species. An endangered bird – farmers question how endangered as they see hundreds on a

David de Sousa.

Jennifer Beretta.

daily basis – built a nest in the crop of a nearby farmer. He was forbidden from cropping it and they received no compensation. In the litigious culture of the US, some environmental groups will take farmers to court, accusing them of breaching environmental standards. It is common for vineyards that plan to expand (this is the popular Sonoma County wine region) to borrow additional money for when – not if they get sued. It is easier to pay environmental groups off rather than go through court. One fourth-generation dairy farm made the decision to make cheese in a bid to “escape the Californian milk pricing system”. Fiscalini Farms, which milks 1500 cows at Modesta in California’s Central Valley, has won World’s Best Cheddar at the World Cheese Awards in London on three occasions for its Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar. General Manager Brian Fiscalini said they began cheese making in 2000 in a bid to “escape the Californian milk pricing system”. “There either seems to be too much milk or not enough,” Brian said. “We’re not confident California will fix the system. “Here you need to get real big real fast or change the revenue market from fluid commodity milk to cheese.” Cheese sales now make up 30% of his company’s revenue and the aim is to grow this to 100%,

Brian Fiscalini.

eschewing investors so they can maintain complete control. “4-5 years ago we were using 7% of our milk, now we’re almost at 15% of milk used.” The dairy and cheese business is run separately. However, under US laws, the cheese business must buy their milk at market prices from the dairy. “Until we use 50% of the milk we produce, we can’t engage in a contract. We have to pay what the market is,” Brian said. “California is a very hard place to do business. There is a lot of regulation and a lot of laws are not pro-business. Dairies are going to South Dakota, Idaho and Nevada to expand.” • Alltech funded Stephen Cooke's attendance at the Alltech ONE Conference and tour to California.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

8 // ONE CONFERENCE

Staying one step ahead “HOW DO you find out what the customer wants

Fortification: Extend and defend the core business. Exploration: Create growth through exploring future opportunities.

before they want it?” It could be the very question senior executives at dairy processing companies ask themselves every day. If not, it should be. Their answers will help ensure demand for dairy products continues into an uncertain future. It was the question posed by Professor Robert Wolcott of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Illinois, Chicago, at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference held in Lexington, Kentucky last month. “If a customer is telling you they want something, guess who else they are telling? Your competition! “So, how do you find out what the customer wants before they want it? We must ask better questions,” he said. Prof Wolcott said for companies to evolve and thrive in ever-changing markets, they required:

“A business’ product will not remain the most revolutionary idea to consumers forever. “There are other companies that are trying to do things bigger, better and faster. “Competition is tough, and top businesses can quickly transition from predators in the industry to prey. “We must rise to the occasion, whether we succeed or not. It is in the attempt that we grow as human beings and as organizations.” Prof Wolcott provided the example of Amazon, which for three years has been anticipating the orders of users and stocking them in a nearby warehouse, ready for shipping. Wolcott informed the audience that if a user clicks, or even hovers, over the same product in the online store more than once, Amazon will anticipate that the user is just a few more clicks away from making a purchase.

■

STEPHEN COOKE ■

When the customer finally decides to pull the trigger and buy the item they have been eyeing for weeks, Amazon will have already sent it to the warehouse nearest that consumer. “Human beings want what they want, where they want it, when they want it,” said Wolcott. Amazon’s “anticipatory shipping” is meeting that demand. Prof Wolcott said today’s global supply chain is based on a model where larger plants with lower costs dominate the business world. He predicts this model will be destroyed over the next 30 years. 3D printing is shaping as the biggest threat to the current status quo. “Why would extra tools, resources and employees be necessary to build something over the span of days, weeks or months, when 3D printing could provide it in minutes?” Prof Wolcott said the question we are used to asking is: “How can this technology help us be better at what we already do?” “This is a great question,” said Wolcott. “Keep

Professor Robert Wolcott.

asking it. But that’s not enough.” “We need to ask, ‘What can this technology help us do that we have never done before?’ “Is it innovative like electric cars? Expedient like anticipatory shopping? Convenient like 3D printing?” “We need to ask ‘Where might the future go?’ “Is the idea sustainable? Does it keep up with the trends that are found through foresight?” • Alltech Lienert Australia funded Stephen Cooke’s visit to the One Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

Change is around us so embrace it “I HAVE a confession to make,” said Beth Comstock, former vice chair at General Electric and the first woman ever to hold the post. “I call myself a change-maker, but I have to tell you — I really don’t like change. “But, the reality is,” she continued, “like change or not, we have to be ready for it.” So, how do we get our heads around change? During her presentation at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, Comstock said that the key is to shift your mindset. “It really comes down to this one thing,” she said. “You have to imagine a future that few others can see, and then you have to take action to make it happen.” “Change isn’t really the scary part,” said Comstock. “It’s that most of us don’t know how to handle change. “The thing that is holding us back, is fear,”

she said. In today’s hyperconnected world, in which we often focus more on efficiency than on creativity, she said we have to move forward without knowing all the answers. A critical part of the problem is something that Comstock calls the “imagination gap,” where “possibility goes to die.” Our search for greater efficiency and perfection has developed an almost mechanical work culture that fears creativity and failure. Not only is “failure” a word we refuse to talk about in our organizations — 75 percent of people say they do not feel creative at work — it is putting pressure on children as well, a time when developing imagination is critical. Comstock believes this imagination gap is holding us back by crowding out the very human nature of us.

“Everyone’s job is now change,” she said. “You can’t delegate it. You have to understand it starts with you.” The number one way to shift your mindset and achieve change is to give yourself, and your teams, permission to change, including trying and testing new things. This includes giving yourself permission to fail. Comstock has even given herself and her team members physical “permission slips” to express fear and give themselves permission to try things that might not work. Importantly, this permission also includes giving feedback to other team members to foster accountability. “Feedback is oxygen for a change-ready mindset,” she said. “Seek it. Give it. Use it.” “What do you fear? Pinpointing that fear, and engaging with it head-on, is the first step to creating and better adapting to change.”

Beth Comstock.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

NEWS // 9

NLIS lands dairy farmers in court JEANETTE SEVERS

DAIRY FARMERS are potentially breaking the

law every day, when milking. That was the conclusion out of a court case in Sale, Victoria, in May. Three dairy farmers from Sale district were prosecutedfor alleged transgressions of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). But the Magistrate hearing the case consistently asked the prosecutor why the relevant government authority chose to bring charges against the men rather than provide education about the NLIS. Clayton Kelly was charged with failing to record his livestock movements every day, when he moved the cows from grazing paddocks to the dairy and return. The grazing paddocks and the dairy were on two separate Property Identification Codes (PICs), “across the road from each other,” according to Mr Kelly. He was unaware he had to record the propertyto-property transfers each day.

“A lot of dairyfarmers would have the same problem,” Mr Kelly said. “As soon as I was aware of that, I rang up the department and combined all our properties, including agisted property, on the one PIC.” Mr Kelly was also charged because a number of calves and cows born on his property did not have NLIS eartags. “I thought they didn’t need buttons unless I sold them,” he said. Steven Boulton, who was charged with NLIS breaches for traded cattle, said he relied on livestock agents to transfer cattle between PICs - a common practice of livestock agencies and saleyard managers. “I’ve changed my system now – we scan everything,” Mr Boulton said. “If we rely on someone else to do it, we won’t pay the bill until we have proof the transfers have occurred.” Peter Rosenberg bought a couple of dozen cows off a neighbour and relied on him to acquit the PIC transfers. “It’s easy to say now that I shouldn’t have been relying on anyone else. I bought those cows off

one dairyfarmer but he had them registered to three different PICs,” Mr Rosenberg said. Magistrate Simon Zebrowski continually asked the prosecution why the three men were not offered education and assistance to acquit their responsibilities, rather than charging them with failing to update NLIS records online. However, he noted transgressions that led to lack of traceability around animal disease outbreaks could potentially impact on Australia’s global livestock trade. “If there is a disease outbreak, there is a gravity of things if the NLIS system is not updated,” he said. He noted the accused men had improved their management and recording systems since the charges were levied in 2016. He accepted their guilty pleas, did not record a conviction, applied good behaviour bonds and agreed to them donating a combined $12,000 to charity in lieu of any court-applied fine. Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer’s department refused to answer questions about why education in NLIS processes was not offered to the accused men. Agriculture Victoria Manager Livestock Trace-

Steven Boulton, Peter Rosenberg and Clayton Kelly recently pleaded guilty to NLIS database transgressions but the Magistrate asked the prosecution why the men weren't provided with assistance and education about their responsibilities. Photo: Jeanette Severs.

ability, Ben Fahy, said it was illegal for livestock owners and agents to move animals between PICs without conducting a database transfer. “This case serves as a reminder that missing, false or misleading information relating to livestock identification and movements threatens the Victorian industry’s reputation for safe food production,” he said. A government spokesperson confirmed several more prosecutions were pending, including alleged NLIS transgressions related to a non-clinical case of dairy heifers exposed to Blue Tongue virus in the Echuca district last year. Farmers needing assistance and advice using the NLIS should phone 1800 654 743, email support@nlis.com.au or visit nlis.com.au

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10 // NEWS

Worries over water deal GEOFF ADAMS

THE LATEST agreement reached between the Federal Coalition Government and the ALP opposition on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has ramped up pressure to deliver the 450 Gl of ‘upwater’. Last week the two parties headed off a Senate disallowance motion proposed by the Greens, which would have interfered with the Sustainable

Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism. Basin communities will not have to give up 605 Gl of water, while the environment will still benefit. Last week’s agreement included a commitment to begin an expression of interest process for efficiency projects to begin the 450 Gl of water recovery. The agreement asks NSW to begin talking to stakeholders about starting the 450 Gl of water recovery with projects that have neutral or posi-

tive social and economic impacts. The qualification, “neutral or positive socioeconomic impacts” has been critical to the plan. Former federal water minister Barnaby Joyce once told the South Australian Government that he couldn’t see how the extra 450 Gl of water could be recovered without causing socio-economic detriment. His successor David Littleproud has been more confident this water can be delivered. State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed said it was vital for the future of local food production in northern Victoria that no additional water was taken out of irrigated farming communities.

Ms Sheed said while she was pleased to see the Senate vote down the Greens’ disallowance motion on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to allow 605 Gl of important environmental projects to proceed, she remained extremely concerned at a side deal done to ensure delivery of an additional 450 Gl of water. “I was very disappointed to see that the Australian Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud did a deal with the federal Labor opposition to all but guarantee the recovery of an extra 450 Gl,” Ms Sheed said. “It was always understood that this additional water would only be considered once the 2750 Gl of the original plan was achieved, and should only go ahead if there were no further negative socioeconomic impacts to communities. “Victoria has already given up 800 Gl of the most expensive high-reliability water and what many of the decision makers are failing to understand is that any further on-farm efficiencies in the southern basin will end up ripping water out of the Goulburn Murray region because of how water is traded.”

NZ cow cull will slash milk production

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The New Zealand Government, with the support of the dairy industry, will attempt to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis from New Zealand. The estimated cost of the eradication program is A$818 million, which includes compensation for farmers. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the industry has “one shot” at eradicating a disease that causes painful, untreatable illness in cattle. It is believed as many as 150,000 head of dairy cattle will be culled. This could drain up to three per cent of milk supply from the global market. The decision was taken collectively by Government and farming sector bodies after months of intense modelling and analysis to understand the likely impacts of the disease, the potential spread and the costs and benefits of eradication versus other actions. “The decision to eradicate is driven by the Government’s desire to protect the national herd from the disease and protect the base of our economy – the farming sector,” the Prime Minister said. “We’ve worked hard to get the information to make this call and I know the past 10 months have been hugely uncertain for our beef and dairy farmers. “This is a tough call – no-one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is to risk the spread of the disease across our national herd. We have a real chance of eradication to protect our more than 20,000 dairy and beef farms, but only if we act now.” Eradication will involve culling all cattle on all infected properties along with cattle on most restricted properties. All infected farms found in future will also be depopulated. Depopulated farms will be disinfected and will lie fallow for 60 days after which they can be restocked. The Government expects to do most of the eradication work in 1-2 years. Government will meet 68% of the cost and DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb New Zealand will meet 32%. The Government said not acting would have cost the dairy and beef industries $1.3 billion in lost production over 10 years.

— they've got the HEIFER —

RECENT FIELD TRIAL RESULTS DEMONSTRATE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN CLINICAL CASES OF MASTITIS IN EARLY LACTATION IN TEATSEALED HEIFERS Teatseal was used in herds which had never previously used Teatseal in their heifers prior to calving. Records of clinical mastitis were compared to previous calving periods, or in some herds records were compared to heifers in the same herd which were not Teatsealed that calving period.

ANIMALS AND HERDS

GRAPH 2. Spring 2016. 2 herds – Heifer clinical mastitis in 1st 30 days of lactation, before and after using Teatseal 2 n 2015 (Not Teatsealed)

n 2016 (Teatsealed)

59%

14 12

(%)

THE TRIAL

80%

reduction in clinical cases

• 16 south-eastern Australian Dairy Herds – Victoria and Tasmania • Autumn and Spring calving periods 2016 and 2017 • 79 to 530 heifers per herd per calving period • 3555 heifers in total.

6 4 2 0 Herd 1

GRAPH 1. Autumn 2016. 11 herds — Heifer clinical mastitis March to May 2016 1 n Not Teatsealed (n=1759)

GRAPH 3. Autumn 2017. 3 herds – Heifer clinical mastitis in 1st 30 days of lactation, before and after using Teatseal 3

n Teatsealed (n=926)

n 2016 (Not Teatsealed)

80%

91%

n 2017 (Teatsealed)

69%

reduction in clinical cases

Herd 1

Herd 2

100% difference in clinical cases

(%)

n 2015 (Not Teatsealed) 30

14 12

Herd 2

15 6 4

0 Herd 3

CLINICAL CASES OF MASTITIS IN EARLY LACTATION WERE REDUCED BY 59-100% ONE HERD WENT FROM 25 CASES PER 100 HEIFERS CALVED TO NO CASES AT ALL! THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. GET YOUR HEIFERS TEATSEALED BEFORE THEIR FIRST CALVING SPEAK TO YOUR LOCAL VET ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO ADMINISTER TEATSEAL IN YOUR HEIFERS References: 1, 2 & 3. Zoetis data on file. Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2018 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. June 2018. ZL0925.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

12 // UDV CONFERENCE

UDV members attack Farmers Fund milk FARMERS HAVE voiced their disapproval at the Victorian Farmers Federation’s decision to renegotiate its Farmers’ Fund milk contract with Coles. United Dairyfarmers of Victoria members were told at the UDV annual conference last month that the contract would be renegotiated with Coles before it ends in September. Forty cents from every two litre bottle of the Farmers Fund labelled milk sold through Coles is redistributed in the form of grants, which farmers must apply for. The sixth round of Farmers’ Fund applications closed on May 31. Farmers could apply for grants of up to $10,000, with farmers affected

by the recent fires in south west Victoria prioritised. VFF President David Jochinke said $500,000 in grants would be distributed this round, taking the total amount of funds distributed since the program started two years ago to $2 million. However, UDV members were unimpressed to hear that the contract would be renegotiated with Coles, who continue to sell their own private label milk for $1/litre. Gippsland dairy farmer Bernhard Lubitz told the conference the contract was akin to “doing a deal with the devil”. Others questioned what percentage of sales was actually returned to farmers.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

NATIONAL MUSTER // 13

Recouping herd test costs in one month BEFORE JOINING the Improving Herds proj-

ect, dairy farmers Brad and Meagan O’Shannessy, Cooma, northern Victoria, had only done the occasional spot test on their 200-cow herd. Now a convert, Brad says herd test costs of $4500 a year can potentially be recouped in one month through the ability to make better decisions based on information at hand. The couple were one of 27 businesses that participated in the ImProving Herds project as Herd Test Focus Farmers. As they weren’t herd testing, the project provided them with a year’s free herd testing and support in getting set up and using the reports. “Before ImProving Herds, we had only done the occasional spot test,” Brad told the audience of 300. “We would use spot testing to solve problem when cell counts flared up. Apart from fertility and structure issues we would cull cows if we could see a visual mastitis problem, or if we put a cow on a test bucket and could identify that her production was dropping off.” Brad said cost was the main issues they did not test.

“Our debt levels and seasonal conditions at the time made herd testing seem like a luxury,” he said. The project gave the couple free bi-monthly herd tests for 12 months, help in the shed for the first year and help in interpreting the herd test results received. Brad now pays Adam from Northern Herd Development to help herd testing. The cost for bi-monthly herd testing is $15/ cow/year, plus Adam’s labour which works out at $240 for two milkings on the same day or $1400– 1500 a year. Brad said the annual cost of $4500 is easily recouped making making better decisions. “If herd testing shows me that the bottom 10 per cent of my herd were doing 10 litres or that those bad subclinical cows that could potentially take you out of premium, it would recover that cost in just one month,” he said. Brad said herd testing has shown information on cow performance is not detectable by observing the animal. “Even if you think you know your herd really

well, there will be some surprises. “We’ve had some cows that looked like they were producing really well, but their herd test results showed they clearly weren’t. “In contrast there were some quiet achievers that looked quite ordinary but produced 50 litres a day at peak.” “Seeing what the top cows can do is inspiring but gets you asking why the whole herd can’t be like that.” Brad said there are two areas he pinpoints when he receives herd test results: the cows in the lowest 10 per cent of the herd for production, and the cows in the top 10 per cent in the herd for cell count. “Our aim is to take the bottom 10 per cent out of the herd for production and quality and keep replacing those cows with better young stock every year. We want to cull on cell count and production. “We keep a close eye on production of each cow that has been in milk for 300 days and dry them off as soon as their production falls below feed costs.

Brad O’Shannessy.

“This ensures feed resources are directed to the most profitable cows. This is particularly important in our system which is totally reliant on purchased irrigation water and with cows fed 7–8 kg pellets all year round. “When water prices are high, we really need to make sure we are running cows which are producing well and herd test results let us identify those cows.” In the future Brad and Meagan would like to be able to use herd test results to generate figures on gross margin (income over feed costs) per cow.

Proof of profitability in black and white Project leader, Dr Jennie Pryce, said the project provided concrete evidence that cows with a high Balanced Performance Index (BPI) perform better under Australian conditions. The BPI is Australia’s economic index of genetic merit of dairy cattle. “On average, the top 25% of cows in a herd (based on BPI) produced a margin over feed and herd costs of $300 more than the bottom 25%,” she said.

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The easiest thing farmers can do to improve genetic gain in their herd is to breed replacements from bulls that carry the Good Bulls logo. Good Bulls meet DataGene’s minimum criteria for Balanced Performance Index, reliability and are available for purchase. “There is a wide range of Good Bulls, giving farmers plenty of choice for Good Bulls that meet their priorities for specific traits, budget and company preferences,” Dr Pryce said.

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MORE THAN 300 people from across Australia descended upon Jelbart Dairy at Leongatha South last month on the day the rain came to hear how genomics had directly influenced the profitability of farmers involved in the ImProving Herds project. The ImProving Herds project analysed the herd and financial records from 27 commercial dairy farms. The results showed that making breeding decisions based on data pays.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

14 // DAIRY RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Correct data can plug $100,000 black hole RICK BAYNE

AUSTRALIAN DAIRY farmers could be losing

more than $100, 000 a year due to herd replacement inefficiencies that could be fixed by using proper data, according to a leading industry player. Cameron Renshaw from Heiferlink will dis-

cuss ‘Rearing replacements: Heifers with data’ at the Dairy Research Foundation’s 2018 Symposium, held at the University of Sydney’s Camden campus on July 17-18. Heiferlink was started 25 years ago by David Earle and picked up about three years ago by his daughter Pip and Cameron, her husband. Originally a heifer agistment company, it has expanded to include monitoring of heifers onfarm and remotely to provide key data reports

on performance. As an industry there is room for improvement, according to Mr Renshaw. “All roads should lead to age at first calving and their liveweight at the point of calving. We’re trying to get them in line with today’s global benchmarks but across the industry broadly we’re missing these key targets,” he said. Australia’s industry data shows our age of first calving is generally 26 months but in a lot

of cases up to 30 months compared to the global benchmark of 22-24 months and Mr Renshaw conservatively estimates our heifers are at least 50 kilos too light when they go into the milking herd. He says genetics won’t be the silver bullet for change. “We’ve already got good genetics in our herds; it’s a management issues of how we unlock that genetic potential.” Mr Renshaw says farmers can reverse the trend by understanding, recognising and trusting global research and getting good data on their heifers. “There’s a tsunami of data that dairy farms receive in their business on the agronomy, feed, irrigation and the dairy itself, but when we look at the replacement section they have very little data at their disposal to make a commercial decision,” he said. “We can’t afford to have inefficiencies that affect the cost of production. Our industry is on the global stage so it’s important that our management practices match or better theirs, particularly with the heifers.” His talk at the symposium will focus on the benchmarks and how below-par results could be improved by a few tweaks in management. “Using the data can show in layman’s terms what you need to do if you want to reach the global benchmarks, and if you do you’re going to be rewarded.”

REVITALISING DAIRY PRODUCTION THROUGH RESEARCH Farmers and scientists will look at Revitalising Dairy Production at the Dairy Research Foundation’s annual Symposium, to be held at the University of Sydney’s Camden Campus on July 17-18. This year’s agenda focuses on rearing young stock efficiently for the long-term profitability of the business. Dr Robert (Bob) James, Professor Emeritus (Virginia Tech) and President of Down Home Heifer Solutions leads the speaking line-up. Dr James combines a vast experience in research and extension in dairy science at Virginia Tech (where he is now Emeritus Professor), with a hands-on approach to calf and heifer rearing and the inclusion of advanced technologies such as automated calf feeding systems and on-farm pasteurizers. Other speakers include NSW dairy farmer and robotic enthusiast Wayne Clark, Dobies Bight; NZ farmer Glen Herud, who designed a mobile milking platform; and Cameron Renshaw, Heiferlink, to discuss increasing profitability through better data use. The second day will be held at the Perich family’s Leppington Pastoral Company at Bringelly – a 2000 head herd in a farm utilising the latest in technology. For more information or to book visit www.facebook.com/ dairyresearchfoundation.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

16 // NEWS

Price index expected mid-year THE COMMODITY milk price

index, first announced more than two years ago, will be running mid-year, according to Australian Dairy Farmers. The index was first announced by the Federal Government as part of its $579 million dairy support package in response to the milk price cuts by Murray Goulburn and then Fonterra. The Government said it would provide greater transparency of milk prices and better market signals to farmers. Deloitte Access Economics has been contracted to develop an econometric model which will use data from sources including the Austra-

lian Bureau of Statistics and Global Dairy Trade. ADF President Terry Richardson said the ADF has been briefed on key elements of the index. “The index is not a magic bullet, but if done right will importantly provide independent and transparent market information to dairy farmers that is easily accessible and useful in making decisions about their businesses,” he said. The index will include: ■ An index of commodity prices received by Australian dairy processors for cheese, butter, skim milk powder and whole

■

milk powder exports updated monthly, plus a one-year forecast, which will be updated quarterly A regional, retrospective farmgate milk price index, for which farmers will be asked to provide price data via an online form Regular global, national and regional economic commentary that will accompany the indices.

“The retrospective farmgate milk price index will depend on the participation of farmers to provide data,” Mr Richardson said.

“The more dairy farmers submit their pricing data regularly, the more valuable the index will be.” Education material will also be produced by RM Consulting Group and delivered to farmers at dairy industry events. “The index will include an awareness and education component to help dairy farmers understand what the index means for them and how they could consider it in their business planning,” Mr Richardson said. Once the index is released, farmers are encouraged to give feedback to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Saputo to retain Kiewa plant SAPUTO WILL keep the Kiewa processing plant open. The plant was to be closed by Murray Goulburn as part of its costcutting strategy, which also saw the Rochester and Edith Creek plants closed. However, Saputo CEO Lino Saputo Jnr gave Kiewa management and employees last month the reprieve last month.

“We are pleased to confirm the Kiewa processing site will remain open,” Mr Saputo said. “We appreciate the uncertainty that employees at the Kiewa site have experienced in recent times and extend gratitude to them for their loyalty. “We also want to thank the community and the Kiewa farmer suppliers for their dedication to the

Kiewa facility. “We now look forward to working together to make Kiewa successful.” The Kiewa plant processes cream cheese. Murray Goulburn had previously sold the popular Kiewa Country Milk brand, as well as processing equipment from the site, to the Kyvalley Dairy Group, owned by the Mulcahy family. Their primary

interest was the brand. The Mulcahy brothers relocated the equipment to their existing factory base at Kyabram. The Mountain Milk Co-operative, set up by four farming families in North East Victoria, had written to Murray Goulburn and Saputo asking to be considered if the plant was to be sold.

IRRIGATION EXPANSION WIN FOR TAS FARMERS Tasmanian dairy farmers will be one of the major beneficiaries of the new $57 million Scottsdale irrigation scheme in the state’s North East. Work will begin immediately on the scheme, with farmers footing $12m of the bill and the balance provided by the Federal and state government. The scheme will provide nearly 9000 megalitres of water to the region. Only 25 per cent of the land to be covered by the scheme is currently being irrigated. Limited water supply is the main impediment to expansion and intensification in the area. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the project could potentially catalyse an expansion of dairy processing in the State. “Water in this region is predominantly used for dairy production, livestock finishing and increased cropping and this project will be a direct investment in its future,” Mr McCormack said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

18 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

Little has changed under voluntary code

MILKING IT... Transparent as mud We couldn’t believe the timing. Just as various farm representative groups, led by NSW’s Dairy Connect, were arguing with the ADF about the need for a mandatory code of conduct, Fonterra came out with its 2018/19 price. Not its opening price of course, but its closing forecast price. With farmers seeking clearer price signals, which is what the code of conduct is meant to deliver, and ADIC saying the voluntary code needs to be reviewed, Fonterra comes out with its latest doozy. Hear it from us: Farmers are unimpressed. It’s clearly easier to say the word transparency, as Fonterra has been, than to act on it.

Full Moon The Government has egg on its face after it was forced to reveal that Moon Lake Investments’ promises when it sought the sale of the Van Diemen’s Land Company in 2015 were not, how do we say this, ‘legally binding’. Yes, the government approved the contentious deal on a wink and a promise. Moon Lake’s local board has resigned after its owner, Xianfeng Lu, ignored its advice on capital spending. The company promised the Government it would invest $100m in the region, create 95 local jobs and attempt to protect the Tasmanian devil. When pressed in Senate estimates recently, a Treasury official said promises made by Moon Lake at the time were ‘public undertakings’, not legally binding. Crikey.

Will Miller’s got milk

Sowing oats wildly

He may need to introduce himself when he ventures south of the border but NSW Waratahs rugby player Will Miller has signed on as an ambassador for NSW lobby group Dairy Connect. And it seems Will has form in the dairy industry, coming from a seventhgeneration farming family, which has farmed at Berry since 1915, and Gerringong before that. Miller says dairying is well and truly in his veins and will be his go-to career after his professional rugby days are over. Although not rugby fans at Dairy HQ, a hearty ‘rah rah rah’ to Dairy Connect for this canny recruiting ploy. Seems a good as time as any for the UDV to sign up Ben Cunnington, who also has dairy in his veins, now the Kangaroos are on fire in the AFL.

Almond, soy, rice, hemp, macadamia, hazelnut, pea, flax, coconut, cashew, peanut, walnut: there’s been an explosion recently in the varieties of plant-based milk knockoffs. It’s a crowded market and the non-dairy cream-ofthe-crop right now is oat milk. Believe it or not - it’s vegan, gluten-free, nutfree and GMO-free. The oat drink’s success isn’t just because of all the things it’s not. Oatly, the Swedish oat nerds who launched the drink in the US market, first introduced it to thirdwave coffee shops with a special ‘barista blend’ that foams like dairy and works in coffee. Oatly has also been phased into grocery stores and the company’s marketing make it a strong bet as the eventual winner of this plant juice melee.

Advertising James MacGibbon

0409 103 745

james,macgibbon@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Stephen Cooke 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.

There’s a barney happening at the moment between advocates of the current voluntary code of conduct and a proposed mandatory code. A decision by the Australian Dairy Industry Conucil (the umbrella group for the ADF and the processors) to hold a 12-month review of the voluntary code has upset those who want an ACCC-backed mandatory code imposed instead. The ADIC has said the review was scheduled when the voluntary code was implemented and will proceed. Its opponents say there is no time to waste and that a mandatory code is the only system that will keep processors — who do not want a mandatory code — honest. Fonterra hasn’t helped with its recent decision to announce a closing forecast price, but not an opening price. In the same breath its MD, René Dedoncker, said the company was keeping its promise to provide farmers with “clear market-based signals in advance of the new season to allow them to budget and plan”. Fair dinkum. With farmers seeking clearer price signals, which is what the code of conduct is meant to deliver, Fonterra’s timing was incredible. Farmers used to gripe (and rightly so) when the opening price was announced so close to the end of the financial year. Sometimes it wasn’t announced until July. Already this year, Bega has extended the current price until September; Fonterra has provided a closing price but not an opening price; and it’s becoming harder to compare as sign-on bonuses, loyalty incentives and other methods to confuse are thrown around. Processors are heading down this path deliberately. It is of benefit to them and them alone as it deliberately confuses farms. We await the review of the voluntary code, but it’s fair to say things have hardly changed for those it’s meant to protect.

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Stacey Taylor

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editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Regional editor Geoff Adams

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

OFF THE SHELF // 19

OFF THE SHELF MADELEINEBRENNAN

Quirky twist makes Anthill cheese pop

DAIRY FOODS of Australian provenance are marketed globally as clean and green. A product soon to hit American shelves is giving this a fresh twist, selling a luxury goats cheese topped with native Australian Green Ants. Yes — ants. Made in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, Anthill is made by Woodside Cheese Wrights and was awarded a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2016. Previously only available in Australia, the company has introduced new technology to extend the product’s shelf and it hopes to send the product to New York in coming weeks. Sourced from the Top End, green ants have been eaten by indigenous Australians for thousands of years. Head cheese maker and CEO Kris Lloyd described the taste of the ants, also called weaver ants, as a combination of kaffir lime and lemongrass “that give a little citrus pop almost like having a sherbet”. “I want to be creative by taking ingredients from our own backyard and use them in our cheese making — it’s what we should be doing in

Australia instead of copying everything that the French, the Greeks and the Italians are doing,” he says. “I’m new world, nobody is telling me I can’t put ants on my cheese.” There use of bush tucker in dairy products is not new. Adelaide company Bush Tucker Icecream sells quandong icecream, which is described as having three distinct phases: “an initial hint of rhubarb on the tip of your tongue, followed by the major flavour which is similar to apricot and finally the luscious waft of peaches at the back of the palate”. Other flavours in their range include Desert Lime, Mountain Pepperberry, Saltbush and Caramel and Wattleseed. You can even experiment with some unique Aussie flavours yourself, with Maggie Beer’s parmesan custard tart with quandong relish (www. maggiebeer.com.au/recipes/parmesan-custardtart-with-quandong). Around the world there have also been some specialised cheese pairings including Stilton gold — which adds pure gold flakes — or the festive French cheese Tomme Au Marc De Raisin which

Chris’ Heritage Crème Brûlée has been named Most Innovative product.

is made from cow’s milk soaked in brandy then covered with dried grapes. I’ve once sampled a a soft blue cheese with a brandy snap — which was a delicious savoury twist on the original (although I personally will always prefer the cream version!) Closer to home, the Dairy Industry Association of Australia recently awarded Chris’ Heritage Crème Brûlée the Most Innovative Product in Show (Judges Choice). Famous also for their dips, the Crème Brûlée is rich and luxurious

Anthill is a luxury goats cheese topped with native Australian Green Ants.

and comes ready-made in cute terracotta pots which can be re-used in the kitchen, garden or as serving bowls. You’ll still need a blow torch if you want the traditional brulee hard toffee crust, but the vanilla bean custard is gloriously decadent and can be enjoyed as is. I’m looking forward to seeing the evolution of Australian dairy products as they continue to find new ways to stand out in the global market. Perhaps we will we see ant-topped brulee on supermarket shelves soon.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

20 // MARKETS

Hay and grain markets rally GLOBAL IMPACT SOFIA OMSTEDT WHILST THE farmgate milk price outlook is a key discussion point at this time of year, farmers will no doubt have noticed some unpleasant changes in other parts of their profit and loss sheets. After an unusually dry and hot autumn in many parts of Australia, hay and grain markets have rallied.

The once full sheds of carryover hay, from the record breaking harvest two years ago, have started to empty out as demand for hay surged. Hot and dry weather also resulted in below average soil moisture in many cropping regions at sowing time, impacting crop programs and adding pressure to grain markets. If rain remains elusive the outlooks for the winter crop could quickly deteriorate. Following a wetter than average spring and the last two years of huge harvests, the hay market

was forecast to remain subdued for the remainder of the year. Sheds full of carryover hay from previous seasons were set to continue to suppress prices and limit demand. However, without a proper autumn break in most of Australia, the fodder outlook has worsened. Drought concerns have activated the market and demand has surged to the point where demand is exceeding supply in some regions.

Grain prices Australia

450

May–18

May–17

5 Year Average

400

Hay prices Australia

300

250

200

150

d A A ey IC S ts all tS lan TA ric tV tW ow N t s s s V la N s s a t st e p D i e y t e l s E e s p a D g W i e g r W a l W n ab G th h ur th Be ra lW rli Co nT ut ou rth nt ra ou /M S o t th o Da e tr o S n r S n r C N he No Ce bu At ul o G s nd

e all aV

May–18

350

150

This has resulted in an unexpectedly rapid draw-down of carryover hay, to the point where some sheds are close to empty, as farmers move to secure hay for the winter. In Victoria and South Australia supply of hay is still strong and at this time sufficient to satisfy national fodder demand. Because of this supply hay prices in Australia remain below the five year average despite the surge in demand. However, compared to the subdued values of

100

May–17

5 Year Average

d A A ey IC S ts W all tS lan TA ric tV t s s s V st s a st e p i y e l s E e s p a W e g r W a lD W ng ab Gi th h h ur Be lW rli Co tra ut nT ut ou M rth n ra o / S o t tr h o Da e tr o S n S n C N ur he No Ce lb At u Go ds

an el

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all aV

** Hay prices are based on the average cereal hay price except for the Atherton Tablelands where it is the average pasture hay price.

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MARKETS // 21

Without a proper autumn break in most of Australia, fodder stocks have been depleted.

the past two years, price rises seen during autumn have been notable. The drought in New South Wales resulted in the largest price jump and unless rain eventuates prices are likely to continue to rise in the state. As hay is freighted increasingly large distances to satisfy fodder demand, additional costs will be incurred and more distant markets impacted.

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Looking ahead, the lack of a clear autumn break has also discouraged farmers from planting new fodder crops, which could result in less hay on the market next season. The question is whether the supply of hay in Victoria and South Australia is sufficient to keep prices from further rallies during winter. In the case of grain, above average spring rainfall and the likely record global wheat crop in 2017/18 painted an optimistic picture. The International Grains Council projects that 758 million tonnes of wheat will be produced in 2017/18, up 0.4% compared to last year. However, in 2018/19 wheat production is forecast to decline slightly while global wheat consumption is expected to grow. Wheat prices rallied during autumn due to production concerns in several major exporting countries. In the United States the wheat crop is drought affected and dry conditions in Russia, the Ukraine and Australia also caused wheat production concerns. If these concerns eventuate global wheat prices may continue to increase in 2018/19. In Australia, the total winter crop tonnage in 2017/18 is tipped to come in 6% above the ten year average, and together with a 12% larger summer crop (according to the ABARESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; February crop report), availability is far from critical. However, 2018/19 crop prospects worsened during autumn as hot and dry weather coincided with sowing in many cropping regions. Wheat yield estimates have been revised downwards and below average soil moisture has negatively impacted crop development. Where available, irrigation will prove essential this season for crop growth, according to market experts. Since the start of the year delivered prices have increased roughly 20% in most regions, reflecting the risks facing the current crop. Rainfall is the key antidote to the current grim outlook for the fodder and grain market. For its part, the BOM forecasts an equal chance of above or below average rainfall during winter, meaning that at this stage, uncertainty is the only thing to be sure of. â&#x20AC;˘ Sofia Omstedt is an industry analyst with Dairy Australia.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

22 // MARKETS

Prices to push past $6 but watch out for rising feed costs

FRESH AGENDA STEVE SPENCER MARKET CYCLES have little to do with rapid changes in demand — it is mostly about the effect of weather on supply, and how the demand side of commodity trade responds. The spectacular turnaround in prospects for the world’s dairy markets since early 2018 has come from unforeseen major changes in weather. As the year started, European dairy farmers were being paid handsomely for their milk after the good dairy product prices achieved in 2017 and were gearing up for a belter of a season that promised expansion of 4–5 per cent in milk output across their spring. The arctic blast and following wet weather that seemingly hit Europe out of nowhere in March continues to play havoc with farm milk production across most parts of Europe. Cows were held indoors longer, while pasture and forage growth were smashed in Ireland, UK and France. The unthinkable happened on Ireland’s dairy farms — they ran out of feed as an industry, and were forced to import fodder from neighbours in the UK. The eventual arrival of warm spring weather was far too late for the usual peak in milk flow, and as a result the aggregate EU peak is smaller and later. As the impacts have gradually unfolded, the growth in EU’s milk supply fell behind demand and quickly pushed product prices much higher.

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The biggest impact has been on cheese — commodity gouda in Europe was being flogged for €2,200/t in late 2017 and is quoted today more than 50 per cent higher. The crash in prices for milk powders, butterfat and cheese late last year brought buyers to the market to take advantage of bargains. With a period of stronger prices seemingly behind them, the decks were cleared. Europe went into 2018 with the expectation of a lot more milk coming and continuing cheap prices, but without a lot of stock on-hand — except for the mountain of gracefully aging skim milk powder. The combined effects of the weak spring and buoyant European consumers being able to afford to put more cheese and expensive butter on the table, has kept product supplies tight. The incredibly strong run for butter continues, now sitting above US$7,000/t in wholesale markets and buyers are still stumping up to cover their needs. Strong butterfat prices are at the core of milk value now, pushing up the asking price for cheese and as you now know, flowing across the world to keep prices for those commodities stronger in our region. In the midst of this, the European Commission has been gifted the “get out of jail card” over the handling of its massive SMP intervention stockpile. Fresh supplies of SMP have been tighter as well, so the clearance sale of the commission’s stockpile has started strongly — without unsettling the overall situation. But that’s a whole other story. Milk prices for European farmers have bottomed and are on the way back up as supplies remain tight. But the upshot of that means more milk as margins on farm get better and we go later into 2018, and that will in turn weaken the market, right? No so fast. The weather challenges don’t end there for European dairy farmers. An early hot summer has arrived on the heels of the chilly blast of the Beast from the East. Now those same forecasters that were pre-

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dicting normal spring weather in January are saying the continent is due for a long hot dry summer through to September. The scenario coming into view is that milk output will continue to be constrained and product supplies will remain tight. Prices should stay strong, which might burn off demand in some markets over time. The weather woes don’t stop there. Drought has hit the south west corner of the US and has already pushed up grain and corn prices. Dairy farm economics in the US are already fairly awful — not only with poor margins over feed costs and very weak livestock prices. Things are supposed to get better later in 2018 as better cheese prices arrive in milk cheques. However, what’s also going on in the background is a rising oil price, which drags up feed prices anyway as a bigger biofuel market for corn opens up. The relief in farm margins may not come if this drought extends and has greater impact on crops, so we could see US milk slow down. Slowing milk will lift cheese prices faster, and

that is also good for our cheese market. But the erratic nature of global weather giveth and also taketh away. Those global forecasters — yep the same ones — are now calling an El Nino event to arrive in Australia and New Zealand for spring. It is said to be a weak event, but the change isn’t really news. The drying out of Eastern Australia has been going on for some time and is expected to get a little worse but you can already see it in your feed bills. New Zealand had a shocker of a season last year and managed to keep milk output intact. Kiwi resilience will be tested again. So the upshot? The northern hemisphere will get tighter and put upward pressure on southern 2018–19 milk prices, and likely push them beyond $6/kgms. That’ll be critical as feed bills will be sharply higher. It’s how well you manage and protect margins that will define your season. • Steve Spencer is a Director of www.freshagenda.com.au

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MANAGEMENT // 23

Brazilian dairy expands to secure future STEPHEN COOKE

A SIXTH generation farmer based in a dairy

region of Brazil steeped in tradition is defying the local trend and expanding in a bid to secure his family’s future. Marcelo Siqueira is the sixth generation to farm in the state of Minas Gerais, running his father Ciro’s mixed farming business, where they produce milk, run beef cattle and grow coffee over four farms. He hosted a group of Australian farmers on an Alltech Lienert Australia tour to Brazil to visit farms and the annual One Conference held in Kentucky, USA. Minas Gerais is where the Portuguese first arrived so many farming families, including Marcelo’s, have direct links to the first settlers. The larger farms have been divided up for children of large families to the point where the average farm size in the area is 30ha. These farms hand milk their herds of 20–30 cows and pro-

duce 15l per cow. “Ten years ago there were no farms with more than 500 cows. Now, people see they have to grow because there’s a small margin for profit,” Marcelo explained, through a translator. The farm has cobbled lanes, the original farm house is in pristine condition, and the original dairy, which now provides shelter for calf pens, has been retained. However, it is an efficient operation which Marcelo plans to grow. They have a 371 stall barn where 340 milking cows are kept year round. The rest of his 800 head herd, including young stock and heifers, are fed their ration in a paddock. The barn enables them to use Holsteins as they can protect them from the weather and humidity with sprinklers and giant fans. It rises to 34 degrees centigrade in the summer but humidity is high, resembling Queensland. Rainfall is consistent at 1800-2000mm a year but most falls between October and March. Marcelo said milking cows outside instead of the barn would see a loss of up to 15 litres per cow.

Calf pens sheltered by the original dairy.

The focus in Brazil is on litres over components but 10% of Marcelo’s herd comprises Jerseys, to help lift fat and protein as he sells half his production to Coca Cola Brazil, which produces whey powder. This gives him an extra 0.05 real/litre (AUS2c/litre). He is currently paid 1.35 reals/litres (A48c/litre) although other farms in the State are receiving about .90 real/litre (A32c/l). His SCC of 150, 000 is rewarded with a further

Farmer Marcelo Siqueira with Alltech nutritionist Daniel Lobato.

bonus for being under 200,000. Further bonuses are paid for fat and protein. The herd is currently averaging 3.2 for protein and 3.5 for fat. They milk three times a day in a 12-a-side double up, producing an average 34.5 litres, or 12,000 litres, a day.

Continued page 24 >

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

24 // MANAGEMENT

Marcelo inspecting harvest of his coffee plants.

Cows being fed.

The 12-swingover dairy parlour.

< Continued from pge 23

Heifer calves are being retained as they build towards 600 milking cows. The family was the first to use AI in Brazil in 1966. They are now using ABS genetics but have stopped using sexed semen. The genetics are strong in the herd. The family used to register their cattle with the Holstein Association in Brazil, showing cattle and winning Best Breeder in the State in 1998. However, Marcelo said their primary focus now is on production “to make money”. The calf pens are now housed in the original dairy shed, about 50 cm off the ground. This system was introduced two years ago and they have since reduced their mortality rate from as

high as 15 per cent down to 1.5 per cent. Calves are kept in the pens for 60 days, before they are moved to a larger pen with other calves in the barn. They can’t go out onto pasture until 4 months because of ticks. They plant 150 ha to corn each year, growing 60t/ha of corn silage. They also plant 100 ha of oats each year but because of a lack of rain this year grew brachiaria instead, which handles hot weather and is a good secondary option at 30 per cent DM. They produce a ration comprising 35 kg of corn silage, 5 kg grass or oats, and 13 kg of concentrates, including wet corn, organic trace minerals from Alltech, cotton seed, soybean

meal, citrus pulp and snaplage. Cost of feed is 15.80 real/cow/day (AUS$5.61). They also use Alltech products Yea-Sacc, Mycosorb and Bioplex. Since adding these Marcelo said they are saving 12,000 real/month (A$4260) compared to their previous additives, and improved from 30l to 34.5l in production at the comparative stage of the season last year. Beef cattle provide an option to use land where coffee can’t be planted and dairy cows aren’t run. They have 1500 beef cows and will finish 500 cattle this year. They also plant 250 ha of soybeans for the market and 200 ha of coffee. Coffee quality and therefore prices have fallen for Brazilian growers because they

machine harvest. Traditionally each tree was picked three times a season to allow every bean to ripen. Now it is done at once so there are more unripe beans. They grow 35-40 60kg bags per hectare and receive A$152 per bag, down from A$266 quite recently. His gross margin/ha is A$1775/ha but those who hand pick can make up to A$4260. Although prices have fallen, the diversification of the business and expansion of the dairy will enable the seventh generation to continue in Marcelo’s footsteps. • Alltech Lienert Australia funded Stephen Cooke’s attendance at the Alltech ONE Conference in Kentucky, USA, and tour to Brazil.

Sire Conception Rate (SCR) measures the fertility of the bull. Independently analysed by CDCB for all companies, using actual on farm data for pregnancy testing and calving records. An SCR of +1.0 indicates a 1% increase in conception rate when compared to the average sire. Many factors effect a cow falling pregnant, some factors are harder to control than others, but semen selection considering SCR is an easy choice. The average first service conception rate in Australia is 41%.

Do all bulls have the same likelihood of getting cows pregnant? The example below shows the actual performance of the highest and lowest bulls ranked by SCR in a 1100 cow dairy. Each point of SCR is expected to correspond to an increase in conception of 1%. This herd used a cross section of sires from the five main AI studs.

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Group

SCR Ave.

# Pregnancies

# Matings

Ave. Conception %

CODE

NAME

SCR

Highest

2.33%

258

621

42%

250HO12975

PHARO

+3.1

Lowest

-2.75%

237

647

37%

14HO07858

NICHE

+2.9

14HO07796

GRIFF

+2.9

The highest group of sires based on SCR created:

14HO07848

ENHANCE

+2.7

More pregnancies.

250HO12961

DOC

+2.7

250HO01131

SALT

+2.7

A 5% higher conception rate on over 1260 matings.

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04-18 CDCB-Genomic data

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

MANAGEMENT // 25

Organic prices fall as more US farmers convert STEPHEN COOKE

DAIRY FARMERS running pasture-based

systems on the coast of California have adapted their practice to produce organic milk. However, the rise in farmers making the transition over the past few years has caused a fall in organic prices. The Bordessa family — Gary and Sandra and sons Jarrid and Gino — utilise the grass-based system for their organic endeavour at Valley Ford, north of San Francisco. They milk 700 cows across two farms and carry an additional 110 dry cows. The average herd size in this Bay area is 500 head. About 100 dairy farms operate in the Bay area. The neighbouring Central Valley is where larger farms utilise total mixed ration (TMR) systems. The Bordessas have been organic since 2003 and supply the US national Organic Valley dairy co-operative. They were the third dairy in the area to make the transition to organic. More farms have transitioned over the last few years to take advantage of higher prices.

However, this has caused organic prices to fall. About two years ago Jarrid said organic farms were particularly profitable while conventional farms were breaking even. More farmers have transitioned and Gary believes there is probably about 15% too much organic milk being produced. This – and a reduction in demand from consumers – has led to a drop in prices at the farmgate. It has also limited their production as they aren’t able to sell any more than what their co-op dictates. When they first started producing organic milk they received $19 per 100 pounds of milk, and prices rose to as high as $38. It is now $28, which is almost twice the price of conventional milk. This is the base price and they receive premiums for lower somatic cell count and better components. When they look like meeting their milk limit, they sell heifers or feed cheaper alfalfa to reduce production. “Organic has been really good for us. We’ve learned a lot going organic,” Gary said. “We initially went organic because we thought the money is there. Our idea was to go organic

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Gary and Jarrid Bordessa on their Californian dairy farm.

and milk first lactation cows. We thought it wouldn’t work, because we were used to the old way, but it did.” Under the organic system, cows must be on pasture for at least 120 days and receive 30% of DM year round from pasture. Farmers also can’t use anti-biotics and pesticides.

Cows at Bordessa Dairy are fed a mixed ration comprising silage made from their ryegrass pastures, almond hulls, roasted soy beans, soy hull pellets, dried distillers grain, corn, alfalfa, and minerals. Continued page 26>

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26 // MANAGEMENT

< Continued from page 25

For five months of the year they receive half this ration while they are able to graze. They retain access to pasture all year round and rest in a barn at night. The family farm across 1000 hectares and they grow silage on 160 ha. They have paddocks of 10–12 hectares and a 23 day rotation. They plant annual ryegrass every year and buy whatever seed is cheapest as it is effectively supplementing the mixed ration. The Central Valley is underpinned by an extensive irrigation scheme but those in the Bay area rely on rainfall. “Water is a limiting factor in this area,” Jarrid said. “We basically have enough to water our cows.” The average rainfall is 720mm – although it can get as high as 1440mm or as low as 360mm – which falls within 3 months. Their last two years have been wet but before that it was dry for five years. With the advent of sexed semen and genomics, they have started using beef semen in the bottom 25% of their herd. More dairy farmers now are breeding better animals to sexed semen and the bottom of their herd to beef semen. “With the advent of sexed semen, replacement animals are not worth anything,” Jarrid said. When the beef market was soaring, dairy calves at a day old were selling for $550 each. That’s now fallen to $30 each. Farmers are now receiving $100 for an Angus calf and up to $250 for a Wagyu calf. Cows with mastitis receive Banamine (a liquid pain relief) to aid swelling and are left to recover. Gary said half get better and the other half are culled.

“With mastitis, in our experience, cows clean up or they’re not going to. If they don’t clean up there’re gone.” They are also utilising an organic product from Alltech called Select GH A+, which reduces issues caused by mycotoxins and aids gut recovery. It solved a fall in milk production and loose manure caused by toxin in the silage. Bordessa also utilises Bio-Mos to reduce diarrhea problems in the calves. It has helped them reduce the mortality rate in their calves. Gary said they have gained production in their pastures since turning organic, which he attributes to learning more about their soil and pasture seeds. They apply manure from the barn to pastures as well as homemade compost. Their compost recipe includes wood chips, grape pumice, maize and chicken manure. It currently costs more to produce organic milk as their organic feed costs have risen. Organic corn used to be $200/tonne but is now $600/tonne. Gary said their cost of production is about twice that of a conventional farm. However, their income is also twice that of a conventional farm. “We’re still better off,” he said. “Even if we went back to producing conventional milk, we still wouldn’t use dry treatment, mastitis treatment, or hormones.” • Alltech funded Stephen Cooke’s attendance at the Alltech ONE Conference in Kentucky, USA, and tour to California.

Calf hutches near the cow barn.

The milking parlour.

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CALF REARING // 27

Assess internal development by hip height PIP GALE

REARING OUTSTANDING dairy replacement heifers is viewed by many successful dairy businesses as an absolute non-negotiable. So an appropriate contextual question to ask is, “How relevant is calf nutrition to sustainable business performance in a dairy business?” If your business resonates with statements such as: “We aim to have a healthy, efficient and highly productive herd of cows that support a financially sustainable business”, then neo-natal calf nutrition will definitely be a key performance area of great interest to you. Some of the most compelling research from the past decade has focused on the positive effects of neo-natal nutrition on lifetime milk solids production. For dairy replacement heifers, it’s all about the development of specific mammary tissue (called parenchymal tissue) in the first months of life. This has a direct correlation with how efficiently a heifer can convert kilograms of dry matter intake into kilograms of milk solids throughout her adult years. In a nutshell, the way you feed your calves in the first months of life can become the difference between average or excellent financial performance in years to come. Alternatively we could state: “If you care about

your bottom line, pay careful attention to your calf rearing investment”. Accelerated calf growth begins with optimal health targets, as prevention always trumps cure. A health checklist should include the following protocols: ■ All calves receive 3-4 litres of “gold” colostrum within the first 12 hours of life. ■ Well ventilated housing is sanitized regularly and dry bedding is maintained. ■ Milk or CMR is fed at body temperature at 10-12% of each calf’s bodyweight, with preference for twice daily feeding for a minimum of 8 weeks. ■ Pre- and pro-biotics are included in milk feeds, along with a coccidiostat. ■ Clean, fresh drinking water is available at all times. ■ Consistent feeding times are prioritized and feeding equipment is sanitized following usage. ■ Scouring calves are isolated and fed electrolytes as soon as they are observed. ■ A vaccination and drenching program is developed and implemented in consultation with your veterinary practitioner. The non-invasive way we can measure our success with regards to the development of the parenchymal tissue is via lean muscle mass and frame growth, as the same nutrients are required

for each of these outcomes. Weighing calves is a great starting point, however it is also beneficial to measure wither or hip height and hip width (target weights, heights and hip width for age and breed can be attained from the Dairy Australia website). So the good news is that you don’t need a lab technician, just implement regular monitoring and recording practices. In order to maintain optimum growth in those early months, we have to address the issue of rumen development. While milk feeding provides the foundations of adequate calf nutrition, milk feeds bypass the rumen on the way to the abomasum (fourth segment of the gut, or “true” stomach). So we need to offer some hard feeds in order to engage the rumen, with need to develop both the microbial population that become responsible for the digestion of ingested feeds and the epithelial cells that line the wall of the rumen, called papillae. The role of the papillae is to provide a site of absorption for the organic acids that result from feeds being fermented in the rumen. This is a case of bigger is better, as larger surface areas provide more sites of absorption. And remember, sugars and starches will have a greater effect on papillae than “scratch factor”. Because young calves have relatively low levels of intake but have very high nutrient requirements for maintenance and growth, every mouthful of

feed consumed must be of the highest nutrient density. Calf Starter pellets or meals need to deliver high quality carbohydrates in the form of digestible starches and sugars to support blood glucose production. They also need to provide the highest quality protein meals, such as soybean and canola meals, to provide the amino acids that in combination with blood glucose are essential for muscle and frame growth. Calcium to phosphorus ratios in the range of 1.5 -2:1 will underpin skeletal development, then rumen buffers and live yeast and yeast cultures aid in stabilizing rumen pH which supports feed intake. All of the B group vitamins should be added, as pre-ruminants cannot synthesis their own and they are essential to many energy pathways. Vitamins A, D & E, along with all of the essential trace minerals then aid in the synthesis of numerous enzymatic processes and support immune status. Quality nutrition and management practices support healthy, well grown replacement dairy heifers that have increased feed conversion efficiency capability over their lifetime. This represents an incredible investment opportunity for the future of your dairy business. • Pip Gale is Head of Nutrition and Technical Services with CopRice.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

28 // CALF REARING

Attention to detail rewarded at Jelbart Dairy STEPHEN COOKE

ATTENTION TO detail and a willingness to

evolve are key factors behind the success of the Jelbart Dairy calf rearing team, Kerrie McCaughn and Libby Oakley.The two long-time staff members may work in an impressive shed, but the principals behind their practice could be adopted anywhere. They shared their approach to calf rearing with dairy farmers from across the country at the recent National Muster, hosted by the Jelbart family at their Leongatha South farm. When calves are brought in they are inspected and given their first feed of colostrum, which is tested with a refractometer as soon as it is delivered from the dairy. Daily testing over the fortnight before the field day showed four days below 20 Brix, with one as low as 12. The highest reading was 26 and Kerrie says Brix readings in their 30s are now achieved. Testing is important as the poorer quality is fed to bulls, better quality to heifers and the best quality is frozen if they have some left over. “It all comes back to making decisions about the future of the herd, and that’s female calves,” Libby said. Each calf receives colostrum when it first comes in, and a second batch the following feed. Calves are identified, cross-checked with other members of staff, and ear tagged as soon as they come into the calf shed. This is documented on a huge whiteboard in the shed. “The white board is proof that it happens. We love whiteboards. We’re religious about it and it pays off.” The whiteboard also means relief staff can easily be brought up to date. Libby receives the calves at five days old. They are placed in a holding pen in small groups of between five to ten calves, depending

on how busy the calving period is, until there are 40-42 calves, which are kept together in a larger pen. Calves receive two litres in the morning and two litres in the afternoon. “We try a few things different every year, just to test things and see if it makes a difference,” Libby said. Sometimes this is out of necessity. They received such an influx at once this year, with 10-15 calves a day, that they moved calves to once a day feeding and on the wagon earlier than normal. At 14 days the calves receive an extra litre in the morning, and three days later are fed five litres once a day, which is fed to the whole group in a wagon, and feed. Calves are now fed calf muesli. “We used to use pellets and calf meal, but they love this muesli. It’s like cereal, it feels a bit lighter than calf meal.” The shed is gutted and thoroughly cleaned between autumn and spring calving. All gates are disinfected with Virkon and left in the sun to dry. During calving, the women use pooper scoopers to remove manure from pens and they are flushed out every day. All feeding equipment is cleaned with Hypo. A new concrete floor has been installed at the request of the women “We used to have a lot of water problems,” Libby said “Water would come in and everything would get spongy. It was a combination of urine and rain and weather. “Tim (Jelbart) put concrete down to see if he the urine would run to that drain and it has done exactly that. We wash it down every day but they wee a lot,” she laughs. Calves are now fully anaesthetised for dehorning. The cost has risen from around $4/head to $10/head but assistant farm manager Will Ryan says it is worth the cost. It requires less staff to assist, improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and calves recover

Calves on clean straw.

The dedicated calf rearing team at Jelbart Dairy, Libby Oakley and Kerrie McCaughn.

Everything is documented on this whiteboard.

quicker, missing only one feed. Calves are disbudded at 4-5 weeks of age and receive their 7-in-1 vaccination at the same time. This is a tad earlier than the convention but vet advice says it’s OK as long as the calf is not under stress. Vets can also check for hernias and extra teats. The underlying principals, attention to detail, communication, record keeping, focus on cleanliness, passion and patience has meant they had lost only two calves from 583 on the day of the field day. The investment in the most important part of the business is clearly paying off.

Calves eating the newly introduced calf muesli.

New factory will help MaxCare meet rising demand MAXUM FOODS is now producing its MaxCare range of infant animal milk replacers through a state-of-the-art facility in Laverton, Victoria. The MaxCare products are formulated to give the best possible results for farmers, building a strong foundation for healthy growth and animal nutrition, according to National Sales Manager, Tom Newton. “Our priority is to ensure that young animals, which are the future of our enterprises, are at their full potential when they get to weaning,” Mr Newton said. “This sets them up for improved productiv-

ity throughout their life. We need to produce products that deliver the best possible results for the animal whilst still being functional and easy to use for the farmer.” Mr Newton said the new facility gave Maxum the capacity to not only meet growing demand but also to look at other markets. “More exciting is the capability it gives us from a QA perspective allowing us to really lift the bar in what customers can expect from milk replacers.” Mr Newton said the team at Maxum work hard to help their farmers build strong businesses, which will in turn foster a healthy

dairy industry. “We support those who support us and we want to see our business partners and their animals thrive,” he said. “Maximising your calf growth rates maximises the long-term productivity and profitability of your herd.” The MaxCare range has been in market since 2014 and was created to deliver maximum growth, nutrition and health support for infant animals in the first few weeks. Farmers can choose from Essential, Premium or Ultimate Calf Milk Replacers which provide different levels of performance depend-

MaxCare National Sales Manager Tom Newton and Account Manager Rod Shaw.

ing on the particular needs of your animals. MaxCare is also a major supply partner of the Cows Create Careers program which offers dairy industry education and highlights career opportunities to secondary students across Australia. • This article was supplied by Maxum Foods.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

30 // CALF REARING

Biosecurity critical to calf rearing success THE BEST defense against calf disease is to

implement sound biosecurity measures and hygiene practices on the farm and around the calf shed. Dairy hygiene specialist Gavin Smedley, Tasman Chemicals, said attention to detail in this area is critical to successful calf rearing. “Healthy calves also stay in the herd longer as milkers than those who experience disease,” Mr Smedley said. “Farm biosecurity is essentially a set of measures designed to protect a property from the entry and spread of pests and diseases. “This includes restricting access by other livestock and personnel.” Mr Smedley said there are several ways to improve biosecurity on farm. ■ Access restrictions: Restrict access to the calf shed to only those responsible for rearing calves. Put measures in place for high-risk visitors such as veterinarians, operators of mobile calf scales, other farmers and service providers who have access to other calf facilities. ■ Separate and clean clothing/boots: Attend each shift with clean clothing and boots. ■ Washing facilities: Practice regular hand washing and footwear disinfection before and after visiting the calf shed. ■ Housing of purchased calves: Ensure that

all calves purchased off farm are housed separately to the home calves. Same applies to sale calves. ■ Sick pens: Set up a dedicated area for sick calves downwind and away from the general calf population to reduce contact between healthy and sick animals. ■ Stock movement: Collect and deliver calves in clean trailers and trucks. ■ Dead stock removal: Pick up dead stock away from the calf shed. “Hygiene is an important part of biosecurity. As the saying goes ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ but in many cases the basics are often overlooked. “Reducing the risk of infection through meticulous hygiene in calf housing, management and handling is of utmost importance.” Hygiene practices for successful calf rearing include: ■ Navel disinfection: Dip or spray navel with iodine after birth. This prevents pathogens tracking up the navel cord and causing infection. ■ Vehicle disinfection: Regular cleaning and disinfection of the ute tray or trailer used to transport newborn calves. ■ Foot dips: Disinfect footwear on entering or exiting the calf shed. ■ Always work from youngest to oldest:

Make sure calf pens are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with a terminal disinfectant before calving and between batches.

■

Workers’ hands and clothes become contaminated and can transmit infections between calves. Never work with sick calves and then move onto healthy or newborn calves! Feeding equipment disinfection: Pathogens that cause disease in calves can survive and multiply in milk and dirty equipment. Calf-feeding equipment must be kept immaculately clean at all times. Pen disinfection: Make sure calf pens are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with a terminal disinfectant (e.g. ViralFX) before calving and between batches. Spraying and fogging on a regular basis while calves are in the pens will reduce pathogen load and

■

prevent disease. It’s important to note that 90% of cleaning is achieved by the physical removal of organic debris. Disinfectants do not work properly in the presence of dirt, milk residue, and manure. Clean and dry bedding: The absence of moisture makes life difficult for pathogenic organisms to thrive. Ensure there is good drainage, the provision of fresh bedding between batches and regular top-ups in between to keep the bedding clean and dry. Use of non-irritant desiccants (e.g. Deltasec) to absorb moisture will help keep bedding fresh. • This article was supplied by Provico.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

32 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Keep an eye on E.coli THE RAIN and cooler weather has arrived in

many dairying regions of Australia and while these changing conditions have been welcomed by most dairy farmers, cool wet weather also favours the survival and proliferation of many calf scour pathogens. In seasonal parts of the country, the weather changes also coincide with calving and the inci-

dence of calf scours tends to increase with this change in climate. This article discusses Escherichia coli (E.coli), a relatively common cause of neonatal calf diarrhoea. What is E.coli and how is it spread?

E.coli are bacteria shed in the faeces of infected

calves and carrier cows. These calves and cows may appear clinically normal but they are an important source of infection and contribute to environmental contamination with the organism. Each infected animal excretes many more bacteria than it originally ingested, creating a ‘multiplier effect’, leading to a progressively con-

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taminated environment over time. E.coli can survive in soil for more than 6 months and in water for at least 3 months. Spread of the organism is by the faeco-oral route and is associated with a contaminated calving environment, infrequent collection of calves from the calving environment, a dirty calf trailer and poor calf shed hygiene.

Cool wet weather also favours the survival and proliferation of many calf scour pathogens.

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There are two major syndromes associated with E.coli infection in calves. The first is enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and affects calves < 4 days of age. The second syndrome is enterohaemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC) and usually occurs in calves older than 6 weeks of age. The remainder of this article will focus specifically on ETEC. E.coli causes diarrhoea in young calves by evading many of the body’s defence mechanisms to fight disease. These include: the ability to survive the acidic environment of the abomasum; the ability to attack and grow in the small intestine; and the ability to produce toxins that directly cause diarrhoea by the increased secretion of water into the intestine. E.coli are cleverly designed in that they can attach to the intestinal wall by specific receptors on their surface. This means they cannot easily be removed by the usual defence mechanisms of the body. However, they only have this ability for the first 48 hours of a calf’s life, after which the intestine of the calf is no longer susceptible to E.coli. This means that the disease typically occurs over the first 4 days of life. A common scenario is calves being brought in from the calving area, already showing signs of scour. The faeces of affected calves is generally yellow/white, extremely watery, foul-smelling and may resemble ‘pipe-stream’ diarrhoea. Defaecation tends to be effortless with the faeces appearing to flow out of the anus of affected animals. Calves may appear weak, lethargic and unwilling to drink even before the onset of diarrhoea. Dehydration, observed as sunken eyes and a dry nose may become severe as the diseases progresses. Calves in the terminal stages of disease may be unable to stand, lying flat-out or appear to be comatose. Death can occur within a few hours, some calves being found dead without any previous signs.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

ANIMAL HEALTH // 33

Virbac launches Australian-first combination treatment for BRD ANIMAL HEALTH company Virbac Australia

Adequate intake of colostrum provides some protection against E.coli but may not prevent diarrhoea entirely.

Other calves may survive for 3 to 5 days before succumbing to this disease. How can E.coli be prevented?

Prevention of calf diarrhoea relies upon: 1. Reducing the risk of exposure to harmful scour-causing pathogens Reducing the risk of exposure involves minimising the faecal contamination in the environment and reducing the time period that susceptible calves spend in that environment. This refers to the calving area, calf trailer and calf shed. At least twice daily collection of calves from the calving area, rotation of calving paddocks with a suitable stocking rate, good calf trailer and shed hygiene will help minimise the risk of infection to E.coli.

2. Increasing the resistance to disease by the calf Adequate intake of colostrum provides some protection against E.coli but may not prevent

diarrhoea entirely. Failure of passive transfer of protective antibodies from colostrum is a significant risk factor for E.coli infection in calves. Active feeding (by teat or tube feeder) a known volume of the best quality colostrum available as soon as possible after birth will help provide protective immunity. Excellent hygiene during the collection, storage and handling processes is essential to reduce the risk of bacterial overgrowth. Colostral vaccines can also be used in adult cows to boost specific colostral antibodies to E.coli. The timing of these vaccines is critical and is important to always read the manufacturer’s specific vaccination schedule. It is essential to get an accurate and prompt diagnosis when dealing with calf scours, not only to appropriately treat affected calves but to establish preventative health measures for future calving periods. • Gemma Chuck is an adviser with Apiam Animal Health.

has launched a brand new combination treatment designed to tackle Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD).Virbac Technical Services Manager, Dr George Cox, said BRD is on the most costly diseases to affect cattle. “This disease costs cattle producers not only in treatment, labour and cattle deaths, but BRD also results in performance losses due to reduced milk production and weight loss,” Dr Cox said. “BRD is triggered by stress, weaning or even by a sudden change in weather. “Symptoms can vary from a light upper respiratory tract infection to a full-blown flu, and even pneumonia. “Essentially, stress reduces the animal’s ability to fight off infection, which allows viruses like parainfluenza and herpes to move in,” Given its impact, early identification of BRDstricken cattle is vital. Clinical signs to look for include depression and loss of interest in surroundings, lethargy and unwillingness to move, an extended head, droopy ears, discharge from the eyes, nose and mouth, coughing and rapid shallow breathing. Production losses due to BRD can be reduced by the implementation of management practices designed to decrease stress and improve adaptation to the dairy herd environment. “If the disease takes hold, affected cattle should be housed in a less competitive environ-

ment in a hospital pen, with easy access to high quality hay and fresh clean water. “Adequate nutrition is also vital so a top up with Multimin, which contains trace minerals that enhance an animal’s immune system, can be very useful.” Dr Cox said animals can be successfully treated if the disease is caught early enough. However, delaying treatment can lead to very high mortality rates or develop into chronic cases. Virbac Australia’s new treatment combines an antibiotic with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). “Recovery time in cattle with Bovine Respiratory Disease can be vastly improved by administering an NSAID together with an antibiotic. “This new medication is the first-generation combination to do just that – and it’s delivered with one injection, once a day over 3-5 days, improving the bioavailability of both drugs and minimising the impact on production, to give animals the best chance of a full recovery.” Virbac Australia’s new medication is an innovative ‘two-in-one’ solution designed to target infection, inflammation and pain all at once. It is the first combination antibiotic/NSAID to offer a zero milk withholding period and only an eight-day withholding period in meat. To find out more, speak to your local vet. • This article was supplied by Virbac.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

34 // ANIMAL HEALTH

There was no growth so what went wrong? ROD DYSON

“THAT’S REALLY disappointing! What went

wrong? How could there be “no growth”? They were all clinical cases! Do we need to re-train the milking staff?” These are not uncommon questions when discussing milk culture results and they arise when results don’t seem to match expectations. I had called the farm to discuss the results from a batch of 16 milk samples that had been sent off to the laboratory for milk cultures. Common reasons for taking milk culture samples are to find out what is causing the problem, how to treat the clinical cases and how to prevent more cases. Of the 16 samples, three returned a culture result of Strep uberis, one returned a Staph aureus, and one was reported as “Mixed enteric flora”. The remaining 11 samples were reported as “No growth”. The farm had seen a sudden rise in the number of clinical cases of mastitis, and the new cases were often severe, with treatments

We need to understand that “No Growth” and contaminated samples are a normal part of the process when taking milkculture samples.

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not working as well they had been. The farm had pro-actively already started collecting milk samples from clinical cases and storing them in the freezer at the dairy until they had enough to send off a batch to the laboratory, which they had then done. What should we expect from milk culture samples? A few years ago, Dairy Focus co-ordinated a large survey of mastitis pathogens across 65 farms in South Eastern Australia, who all collected and submitted milk samples from clinical cases of mastitis over a twelve month period. Of the 3000 milk culture samples from clinical cases of mastitis, 23 per cent produced no growth and 16 per cent were contaminated, meaning that 39 per cent of samples did not produce what the submitting farm would consider a meaningful result! Now let’s consider our disappointed farm in the light of this knowledge. For our farm, 69 per cent of samples submitted were “No Growth”, well above the survey average. “No Growth” means that the laboratory was unable to grow any bacteria from the submitted sample. This could be because there are no longer bacteria in the inflamed udder. This is not uncommon with E.coli infections, where much of the inflammation is actually a result of the toxins released by the bacteria. Or again, particularly in the case of E.coli, it could be that freezing has affected the survival of the bacteria. The bacteria may also have died some time after the sample was collected, a common cause being a failure to quickly refrigerate the sample (especially in our hot summers) and to keep it “on ice” until the sample reaches the lab. Given that our farm has a refrigerator at the dairy, and samples are placed there immediately after collection, this is unlikely to be a problem.

“Mixed enteric flora” (or similar) usually means the sample has been contaminated, most likely at the time of collection. Given the relatively unsterile environment in a dairy shed during milking, it is easy for minute amounts of contaminating dust, dirt, skin, etc to end up in the sample tube. Whilst improving the collection technique will help, it will never be possible to completely eliminate the risk of contamination in such an environment. One contaminated sample in 16 (6 per cent) is well below the survey average, so is actually a pretty good result! Taking all this into consideration, and with our close knowledge of the farm, and its treatment protocols, we were suspicious that E.coli may have been involved. We recommended that the next milk samples that were taken should not be frozen, just refrigerated, and sent fresh to the laboratory. Under these circumstances, two of the following four samples were reported as E.coli and our suspicions proved correct. This then allowed a change to the mastitis treatment protocols for the farm, and just as importantly, a focus on the management changes needed to help control coliform mastitis. So, what went wrong with the initial samples? Nothing really, it was more about understanding what we should expect to see, and then interpret any variation from that. We need to understand that “No Growth” and contaminated samples are a normal part of the process when taking milk culture samples. That is why we need a reasonable number of samples to ensure we have enough meaningful results to make a valid interpretation. • Rod Dyson is a veterinary surgeon and mastitis adviser at www.dairyfocus.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 35

GRUNT

JOHN DROPPERT

A new era of grunt

SOME MONTHS ago, I wrote a column on these pages musing about the potential merits, or perhaps potential for merits, of Chinese tractors. Subsequent to that column, I had an unexpected need to do some extra earthmoving work to fill in for the world’s least punctual contractor (still waiting, champ). In the course of this work, I managed to incur handsome repair bills across a range of marquee Australian, German and French-built equipment. For a hobby farmer digging a hole in the ground, I felt that this was an impressive achievement. Particularly in light of my familiarity with grease guns and checking oil levels, and abhorrence of the usual styles of machinery abuse. The relevance of this is that my feelings on the argument of older machinery from trusted brands, versus new machines from less-established sources have become more circumspect. How does this relate to Chinese machinery? Simple: go to any web forum or Facebook group (or face to face discussion, if anyone still does that), and look for any example of a person asking any question whatsoever on any piece of Chinese equipment from any non-mainline brand.

I guarantee you that exactly roughly 75% of the responses will be along the lines of ‘go and buy an old machine from an established brand, it will be better and it’ll never break down’. I can also guarantee you that the great majority of the authors of such comments have never owned or operated the machine in question. Well I’ve owned the old brand name machines, and they’ve broken down on me. So much so that I’ve decided to change it up a bit and try the other option. In conjunction with my quest to live the simpler life and embrace two wheel drive tractors, I’m also swapping out my current loaders for a brand new Chinese-made Everun ER20. Tractors for pulling; a loader for lifting; selfactualisation is within reach! Anyone that’s investigated Chinese wheel loaders seriously will know two things. The first, is that they are ridiculously (and I mean really, ridiculously) cheap. The second is that there are countless brands of all stripes to choose from. There are horror stories. There are fly-by-nighters who, with some investigation, you can track from one brand or establishment to the next. There are importers who regularly buy different machines from different manufacturers and apply the same branding, making the spare

parts game a nightmare. But there are also, it would appear, genuine businessmen out there looking to build reputations as long term, reliable importers and supporters of basic, competitively priced workhorses. I’m hoping I’ve bought one of those. Detailed specifics of the Everun itself will have to wait for another day. Due to a broken ankle, my driving experience has so far been both limited and excruciating – and not due to the machine. First impressions are that it is an extremely simple, yet reasonably well finished machine. It has basic features such as swing-out fuel tanks and swing-up engine covers that aid maintenance, and it came with tractor-tread tyres to maximise grip in the Gippsland winter mud. So far, I’ve fueled it up, and gotten it dirty. Even the worst of them can probably manage that. • John Droppert has no mechanical qualifications whatsoever, but has been passionate about tractors since before he could talk and has operated many different makes and models in a variety of roles for both profit and fun. First impressions of the Chinese Everun are that it is an extremely simple, yet reasonably well finished machine.

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36 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

New ‘super’ sprayer released MARK DANIEL

THE AMAZONE UX01 Super series of trailed

sprayers boasts a new operating concept and innovative boom guidance systems for greater precision, capacity and comfort. Initially offered with tank volumes of 6200, 5200 or 4200L and Super-L2 booms from 27 to 40m, all models have an enclosed underbelly that allows the machine to pass smoothly over plants. Beneath the left-hand cover on the machine’s flank, the SmartCenter hosts the operator station, induction bowl, fill ports and two dustproof storage compartments. Under the right-hand cover is an additional 240L lockable storage compartment with a removable shelf. Both covers swing upwards to allow easy filling and operation and can be optioned with an LED lighting package for easy operation at night. All machine operations are controlled using a seven-way pressure tap, allowing each function to be easily selected without having to open or close separate circuits. Once the desired function is selected, the relevant valve for the corresponding circuit opens, so the fresh water rinse tank can be topped up while the sprayer is being filled. A conical-shaped 60L induction bowl located directly under the control valves has a central-

ised aperture and 200 L/minute suction capacity to ensure quick, trouble-free filling and complete emptying. An additional mixing nozzle positioned underneath the suction aperture prevents blockages when inducting powders or granular products. The intensity of the mixing nozzle and rinse ring can be adjusted, and the induction bowl can be supplied with fresh water via the optional rinse water pump when pressure filling from a bowser. A new canister cleaning nozzle, positioned at the right-hand side of the bowl, is activated by downwards pressure, and a second smaller contact area allows effective cleaning of the canister

neck; with the lid closed this cleans the induction bowl completely. The sealed lid of the induction bowl swivels to the side 180 degrees, allowing it to act as a shelf when it is opened and to hold a measuring jug; two run-off channels allow canisters to be drained after rinsing. The UX01 can also be equipped with the optional Comfort-Pack plus terminal, which provides automatic control of agitation intensity, fill stop function, boom rinsing, line cleaning, tank cleaning and tank-mix dilution. The touchscreen display allows easy control of all functions even when using gloves; the operator selects the desired function and the sprayer then adjusts itself automatically.

During filling the operator just couples the fill-hose and the machine will automatically fill the spray tank and fresh water rinse tank up to the desired levels. The UX01 can also be specified with an optional steering axle whose maximum steering angle of 28 degrees achieves a minimum turning radius of 4.5 m. All booms can be controlled using the electro-hydraulic Profi-folding system with the automatic DistanceControl or DistanceControl Plus or the new ContourControl vertical boom movement and SwingStop yaw prevention systems. Also, the Super-L2 booms, when used with ContourControl boom control, have the new Flex-fold system for rapid folding.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 37

Drip irrigation cuts water use by half THE ABILITY to produce more tonnes with

less water was the major focus for dairy farmer Anthony Wood, of Byrneside, in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria. Mr Wood runs the family business, Deloraine Holdings and milks 500 cows as well as producing a range of forage cropsacross the farm. Recently they converted dryland blocks into irrigation with a 36 hectare block of Netafim sub surface drip irrigation which was installed in November, 2017 and planted with maize on December 17. “We've been very impressed with it,” Mr Wood said. The water usage so far has been 3.2 and I think it will be about 3.5 megalitres per hectare. “Comparing that to some of our flood planted on the same day, it is less than half and it had the same conditions. “We are going to be forced to utilise the valuable resource that we've got which is water. If this crop gives us 24 tonnes - that is eight dry tonnes, per megalitre, which is remarkable.” He said as the business became more intensive they needed to make use of outer areas as support forage fodder blocks. “This was earmarked for that and so we decided that we didn't want to graze on this block. It wasn't on our grazing platform anyway. It was trying to pick the right system for this block and how we would get the most value out of this block converting to irrigation.” Mr Wood said while the cost of sub-surface irrigation was significantly higher than a flood system, the payback was very quick. “The extra return on the drip and the cost for that is very quick pay-back. We think this will pay for itself in 18 months to 24 months, with the yields that we plan and the yields that we are actually going to get. The aim is to double-crop. We'll go straight into a cereal crop with vetch and hopefully pull 6 to 8 tonne off that and then go back into corn again. This will focus on just delivering our silage.” “We do grow another 25 hectares of corn this year, on flood, and that will probably, be gradually turned to grazing country if this keeps performing the way it has.” He said the drip system will allow them to grow more fodder to support their system and provide flexibility with the other paddocks. “It is not just what we grow from here. It is what it does for our whole business. It creates variability, flexibility in the rest of our business." Mr Wood said they placed the sub-surface drip at five feet spacings which provides further options for other crops in the future. “We can put row crops in here, we can grow veggies, we could do lots of different things and that's why the main decision was to go this way. It gives you a variety of options, not just to grow cow feed.” The sub-surface drip is also being utilised for fertigation and has proven to be an excellent partner to the other products applied higher up in the soil structure. “We like to utilise as much fertiliser of our own or compost,” Mr Wood said. We can just feed the plant what it needs. You can just apply a tiny amount of the fertiliser straight to the plant and straight to the roots.” He said the irrigation system was effectively run off the phone, with the water schedule delayed if rain was coming and brought forward if conditions were hot and dry.

“It was pretty daunting when we put it in. We were laying a tape and had a lot of money going in the ground and I was very stressed. Since we've done it once now, I'm very comfortable with it and I look forward to doing more.” A major advantage of the sub-surface irrigation has been the savings in time compared to the flood system.

“We've had another 25 hectares in flood and the amount of work I've put into that has been huge, compared to this, ten times probably for half the size, half the area. It is just so much easier to manage.” • This article was supplied by Netafim Anthony Wood.

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The ability to purchase standard granular urea and dissolve into a liquid in cold water very quickly, can provide a major eﬃciency gain of nitrogen utilisation which results in an approved bottom line from day one. The Tow and Fert is a unique machine that is ‘not just another sprayer’. It has the ability to dissolve urea in cold water and apply it combined with growth stimulants like gibberellic acid or capital fertiliser which results in 2 immediate savings; 1. Reduce your N input without impacting dry matter response 2. Reduce number of passes across the farm by combining fertiliser products To get it on with your own Tow and Fert, call us on 1300 630 279 and we’ll hook you up.

TOW AND FARM by metalform

1) “Urease

inhibitor reduces N losses and improves plant-bioavailability of urea applied in ﬁne particle and granular forms under ﬁeld conditions”, K. Dawar et al, 2011 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880911002866

1300 630 279

WWW.TOWANDFARM.COM.AU

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2018

38 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Semi-trash pumps ideal for dairy AUSTRALIAN PUMP Industries has launched

a range of 3” high pressure semi-trash pumps that can provide both high pressure and the ability to handle large volumes of contaminated water. Their G3TMK model delivers flows of up to 1100 litres per minute (lpm) and heads as high as 54 metres. The pumps self-prime from depths as low as 6 metres. Aussie Pumps’ Neil Bennet said he has

spoken to some dairy farmers who seem reconciled to having to replace pumps on a regular basis. “That is generally because the pumps they are using are either too small or can’t handle the solids handling requirements of the job,” he said. “Aussie GMP XRA series are ideal for this application because of their robust construc-

tion, integrated features, self-priming and trash handling, and solid cast iron construction”, he said. The Aussie semi-trash pumps are designed with big open impellers and are made from heavy duty cast iron, with a 316 stainless steel option. A non-clog style impeller means that passing of compressible solids is easy, Mr Bennet said.

MCINTOSH BALE FEEDERS

BIG BALE SPECIALISTS

McIntosh Bale feeders are designed with McIntosh Bale feeders are designed with strength, performance and uncompromising quality to strength, performance and uncompromising quality to handle all types of bales. handle all types of bales. All machines have been carefully designed give trouble free All machines have been carefully designed give trouble free operation, easy use and reduce break downs for years to come. operation, easy use and reduce break downs for years to come.

OUR UNIQUE FEATURES OUR UNIQUE FEATURES  Our twin ram lift system capable of lifting bales up to 1300 kg and gently 

      

Our twin capable of lifting bales up to 1300 kg and gently places theram bale lift intosystem the chamber. places the bale into the chamber. Roto cut and fine chopped bales can be held up over the chamber to remove Rotoand cutwrap and fine chopped bales can be held up over the chamber to remove net net and wrap Wide dual sided feeding cradle, heavy duty roller chains and protected shafts Wide dual sided feeding cradle, heavy duty roller chains and protected shafts to minimise wrappage. to minimise High torque wrappage. hydraulic motors with 1 ¼ output and 40mm drive shafts High hydraulic motors with 1 ¼floatation output and 40mm shafts Heavytorque Duty axles and hubs with wide tyres ( on drive trailed models ) Heavy Duty axles and hubs with wide floatation tyres ( on trailed models )

WITH OUR RANGE OF 3PTL, 2 BALE TRAILED, WITH OUR RANGE OF 3PTL, 2 BALE TRAILED, TROUGH AND THE NEW MULTI BALE FEEDERS TROUGH AND THE NEW MULTI BALE FEEDERS

WE WE HAVE HAVE THE THE RIGHT RIGHT BALE BALE FEEDER FEEDER FOR FOR YOU YOU www.mcintosh.net.nz www.mcintosh.net.nz

STRENGTH / QUALITY / PERFORMANCE STRENGTH / QUALITY / PERFORMANCE

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO FIND OUT YOUR NEAREST DEALER PLEASE CONTACT: FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO FIND OUT YOUR NEAREST DEALER PLEASE CONTACT:

5625 1522 5625 0418 1522 515 510 0418 515 510CRT, DROUIN 3818 86 ROBERTS 86 ROBERTS CRT, DROUIN 3818

“The front mounted clean out port means clearing clogs without having to undo pipework or hoses.” The big 3”pumps come with silicone carbide mechanical seals with alumina counterface and nitrile rubber seals as standard. A tungsten carbide Viton is also available. All pumps feature a 316 stainless steel motor shaft and a stainless steel wear plate fitted to protect from erosion or body wear. The big pumps start with 3”port units of 4 kW and go all the way up to 15 kW 4” versions. They will handle up to 2300 lpm and can produce heads of up to 30 metres, around 50 psi. All pumps are made to ISO 9001 quality standards. For more information visit www.aussiepumps.com.au • This article was supplied by Aussie Pumps.

NEW MANURE SYSTEM SAVES TIME McLanahan has launched its Enviro System that deals with effluent from the dairy, handling the entire process from the initial capture throughto separation and solids stockpile. The fully-automated system features filtration, self-cleaning and easy access for maintenance. McLanahan’s Chris Knowles said the technology has been tested on 20 sites (both farms and stock yards) over several years. It was designed in Australia using proven technology and will be serviced by experienced technicians. McLanahan’s existing range includes sand manure separators, liquid solid separators and rotary bedding dryers. “The Enviro System helps farmers effectively deal with effluent by turning it into usable dry manure to use as a biologically active soil amendment for regeneration of topsoil and leaving the nutrient rich green water available for irrigation,”Mr Knowles said. The Enviro System will be available in two sizes. The Enviro 400 System is suitable for up to 400 cow and the Enviro 2000 System is suitable for herds between 400 and 2000 cows. “Manure management is one of the challenging issues that dairy farmers face,” Mr Knowles said. “To meet environmental regulations, obtain permits for expansion and be a responsible neighbour, farmers need to manage manure flows and capture water.” The Enviro System is now available. • This article was supplied by McLanahan.

Dairy Research Foundation 2018 Annual Symposium 17 – 18 July 2018 at Sydney University, Camden NSW

Revitalising Dairy Production With focus on young stock and innovations to revitalise the dairy industry! Day 1 (17 July): Industry Events and Symposium Day at Sydney University, Camden Campus, NSW

Day 2 (18 July): Farm Day and Emerging Scientists Program at the 2,000-cow dairy, and automatic calf facility at Leppington Pastoral Company, owned and run by the Perich family at Bringelly, NSW

Get in quick! Early bird prices available for a limited time only!

We have an outstanding list of invited speakers including: • Calves: the ‘hidden gem’ of dairy farming? - Int’l expert Dr Bob James (Down Home Heifer Solutions, USA)

• The do’s and don’ts when innovating in dairy— Glen Herud (Happy Cow Milk, NZ)

• Heifers with Data Professional heifer grower Cameron Renshaw (Heiferlink, VIC)

• Data-driven innovative irrigation - Soil and irrigation expert Dr James Hills (UTA, TAS)

• People’s expectations of the dairy industry – RSPCA Manager Hope Bertram (AUS)

• Milk harvesting and milk quality – Top animal scientist Prof. Russ Hovey (UCD, USA)

• Success with a robotic dairy and solar power—Robotic Farmer Wayne Clarke (Dobies Bight, NSW)

• What technologies work on farm? - Sydney Uni leading scientist Dr Sabrina Lomax (USYD, NSW)

And 11 outstanding Emerging Scientists showcasing the latest in research on drones on pasture, mastitis, optimal diets, automation, animal behaviour and even how to ‘chat’ with cows..! Crystal Espinoza (University of Sydney) Pablo Alvarez Hess (University of Melbourne) Alexandra Green (University of Sydney) Meaghan Douglas (University of Sydney/Ag VIC) Momena Khatun (University of Sydney) Jully Gogoi Tiwari (Curtin University)

Fernando Masia (Universidad de Cordoba, Argentina) Patricia Colusso (University of Sydney) John Gardenier (University of Sydney) Patricia Eats (University of Queensland) Alem Gebremedhin Gebre (University of Melbourne)

REDUCED ADMISSION FEE FOR DAIRY FARMERS AND STUDENTS Tickets on Sale Now! Register Today for Early Bird Discount at www.drfsymposium.com.au

For further information: Phone: (02) 8089 1388 Email : tara@ejmevents.com.au Online: www.drfsymposium.com.au

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