Dairy News Australia - February 2018 - With Gippsland Region

GIPPSLAND REGION

Sophia Jones.

A family approach to value-adding STEPHEN COOKE

VENTURING INTO branded products has

not only enabled the Jones family to be a price maker, but means siblings Sophia, Caroline and Michael can all work on the family dairy farm.

And unlike other farms that have begun producing their own branded milk, the Joneses produce certified organic cheese, yoghurt, kefir and dairy beef under their Tarago Valley brand.

The family began producing yoghurt and selling at farmers’ markets two years ago but began producing cheeses and kefir (a cultured milk drink) about 12 months ago.

“We are only a small farm so we had to do something different to value-add our products,” Sophia said.

In a somewhat unexpected yet connected turn of events, the family began supplying organic milk to a yoghurt-maker who then offered to produce yoghurt for the Joneses to

sell under their own label.

They began selling yoghurt and packaged dairy beef at farmers’ markets every weekend — they have recently reduced their commitment from four markets each weekend to two.

It was at the farmers’ markets that they met a cheesemaker and decided to expand their range.

The processors were also producing kefir — a cultured milk drink packed with probiotics that is increasing in popularity — so they added this to their range as well.

Although farmers’ markets are the main market for the Tarago Valley products, they also sell some wholesale, to some local stores and through a distributor into Melbourne and Geelong.

Sophia and Caroline both sell at a market in Melbourne or Gippsland each Saturday and Sunday and Sophia says it’s good for the brand, for themselves and for farming in general.

Continued page 8 >

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

2 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Chairman’s message

Step up to making changes EVERY DAIRY farmer knows that planning is one of the keys to running a successful business.

As an industry, we also need to be keeping one eye firmly on the future to ensure Gippsland dairy farming remains the stable and profitable investment that it has always been.

Among the many programs run by GippsDairy, Stepping Up Stepping Back may be one of the most important. While it may not have the immediate impact on productivity as the Cups On Cups Off, Gippsland Grows Green Grass or Fert$mart workshops, Stepping Up Stepping Back is helping to ensure the long-term viability of the industry.

The Stepping Up Stepping Back program uses real life case studies to show the pros and cons of putting in place different arrangements that allow farmers to ease out of the industry or to start building their own dairy business.

Dairy farming offers a rewarding lifelong career with a real sense of value, purpose and flexibility, and this program can help put people on the right track towards an arrangement that will have satisfying outcomes for all involved.

Dairy Australia and GippsDairy are investing in this program to help both the farmers who have been the backbone of the industry for decades and the next generation who will carry the load

in years to come.

As in most industries, many dairy farm owners and managers are ageing and considering their options to scale down their involvement or ‘step back’ from the day-to-day of the business.

This opens up a range of opportunities to consider sharefarming, leasing, selling, scaling back or expanding operations and business partnership models with the next generation.

GippsDairy and Dairy Australia place great importance on providing all parties with the information that helps set up these business, sharefarming and leasing arrangements. We’ve all heard of the sharefarming horror stories where

no-one ends up happy and everybody suffers financially and emotionally. A bad sharefarming arrangement is sure to be a lose-lose situation.

Finding a way for farmers to step away with dignity and a fair financial reward is vital, just as creating a path for young farmers is necessary to keep some of the world’s best dairy farms in the hands of dairy farmers.

Stepping Up Stepping Back workshops will be held throughout the year, so phone GippsDairy on 5624 3900 to register your interest in taking the first step towards the next stage of your life.

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 3

Seven-year-old wins on-farm challenge COHEN HARRISON might be only seven

years old but he’s already making a big mark in Jersey breeding circles.

From Nerrena near Leongatha, Cohen recently became the youngest person to win a class in the Jersey Australia Semex Great Southern Challenge when Krishlaye Topeka Belle 2 was named the three-year-old champion.

For Cohen, enjoying the wide open spaces of the farm and working with cows is part of his life; winning the title is an unexpected bonus.

“I like cows because they’re nice and quiet. I like Jerseys the most and wanted my dad to get some,” he said.

Even at his young age, Cohen is pretty sure of what he wants to be when he grows up: “A farmer.”

Cohen’s parents Ash and Jane have a predominantly Holstein herd but had to relent to Cohen’s interest in Jerseys.

“We have about 220 cows, 90 per cent Holsteins. The Jerseys are only here because Cohen wanted a Jersey calf,” Mr Harrison said.

Cohen’s interest started in 2012 when he was just three years old.

“He was interested from a very young age. I really don’t know why, but we had a friend who had both breeds and he saw them and wanted one,” Mr Harrison said.

Cohen has told his family that if he takes over the farm the Holsteins will be gone, but in the meantime he’s not going to convince his father to change.

“It doesn’t matter what colour they are — if

they’re a good cow, they’re a good cow and if they pay their way they’re fine. But we’ve always had Holsteins and I’m happy with my production,” Mr Harrison said.

When introducing Jerseys to the farm, the Harrisons decided to get genetically similar cows.

“We look for type,” Mr Harrison said. For both breeds they use predominantly Semex bulls but “if there’s a good bull with any company we’ll use it”.

Mr Harrison has taken part in on-farm Holstein challenges for many years, including winning a state two-year-old title and other successes. He works alongside Cohen to make sure he’s on the right track.

“We’re pretty proud of what he’s done. He’s too young to know the prestige in winning but we know.”

Cohen’s interest in the cows makes him an onfarm expert.

“He knows all the cows; doesn’t matter if they’re Jerseys or Holsteins. He’ll know whether they’ve had a bull or a heifer over the past three years; everything about them,” Mr Harrison said.

While enjoying Cohen’s interest and success, his parents won’t force him into farming, just like younger brother Raidyn who shows little interest in the cows.

“We encourage him and then he can make up his mind down the track whether it leads him on to the farm or he wants to go in a different field.

We’re pretty proud of what he does,” Mrs Harrison said.

Great Southern Challenge judge Luke Wallace said Cohen’s winning cow was well presented and

More milk needed to fuel Fonterra expansion NEW ZEALAND dairy company Fonterra is looking into whether its Australian operation could become a co-operative, and will put information to its Australian suppliers in April.

Fonterra will be looking for up to 200 million litres of milk to satisfy its $165 million factory expansions across Victoria.

Managing director Rene Dedoncker said about $125 million would be spent on the company’s Stanhope cheese factory, which had only recently been upgraded.

“We are looking for the next 200 million litres of milk,” Mr Dedoncker said.

“We are seeing a boost in production, particularly in the north. We hope an extra 60 to 80 million litres will come from our own farmers.

“We do see the need for more farmers. We have a number interested in joining. It will be a mix.”

Mr Dedoncker said customers wanted trusted supply options out of Australia, especially for products like cheese, whey and nutritional powders, which were in high demand.

“We have a clear strategy that is delivering sustainable returns,” he said.

“To create value, we need to invest to stay ahead of the demand curve. These investments support our aim to secure positive returns back to our farmers on both sides of the Tasman.”

Mr Dedoncker said Fonterra Australia would play to its strengths in cheese, whey, nutritionals and butter, increasing production capacity to meet rising domestic and global demand — but filling its expanded capacity would mean securing more supply.

He said the Stanhope investment largely focused on expanding the site’s cheesemaking capacity and doubling the daily milk volumes it could process.

The investment will double the size of the cheese plant, increasing cheese production by a further 35,000 metric tonnes for a range of cheeses including cheddar and mozzarella.

Stanhope can currently produce 45,000 metric tonnes of product including cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan, pecorino, romano and ricotta.

Cohen Harrison, 7, from Nerrena has turned his Jersey obsession into a blue ribbon in the Jersey Australia Semex Great Southern Challenge.

a deserving age group winner.

“Cohen is a mad keen Jersey breeder and knows all the details about his cows. It’s nice to see someone so young have success and be so passionate about it,” Mr Wallace said.

The Jersey Australia Semex Great Australian Challenge is the largest judging competition for Jersey cattle in the Southern Hemisphere.

More than 150 members from the 20 Jersey

Australia clubs across Australia held on-farm challenge competitions in October to find the best cows in five classes: two-, three-, four- and fiveyear-olds and six-and-over age groups.

Those 100 cows were then judged on 22 individual traits in the Great Northern Challenge, which covers Queensland and NSW, and the Great Southern Challenge covering Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

GROWTH FORECAST FOR DAIRY Dairy farming is expected to be one of the top five growing industries in Australia this year, research for IBISWorld’s business analysts reveal.

The industry was ranked third on the list, with researchers expecting the industry to grow by eight per cent in 2017–18, adding an additional $320 million in value.

Following a number of years of difficulty in the industry, IBISWorld senior industry analyst William McGregor expected this year to be the year the dairy industry began to bounce back.

“With the Australian dollar projected to depreciate this year, we anticipate local dairy products will become more competitive in export markets, boosting returns to domestic milk processors, which will then flow through to dairy cattle farmers,” Mr McGregor said.

“We’re also expecting an increase in the size of the national dairy cattle herd, which will drive up milk volumes, and contribute to an expected eight per cent increase in revenue in 2017–18.”

Following a year of low prices and depressed milk production, analysts said conditions had begun to stabilise,

while demand and returns for domestic dairy products was rising.

Despite positivity, analysts have raised concerns regarding the wide fluctuations in domestic and global dairy prices, which have made industry revenue more volatile, and the reality that farm gate milk prices are largely determined by major dairy processors such as Fonterra and Murray Goulburn.

However, the forecast rise in farm gate milk price is expected to boost industry revenue.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

4 // GIPPSLAND REGION

RURAL RUMENATIONS RURAL RUMENATIONS with Katie MacAulaywith Katie MacAuley

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

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

Wee problem with supply and demand AFTER SO much turmoil with our milk proces-

sor, a resolution was in sight.

All would be revealed at the upcoming suppliers’ meeting. Usually Hubby went alone but this time I was determined to attend personally.

I cajoled Tinkerbell into a nappy then hunted for appropriate toys. Why are her favourites always so noisy and bulky? I finally found some small, silent tractors and non-vocal cows and jumped in the car.

Upon arrival, we crab-shuffled past already seated suppliers and sat down. There was an expectant buzz in the air. As soon as the room fell silent, Tinkerbell held out her hand, her eyes fixed on my container of emergency snacks.

I shook my head. But Tinkerbell wasn’t silly.

As every toddler knows, any threat of noise in a silent room will cause most mums to cave in immediately. Tinkerbell’s face started to crinkle.

“Here,” I whispered, thrusting a biscuit at her. She beamed and bit into it.

Minutes later, Tinkerbell had demolished my entire collection of snacks, showering the floor and my previously clean pants with crumbs. She wriggled onto my lap and started chatting.

“Shhh!” I handed her a toy cow. The people sitting to my left looked at me. Tinkerbell slid off my lap with the cow and began playing quietly on the floor.

A new PowerPoint slide appeared. Good! I really wanted to hear about this topic.

“Wee.” I looked down. Tinkerbell had taken

her nappy off and was handing it to me. “Can’t you just go in your nappy?” Tinkberbell shook her head earnestly. I sighed and picked her up.

“Excuse me, sorry, thank you,” I whispered, straddling people’s ankles as we made our way into the centre aisle. The toilets were located toward the front of the room. With all eyes on us, we made our walk of shame.

A quick toilet visit and hopefully I wouldn’t miss much of the speech. But Tinkerbell had other ideas. There wasn’t just one toilet to flush — there were three! And taps that were different to home. And a paper towel dispenser.

And most excitingly, a hand drier! Every time I tried to get her to leave, she would tantrum.

Eventually we made it back to our seats.

Until the next interesting slide.

Tinkerbell had removed her new nappy and was jiggling about at my feet. I got back up. And missed the next speaker. This time it took even longer to convince Tinkberbell to return quietly.

Question time. Good, I had questions I wanted to ask.

But so did Tinkerbell. And hers were simpler and more urgent. Back to the Ladies. By the time Tinkerbell had finished playing peek-a-boo with the hand drier, question time was finished.

“I travelled all this way and learnt nothing,” I complained as we drove home.

Hubby feigned surprise. “Nothing? Not even a wee bit?”

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 5

Watch out for mycoplasma

Five tips for growing better maize FUTUREDAIRY’S Yani Garcia says management has a big impact on the profitability of a high input crop such as maize.

“A profitable maize crop is achieved by optimising both yield and nutritive value,” Professor Garcia said.

“Very high yielding maize crops are not necessarily the most profitable as they tend to be higher in fibre and therefore have lower nutritional value.”

Prof Garcia has five tips for achieving a profitable maize crop:

Do not apply the full amount of nitrogen fertiliser unless you can ensure water will not be limiting.

If water is likely to be limiting, adjust nitrogen application. For example, N application at both pre-sowing and at V6 stage are highly recommended, but if you need to adjust, save the N for the V6 stage.

water applications to the critical periods at crop establishment (up to about six leaf stage) and the five to six week period around tasselling.

Match fertiliser rates to target yield.

Aim to apply at least 80 per cent of nutrient requirements as fertiliser. Soil testing or tissue sampling is the best way to determine fertiliser rates.

However, as a rule of thumb, high yielding maize crops remove 10–12 kg N/tonne DM/ha, 2–3 kg P/tonne DM/ha and 8–10 kg K/tonne DM/ha grown

Time nitrogen applications for greatest response.

Ideally apply in four stages (if fertigation

DAIRY AUSTRALIA is reminding farmers to remain

method is available): pre-planting, planting, at 45 cm high (V6) and at tassel emergence (V12). If this is not possible, split nitrogen application into about half pre-sowing and about half at V6.

If a limited amount of nitrogen is available (for example, less than 120 kg N/ha) it is better to save it for around the V6 stage.

Adjust plant density to nutrient and water availability.

Sow for a plant density of about 80 ,000 to 85 ,000 plants/ha if irrigation and fertigation (or pre- and post-sowing application of N) are available.

“With full irrigation and fertilisation regimes we have found that higher plant density (100,000 plants/ha) results in higher yield but overall silage quality drops due to excess fibre content,” Prof Garcia said.

Time water application for greatest response.

If irrigation water is likely to be limiting, resist the temptation to under-irrigate throughout the whole season. You’ll get a much better response to water by timing

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vigilant and on the lookout for mycoplasma in their cows and calves.

An emerging cause of disease in cows and calves in Australian dairy herds for more than a decade, Dairy Australia said mycoplasma had recently occurred in New Zealand.

While only a relatively small number of Australian farms have been affected, disease caused by Mycoplasma bovis can result in lost production, culling and the death of cows and calves.

The infection can be difficult to detect as heifers and cows may carry mycoplasma without showing any signs of infection.

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Keeping costs under control with the right advice STEPHEN COOKE

ANDREW AND Sue Lamers thought they had a pretty good grasp of their costs until they began holding a monthly meeting with a group of specialist advisers.

They produce 4.6 million litres from 600 milking cows on their 360 ha Leongatha farm.

They now hold a four-hour meeting each month with Phil Johnson from Fonterra and financial adviser Paul Ebbles from the Mentoring Company. Their Rabobank bank manager joins the group each quarter.

Mr and Mrs Lamers have not participated in discussion groups with neighbours, but say this style of consultation has proven extremely beneficial for them.

Mr Lamers’ initial farm meetings with Mr Johnson resulted in an introduction to Mr Ebbles, when Mr Johnson asked questions about cost of production.

“Part of the decision to implement this monthly meeting was due to the changed economics of farming, because margins now aren’t as good as they were 15 to 20 years ago,” Mr Lamers said.

“For a long time, you could do the basic things on-farm well and generally make a profit.

It doesn’t work that way anymore. Once you get to this number of cows, if you make a mistake it has a much larger impact.”

Mr and Mrs Lamers said they always had an idea of what their cost of production was, but they could now budget at the start of each year, come up with their COP and land on it.

“We have all the elements in one place that were scattered about in notes before,” Mr Lamers said.

Mrs Lamers said they added protocols.

“We put in a process so we don’t spend too much just because it’s been a good year,” she said.

“All farm expenses are within this scope. We now know exactly where we are and there are no surprises.

“We keep costs to a fine margin and bank up

Andrew Lamers in his 50-stand rotary dairy.

profits for a bad year. We also pay monthly so we know exactly where we are and there are no surprises.”

Mr Lamers said they used to receive a nasty surprise each year with a cost blow-out, but that was now under control as they tracked where they were month by month.

The program enables them to cut out a specific cost and see where they will finish at the end of each year.

“If we reduce one cent in any particular category, the impact it has on all overall budget is phenomenal,” Mrs Lamers said.

“One tweak of the budget has an impact. If you really have to cut down, we do a few more tweaks.”

The meetings are held each month without fail, even though it ca be tempting to postpone when the farm workload is high. On the months

they don’t think they have much to discuss, they say it’s surprising how much comes up.

“We run through things and see what’s working best,” Mrs Lamers said.

“It validates what your decisions are or they may flag something that’s not working as efficiently as they’ve seen on other farms.

“They also bring back a lot of information on hay prices, for example, or the market in general.”

Mr Ebbles is paid a rate for the month, which enables Mrs Lamers to visit him or contact him for advice at any stage.

“Because I’m not from a dairying background, I was trying to get info from Andrew for budgets but I wasn’t sure what questions to ask,” she said.

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Andrew and Sue Lamers.

“It was causing a lot of angst with me — I needed to know what figures were and what was happening with the business.

“I can do profit and losses on QuickBooks — but Andrew has his own way of doing the budget. It’s a bit different because there are a lot more things to keep track of apart from profit and loss.”

She said it was effectively their board, with one major difference — she and Andrew were the ones who made the final decision.

“We extract all the information from the experts and decide. It’s purely in our control,” she said.

“It is definitely an asset to have those people around you. You can’t do it alone. It doesn’t take

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 7

much to take your eye off the ball.

“Dairying is hard work in itself but finance is a huge part of it. Twenty years ago, you could keep an eye on costs. Now, there is so much more to keep track of.”

Last year the herd of 600 milkers produced 4.6 million litres, with 3.2 per cent protein and 3.9 per cent fat. The couple produced 1200 tonne of pit silage and 400 to 500 bales of round bale silage.

Mr Lamers said there was still scope for improvement, through a combination of better pastures, fertiliser, drainage and “a few management tweaks”.

In 2011 they introduced split-calving to address a rising mastitis problem and fertility issues.

They honed their animal health routine — testing all cows to ensure they had the right treatment for bugs they had, ensuring teat spray was applied correctly and fine-tuning the milking shed.

But the main improvement came from selling 200 cows and buying in 250 autumn calvers.

They chose autumn calvers to receive income when milk price was high.

The cell count is now about 100, 000.

“The first year was hard; we had spring ones calving in July and ran into wet winter.

That didn’t help. We pushed spring ones back to middle of August, and it works really well,” Mr Lamers said.

He said springing cows were fed hay in the afternoon after 4 pm, and they have few overnight calves as a result.

“We find it works with 90 per cent of the cows. Once we feed them hay, we have a look after milking and any going into calving will calve then, so we come back at 10 pm to check. Cows normally don’t start calving again until four or five in the morning.”

Milking time in the dairy.

Last year the herd of 600 milkers produced 4.6 million litres, with 3.24 per cent protein and 3.9 per cent fat.

The Holstein herd returns from the dairy.

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Ramping up the dairy value < Continued from page 1

“It’s good to be able to deal direct with the public,” Sophia said.

“Customers get to taste your product and it gives them more of a connection with farmers.

Getting feedback direct from customers is always helpful.”

The Tarago Valley name and branding was a family decision. The siblings and their parents, Rowan and Vicki, are all partners in CSM Organics. Caroline is responsible for marketing, including social media. Caroline and Sophia are more involved with Tarago Valley and the retail side while Michael manages pasture and crops.

Sophia milks during the week and Rowan and Vicki relieve her when she is off at farmers’ markets. She also raises all the calves and undertakes bookwork for the business and farm, sharing the distribution duties with Rowan.

“Mum and dad help a lot,” Sophia said. “It wouldn’t be possible without them. I’m still learning. I have a lot to learn about being a dairy farmer.”

The three siblings lease the three properties from their parents, who own the herd of 160 crossbreds. All milk for their own products comes from 50 cows on the Longwarry farm (about 1000 litres a day) while an additional 100 cows are milked on a second farm at Hallora.

Rowan and Vicki made the decision to go organic in 2008 and they became certified organic in 2012.

They rarely need to purchase feed as they have irrigation and produce all silage and hay onfarm, and run a lower stocking rate than the farm could sustain. They were forced to purchase some organic hay several years ago when it was particularly dry but this is rare.

Their herd is predominantly crossbreds, which perform better on the hills of the Hallora farm, although they try to run more Jerseys on the Longwarry farm. Jersey bulls are currently being put over the crossbred herd.

All bull calves are castrated, grown out and processed at 18 months to two years of age and sold as dairy beef in 8 kg to 10 kg packs under the Tarago Valley brand.

“It’s amazing how you get a whole string of bull calves and no heifers, and then a run the other way,” Sophia said.

It’s a much leaner meat than traditional beef and has proven popular with return buyers.

“We like to keep everything affordable so families can purchase it. Cutting out the middle person makes such a difference,” Sophia said.

They have sold dairy beef for five years and the decision to retain bull calves is an ethos as much

Sophia Jones says she has a lot to learn about dairying from her parents, Rowan and Vicki, but is enjoying it.

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 9

Caroline Jones in farmers’ market mode.

Sophia Jones meets the public.

A new label for 2018 under the Tarago Valley brand. Value-adding has given the Jones family some insulation from falling milk prices.

as a value-adding decision.

“Mum doesn’t like sending bull calves off, but it’s also a commercial decision as you don’t get much for bull calves,” Sophia said. “There is good profit in bull beef so it’s worth it.”

They sell a mix of steaks, diced beef, roasts and mince for $17/kg. Mince has proven popular because it is leaner (and grass-fed) and they sell mince and diced beef in bulk to a commercial piemaker in Gippsland.

The decision to sell their branded products

proved particularly valuable with the milk price crash in 2016.

“We weren’t affected at all,” Sophia said.

“Value-adding gives you a little bit more security as you can set your own milk prices and you’re not relying on someone else to tell you what milk prices are going to be.

“We agree on a suitable price with our factories that we’re both happy with. It gives you a lot more control over your own business.”

A crossbred herd performs better on the hills of the family’s Hallora farm.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

10 // GIPPSLAND REGION a u s t r a l i a

Champions crowned at Tatura Park INTERNATIONAL DAIRY Week welcomed more than 195 exhibitors from across the country to

Tatura Park from January 21 to 25. With record youth entries and more than 1100 entrants across the six breeds, the event saw Elmar Holsteins’ cow Elmar Goldwyn Jessica 11 named International Dairy Week Grand Champion.

National Jersey Show Results Supreme Champion Cow: Bushlea Van Fernleaf 10, owned by F. and D. Borba, M. Senecal, C. Fisher, A. and J. Vander Meulen, B. Cullen and J. Hanford of Koonwarra, Victoria.

Champion Cow: Bushlea Van Fernleaf 10, owned

by F. and D. Borba, M. Senecal, C. Fisher, A. and J. Vander Meulen, B. Cullen and J. Hanford of Koonwarra, Victoria.

Intermediate Champion: Cairnbrae Valentino Daisy 16, owned by A. G. and J. A. Carson of Irrewillipe East, Victoria.

Junior Champion: Rivendell Principal Tammi, owned by M. and I. Cole of Wagga Wagga, NSW. National Holstein Show Results Supreme Champion Cow: Elmar Goldwyn Jessica 11, owned by Elmar Holsteins of Leitchville, Victoria.

Champion Cow: Elmar Goldwyn Jessica 11, owned by Elmar Holsteins of Leitchville, Victoria.

Intermediate Champion: Avonlea-YF Windbrook Cinnamon-ET, owned by Cinnamon Partners of Finley, NSW. Junior Champion: Sunvale Lotus Donna, owned by Sun Vale Holsteins and L. Orton of Yarroweyah, Victoria.

National Holstein Show Best Udder winner Hawova R Reginald Tamie owned by Shaw, Clarke and Sieben from Torrumbarry is presented with the award by Australian Dairy Farmers’ Jennifer Shaw, Phillis Stephens and judge Kiichi Matsushima.

National Jersey Show Champion Cow Bushlea Van Fernleaf owned by F. and D. Borba, M. Senecal, C. Fisher, A. and J. Vander Meulen, B. Cullen and J. Hanford. Pictured (from left) are judge Pat Nicholson, Alex Walker from Semex and handler Matt Templeton.

National Ayrshire Show Results Grand Champion: Parkville Burdette Katie, owned by James Dillon of Waaia, Victoria.

National Illawarra Show Results Grand Champion: Landovery JR Joan 982, owned by Gorbro Holsteins and C. Rapley of Cohuna, Victoria.

National Brown Swiss Show Results Grand Champion: Tandara Jolt Sarajevo 55, owned

by Tandara Brown Swiss of Dingee, Victoria.

National Guernsey Show Results Grand Champion: Rockmar Miami Graceful, owned by M. and R. Shea of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.

Elmar Holsteins’ cow Elmar Goldwyn Jessica 11 was awarded International Dairy Week Grand Champion at Tatura Park. The seven-year-old Holstein is pictured (from left) with owner Deanne Hore, Kelsie Hore, owner Steve Hore, Marty Hore and Brady Hore, of Leitchville.

Elmar Goldwyn Jessica 11 was also awarded Champion Cow and Grand Champion in the National Holstein Show.

Cairnbrae Valentino Daisy 16 owned by Janine and Alan Carson (far right) led by Brad Gavenlock and pictured with judge Pat Nicholson was named Intermediate Champion in the National Jersey Show.

Call Graham’s Seeds today to discuss all your on farm options

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DAIRY NEWS You are invited to Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ... AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 11 a u s t r a l i a

Strong showing at dairy week Gippsland competitors were out in force at International Dairy Week in Tatura from January 21 to 25. With competitors participating in all levels of competition, from youth to senior shows, there was plenty of success enjoyed by the region.

Tamara Loughridge from Poowong North was working for the Avonlea stud at International Dairy Week, held at Tatura in northern Victoria. She is pictured with a seven-year-old cow which was shown at the premier dairy competition.

Handler Jasmin Mackie from Meeniyan with Burn-Brae Octane Satin 2 in class nine of the All Breeds National Youth Show.

Jake Rundle, 11, and his sister Matilda Rundle, 9, from Terang with six-month-old Jersey, Bell, on Sunday, January 21.

VIKON

Meg Anderson of Drouin West parades her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cow, Kings Ville Heatherbell 28, around the ring at the youth show.

John Gardiner from West Gippsland took a big team to International Dairy Week. He is pictured with a junior Holstein which won her class.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

12 // GIPPSLAND REGION

New country brings fresh opportunity STEPHEN COOKE

DRIFFIELD DAIRY farmers Marco and Rita Payette’s farming philosophy, ‘keep it simple’, seems at odds with their decision to move to the other side of the world to expand.

As does the accompanying effect of having to learn a completely new farming system to what they were used to in their native Canada.

However, this approach has helped them focus on the priorities of growing as much pasture as possible, and keeping their herd well fed.

“We keep it simple, otherwise (the list of potential jobs) never ends,” Mr Payette said.

Mr Payette is a fourth-generation dairy farmer. He and Rita were in a partnership with his parents in Quebec, milking 40 cows (the average Canadian herd size in 2003) housed indoors and fed maize and lucerne silage year-round.

Industry quotas set by Canadian milk boards help set healthy milk prices (current price is 70¢/ litre) but also make it very expensive to expand.

The cost of barns to house cows, necessary for winter temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius, can also cost $10, 000 per cow. To increase quota, it can cost up to $25, 000 per cow.

This cost was behind their decision to move countries.

“We initially looked in New Zealand but land is very expensive. We didn’t know much about Australia but learnt NZ people come here,” Mr Payette said.

Although they received advice that the best area to buy a dairy farm was Shepparton, he said “we knew we’d have enough to learn without going into water purchases too”.

They decided to concentrate on finding a farm in Gippsland and quickly saw their current farm was for sale. They expressed interest but told the owner they would have to return to settle their affairs.

Within six months they had acquired the necessary visas and sold their family farm but were told on their return, with their two young daughters in tow, that the farm was not for sale.

The Payettes began working for Phil Tracey

Rita and Marco Payette on their Driffield farm.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

GIPPSLAND REGION // 13 at Yanakie and the farm was placed back on the market 12 months later. They snapped it up — acquiring 200 cows and 120 ha for the same price they received for their farm in Canada.

They started on their new farm in July — the middle of calving — so Mr Payette said they didn’t have time to overthink things.

“There wasn’t much time to think, we just had to do whatever we could. I didn’t know much about pasture but I knew how to feed a cow, so I focused on that.

“Every morning I checked what I produced.

We had a projection and I knew that if we kept production to a certain amount we would be all right.”

Mr Payette said they found good people to work with and asked plenty of questions. They met John Mulvany on their initial trip to Australia, learnt from Phil Tracey and said local contractor Nev Beecher was a wealth of information.

“You have to adjust — we couldn’t come here and say: ‘In Canada we did this and we’ll do this’. You need to open your mind,” he said.

“The biggest thing was to learn about the soils and fertiliser. When we came here, every month we were a bit behind in our decisions.

We would see our neighbour do something and wonder why, then realise a month later.

“We’re always learning. We had cock chafers one year, we have African black beetles this year, and a bushfire burnt 200 acres in 2014. We lost 600 bales of silage and had to re-sow everything, and there was a lot of work to re-fence.”

The Canadian system requires silage to be produced and stored from May to September, with the mix fed in the barn year-round.

“Adjusting to the pasture-based system here was a real challenge at the start because conditions were changing all the time. In Canada the feed system is very stable,” Mr Payette said.

“You may have to adjust the mix a bit through the year but you know what you’re working with. Here, with pasture, every month is changing. You have to adapt and sometimes sacrifice production.”

They run a high production herd of 9000 litres and he said this could be increased to as much as 12, 000 litres but that would require a feed pad and mixer wagon, plus additional staff.

However, this is moving outside the parameters of ‘keeping it simple’. They employ an additional labour unit during calving to help, but that’s it.

Most of the herd is calved over eight weeks in May and June, with the tail end calving in July and August.

They milk 205 large-framed Holsteins on 120ha, producing 9000 litres per cow, peaking

Their work to combat mastitis resulted in a BMCC of 82,000 last year and recognition from Burra and in the Dairy Australia Milk Quality Awards.

at 35–36 litres a day in winter. Cows receive 7 kg of grain and mix in the bail and are fed vetch hay at Christmas, when they are still producing 27 litres. Cows are dried-off at the beginning of March.

They are producing 8–9 tonnes dry matter an acre, taking regular soil samples to ensure they are maximising return from fertiliser.

“We want cows to be very well fed so we don’t push the stocking rate high. We prefer to have less cows and more milk per cow,” Mr Payette said.

Somatic cell count was high last year but they sought advice from a vet that specialises in mastitis and have reduced that to 82,000.

They have been recognised for their cell count

by Burra and in the Dairy Australia Milk Quality Awards.

They introduced a new Westfalia variable speed vacuum pump — “electronic sensors are so accurate, you can see the variation” — installed automatic cup removers and take more note of liner wear and spray coverage.

When asked if they miss dairying in Canada, Mr Payette responds with a laugh: “Well, the milk price is pretty good!

“It’s currently 70¢ a litre but in Canada, you need to make quota each month and if you don’t, you don’t get it back. Here, you can maximise production. If you have a good season you make the most of it.

“It costs more to produce milk because everything is inside. Pasture is the cheapest feed you can have and there you have to cut it, store it and feed it. You also need more labour because it’s more work to keep the barns clean.”

Canadian Marco Payette has had to learn a different way to farm.

It cost $15,000 to cover the dairy yard with this rubber matting from Surefoot and Marco Payette is pleased with the result.

The Payettes run a registered Holstein herd of 205 milkers.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2018

14 // GIPPSLAND REGION

March Reminders Hay and silage stocks ■

■

■

Check your levels of hay and silage and do your sums on potential hay and silage use for the balance of the year. Allow for milking cows, dry cows and young stock.

It’s often a challenge to feed the best feed you can and make use of the feed you have on hand. Balancing the diet with all the right feeds is great, but using the feeds you have on hand and getting the diet balance in the zone might come with lower cash costs and still achieve target production.

Baled silage is a great example of a feed with a use-by date and when not fed for whatever reason it can turn out to be costly wasted feed.

Pasture renovation and over-sowing ■

■

■

■

Fertiliser ■

■

■

March is a good time to apply fertiliser to pasture in preparation for the autumn break.

Superphosphate and muriate of potash do not require rain to release into a soil; rainfall after an application increases the risk of nutrient loss.

Dairy effluent is a good alternative to traditional fertiliser on areas of the farm.

When applying dairy effluent be careful not to have any run-off or to overload soils with nitrogen and potassium. This will also empty effluent ponds to maximise capacity for the wetter months of the year.

■

■

All soils that are sown should be soil tested to determine any limiting factors for plant growth and develop a plan to improve or maintain the soils and pastures on the farm.

When planting pasture always check for pest activity and control if required. This year red-legged earth mites and lucerne flea have been abundant in areas of Gippsland.

March is an ideal time for checking your paddocks for pasture density and making some decisions on what areas of the farm, if any, need renovation or over-sowing.

If pastures have root mats consider working the paddocks up and allowing some time for the root mat to rot before sowing the new pasture or plan a summer crop in this paddock for next year.

If pastures are just thin and have no root mat, over-sowing is a good option.

Consider the type and variety of seed to put in the ground. Where rye-grass is concerned it’s good to try to simplify the process using three categories for seed types: • Perennial: Permanent pasture. Sow once you have dealt with any soil issues in the paddock such as drainage or root mat issues.

• Short rotation: Two- to three-year varieties that tend to establish with more vigour than perennials, after being

■

well-sown, and can last two to three years when conditions and management allow. Great plants for developing paddocks that may need to be sprayedout in the future while increasing productivity in the short term.

Annual: One-year varieties (May to November) that are very vigorous after sowing and strong winter performers, but they will not produce once they have gone to seed in spring. Great for a low-performing paddock that will be summer cropped the following year.

Stock ■

■

water troughs should be considered. Even a low level of milk fever in the herd has many flow-on effects including calf losses during calving, downer cows and cow health issues in early lactation. Learn more at | www.dairyaustralia.com.au in the feeding and nutrition section.

Young stock ■

■

Be on the lookout for the effects of mycotoxins such as facial eczema (looks similar to photo-sensitisation) affecting exposed areas of pale skin. If facial eczema is suspected contact a veterinary practitioner for advice on prevention or treatment.

Information is available on the Dairy Australia website at: www.dairyaustralia. com.au/Animal-management/Animalhealth/Facial-Eczema-Monitoring.aspx Plan your transition diet for autumn-calving cows. The aims are to prevent milk fever, ensure the cow’s energy requirements are met, and introduce grain to the diet if a high level of grain is being fed in the milking herd. A properly-formulated lead feed ration or the use of anionic salts in the

■

Poorly fed young stock will impact your business when they calve down and become milking cows with low in-calf rates and higher mortality rates, and generally are likely to produce less milk.

Some good targets for young stock are 70 per cent in-calf three weeks after joining, with heifers due to calve two weeks before the cows in the herd. To join young stock this early they have to be well fed and have reached the target joining weights you can see in the Heifers on Target manual on the Dairy Australia website at: www.dairyaustralia.com.au/ Animal-management/Fertility/Heifermanagement.aspx Monitor the replacement heifers’ growth.

They will require high quality supplementary feeds as available pasture is reduced. They need feeds containing a minimum of 10 MJ/ kg DM and 13 per cent crude protein to grow adequately. When feeding them consider silage, hay and grain as options.

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