Dairy News Australia - August 2020 - With Gippsland Region

AUGUST, 2020 ISSUE 118

GIPPSLAND REGION

COVID-19 lockdown hits dairy farms

Dozens of dairy farms face new reality as lockdown affects workers and travel. Page 8

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

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Chair’s message

Things are looking good THE GRASS is growing in Gippsland.

Despite everything else going on in the world, it is a good time to be a dairy farmer in Gippsland.

Milk production is well up on last year thanks to a more favourable season and improved prices in milk and commodities.

We have seen rainfall across all regions of Gippsland, including scattered flooding in East Gippsland.

It is excellent to see the dams and rivers full heading into spring, and hopefully these favourable conditions continue.

Most farmers are about to become extremely busy, finishing calving and onto silage and

spring management.

I encourage you to take the time you have and step back from the business to think about the big picture.

What have you achieved the previous year and what would you like to achieve going forward?

If the settings are right on your farm, this could be a good year to bank some savings or invest in the business.

It’s important to think long-term in business, in order to know what we are working for and help guide our daily decisions.

The newly launched Dairy Australia program, Our Farm — Our Plan is a great opportunity to

help guide you in this process.

The program aims to take you and your business partners through the steps to get your ideas out of your head and onto a page.

GippsDairy is currently taking expressions of interest for the program, run online and in person depending on your preference.

This year take the challenge to keep up the efficiency that we found in the tougher years, while remembering to appreciate and take advantage of the positives of farming in Gippsland.

2 Grant Williams, GippsDairy chair

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Abattoirs hit with COVID-19 restrictions ABATTOIRS ACROSS Victoria will have to

reduce production by a third and introduce strict health protocols under new COVID-19 restrictions announced on August 3.

Premier Daniel Andrews revealed abattoirs will be among the industries affected under new restrictions designed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“In the meat industry — and based on the minimum required to operate safely onsite — the workforce will be scaled back to two-thirds,” he said.

“Unlike other changes, and recognising the risk these sites have posed here and around the world, this will apply to abattoirs in Melbourne and across the state.

“These workplaces that are continuing to operate will also have additional requirements

including extra (personal protection equipment) PPE, staggering shifts, staggering breaks, health declarations and more support for sick workers to ensure they stay home.

“Workers in abattoirs will be kitted out in full PPE — gowns, masks and shields — more akin to what a nurse would wear. They’ll also be subject to routine testing.

“These changes will be enforceable. And the onus will be on employers to make sure they’re doing the right thing by their workers, including ensuring those with symptoms — and potentially the virus — do not come to work.

“As always, this work will be done in consultation with industry and with unions.”

Regional Victoria moved back into stage three restrictions from midnight on August 5.

Cedar Meats in Brooklyn, Victoria was one of number of meatworks affected by a COVID-19 outbreak. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.

Jerseys rise to the challenge SOUTH GIPPSLAND producers Darien and Alex Mathews have proved they are among the best in Australia.

In the Jersey Australia Semex Great Australian Challenge, the pair from Langdale Jerseys won the Five-Year-Old Class with Langdale Valentino Madge.

Northern Victorian producers showcased their worth as they won three of the five classes, including the top honour of supreme champion.

Tallygaroopna’s Ben Pedretti of Froglands Jerseys won Supreme Champion and Mature Class with Meldan Vanahlem Violet.

Mr Pedretti’s Meldan Vanahlem Violet was bred by Brendan Scott of Wendouree, who bought her dam from Luke Wallace in Gippsland.

“When I saw her, I fell in love with her,” Mr Pedretti said.

“We got her for a pretty good price and she kept getting better as she got older.

“She’s a nice cow and she’s had a really good year.”

The Jersey Australia-Semex Great Australian Challenge awards were presented on July 15 via Zoom.

The champions first won local club on-farm challenges and then either the Great Southern or Great Northern Challenge, held last December.

The Great Southern Challenge covers Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia and the Great Northern Challenge includes clubs from NSW and Queensland.

The northern and southern winners were judged via video by a panel of three judges: Hayley Menzies, David Anderson and Darren Gravett.

The Two-Year-Old Class was won by Numurkah’s John and Margaret Cockerell with Warrain Valentino Empress 1 and the ThreeYear-Old Class winner was Loxleigh Valentino Empress 5940 owned by Geoff and Natalie Akers, from the Goulburn Murray Jersey Club.

The Four-Year-Old Class was won by western Victoria’s Chris and Pam MacKenzie with Jireh Ares Sunbeam.

FACE MASKS MANDATORY FOR FARMERS

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says regional Victorians must wear masks to keep coronavirus cases low. (AAP Image/Erik Anderson)

From midnight on August 2, regional Victorians are now required to wear face masks — including farmers.

Farmers whose family home is also their workplace are only required to wear a mask if they have staff coming and going from the property.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said mask-wearing rules for farmers were based on “common sense”.

“If you’ve got staff or you have got people beyond your household coming onto your property, then logic just says put your mask on because that person is not part of your household,” Mr Andrews said.

“Even though the farm is your home, that’s in a workplace and you’ve got that movement back and forth.”

Farmers who work alone or solely with

their families are not required to wear a mask.

“If you’re out on your own, and you’re not coming into contact with anybody else — if it’s just you and livestock, or you’re on a tractor and you’re doing whatever it is, then you wouldn’t need to wear it,” Mr Andrews said.

“If it was just you and your family out working, well, then the same rule would apply.”

If caught not wearing a mask, a $200 fine will apply.

Mr Andrews said he was confident rural Victorians would not receive many fines.

“In my universal experiences, common sense runs deepest in regional Victoria, and particularly in farming environments, and I think people will work it out.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

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New career as a dairy farmer JEANETTE SEVERS

ROHAN BINGLEY began his new career as

a dairy farmer only four years ago. Buybacks, step-downs and drought have not diminished his enthusiasm for the dairy industry.

The Saputo supplier is running 120 Friesiancross dairy cows on 215 ha at Goon Nure, along with replacements and a small beef stud herd.

Irrigation is enabling him to produce 500 kg of milk solids per cow, annually.

Mr Bingley previously worked as an electrician and Blonde d’Aquitaine stud breeder, and counted a number of dairy farmers among his clients.

Half-a-dozen years ago, he identified his work and lifestyle priorities and decided to enter the dairy industry.

He focused on managing a small herd and drying-off cows pre-Christmas, to spend the summer break on the nearby Gippsland Lakes with his family.

Mr Bingley started building the necessary infrastructure. Using equipment he already owned and contractors where necessary, he built a laneway and feedpad, reduced paddock size and installed troughs and a reticulated water system, purchased secondhand equipment to build a 20-bay swing-over herringbone dairy and added automatic cups-on cups-off.

“After a couple of years of learning and establishing systems and building up a network of other dairy farmers, I feel we found our feet last year.”

In setting up a dairy farm, Mr Bingley wanted it to be manageable as a one-person operation. He is a sole operator, with a relief milker on the roster every second weekend and available ad hoc.

Mr Bingley supplies the machinery and hires a contractor to over-sow pasture, sow forage crops and harvest silage rolls.

On the 215 ha, 40 ha is irrigated from a bore with a submersible pump, utilising 110 Ml yearround and sprayed through a centre pivot.

The pivot irrigates 12 ha of lucerne, with the balance sown to crops — sorghum in summer and forage barley and forage oats in a mix for winter.

“We milk off this and harvest it for silage,” Mr Bingley said.

“The herd normally grazes each paddock for three days.

“The size of these paddocks — 4 ha — makes the system more manageable and produces more feed.

“I don’t focus on irrigation, I focus on the fertility of our dry country and try to use it for grazing as much as I can.”

The herd size is currently 120 milking cows, with a maximum of 130 to 140 cows when the farm is not in drought conditions, as it is now.

“With the drought years, it’s still a rewarding industry,” Mr Bingley said.

“What you do shows in the vat. You do a good job on the pasture, it means you’re doing a good job on the cows and a good job in the vat.

A submersible pump enables 40ha of irrigated country to support the milking herd on Rohan Bingley’s farm..

“I don’t need to milk more than 130 cows, and I run a score of beef cows as well.”

The dairy herd is a mix of Friesian and Jersey cows, with British Friesian and Irish Friesian genetics.

Mr Bingley said he used networking opportunities like farm walks and searched the internet to research similar production systems to his, to decide what genetics he wanted to use in his breeding.

It led him to the Irish dairy industry and investing in British and Irish Friesian genetics.

Water is reticulated through a trough system around the farm.

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 5

British and Irish Friesian genetics have been used to produce the type of animal Rohan Bingley favours for his dairy farm.

“I researched different dairy systems around the world. The Irish are seasonal calvers and 18,000 of those farmers use Irish Friesian semen.”

He imported Irish Friesian semen and bought British Friesian cows last year.

The same genetics lend themselves well to hitting the grid for export heifers.

“She’s a shorter and stockier build, but reproduction figures for these breeds are high,” Mr Bingley said.

He uses synchronised AI, followed by mop-up bulls, pregnancy testing, then sells the cows that are not in calf.

“Using a synchronised program, we can normally guarantee 80 per cent of the cows are in calf.

“We use Blonde d’Aquitaine sires as mop-up bulls. All the heifers are joined to beef bulls.”

The milking herd is pregnancy tested during the normal herd milk testing. It’s a low-stress decision that has proven successful.

After four years owning a dairy farm, Rohan Bingley is satisfied the rewards are in the industry.

Ultrasound is used for the heifers.

“It means we test the herd through the milk.

We did it last year for the first time and there wasn’t any difference between the results of the milk test and the ultrasound.

“It was 99 per cent positive, so I decided to continue with it.

“It also means the cows don’t get stressed being forced up the race and standing on concrete.”

Cows not in calf are sold rather than carried

through. It means there is space every year for heifers to come into the herd.

“The crossbreeds are good at getting back into calf and, because we’re seasonal, they don’t get a second chance of getting in calf,” Mr Bingley said.

Cows are dried-off the third week of December and calving begins in February.

“It means there’s some leisure time during the school holidays.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

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Partnership proves fruitful

Matt Coleman, Evan Campbell and Noel Campbell.

JEANETTE SEVERS

WHEN REDAN partnership took on the four-

year lease of a 185 ha farm at Yannathan, the principals wanted to upgrade the calving facilities.

The quandary was how to do this, without too much capital outlay, on a property they didn’t own.

Five independent partners make up the threeway equity REDAN partnership: Noel and Anne Campbell, Evan Campbell and Dean and Rebecca Turner.

The partnership leases the dairy farm of Matt and Jo Coleman, on a four-year lease with a following four-year option.

Equity growth in the partnership is through ownership of cows, which determines the equity percentage and therefore profitability of the partners. Partnership equity is reviewed annually.

So, raising calves is a significant part of growing equity in the business and for each partner.

“Part of our agreement with the farm owners, Matt and Jo Coleman, was putting $20,000 forward to cover the cost of construction of a calf shed,” Evan Campbell said.

“Matt and Jo could determine if they wanted to add to the cost of construction.”

The 36 m long and 10 m deep shed is to be depreciated over eight years.

“If the lease isn’t renewed at the end of the first four years — next year — we’d get half the $20,000 cost returned to the partnership,” Evan said.

The cost of construction included earthworks — the floor of the shed is packed earth overlaid with compacted recycled road waste.

The shed was constructed close to the calving pad, where cows are lead fed for a fortnight, with about 2.5 kg/cow of lead feed pellets and ad lib cereal hay, and chloride salt is added into the water trough.

REDAN partnership was also responsible for installing internal gates, water troughs, feeders and other infrastructure, that isn’t permanent, into the calf shed.

“It means we can take it all away at the end of the lease and Matt and Jo get a new shed,” Evan said.

Designed to comfortably hold 120 calves, the shed can accommodate 144 calves.

Each bay is divided into two pens, so 12 pens would normally each accommodate 10 calves.

The herd of seasonal calvers begin the second week of July and go through to the first week of October.

There are two rounds of AI in six weeks, followed by mop-up bulls for a couple of months.

The focus is on using characteristics of crossbred vigour, with Jersey, Friesian and Scandinavian Reds among the genetic mix; adding further

Fixtures and fittings in the shed are designed to be taken away at the end of the lease period.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 7 hybrid vigour to the results from using Holstein and Jersey semen in the first couple of seasons.

“We’re looking for daughter fertility, calving ease, gestation length and mastitis resistance,” Evan said.

“We try to use A2 bulls.

“We’d rather have solid, healthy animals.

We’re chasing milk solids and efficiency rather than pure production.

“This year we also used some Speckle Park and Angus semen for the last two weeks of AI.” The business sells bull calves at one-weekold, direct to a local contractor. The beef-cross heifers are sold direct too, to a number of farmers in the local area.

“Breeding the beef-cross heifers gives us the option of selling or rearing them ourselves, until they’re weaning age,” Evan said.

The partnership’s aim is to grow the milking herd rapidly to 420 cows, which means keeping the majority of heifer dairy calves and strategically buying cows in-milk.

In the 2018–19 season, the herd was 377.

Recent changes have created challenges about how each partner contributes to achieving that growth.

Dean and Rebecca Turner, previously sharefarming, were able to secure a lease on a dairy farm this year. It was an opportunity for them to grow their future further, but it meant they took 100 of their cows out of the REDAN herd.

Those cows were all scanned in-calf to AI semen, which also means the REDAN partnership loses the heifer calves to help grow the herd.

“The 100 cows they took are all calving to AI, the remainders are bull-joined,” Evan said.

“We’re expecting to keep minimal calves on the farm here this year. We’ll rear them as bobby calves and they won’t be retained in the herd.”

Evan, in particular, has had to fast-track his own plans, buying lactating cows to make up the discrepancy.

“Because they’ve left a few animals in the

Evan Campbell and Matt Coleman in the calf shed. The shed was built with a contribution of $20,000 from the lessees.

This amount will be depreciated over eight years.

system, Dean and Bek will still be business partners.

“But I think the intention when the fouryear lease is renewed, it will be a different business format.

“I expect the business will have to pay them out for any fodder reserves or machinery purchased in this past four years. There’ll have to be some sort of accounting reconciliation.”

The shed measures 36m long and 10m deep and the pens comfortably hold 120 calves.

Fixtures and fittings in the shed are designed to be taken away at the end of the lease period.

The herd is a hybrid mix of Jersey, Friesian, Scandinavian Reds and Holstein genetics.

Fixtures and fittings in the shed are designed to be taken away at the end of the lease period.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

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Lockdown hits dairy farms JEANETTE SEVERS

WHEN THE Victorian Government announced

a lockdown of local government areas in and around Melbourne on July 19, in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus infection among the population, it had the effect of including dozens of dairy farms, particularly on the Gippsland border.

Yarra Ranges and, to a greater degree, Cardinia shires — which number dozens of farms in their environs — were affected.

But it’s a testament to the stringent biosecurity practices followed on a daily basis by dairy farmers, that for many of those affected, lockdown has meant ‘business as usual’.

In particular, regularly cleaning surfaces, keeping a record of visitors and working in isolation are daily practice for many dairy farmers.

“We’ve been a little more cautious, but it’s the simple little things you do every day,” said John Versteden, whose dairy farm is at Longwarry, technically within Cardinia Shire. But because of how the lockdown boundary has been drawn, the farm is just outside the designated area.

“We already record who is visiting the farm, we clean surfaces daily, everyone has their own wet weather gear and boots, and gloves are part of common workplace practice,” Mr Versteden said.

It’s a common refrain at other dairy farms, where industry standards ensure workplace policies encompass regularly cleaning equipment, restricting visitors, cleaning boots between the dairy and paddocks, or as you enter and exit the calf rearing areas, and wearing gloves.

Every dairy farmer spoken to by Dairy News

Australia said they provided hand cleaning equipment for delivery and pick-up drivers and had signs at the entry points to their properties advising people to pre-arrange visits.

For Evan Campbell at Yannathan, the challenge includes ensuring his farm workers, who live in Baw Baw and Latrobe shires, can get to and from work.

Sheriden and Evan Williams, also at Yannathan, can see the lockdown boundary from their family farm. Their daughter and son-in-law are part of their workforce, and live on the farm.

Apart from restricting visitors and ensuring workplace cleaning and distance is maintained, the biggest issue is access for many to Warragul, which is in Baw Baw Shire.

Many dairy farmers in Cardinia and Yarra Valley shires rely on regular access to Warragul for their business operations — with merchandise stores, veterinarians and business professionals such as accountants, all operating out of the Warragul district, located in Baw Baw Shire.

“The majority of our owned and leased farms are in the lockdown zone — in the Cardinia Shire on the edge of Melbourne. We’re about 1 km from the Baw Baw Shire boundary,” Evan Campbell said.

“We just have to be mindful that if we’re going to Warragul, we do what we have to do and get out of there. We try not to combine business and household activities.

“Some of our employees comes from Baw Baw and Latrobe shires and the roadblocks mean you have to factor in extra travel time.”

On Dairy Australia advice, he provided letters for employees to carry, identifying their place of employment and their status as essential workers.

Sheriden Williams, at Yannathan, whose dairy farm is within the lockdown zone around Melbourne, said daily workplace practices remained the same, but they were ensuring physical distance was maintained with visitors.

“A lot of our staff work part-time and casual, so if anyone was feeling unwell, we’ve got flexibility in the system to cover them,” Mr Campbell said.

“We also keep biosecurity records of who’s on the farm, we have hand sanitiser in the dairy, we wash our boots between jobs and normally everyone wears disposal gloves during milking and riding the bikes, anyway.

“Our feeding and milking equipment is sanitised every time we use it — we keep that stuff spotless — and clean drinking troughs.

“So we have many of the things we need to do already in place as everyday practice.

“Fonterra was pretty early with communicating protocols — if someone on the farm is ill, we just have to notify them so they can make additional

“We already record who is visiting the farm, we clean surfaces daily, everyone has their own wet weather gear and boots, and gloves are part of common workplace practice.”

Dairy farmers are already required to keep their workplaces clean, practices which haven’t changed during lockdown.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 9

measures to ensure they can still pick up the milk.”

Accessing Warragul as their business centre is a similar story for the Williams family, who are also restricted from visiting children who live in the town. On the farm they record visitors and limit interaction.

“The lady who picks up the bobby calves, she comes at a certain time and we make sure we’re not around,” Sheriden Williams said.

“We’ve been selling chopper cows. We pen up the cows and he comes and picks them up and we don’t see him.

“Our business district is Warragul and we feel guilty about going up there. We’re now wearing masks, because we’re within the zone and we have to. It’s a very unusual feeling.”

Mrs Williams said the truck drivers who deliver grain and pick up milk, are wearing masks and using hand sanitiser.

“We all wear gloves in the dairy anyway,” she said.

“People are just aware when they arrive to keep away from each other. Keeping our distance from each other has become automatic.

“We’re always washing our boots. Because it’s basically a family operation, we all live on the farm, and I have the grandkids all the time.

“I think it’s easier between us because we are all the one family.”

Rob Marshall at Lardner is just inside Baw Baw Shire and, during the first lockdown, agreed to a factory-fitted sign from his dairy processor on his access gates.

“People have to ring first rather than walk in,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’ve had about half-a-dozen people who’ve arrived without phoning first and we asked them if they’ve seen the sign. Of course they have! But most people do the right thing.

“Farm supplies were low earlier this year — broadleaf chemical sprays were in short supply, but I had enough in-store to get through.

I just had to buy 20 litres.

“Spring spraying is under control, with more supplies to come.”

Mr Versteden, who is an industry representative on an agri-politics committee, said his main worry was if the supply chain was interrupted either locally or globally.

“I’m worried about the effect of abattoir closures on selling bobby calves and chopper cows,” he said.

“If the supply chain has any disruption, there might be some flow-back to farms.

“But on the farm, cleaning procedures haven’t changed — we’re making sure all contact surfaces are washed every day, we diligently clean cups on cows and filters on a daily basis.

“Everybody has the opportunity to wear gloves and everyone’s expected to keep their hands clean. We hose off boots and wash down wet weather gear and we make sure everyone’s wet weather gear is hung separately.

“We keep a record of who comes onto the farm. No-one’s allowed on to the farm without making an appointment anyway.

“It’s not that hard to keep a couple of metres away from each other.

“It’s the simple little things you do that make a difference.”

Footbaths are a common sight on dairy farms. Footwear, hands and faces are regular transmission vectors of disease.

FARM SAFETY

SAVE LIVES, SAVE YOUR BUSINESS

With the implementation of the new Industrial Manslaughter legislation, having a farm safety system is more important than ever, not only to protect people but also yourself and your business.

A well implemented farm safety system will help you: Protect the safety and wellbeing of yourself, your family, your employees and visitors to your workplace Operate your workplace more efficiently Improve job satisfaction for employees when they feel safe and looked after Meet your legal health and safety obligations Check out the Dairy Australia – Farm Safety Starter Kit for everything you need to start or improve your farm safety system.

For more resources such as the Starter Kit, Safety Manual, Dairy Passport or Workplace policy templates, visit www.thepeopleindairy.org.au/farm-safety or contact GippsDairy on 5624 3500 or info@gippsdairy.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

10 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Social media tips for farmers A PANEL discussion held by the WestVic Dairy

Young Dairy Network is aiming to empower farmers to harness social media.

The panel will be led by farmers who have mastered social media and want to share what they have learned from years of trial and error.

WestVic Dairy’s Young Dairy Network coordinator Heather Smillie said the panellists would provide practical social media tips.

“Each of our six amazing panellists has a unique approach to social media and years of experience to back them up,” she said.

Gippsland Jersey co-founder Sallie Jones said she owed the success of her business to the community of customers and supporters she had built through social media.

“There’s no way we could have built the connection with our customers and community without the power of social media,” Ms Jones said.

“Through every challenge, we have always been able to speak directly to our customers, gather their support and continue to grow

our business.

“Beyond just marketing our products, we’ve also got this amazing platform to talk about what’s important to us — a fair price for farmers, mental health and kindness in everything we do.”

Former UDV president Adam Jenkins said farmers needed to proactively use social media to give urban consumers a window into daily life on Australian farms.

“I’m passionate about using social media to tell positive stories, demonstrate the care and compassion we show our animals, and counteract the lies perpetrated by those who want to shut down animal agriculture,” Mr Jenkins said.

“I want to inspire more farmers to do the same.”

The Dairy Businesses panel will be held on Thursday, August 13 from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm and will include Gippsland Jersey co-founder Sallie Jones, Lightning Ridge Genetics founder Declan Patten and Provenir co-founder Jayne Newgreen.

To register, visit: bit.ly/socialmedia4dairybusiness

Gippsland Jersey co-founder Sallie Jones says social media is an important tool to connect with her customers.

Fertility journey shared in video A FOCUS on fertility has helped drive success

on the Moscript family’s Gippsland farm.

Callum Moscript, who farms just outside Leongatha South, says in his seasonal calving herd, cows that do not get pregnant cannot stay in the herd.

“Fertility is really important, but to improve it, it can be hard to know where to begin,” he said.

“We have had terrible issues having to cull young calves recently.

“We found the genetics we’re focused on has meant that they’ve been producing a lot of milk.

But just not getting pregnant in our system.”

Mr Moscript shares the fertility journey of his and his parents’ farm in a new video produced

by Dairy Australia.

The family milks about 300 cows and calves from August until October.

“Fertility is important for us because we are seasonal,” Mr Moscript said.

“And we’ve identified that if cows don’t get pregnant, they don’t stay (on-farm) now.

“We really need to be able to get cows pregnant as fast as possible.

“By doing that we’re not buying in dollars worth of cereal or one extra supplement or dried grass.

“It’s a key ingredient to making our cost of production a lot lower and making our farm a

lot more viable, long term.”

He has achieved this through concentrating on a combination of fertility and production in his genetics program.

Mr Moscript started working on the family farm in 2018 and said it had produced some challenges.

“Being able to come home and work with Dad has been challenging sometimes, but it’s been really rewarding as well.

“I’ve been exposed to many different kinds of business, including non agricultural.

“I just see the opportunity for asset growth and wealth creation, like no other industry.

“Our farm goal has always been to drive genetic progress.

“I’d say we had a focus on production and testing. And then the last five years was more focused on fertility, good production, whilst maintaining an element of functional top.”

For those looking to re-examine their priorities, Mr Moscript said it can be difficult to know where to begin.

“If I had any advice for any other farmers it would be simply to just focus on yourself, not worry what your neighbour is doing.

“Work with people you trust, and come up with a program that best suits what your goals are.”

For more information or to watch other case

Leongatha South dairy farmer Callum Moscript. Source: Dairy Australia

studies from around the country, visit: dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/animal-management/ fertility

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 11

Reduce costs and save time cleaning CLEANING AND disinfecting is important in

maintaining the health and wellbeing of high producing dairy cows.

Thorough cleaning and added disinfection can help decrease bacteria and prevent milk contamination.

One particular Gippsland dairy farm has been operating for more than 70 years and are third generation farmers.

The family milks 1200 Friesian cows on 400 ha of prime rolling dairy country in Gippsland.

The milking plant is a high density commercial business and requires thorough cleaning and disinfection after each milking session.

With the assistance of Gendore and Kärcher’s

Stationary High-Pressure Wash System, the sanitary demands of the farm were met beyond expectations.

The Kärcher system installed on the Gippsland dairy farm is an all-round configurable state-of-the-art system, which includes a stainless steel remote control panel, a high pressure detergent injection system, optional hot and cold water selection and a two-stage shutdown for additional safety and no water wastage.

The high pressure stainless steel pipe work with anti-vibration clips runs around the entire perimeter of the plant to three high pressure outlets, including two inside the rotary dairy and one on a purpose-built external wash bay.

The stainless steel floor surface cleaner, with

One Gippsland dairy farm is using a Karcher high-pressure wash system to save time when cleaning.

a 500 mm diameter, is perfect for removing the heavy contamination from floor surfaces.

Also included was a custom pipework cleaner, ensuring all internal surfaces of the pipes involved in the milking process are effectively and efficiently cleaned.

In addition, an extended wall cleaning lance is used ensuring total cleaning of the plant is covered.

The sanitary demands of both the farm and industry exceeded expectations.

Feedback from the dairy farm has been that this Kärcher Stationary High-Pressure Wash System installation has been the “most hygienic improvement in the operations of the farm” saving valuable family time, water and money.

For more information on the Kärcher range available at Gendore, visit: www.gendore.com.au They can help find the right cleaning and maintenance solutions for your dairy farm.

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HD 9/18-4 CAGE CLASSIC

1.367-321.0

Flow Rate

240-560 L/h

Flow Rate

350-700 L/h

Flow Rate

500-1000 L/h

Flow Rate

450-900 L/h

Operating Pressure

30-140 bar

Operating Pressure

30-120 bar

Operating Pressure

30-200 bar

Operating Pressure

70-180 bar

Max Temperature

80 OC

Max Temperature

80-155 OC

Max Temperature

80-155 OC

Max Feed Temp.

60 OC

Fuel Tank

15 L

Fuel Tank

25 L

Fuel Tank

25 L

Power

3 PH / 20 Amp

*All prices include GST. Only valid while stock lasts. No further discounts apply. † Visit ato.gov.au for asset eligibility.

Keeping Gippsland Growing!

gendore.com.au 1800 436 3673

LEONGATHA MAFFRA

TOORADIN WARRAGUL

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2020

12 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Grant to deliver farm safety officers FARM SAFETY officers are the latest step

towards preventing farm injuries and deaths in Victoria.

The Victorian Government will provide the VFF with a $3 million Making our Farms Safer grant to employ two farm safety officers and deliver new resources.

As part of a four-year program, the farm safety officers will develop an online platform with a range of resources to help farmers adopt better farm safety and health practices.

A program involving on-farm visits to advise farmers of the risks and changes that can be made to improve safety is being developed.

VFF president David Jochinke said the health and safety of everyone on farms was the priority.

“Safety on farms is paramount, because it concerns the wellbeing of our workers, families and ourselves,” Mr Jochinke said.

“The agricultural sector is one of the most dangerous workplaces in Victoria, not just for

farmers, but everyone present on the farm.

“As a father, there can be no bigger priority in a parent’s life than the health and wellbeing of your child.

“It’s incredibly tragic that children under the age of 15 make up more than 15 per cent of preventable death and injuries on farms.”

On average, there are about two serious injuries on Victorian farms every day and in the past five months, six people have died while working on a farm.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes said workplace deaths were devastating and needless.

“That’s why we’re working with industry to reach as many people as possible and change the attitudes around farm workplace safety,” Ms Symes said.

“We want our farms to be safe places for those who live, work or visit them.

“The work that the VFF will carry out with

VFF president David Jochinke says the grant will help deliver the resources and tools needed to make Victorian farms safer.

this grant will make a difference in achieving this for all Victorian farms.”

Quad bikes were the most common form of farm fatalities this year and have been the most common form of injury for more than a decade.

Statistics from the Victorian Injury

Surveillance Unit reveal that 388 Victorian children under 14 years old were treated in hospital in 2018–19 because of a farm-related injury — about seven per week.

To contact the safety officers for advice, email: wr@vff.org.au

Breeding a ‘socially acceptable’ cow DAIRY COWS could be genetically selected to

produce “niche” milk to improve human health, including a component that provides some benefits of human breast milk, according to an Agriculture Victoria scientist.

And this technology could deliver the dairy industry a “step-change” in terms of what it could produce with infant formula.

Agriculture Victoria principal research scientist Jennie Pryce said there was “great science” behind the opportunity to breed cows to produce human milk oligosaccharides.

“They are the same as you would find in the milk of human breast milk and give children or babies protection against pathogenic infections,” she said.

“They also promote development of the

intestine and help the gut microbiome to get going, obviously that’s one of the reasons why breast milk is promoted.”

Professor Pryce was speaking at a presentation about breeding the “socially acceptable cow” at the 2020 Genetics Australia online conference.

She said a genetic marker explained about 80 per cent of the genetic variation in the oligosaccharide, which meant it would be simple to “aggressively” select for these niche milks.

Breeding a socially acceptable cow should also consider the cow’s impact on the environment, its welfare and sustainability, she said.

Sharing preliminary research data, Prof Pryce showed how selecting for bulls with both a high Balanced Performance Index (BPI) and lower methane emissions was possible without too

much compromise in profitability.

Prof Pryce plotted the BPI — the dairy industry herd improvement organisation DataGene’s economic index — against a greenhouse gas index.

It showed if a dairy farmer only selected high BPI bulls with the most favourable greenhouse gas emissions, they would compromise their BPI by about 20 units.

This is down from a mean of 333 BPI if they selected the top 30 BPI bulls without a consideration of emissions.

“It doesn’t seem like a huge comprise to be able to get that advance in terms of reduced emissions,” Prof Pryce said.

She also highlighted how Australia led the world with research on heat tolerance and

feed saved — both traits which contributed to a socially acceptable cow.

The former Australian Breeding Value enables cows to better handle warming temperatures, the latter ABV increasing their feed-to-milk efficiency.

Prof Pryce said a lot of what the dairy industry was already doing was “hugely progressive”.

“Consumers need to know that we are already breeding for more environmentally friendly, resource efficient cows.

“If we focus on profit, welfare and social acceptability we will be more successful in the long term.”