DECEMBER, 2023 ISSUE 158
MURRAY REGION
GRASS DOCTOR LOVES COWS Wangaratta agronomist Katherine Bohn says farmers are listening more and more to agronomists. As well as giving advice on growing better grass to make better cows, Katherine is happily at home in the show ring. Page 6.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
2 // MURRAY REGION
Chair’s message
Murray Dairy looks strong for the future BY RACHAEL NAPIER
I’M HONOURED to be reporting as Murray Dairy chair for Dairy News Australia after being elected at the Murray Dairy AGM in October. It is an exciting time for me as I continue to work with what is a well-run organisation. With a diverse and cohesive board, we sit in a strong position moving forward. I’d like to thank outgoing chair Andy Tyler for his leadership, dedication and commitment for the past three years. Although not a full-time commitment, chairing a successful board is akin to leading a winning team on-farm — you need varied skills, direction and sometimes a mentor. AGM season is nearing completion with regional offices across Australia having all run their own AGMs. Unfortunately, this chair report will go to print before we have the outcomes of Dairy Australia’s AGM, held in Moama this year. It is fantastic we have had the opportunity to host the AGM in the Murray Dairy region and showcase our diverse landscape and dairy systems to a national audience.
I look forward to learning what our new national board will look like, hearing from the great line-up of speakers and discussions post the Feedbase forum. There looks to be extensive efforts to get silage and hay cut this year due to the fluctuating weather and the good volumes produced in much of the region. It was great to see the results from the Dairy Farm Monitor Project and to hear “Northern Victorian farmers were overwhelmingly confident in their returns in the coming 12 months”. With the release of the In Focus 2023 report, dairy in Australia is acknowledged as the third largest rural industry employing more than 3500 people in the dairy industry workforce. Congratulations to all the recipients of Dairy Australia Milk Quality awards. Producing high quality milk is something we are particularly good at in Australia. I’d also like to acknowledge those farms who didn’t rate a mention in the top cell count lists. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good we are or how hard we try; stuff gets in the road. On the same note, we can’t all be at the top.
Northern Victorian farmers are overwhelmingly confident in their returns in the coming 12 months.
Lastly, I’d like to wish you, your families and farm teams a very merry Christmas. Make the silly season a safe one, purchase wisely, and keep hydrated in the hot weather. Rachael Napier is the Murray Dairy chair.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
MURRAY REGION // 3
New directors join board MURRAY DAIRY has welcomed three new directors to its board. Farmer directors Phillip Lang and Lucy Galt, along with Claire Baumber, have joined the Murray Dairy Board in 2023. Outgoing chair Andrew Tyler and specialist skills director Mark Bailey were farewelled at the Murray Dairy annual general meeting on October 19. The AGM also saw farmer director Rachael Napier promoted to chair and Dustin Kemp take up the role of deputy chair. Claire Baumber is treasurer. Mr Tyler has stepped down as chair after serving for six years on the board. During his tenure, he shared his knowledge and experience as a dairy farmer. He also brought great enthusiasm to lifting the profile of the dairy industry and focusing on investment in regional priorities. Dr Bailey has stepped down after serving his six-year term on the board. He conveyed a tremendous knowledge around water resources and policy, and a vision for a sustainable dairy industry. The newly elected directors are poised to bring a wealth of knowledge and applied experiences relevant to the Murray Dairy Board’s vision for fostering a confident, valued and profitable dairy industry. Mr Lang is director and chief financial officer of Lang Dairies and has extensive experience in the dairy industry, along with working on dairy farms in Brazil, Ecuador and Switzerland.
New Murray Dairy Board members (from left) Phil Lang, Claire Baumber and Lucy Galt.
He said Murray Dairy was important to his development as a young farmer and now he would like to give back to the organisation.
Being on the board will allow him to help shape and develop the industry he is reliant on for his livelihood.
Ms Galt has a strong background in education, delivering agricultural content in regional settings. She is also a hands-on partner in her family dairy business. Her motivation to join the board is to make education accessible to all people in the Murray Dairy region looking to take up a career pathway in dairy. Ms Baumber brings a wealth of experience with a diverse background in agribusiness and grew up on her family dairy farm. She joined the board as she wanted to learn more about the dairy industry and how boards operate and influence industry outcomes and regional development. In his final report as chair, Mr Tyler reflected on the challenges of the 2022 floods and Murray Dairy’s timely response with information and support for farm businesses, delivered in partnership with various industry bodies and the Victorian Government. He also addressed the completion of the Fodder for the Future project, which was funded through the Murray-Darling Basin Regional Economic Diversification Fund. This will see continued research work on alternative feedbase options for farmers in our region. In providing the financial report, Ms Baumber highlighted that Murray Dairy remains in a strong financial position, optimising opportunities for collaborative investments that supports dairy in the region. 2 To access Murray Dairy’s reports for 2022-23, visit: dairyaustralia.com.au/murray-dairy
FARM ANALYSIS IN A SNAPSHOT resources available to every farm. The snapshot provides a tool to help farmers review their historical performance. It provides consistent, quality data to help farmers look at their operating cash surplus, cost of production and EBIT. The data can be entered quickly and provides a good overview of farm performance to assist farmers when planning for the future.
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The Farm Business Snapshot provides an analysis of the historical performance of a dairy farm business, helping users to better understand their production costs and overall profitability. The reports will provide additional information to support the decision-making process and enable farmers to take actions in their business that best suit their needs. This will show the overall cash and profit position of your business and enable you to assess these as a measure of efficiency against the key inputs. Benchmarking your own farm year-onyear is the best way to review your business. This enables you to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your business and identify opportunities to increase profit and manage risk. Comparing against regional benchmarks can assist with assessing your business performance, but consideration must be given to the difference in
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
4 // MURRAY REGION
Survey reveals record profit RESULTS FROM the latest Dairy Farm
Monitor Report shows average profits were the highest on record for the 30 northern Victorian participants at $620,000 ($2.68 per kilogram of milk solids) in 2022-23, well above the longterm average of $1.15/kg MS for the region. The main influences on northern Victorian dairy farm performance were: 2 Very wet spring 2022 conditions and flood impacts hampered fodder conservation and increased feed costs. 2 Total variable costs and total cash overhead costs in northern Victoria were among the highest in 17 years at $8.29/kg MS, increasing by $1.55/kg MS from the previous year. 2 Increase of 31 per cent in milk price to $9.84/ kg MS to the highest milk price observed in 17 years. 2 Increase of 26 per cent gross farm income to $10.97/kg MS compared to the previous year, despite livestock trading income reducing. 2 Most (90 per cent) participants were feeling optimistic about the 2023-24 season. On average, herd size increased slightly but milk production per cow decreased. Home-grown feed fell to 54 per cent of the cows’ diet (from 56 per cent the previous year) due to challenging climatic conditions, especially the flood and storm events in spring 2022. Participants managed the lower quantities of home-grown feed by securing purchased feed early and feeding greater quantities of purchased concentrates. While northern Victoria experienced
In 2022-23, 23 of the 25 northern Victorian participants had a positive return on total assets.
significant flood and storm events, Gippsland experienced quite wet and then quite dry conditions, while south-west Victoria managed very wet conditions for many months. Across the state, the average profit for all 80 Victorian farm businesses was also strong at around $2.87/kg MS in 2022-23. This was a 67 per cent increase on last year, and well above the long-term average of $1.45/kg MS. The greatest influence on the improved profits of Dairy Farm Monitor participants was
the 33 per cent increase in statewide average milk price to $9.77/kg MS. Total variable and overhead costs increased by 18 per cent, with significant increases in purchased feed costs and employed labour costs. This impacted on farm business margins and moderated potential profits. Now in its 17th year, the Dairy Farm Monitor Project is a joint initiative between Agriculture Victoria and Dairy Australia. It provides comprehensive financial and
production analysis of 80 Victorian dairy farm businesses in northern Victoria, the south-west and Gippsland. The northern Victorian farm data was collected by Agriculture Victoria staff, Murray Dairy staff and consultants. 2 The Dairy Farm Monitor Report is available online at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/ dairyfarmmonitor By Agriculture Victoria farm business economist Natalie Nelson
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
MURRAY REGION // 5
Take time out to paint pots BY SOPHIE BALDWIN
DAIRY WOMEN looking for a few hours away
from the farm and some much needed social interaction had the opportunity to participate in a pot painting workshop in Lockington recently. The free event was hosted by Loddon Mallee Dairy Queens — a not-for-profit organisation all about nurturing growth and connection for rural women. Organisers Bec Wyper, Andrea Boudville, and Ellyse McNish said the initiative was part of their participation in the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program — a 12-month program focused on supporting established leaders and actively developing emerging community leaders. “We had to organise a community event and for me the choice was simple. I work in the dairy industry and I am passionate about supporting rural communities and mental health — this workshop is an extension of that. “Women in rural communities can sometimes be isolated and this is a way of bringing them together for some relaxation and a bit of fun which is extremely important for mental health,” Bec said. Andrea said it was rewarding organising an event that would have a positive impact on mental health. “The bottom line is we just wanted everyone to get together and have a bit of fun and that’s
Participants in the Dairy Queens pot painting day held at Lockington.
what the Dairy Queens is all about — women often carry a lot of the burden from work to family life and no-one is looking after them,” Andrea said. Bamawm resident Lesley Hanna along with Nanneella school teacher Anna Kent both decided to give the day a go — they were delighted with the event. “It has been a really great day and we get to take something home with us at the end,” Anna said. Dairy farmer Yvette Brown said she saw the event advertised on Facebook and she thought
it was a great idea. She enjoyed the chance to get off the farm and catch up with other women from the area. “Over the seven years we have been on the farm this year is the best by far, its been a great season,” Yvette said. The Dairy Queens applied for funding and were lucky enough to receive a grant from Women’s Health Loddon Mallee and the Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. They intend to host further events in the future.
“We are looking at mapping some mental health awareness and bringing together service providers to address some of these challenges. “We have had some local organisations want to partner with us already which is amazing and shows there is some genuine interest,” Andrea said. Personally Bec said being involved in the leadership program had been a great experience and had enabled her to create her own community identity, separate from her working role at Murray Dairy where she is involved in the Young Dairy Network.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
6 // MURRAY REGION
Grass doctor knows her cows BY ANDY WILSON
WANGARATTA AGRONOMIST Katherine Bohn sees cattle showing as the end-product of her profession. Known as the ‘grass doctor’, Katherine said farmers were increasingly listening more and more to agronomists. “With the increase in costs in fertiliser they really want the most out of their pasture and so they do listen,” she said. “They make the changes based on what you inform them can be done to improve the soil. Farmers are responding better and better.” Katherine studied agronomy at La Trobe University in Melbourne and has developed her skills to incorporate expertise in local soil and individual farm needs.
Katherine Bohn led the Shepparton Show’s Intermediate Champion from Riversleigh Illawarra Stud in Tatura.
“We have a lot of acidity and really low phosphorus around Wangaratta,” she said. “And each farmer’s property varies
depending on their history of how much hay they cut or whether they produce dairy or beef.” Katherine spent both days of the Shepparton Show in October leading cows for Riversleigh Illawarra Stud in Tatura. Stud owner Michael Tuhan said Katherine’s grandparents once had a farm across the road from his, and after they retired she went to university. “She has continued her love of cows but this is the first time she’s been in our crew for a while,” Michael said. “That love is pretty strong and that’s what makes her good — she has animal sense. “For example, I had to milk on Friday night and couldn’t help set up for the show but she had it all covered. “I would have been stuck without her.”
Michael is a qualified ruminant nutritionist and worked for 15 years as a stockfeed specialist. He said there were a few opportunities to discuss the scientific side of Katherine’s vocation among the heavy workload behind the show ring. “I enjoy that side of it, I’m big on the science behind it all,” he said. “And soil nutrition and ruminant nutrition are all interlinked. It’s all connected.” Katherine led one of Mr Tuhan’s Illawarra cows to win Intermediate Champion at the Shepparton Show. She said she could align her profession with her success in the ring. “I want to make the grass better to let the cow get bigger, so they are hand-in-hand in some ways, but they are also separate.”
POSITIVE SEASON FOLLOWS FLOOD By SOPHIE BALDWIN It was spring 2022 and Stu and Cecilia Palmer were looking forward to a bumper season on their Cohuna dairy farm — a season which potentially included harvesting about 3500 rolls of hay and silage. Stu’s dad came out to have a look at 101 hectares (250 acres) of vetch and oats and commented at the time he had never seen the farm look better. Just three short weeks later, it was all gone. And so was Stu’s mojo for a short time. “I went to bed one particular night thinking I was going to sell the cows and I even contacted an agent. The next day I woke up, thought ‘no, bugger that, I have worked too hard and I am going to get through this the best way I can’, and I am so glad I did,” Stu said. “When you are stressed, you don’t necessarily make the right decisions and I just needed to talk to some calm heads and
give myself a bit of time.” The pain of the great 2011 flood still lingered in Stu’s mind. At that point, things were so bad on the home property that Stu made the decision to lease another farm, Field Capacity Pty Ltd Bamawm, and move his whole dairy operation away for 10 months. “I vowed I would never do that again, so this time around I sold 50 cows, dried off the autumn calvers early and made the decision to just get by for the season,” Stu said. Despite losing about 283ha of grass and crops, Stu was lucky about 57ha surrounding the house and dairy remained dry. “I had saved 30 acres (12ha) for the cows to graze because we knew the floods were coming and I was able to cut some silage even though it wasn’t great quality. Our block across the road doesn’t flood and I was able to cut another 200 rolls of hay and silage, then put the autumn cows in.”
In the end, Stu ended up with about 500 rolls of silage and 180 rolls of hay, although the quality wasn’t all that great. He had to buy in a large quantity of cereal hay to get through winter and it was pretty disheartening knowing production was down and he couldn’t capitalise on the bumper milk prices of the 2022 season. But the 2023 season is looking far more positive. “I am expecting to cut around 4000 rolls of hay and silage this year, which should be enough to get me through for the next twoand-a-half years,” Stu said. Stu has already cut 600 rolls of silage and has enough grass to feed 320 cows, instead of the 220 he is currently milking. The other positive is eldest son Jude has been home working on the farm since February. “Jude has brightened the whole place up and got me motivated and inspired,” Stu said. “He has been great to have around and has been a big help, especially cutting hay
and silage because he loves being in the tractor.” Stu has been dairy farming for 39 years and has been on the Cohuna property for the past 24 years. He has no current plans to increase the herd size above 220 split calving cows (a quarter autumn and the rest spring) because he is limited to some degree by the shed. “Milking 220 cows suits our 20 swing over. Who knows, if Jude sticks around, we might look at doing something with the dairy in the future.” Stu believes water reform, implementation of the basin plan and the way the system is now run is contributing to the severity and frequency of floods. “This was my great-grandfather’s farm originally. It flooded here in 1907, 1916 and 1923 and then didn’t flood again for nearly 90 years until 2011 and then again in 2022,” he said. “Both these floods were pretty big and extremely destructive.”
Saving as much hay and silage as they could in the face of floodwater last October.
Stu Palmer’s Cohuna farm in October 2022.
Back in the tractor this year on the Palmer family’s Cohuna property. This season is looking much better after the pain of the 2022 floods.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
MURRAY REGION // 7
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Celia Hobbs attended the 2022 Proud to be a Dairy Farmer program and said the three-day event was more than just developing networks.
Fonterra is proud to help BY ANDY WILSON
A LOCKINGTON dairy farmer has praised a
course provided by a leading dairy company for the next generation of dairy farmers. Celia Hobbs said the three-day Proud to be a Dairy Farmer program run by Fonterra Australia Suppliers’ Council had fuelled her passion for the industry. The program will be held on March 5 to 7 next year. Ms Hobbs attended the program in 2022 and said it provided more than just developing useful networks. “It helped me grow with a passion for the dairy industry and I guess having a passion behind what you do encourages you to do better,” Ms Hobbs said. “I now feel more prepared for any challenges that might come up. “Fonterra has a fast-source team which addresses milk quality, has a feed specialist and a basic financial advisor, and there are other teams with different roles as well. “As a whole they got us to work out a goal to see where we were going.” Ms Hobbs has since become a Fonterra supplies council member and hopes to be selected next year to act as a mentor for the next cohort of attendees. “I would be really glad to be speaking with the new generation and I encourage the next
people to step up and ensure dairy continues with their future.” Ms Hobbs said a mentoring role was key to the program’s success. “It’s about having that older generation of people in the room, to answer questions directly, helping those there who might be scared to ask otherwise,” she said. Ms Hobbs said an illness in her family and her brother leaving the family farm initiated her involvement. “We were thrown into the deep end with all that, so I was called home,” she said. “The course helps us to develop a farm to pass onto the next generation. “So now we are trying to perfect our cows by genomic testing the herd to try to make them the kind of cows we’re happy to pass on.” Another program being offered by the company is Get To Know Fonterra, which is aimed at the more experienced generation of farmers, managers, owners and sharefarmers. “This one is designed to learn more about Fonterra and how to interact with other suppliers and is even open to farmers who may be supplying to other companies,” Ms Hobbs said. “It is for farmers to know more about where their milk goes beyond the farm gate. “We are trying to encourage each generation to stick with the industry.” 2 For further information, visit: governancedevelopment@fonterra.com
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023
8 // MURRAY REGION
Show respect when hiring Employer image protected
AS A dairy farming employer, ultimately you get to choose the job applicants you wish to hire, but it is not a reason to treat the less desirable applicants poorly. The way you treat applicants who take the time to apply for a job with your dairy farm business defines how those applicants view you as a potential employer.
Applicants talk. They talk to their friends and family, and within their social circles, and sometimes this extends to social media. If you want your name and your farm mentioned positively, then it’s simple really — treat all applicants with a great experience. Don’t drag things out and leave an applicant waiting for long periods of time while you wait for that unicorn to apply. Even those who are entirely unsuitable for the role deserve to have their application acknowledged as the bare minimum. If you don’t provide all applicants with a great experience, then you run the risk that some may speak negatively about you and your farm.
Applicants stay and grow in the industry You may make an initial assessment of an applicant as unskilled, dismiss their application as unsuitable and move on to the next applicant without giving them another thought. However, let’s assume for a moment, that one of the other dairy farmers in your region decides to take a chance on that unskilled applicant and hires him or her to work as a farm hand. Two years later, that same applicant has the following skills — milking, calf rearing, pasture utilisation, ability to identify and treat sick animals, fencing and machinery operation. Would you be interested in them now they have gained these desirable skills? Do you think they would still be keen to work for you if they remember a bad experience?
Applicants expect more
The way you treat job applicants can impact your image as a potential employer. As they transition through each step of your
Information and support
In an environment where it’s challenging to find workers, such as the one we are currently in, aim to deliver a great applicant experience every time.
recruitment process, applicants are forming an opinion of you as their next potential manager. Twenty years ago, when it was common to receive hundreds of applications, the way applicants viewed you probably wasn’t front of
mind for many employers. Fast forward to 2023, in the wake of a global pandemic that caused wide-scale disruption and uncertainty, today’s applicants are wanting more.
In an environment where it’s challenging to find workers, such as the one we are in, aim to deliver a great applicant experience every time. You can treat all unsuccessful applicants respectfully, particularly while providing them with the news their application has not progressed. Use the opportunity to soften the blow, by providing constructive feedback to applicants and they may remember you fondly enough to reapply down the track. 2 If you would like some tips on how to do this well, contact Murray Dairy extension adviser Shane Byrne on 0402 971 593. From Murray Dairy.
Season’s Greetings from the Murray Dairy Team Australian Dairy Discovery Recipe Book Dairy Australia
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Italian star bread with mozzarella