Dairy News Australia July 2022

Stockfeed feature: PAGES 23-30 FARMERS PROTEST WIND FARM PAGE 5

PRICES ON THE BOIL PAGE 4

JULY 2022 ISSUE 141 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

POWER SUPPLY FEARS FUEL FRUSTRATION The nation’s power supply crisis and the prospect of rising prices are frustrating farmers. PAGE 4

What’s your next step?

More family time?

Improved cow health?

For a future-proof automated milking system, proven on pastoral farms throughout Australia, GEA’s automated milking system – the DairyRobot R9500, is a

Better labour efficiencies?

More quality milk in the vat?

proven step in the right direction.

Looking for your next step?

Call us for a free on-farm consult – 03 8877 9999.

JFC Milk Karts Calf Feeding Made Easy

WINNING EDGE Kart Range is the The JFC Milk Cart most efficient way of feeding your calves

KART THE JFC MILK CART ADVANTAGES ARE: ✔ EASY Transport of whole milk or milk replacer to calves ✔ SMOOTH Vortex-enhanced mixing eliminates separate of nutrients/foaming of milk ✔ CONTROLLED amount of milk dispensed

KARTS ARE AVAILABLE JFC MILK CARTS IN TWO SIZES (170L + 340L) ✔ The 170L model can mix a 20Kg bag of milk replacer in just 4 minutes ✔ The 340L model can mix 2 x 20Kg bags of milk replacer in just 4 minutes Our 170L and 340L models features an upgraded pump which can dispense up to 36 litres per minute. This model also includes upgraded castor wheels, a new control box and dispensing nozzle. These features ensure faster milk delivery time when using the JFC Milk Kart with the pump.

AGRI Contact ProviCo Rural for information: www.provicorural.com.au, PH: 1300 380 343 email: admin@provicorural.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2022

NEWS // 3

Dairy consumption still high ELIZA REDFERN

Building the next generation. PG.10

Disease opens old wounds. PG.12

Costs crunch farm sector. PG.21

NEWS ..................................................... 3-22 STOCKFEED ....................................23-30 ANIMAL HEALTH ...........................32-33 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS ......................................34-38

Get more with less this calving season

WITH THE dust wiped from the tables of the food service industry and restrictions eased, people have been out in droves enjoying some long-awaited freedom.

However, as Dairy Australia’s May Situation and Outlook report has discussed, COVID-19 cases are not the only thing running rampant since the opening of domestic and international borders.

Consumers’ food expenditure has also notched up some serious growth.

Cafe and restaurant spending has surged over the three months to February compared to the same period in 2021, even tracking above pre-pandemic levels.

Yet, at the same time, supermarket spending remains strong — inflation has hit the supermarket shelves.

Inflationary pressures are being felt right across the supply chain, flowing through to the consumer and underpinning continued supermarket sales strength.

It is no secret since the start of 2022, grocery bills have become larger (and not necessarily longer), with many products increasing in price.

Unlike much of the 2010s, dairy is very much part of this.

For the 12 weeks to March 27, the average per unit prices of fresh milk and long life milk increased 5.4 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively, compared to the same period the previous year (1). Additionally, the average per unit price of butter rose 2.7 per cent (2).

At the same time, the volumes of white milk and butter sold have decreased.

While a shift in shopper behaviour has driven this change, the data suggests it does not reflect consumer resistance to increased retail prices, but rather the reflection of a sustained change in behaviour from the pandemic.

Trips to the supermarket became less frequent, as volume purchased and spend per trip were significantly higher than before the pandemic.

This trend continues to evolve, as society balances the new flexibility between working

from home and going back to the office, with trip frequency continuing to decline.

Dairy Australia has previously reported that 98 per cent of households purchase dairy milk and this holds true, despite decrease in volume sold.

Dairy’s status as a staple product offers significant advantage, in that increased retail prices are less likely to curb consumer demand, but rather shift the way consumers purchase their dairy needs (that is, purchase more private label products compared to branded).

The prospect of consumers gravitating towards alternatives in the face of higher dairy prices also exists, but looks to be of minimal consequence.

Research has illustrated perceptions around health and sustainability are significant drivers to the switch to alternatives, as opposed to financial circumstances.

In any case, broader inflationary pressures are affecting alternatives, too. Average per unit values of plant-based beverages (PBB) increased 4.9 per cent in the 12 weeks to March 27, compared to the same period in 2021, with the most significant rise in the almond milk category (11 per cent) (3).

Prices have also been rising for butter’s long-established substitute, margarine, up 7.9 per cent (4).

Cheese has far fewer substitutes, and as such, financial pressure is more likely to see

consumers move towards lower cost formats such as blocks, rather than individual slices, and could reduce the volume purchased of more discretionary entertaining-style cheeses.

It appears that across the dairy case, the more discretionary-style products appear to be most at risk if consumer spending pulls back and inflation bites harder.

Looking forward, it is likely with continued input and production pressure, the rise of retail prices is far from over.

This will support overall supermarket spending despite shopper behaviour continuing to evolve.

While overall purchased volumes of dairy may decline, and the ways in which consumers purchase their needs shift, dairy will continue to be widely consumed in households across Australia.

Source: ABS and Dairy Australia Footnotes:

1: NielsenIQ Homescan based on a continuous panel of 10,000 households; excludes non-private dwellings and businesses, non-permanently occupied households and out-of-home/impulse purchasing. Dairy Australia calculation based in part on data reported by NielsenIQ through its Homescan Service for the dairy category for the 12-week period ending March 27, 2022, for the total Australian market, according to the NielsenIQ standard product hierarchy. Copyright 2022, Nielsen Consumer LLC. 2, 3 & 4: As above.

Automatic calf feeding with DeLaval Calf Feeder CF1000S Unlock up to 8% more milk from your cows at first lactation** and spend more time on other activities with up to 90% less time spent mixing, feeding and cleaning equipment.

A DeLaval Calf Feeder CF1000S can feed up to 4 calves at once (and up to 120 calves in total), all while automatically identifying and adapting portions to each calf’s individual feeding plan.

Spend up to

90%

less time feeding calves this season*

Order yours today To order your DeLaval Calf Feeder CF1000S talk to your trusted DeLaval dealer today or give us a call on 1800 817 199. *Compared to manual feeding. **Based on research by F. Soberon, M. E. Van Amburgh, 2014

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

4 // NEWS

Power supply fears fuel frustration THE NATION’S power supply crisis and

the prospect of rising prices are frustrating Victorian farmers.

Victoria’s power supply was largely secure during the crisis because of its connections to the Snowy Hydro scheme and the Latrobe Valley’s coal-fired power stations, but farmers are worried power shortfalls could become more common as the energy industry transitions away from fossil fuels.

Bruce Knowles, a dairy farmer from Tyrendarra in south-west Victoria and a United Dairyfarmers of Victoria policy council representative, said farmers needed to be prudent as input costs close in on profits.

He said prices for power, fertiliser and fuel were becoming an issue of concern for everyone, including dairy farmers.

“The autumn break was a bit late and when we finally got our rain it has been very cold,” Bruce said.

“It’s a problem not only for dairy farmers; the whole community has had to increase heating.”

Farmers are starting to worry.

“It is being talked about and there are concerns coming through,” Bruce said.

“Our communities and farm businesses are very vulnerable now. The prices are good but the inputs are rising well above one kg/MS over the past six months.”

He said farmers could make a profit on current margins “but our concern is that the way things are heading with inflationary trends with inputs like fertiliser and power, that margin is going to close quite dramatically”.

“The farming community should be prudent and very conscious that the gap between the dairy price and cost of production is going to close.

“The world is in a very fragile spot and the last thing dairy farmers want is to be on the back end of a world event that sees our prices reduced, which is a possibility.”

Bruce has long campaigned for improved power infrastructure and transmission lines for dairy farmers in south-west Victoria and said that push was more important than ever.

“The lack of investment in power infrastructure is still a major concern,” he said.

“Many farmers have invested quite heavily in generators as back-up for security of power supply.”

Gordon Emmett runs a 200-head dairy farm at Stanhope in northern Victoria and

acknowledged the energy issue was frustrating to watch.

“It annoys me. The whole thing has been mismanaged,’’ Gordon said.

“For ages we were told to put solar in and power prices will go down, but it doesn’t matter how many solar panels you put in, the price keeps going up.

“We’ve got three solar systems on our farm.

“In our region most of our power would come from the Snowy Hydro I think, and maybe Latrobe, but most from hydro.

“The real question is what will they do to us if Melbourne starts running out of power?”

Merrigum dairy farmers Jamie Walford and Sally Rowe recently moved to northern Victoria from the south-west of the state.

“I know if it ever got bad, they’d take our power to protect Melbourne,” Sally said.

“We’ve got no generators on the farm. We’ve had a few people come out to look at solar, but that will take some time.”

Wyuna East dairy farmer Julie Young runs a 450-milking herd and was worried about energy prices going forward.

“I’m concerned about the power,’’ Julie said.

“We recently changed power providers because our energy bill doubled.

“Switching power providers almost halved it.

I think it brought our bill back to the original price, give or take two cents.

“The interesting thing is the original energy provider told me to switch providers.

“I was already doing it, but it was strange they admitted I should go.”

Yarroweyah dairy farmer Daryl Iskov said the headlines prompted him to go out and buy his farm’s first generator.

“We’ve purchased a generator because of all this and we reckon we’re going to need it,’’ Daryl said.

“We’ve never had a generator before this.”

Meanwhile, many Victorian households are now being paid less for the power their home solar cells generate.

The Essential Services Commission has allowed power retailers to pay less for the feedin tariff due to a decision made in February.

The commission forecasted that wholesale power prices would fall mid-year, and hence approved a drop in the feed-in tariff from July 1.

A spokesperson for the commission said there was no provision to review the annual decision in the light of rising power prices.

HOT MILK PRICES REACH BOILING POINT

BY Daneka Hill As the new milk year loomed processors were keen to raise the stakes.

On June 21, Saputo increased its opening weighted average milk price to $9.10/kg of milk solids and then again to $9.40 on June 29.

Fonterra increased its 2022-23 average milk price to $9.10/kg MS on June 22 and then late at night, on June 23, Bulla Dairy Foods stepped up again — ensuring the majority of its suppliers will now receive between $9.50 and $9.80/kg MS. ACM’s opening average weighted price was $8.60/kg MS ($9/kg MS organic).

On June 29 Burra Foods confirmed an increase to $9.10 - $9.50/kg MS. “It is definitely a sellers’ market and we have been monitoring announcements on a daily basis,” Burra Foods chief executive Stewart Carson said.

Meanwhile relatively new kid on the block Goulburn Valley Creamery further increased its

average milk price to $9.75/kg MS on June 30.

Northern Victorian dairy farmers were pleased with the higher prices.

Yarroweyah dairy farmer Daryl Iskov said he couldn’t believe the milk prices.

“The milk price is great, I’ve never seen it so good in all my life — and I’m an old farmer,” Daryl said.

Gordon Emmett milks about 200 head at Stanhope and said the milk prices were good.

“It’s where it needs to be for the cost of the inputs,” Gordon said.

“I can see us making a profit. We supply ACM. We originally went for ACM because they had a good price and we switched over the year of the walk-backs, so it worked out for us.

“ACM guaranteed they’ll pay 10 cents more than Bega. But really, let’s face it, everyone is paying a good price this year.”

Bamawm farmer Mark Gardiner runs a 1000-cow dairy and supplies Noumi (formerly Freedom Foods).

“The milk price is fantastic. These are

large enough increases that we’ll see a larger profit margin, even allowing for the cost of grain,” Mark said.

Wyuna East dairy farmer Julie Young also supplies Noumi.

“The price is going in the right direction,” she said.

Merrigum dairy farmers Jamie Walford and Sally Rowe recently started their own dairy and are milking about 80 head.

“Because input prices have gone up, it’s not like our profit margin has increased,” Sally said.

“We are with ACM. They came to use very early with a really good deal. We are happy sticking with them because they are easy to deal with and when you need something, they’re there.”

Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker described Fonterra’s $9.10/ kg MS offering as “pretty healthy”.

He said the competition at the moment was “pretty hardy”.

Farm Mapping Services have been mapping farms since 1997.

Mappers in Tasmania, Victoria & South Australia High quality maps provide clarity and ease of communication to both staff and suppliers.

Specialist maps available for dairy, crops, herd, OH&S, irrigation and more.

Each map is custom made for your needs. enquiries@farmmappingservices.com.au 1300 521 002 www.farmmappingservices.com.au

Saputo and Fonterra increased their milk prices to $9.10/kg MS, while Bulla jumped to $9.50-$9.80/kg MS, in the weeks leading up to the new milk season.

“What you’re seeing is demand exceeding supply and that always drives prices.

“As we perform, as time goes on, as we land contracts, we continually review our milk price ... the last two years have demonstrated that if it is earned, it is shared.”

The 2022-23 milk season started on Friday, July 1.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

NEWS // 5

Farmers protest wind farm DAIRY FARMERS are among those protesting a proposed wind farm on prime agricultural land in south-west Victoria.

The farmers rallied to protest the wind farm on June 18, by taking about 15 tractors decorated with placards to the Ecklin Community Hall where the company proposing the Mumblin Wind Farm was holding drop-in meetings with locals.

Glenfyne dairy farmer Dennis Rosolin said the turbines were too close to homes, would take away prime agricultural land and be an eyesore.

“We’re not opposed to wind farms, just the location,” Dennis said.

There is a worry some farmers won’t be able to use fertilisers in the spring because of the blades and that buffer zones (a one kilometre exclusion zone between houses and wind turbine developments) will impact on adjoining farms.

The tractor rally was organised by the Ecklin-Elingamite-Glenfyne Community Association Stop Mumblin Wind Farm group.

The group is objecting to the proposed location on the basis the turbines will impact on farming operations, damage the rural lifestyle, threaten swamps and local birds, and reduce land values.

If approved the Mumblin Wind Farm would have 10 to 15 wind turbines generating enough power for 35,000 homes.

The wind farm is being proposed by RE Future, a Geelong-based company with a focus on developing wind generation in Victoria.

The company is Australian owned and investigates Victoria’s wind topography and the state

of regional electricity grids to “identify new and previously overlooked locations for the establishment of wind generation facilities”, its website states.

RE Future mainly operates by securing development approvals and shipping the unstarted projects around to investors.

All the directors were former team members on one of Victoria’s leading independent wind farm developers, Future Energy, which was acquired by a Germany company in 2017.

Elingamite North dairy farmer Linda Morgan said the rally to the hall demonstrated the depth of her community’s concern.

“RE Future set it up for one-on-one consultations but it was an opportunity for us to bring our tractors and show this is agricultural land and we want to protect it,” Linda said.

“We’ve written to the company and asked questions but had no response, so we’ve come here today to get some answers. This could have been avoided with earlier consultation.”

Local resident Bob Donovan said south-west Victoria was home to an increasing number of wind farms but it was also a vitally important intensive agricultural region.

“There are a lot of people living in this area,” Bob said.

“If the wind farm went further north, there are huge properties and they won’t bother anyone.”

The group has employed lawyer Dominica Tannock from DTS Legal in Melbourne, who successfully represented Bald Hill wind farm objectors in South Gippsland.

South-west Victorian dairy farmers Dennis Rosolin and Linda Morgan attended the protest.

Farmers took about 15 tractors adorned with signs such as ‘No Wind Farms Here’ and ‘No Turbines Near Our Homes’ to the Ecklin Community Hall. Tractors were used to show how the district was prime agricultural land.

How a wind farm over agricultural land will likely be set up, with turbines spaced out over the landscape.

Spring into Spring with Bega Benefits of supplying Bega: • • • • •

Friendly efficient service Field Officers that work to help you Competitive milk price Bega Better Farms program Farm support programs

Be a part of the Great Australian Food Company

Australians supporting Australians

Call our Milk Supply team today for more information Phone: 1800 722 683 Web: https://www.begacheese.com.au/farm-services/

Save yourself from hoof hassles Strong, Easy, and Safe.

Proven on thousands of farms since 1995.

Braked winches, easy access All cow handling tasks Essential for every Cowshed.

“Make itit quick, quick,easy, easy,&&safe safe “Make & staff staff will will happily happilydo do hooves.” hooves.” & Stock available for direct delivery

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

6 // NEWS

Birthday party for factory GEOFF ADAMS

THE DAIRY town of Stanhope has celebrated the 100th birthday of its milk processing factory.

The event attracted more than 300 people from around Victoria, many of whom had some

connection with the factory’s history— first as an independent co-operative and later owned by Ibis and Bonlac.

Its current owner, Fonterra, has invested heavily in the site, following a fire in 2014 that destroyed the cheesemaking plant.

The new cheesemaking plant, more than doubled in capacity, produces the Perfect Italiano Mozzarella, which is widely used on pizzas.

On June 26, Fonterra organised a community fun day to mark the anniversary (delayed by one

year due to COVID-19) and arranged tours of the factory, across the road from Stanhope’s community hall.

In 2015 the town, on the Midland Highway between Shepparton and Bendigo, was named as Dairy Australia’s Legendairy community.

The crowd hears the opening welcome at the Stanhope Fonterra factory celebrations in June.

Lillian Hancock, 11, from Stanhope was introduced to a chihuahua at the animal petting experience at the Stanhope Fonterra factory celebrations.

Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker chats with Gordon Emmett and supplier Leighton West on a factory tour at the Stanhope celebrations.

Cheese technologist David Mellor was kept busy supplying the tasting table at the Stanhope Fonterra factory’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker sampled a 100th anniversary cup cake at Stanhope.

Advertising Max Hyde 0408 558 938 max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Fiona Lloyd (03) 5820 3254 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd.

Regional editor news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

Campaspe Shire Mayor Chrissy Weller, Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, Stanhope Fonterra factory manager Steve Taylor and Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker prepare the contents for a time capsule to be buried at the Stanhope factory.

Publisher Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd Printed by Newsprinters Pty Ltd Head Office 7940 Goulburn Valley Highway Shepparton, VIC 3630 Phone (03) 5831 2312 Postal address PO Box 204 Shepparton, Victoria 3632 Australia

WWW.DAIRYNEWSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

Dairy News Australia welcomes contributions from stakeholders in the dairy industry, and particularly from organisations wishing to advance the industry.

Contributions and photos can be sent to: editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Letters to the editor on topical issues are also welcome.

Letters should be concise and carry the name and town address of the author, as well as a contact phone number, not for publication.

We’ve Got You Covered.

Partner up up with with CowManager CowManager and Partner andrun runyour yourfarm farm based on based on proactive proactivecow cowdata. data.Monitor Monitoryour yourherd’s herd’s health, fertility, health, fertility,and andnutrition nutrition24/7.

24/7.Nothing Nothingslips slips through the the cracks. cracks.

CowManager is the only cow monitoring system to efficiently combine ear temperature with activity and rumination information.

Save time and medical expenses, improve your herd’s general health and increase milk production.

Scan the QR Code and Discover: - How CowManager makes your life easier - What data you could have at your fingertips - Why farmers highly recommend our system

www.cowmanager.com/Austr alia www.cowmanager.com/Australia Paul Quinlan T 0447 047 425 E pquinlan@wwsaustralia.com pquinlan@wwsaustralia.com

Jun-2022-DNA-Full-Page-Ad.indd Jun-2022-DNA-Full-Page-Ad.indd 11

17/05/2022 17/05/2022 11:51:00 11:51:00

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

8 // NEWS

Back in the conference room

The Dairy Research Foundation Symposium will be held on July 19 and 20 on the NSW mid-north coast.

THIS YEAR’S Dairy Research Foundation

Symposium returns to a face-to-face format, combining a series of guest speakers on day one with on-farm sessions on day two.

It will be held on July 19 and 20 on the NSW mid-north coast, at Club Forster in Forster and visiting Manning Valley Dairy at Taree.

With the theme of ‘Unlocking the Potential’, the program tackles issues such as ways to reduce income volatility, thriving after adversity, what young employees want and results from the first year of Dairy UP research projects.

A variety of panel discussions will bring perspectives from farmers, leading researchers, advisers and the industry’s next generation.

Day one Tuesday, July 19, from 10 am to 4 pm, at Club Forster.

Opening session with Jane Sherborne, Dairy Research Foundation president; Niall Blair, Dairy UP Board chair; and Prof Yani Garcia, DRF director and Dairy UP lead.

Session one: Lifting dairy productivity and profitability through farm intensification.

Hear the pros, cons, dollars and sense of this hot topic. Guest farmers include Colin Thompson (Cowra) and Simon Scowen (Taree), along with Ian Lean (Scibus), Karen Romano (Dairy Australia) and Sheena Carter (NSW DPI).

Session two: Managing people and climatic adversity to de-risk dairying.

A panel of young agriculture graduates share what motivated them to choose a dairy career,

elements of the job and conditions they value and what would tempt them to move on.

Find out how some dairy farmers manage to not only overcome extreme climate events, but also grow in the process. Hear from dairy consultant Neil Moss (Scibus) with dairy farmers Trevor Middlebrook (Taree) and Sam Nicholson (Taree).

Session three: Better milk and dairy beef markets coping with price volatility.

A new range of market options such as future markets and supply chain agreements, commonly used in other industries, are now becoming available for dairy and beef products. Cameron Renshaw (Calflink), Tim Jude (StoneX) and Scott Briggs (AMPI) explain what is in it for Australian dairy farmers.

The symposium dinner will be held from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm.

YOUNG LEADER HAS STORY TO TELL Bronte Gorringe wants to share her love of agriculture with the world and says there’s a good story to tell.

Bronte was sponsored by DemoDAIRY Foundation to attend the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program and says the week reignited her desire to tell her story in agriculture.

“Consumers want to feel involved in agriculture and not just the romanticised idea of it,” she said.

“They want to see the everyday — not every story has negative connotations.

“We see so many things that are amazing in our everyday lives that other people don’t.

“We see new animals born, swans building nests on dams, paddocks turn from dust to a beautiful deep green — but we often get lost in the mundane of the day-to-day when we should reflect and admire the good things, too.”

Bronte has always aspired to be a leader, and the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program has strengthened her passion.

“I would highly recommend this course for any individual at any age or stage of their career,” she said.

“There was something for everyone and a lot of key takeaways that I will be trying to implement going forward.

“Marcus Oldham is known for its outstanding agricultural education program, and the presentation of this rural leadership program was no exception.”

An assistant agribusiness manager with ANZ in Hamilton, in south-west

Victoria, Bronte worked on a dairy farm during her schooling and was an assistant farm manager for a year.

She is also on the Career Advisory Panel for the Great South West Food and Fibre Council, and is an industry advocate for the Cows Create Careers school program.

Bronte was one of 27 emerging agricultural leaders taking part in the program.

“It was exciting to see the number of people who worked within the dairy industry, both on-farm in their own businesses and those in the wider supporting agricultural and dairy service industries.”

She was particularly impressed by the speakers on emotional intelligence, Indigenous Australia and engaging with the public.

“We spent a lot of time learning to understand why people behave the way they do, the art of presenting feedback, the characteristics of an admired leader, the difference between management and leadership and our personal values.”

Bronte thanked DemoDAIRY Foundation for its sponsorship.

DemoDAIRY Foundation is keen to sponsor more people in the farming industry to attend this course.

More information can be found at www.demodairy.com.au/scholarshipsand-grants/ or from DemoDAIRY Foundation secretary Ian Teese on 0427 358 987 or itag@bigpond.com

Day two Wednesday, July 20, from 9 am to 1 pm, at Manning Valley Dairy.

Station one: Dairy UP’s project ‘Remote management of grazing and feeding’.

Station two: Manning Valley Dairy’s dairy beef/Wagyu system.

Station three: Manning Valley Dairy’s intensification planning.

Emerging scientists competition.

For more information or to register, go to bit.ly/3HjlGBv or phone Kirsty Jaensch on (02) 4601 8823 or email: kirsty.jaensch@ sydney.edu.au

Bronte Gorringe was sponsored by DemoDAIRY Foundation to attend the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program.

Change the way you see nutrition.

At CopRice, we’re committed to delivering nutritional solutions that drive the profitability and long-term success of pasture-based dairy production systems. Our team of nutritionists and locally-based advisors use the latest research and technology, backed by extensive local experience and training, to develop practical feeding solutions that help you to get the greatest return on your investment. Book an obligation-free on-farm consultation and find out how CopRice can deliver a nutrition program that really stacks up.

1800 267 742 coprice.com.au

®Registered trademark of CopRice, a division of Ricegrowers Limited. CPA21505B

NUTRITION THAT STACKS UP

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

10 // NEWS

Building the next generation EVERY FARMER knows the value of the next

Matt Glowrey with the new shed.

generation.

They are the future of the business and underpin profitability for years to come.

So, it’s no surprise that one Swan Hill dairy farmer has invested in his youth to ensure they fulfil their potential.

Third-generation dairy farmer Matt Glowrey is now rearing 1200 calves under the shelter of a new Entegra Ridgeback shed.

For him, protecting the business’ youngest animals from hot northern Victorian summer days and keeping them dry during winter makes financial sense.

“Having healthy calves in our dairy business is integral to the end-point which is making milk,” Matt said.

“If we can grow a stronger, healthier calf fast — at the start of her life — and maintain that growth throughout its life, it will be a bigger, healthier cow when she has her first calf.

“So ultimately from that fact alone, we will be having a better cow in the herd so more dollars in our pocket.”

The 150-metre long and 32-metre wide Ridgeback houses a mixture of heifer and bull calves, with Matt noticing a difference in the first sheltered calves almost immediately.

“We put 200 calves in there just prior to Christmas, in the summertime,” he said.

“Ultimately nothing changed with the man-

agement of those calves, everything was the same, their pen size, they had the same pellets and water — nothing had changed, whatsoever.

“The only difference was they had the shade structure and airflow and those calves changed within a week. It was amazing.

“They were probably the best calves, and we’ve been rearing good calves, but with these calves, it was amazing the difference the removal of that heat made for them.”

Research supports heifer growth In 2013, Dairy Australia estimated it cost $1300 to $1500 to rear a dairy heifer to the point of calving at two years old.

DA said a heifer should be 85 per cent of her mature weight when she calves for the first time for optimum health — including fertility — and increased production.

If a heifer doesn’t reach this weight by two years old, and instead calves six months later at 30 months old, her rearing costs increase $266 to a total between $1566 and $1766.

DA said this meant the average cost of rearing a heifer was reduced if the average age of first calving was reduced.

For Matt, heifer productivity comes down to early and sustained growth.

He wants all his young stock to perform, and to achieve this, it’s meant improving the tail-end calves.

Simplify & maximise the profitability of your joining season The Winning Game Plan aims to maximise the potential of every animal in your herd. By using Sexcel®, you can generate all replacements from the highest performing animals in your herd and convert bobby calves into high-value beef cattle with Beef InFocus™.

More info:

1800 ABS BULL | www.absglobal.com/au | ABS.AU.Info@genusplc.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

NEWS // 11 “We did a hell of a lot of drafting during the drought, offering the bottom-end of the calf mob to China for export,” Matt said, “We would have drafted thousands of animals and you’d go through a mob and get to the bottom and think ‘why are you here? I’ve just spent a year-and-a-half to two years getting you to this point and you are not what I want’.

“Obviously the genetics are already there, and the story isn’t over when they leave the shed, we have to maintain their growth until they calve, but it’s about getting everything right at the start too, when they come in.”

Management made easier The Glowreys have always reared “good” calves according to Matt — even if they were housed in an old dairy, a disused piggery, hayshed and outdoor pens — as the farm business grew.

But now, Matt believes the Ridgeback will provide the final piece of their calf-rearing puzzle to grow even groups of healthy calves, ultimately improving the tail-end.

Feeding quality colostrum to calves in their first few days of life has always been a priority for the Glowrey dairy business.

But now, with the Ridgeback, this is much easier to manage.

“We have two full-time people in the shed all year round,” Matt said.

“Then we have 0.5 of a labour unit working around the edges, maintaining, and testing the quality of the colostrum that comes into feed all the calves to ensure they have the best possible immunity.

“That person is also responsible for identifying any veterinarian work or health issues that come up.”

An autumn downpour of 70 mm proved the value of the Ridgeback.

“Normally if the calves were outdoors, we’d have to deal with bedding and wet feed and all that sort of thing,” Matt said.

“The shed just maintains that health of the calves and we are rearing better calves, that are putting more weight on earlier. It’s also easier to manage because it is all under one roof.

“You can easily justify it (the shed) by seeing how well the calves are growing.”

Growing family business Glowrey Dairies is a 1600-cow, year-round milking operation run across nearly 2023 hectares near Swan Hill.

Matt works on-farm with son Dallas and daughter Josie, who is also studying agriculture at La Trobe University.

In 2013 the family set to double the size of their business and they have achieved this, along with their plan to boost self-sufficiency.

They grow corn, pasture, vetch and cereals for hay and silage, making the most of the recent years with low irrigation water prices and increased land availability.

Grain continues to be bought-in, as well as some corn silage and vetch hay, but Matt said prioritising feed self-sufficiency was important for business sustainability.

“It takes the bumps out of our budget because when there is a pinch in feed prices, such as during drought or high water prices, the cost of fodder at least doubles and it leaves quite a big shortfall in our budget,” he said.

“So, if we can at least even that out it’s a huge win as fodder is one of our biggest expenses.”

Matt Glowrey noticed an improvement in calf condition under the new shelter.

The 150-metre long shed housing heifer and bull calves.

How can you manage rumen health, ionophore free?

Contact Ajay Agarwal – 0455 773 707 ajay.agarwal@ew-nutrition.com ew-nutrition.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

12 // NEWS

Disease opens old wounds

BY GEOFF ADAMS

THE SPECTRE of the foot and mouth disease

outbreak in Indonesia has brought a flood of confronting memories back for Benalla veterinary surgeon Bill Sykes, who worked on a United Kingdom outbreak 20 years ago.

He can still remember the faces and reactions when UK farmers were told their whole herds or flocks had to be slaughtered to curb the spread of the dreaded disease.

The epidemic and the culling program claimed more than six million pigs, sheep and cattle in 2001.

Dr Sykes spent six weeks working for the UK Ministry of Agriculture in the northern Yorkshire area, the background for the James Herriot books documenting the life of a rural vet (All Creatures Great and Small).

“Initially I didn’t want to go because I thought it would be too overwhelming, but I decided to go in May and my initial concerns proved correct,” he said.

“I’ve been involved in the culling and slaughtering of animals before, but this was huge.

“They were some months into the culling when we drove from York into the countryside and we discovered whole valleys without livestock. The nothingness was eerie.

TL30.60 | TL35.70 | TL38.70 | TL43.80 | T40.180 |

“We found a place that was like an island, because the older farmer had a flock of sheep when there were none on the neighbour’s paddock.”

Dr Sykes recalled the apprehension, grief and pain in the man’s eyes as they discussed whether his flock would be taken out.

A perverse irony for Bill is that he has formed lifelong, long distance relationships with the gracious people on farms where he had to supervise the destruction of their herds or flocks.

Some he helped to save, but many fell victim to the cull.

Dr Sykes said border controls were important, as Australia’s biggest risk was probably through illegal, undetected meat imports and through fishing boats making contact with our coast.

“The dead virus has been discovered in confiscated meat products.”

Containing the disease threat was about quarantining, early detection and tracing, he said.

Feeding animal products to pigs has been banned in Victoria because of the role in pigs being a multiplier of the disease, but Dr Sykes is not convinced the informal practice, particularly in small herds, has been wiped out.

“It’s a matter of risk and risk management.

You can’t have a situation involving the movement of livestock with zero risk.”

Dr Sykes said as well as the authorities having to be on alert, farmers should be vigilant in

Veterinarian Bill Sykes on his Benalla property. He was working in the UK 20 years ago during a major foot and mouth disease outbreak.

monitoring health of their livestock and he suggested any unexplained deaths or suspicious symptoms should be reported immediately because of the risk of exotic diseases, not just foot and mouth.

Farmers who had heavily invested in genetics could protect their future by storing the genetics in semen or embryos, he said.

Dr Sykes is farming at Benalla with Wagyucross cattle on 200 hectares.

6m 7m 7m 8m 18m

www.bobcatofaustralia.com.au

Bobcat Australia

clark@clarkequipment.com

bobcatofaustralia

1300 736 848

Bobcat Australia

INTRODUCING THE ALLFLEX® DAIRY MONITORING EXTENDED PAYMENT PLAN

At Allflex, we’re all about making things easier for dairy farmers.

That’s why we’ve developed 24 months extended payment terms* for our dairy monitoring systems. Now you don’t have to wait to experience the huge difference that accurate and timely data can make to your business and your family.

24 months

interest free payment terms for greater flexibility.

Choice of smart ear tags or smart collars.

Up-to-theminute insights to give you more time with your two-legged family.

A range of data dashboards for all farm types.

Mobile device friendly.

www.allflex.com.au | 1300 138 247 * Allflex® Livestock Monitoring Systems are a range of products sold by Intervet Australia Pty. Ltd, trading as MSD Animal Health. The Allflex® Livestock Intelligence Extended Payment Plan is only available where a new Allflex® Livestock Monitoring system, which includes neck or tag monitoring devices, application plans and system software licenses, is purchased and installed on a dairy farm in Australia. To be eligible for the Extended Payment Plan, customers must apply for, and be approved to open, a direct account with Intervet Australia Pty Ltd. Credit checks will be conducted. ® Registered trademarks. Copyright © 2022 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

14 // NEWS

Global output still falling “Seasonal conditions remain supportive for spring pasture growth, and water market conditions are good for irrigation farmers,” he said.

“Non-milk incomes remain elevated, supported by a very firm beef market.”

BY DANEKA HILL

RABOBANK’S LATEST global Dairy Quarterly

report said expectations of a weakening demand for dairy would lead to moderate price declines in late 2022.

On the other hand, global milk production is still declining for the fourth consecutive quarter.

Milk production in the ‘big seven’ dairy export regions (the European Union, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) has been contracting year-on-year for the past three quarters.

Rabobank forecasts this downward trend will continue for the Q2 2022 period — creating a four-quarter-long, back-to-back run of constricting milk supply — something that hasn’t been seen since 2012–13.

“The current slowdown in global milk output is directly related to higher costs of production and weather events,” the report said.

“In the past, production has recovered and surpassed previous peaks, but now there are structural issues that could limit a significant rebound in production from some key exporters.”

Australia At home there is widespread milk decline across all regions, but the record opening milk prices and revisions are providing cash flow and confidence to farmers.

New Zealand Kiwi farmers are anticipating another profitable season, but higher input costs will chew into margins.

South America Herd reduction continues as drought and high costs push farmers. Any rebound from the South America trio (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) will be slow as production costs remain high.

United States Limited growth in the milk pool has pushed domestic milk prices high, but demand at these levels is showing signs of hesitation, adding volatility to the market.

Inflation is another issue to be watched.

Input costs, a lack of labour and drought in the Americas continues to drive global milk production down.

European Union

Rabobank senior dairy analyst Michael Harvey said these milk prices were important as dairy farmers face cost headwinds.

“The cost of home-grown feed and supplementary feed will be more expensive, among other inflationary pressures,” Mr Harvey said.

China

“Against this backdrop, labour availability remains a handbrake on expansion. There is a likelihood that farm margins will be lower in the new season not higher, despite a circa 15 per cent lift in milk prices to record levels.”

Mr Harvey said there were bright spots on the horizon.

Rabobank doesn’t expect the EU milk pool to grow until the second half of the 2022 year due to low year-on-year comparables.

China’s carryover stocks and strong milk production growth overhands weak demand due to COVID-19 lockdowns, ill-boding for 2022’s import outlook.

LISMORE BUSINESSES UNITE IN HELP PLEA Norco may have to stand down 240 staff at its ice cream facility unless the state and federal governments provide more funding and expanded guidelines to help it and other Lismore businesses recover from devasting floods.

The bosses of Norco, Summerland Credit Union and Mountain Blue Farms, three major employers in region, have joined forces with Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg to highlight the impacts of information delays and funding limitations on the community.

Despite the guidelines for the Anchor Business Support Package funding being recently released, the businesses said there were no further steps or information on how to apply, leaving many Lismore businesses in a state of limbo and unable to plan for the future.

Norco chief executive Michael Hampson said that due to the extent of damage to their ice cream facility, they knew early on that they would need government support to recover and safeguard jobs, which was why they moved so quickly to have conversations with key decision makers.

“We are extremely grateful for the support received to date which has kept our workforce of 240 people gainfully employed for 16 weeks since the floods took place and enabled us to contribute significantly to the clean-up and rebuild of the Lismore community,” he said.

“However, that funding is due to end on July 15 and in the absence of any further details from the Federal Government, and confirmation that the state government won’t be contributing to any support package, we’ve been forced to make some very difficult business decisions.”

leading genomax ad BG 129x186 june22.indd 1

29/6/2022 7:38 am

He said unless further funding was forthcoming, all staff at Norco’s ice cream facility would be stood down from their jobs from July 15.

“And our calls for help are not just about Norco or the people we employ.

It’s about the families our workforce supports, the many small to medium businesses that rely on our operation, the economic contribution our business makes to the community of Lismore, and indeed the other businesses in the community that need further support.”

Cr Krieg said the future of the region relied heavily on investment and commitment from businesses, especially the so-called anchor businesses, which were not only major employers in region but contributed significantly to economic activity throughout the Northern Rivers.

“Without them, the future of Lismore and its economic rehabilitation is certainly at risk, which is why support and funding from both levels of government is so crucial; in fact, the future of Lismore relies on it,” Cr Krieg said “The reality is, to adequately support the needs of these businesses and safeguard jobs, the Anchor Business Support Package needs to be at least double what it currently is, and the NSW state government needs to contribute. “ Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt told The Guardian Australia the government was committed to helping the region recover and his department had been asked to “work closely with Norco and other local firms to support their rebuilding” and that “grant applications are now open and money will start flowing to businesses as soon as possible.”

A better view of your animals.

ORE M N R A LE

Animal Performance Web & mobile app

Take control of animal production with an all-in-one hardware and software solution that allows you to track livestock performance, make better decisions and grow your profit.

Discover more at am.gallagher.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

NEWS // 17

Continuing family traditions ROSS ANDERSON considers himself lucky

to have parents who were enthusiastic about new ideas.

“Mum and Dad always had a big focus on being early adopters and trying to create efficiencies,” the Victorian dairy farmer said.

“I’m happy to continue that.”

Ross and his partner Jenny are in the process of taking over the family’s Denison farm from parents Graeme and Chris Anderson, who have always looked into every opportunity to increase farm sustainability and profitability.

The farm runs 500 crossbreed milking cows in the Macalister Irrigation District — Gippsland’s dairy heartland.

Innovations over the past decade include installation of 60 kW solar power for the dairy and three on-farm houses, automated irrigation, three-way crossbreeding with the addition of VikingRed, a monitoring system and an upcoming spray rig.

Crossbreeding four ways The farm has been crossbreeding for decades — originally with Jersey and Friesian, more recently with Brown Swiss and, for the past two years, with VikingRed. “We weren’t getting the quality and availability of Brown Swiss so we looked into VikingRed

and found they are robust and would make a really good cross,” Ross said.

“The third cross gives a great opportunity to really develop the animal and improve on fertility and health.”

The addition of VikingRed has been an instant hit.

“The calves are beautiful and we can’t wait to get them mated and milked in coming years,” Ross said.

“We’re pretty excited about them.”

The introduction of VikingRed has also helped with fertility.

“The last two matings have been with Reds,” Ross said.

“We are mating autumn calvers now and this is our second go with the sexed semen. We’re trying to do the right thing and go away from bobby calves.

“We’re using sexed and beef semen, which The farm’s crossbreed herd is part Jersey, Friesian, Brown Swiss and VikingRed. helps our sustainability and it’s going well finan“Depending on what time we milk and the Ross expects ongoing financial benefits with cially while there’s demand for beef calves.” weather conditions, we can cover a fair bit of the power prices going up. power for that milking.”

Solar system pays off The solar system also runs pumps, crushers Technology makes a difference When considering ways to reduce their environmental footprint while saving money, the Ander- and other equipment during the day, allowing a A new $20,000 monitoring system monitors sons invested $120,000 in a 60 kW solar system shift from night-time off-peak work, leading to grain levels in silos, water in tanks for the farm and hot water for the plant. on the dairy and farm houses. more efficiencies.

The system makes sure the right levels of “At full tilt when the dairy is running, we use Installed five years ago, the solar system has chemicals are being dispensed for the washes. all 60 kW,” Ross said. already paid for itself.

Continued, page 18

dairy housing for a more profitable future

Founded over 35 years ago, Entegra is a shed manufacturer that invests significantly in research and development to enhance the capability for complex engineering tasks.

entegra.com.au 1300 296 206

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

18 // NEWS Continued from page 17

Collars were added to the cows five years ago for heat detection and health alerts, creating efficiencies in labour and contributing to improvements in herd health and fertility.

Irrigation has been automated to improve labour and water-use efficiency.

“Water is limited so we’ve always been conscious of being smart with its use and not wasting it,” Ross said.

“We have a lot of catchments and no water now leaves the farm; we catch it and re-use it.”

Maximising all inputs This year pit silage has been introduced to decrease the amount of disposable plastic.

“The year before we did 2000 bales and wrapped every one individually,” Ross said.

“This last season we did about the same number and put them in three pit stacks. We used reusable gravel bags of tyres and tarps, which means a lot less plastic.”

The next investment is a Tow and Fert spray rig, which will be in use from September, using agitators that turn urea into liquid so it can be sprayed instead of spreading granules.

“It will reduce the amount of nitrogen that we use while getting a greater impact on growth,” Ross said.

“We hope it will pay for itself by growing more feed for less cost.”

Apart from 2.5 to 3 tonnes of grain fed in the dairy, all feed is home-grown. Even the grain is fed in an efficient manner.

“We have milk meters and each cow is fed based on their production,” Ross said.

“We want them to hit their peak and hopefully maintain for as long as possible.”

Efficient and sustainable The Andersons milk off a 120-hectare home farm, supported by a 180-hectare block for young stock.

They have a high stocking rate so they need to be efficient.

A new dairy was built in 2009 — including automatic teat spray and cup removers —

making it a one-person operation to improve labour efficiency.

Ross continues to makes conscious decisions to be more sustainable, not only leading to environmental improvements but to better profitability.

He’s keen to pursue new ideas as they emerge and is appreciating VikingGenetics’ commitment to data and innovation.

“The way technology has developed and the world has become smaller, it’s great to be able to access webinars out of Europe and see what is happening.

“VikingGenetics is doing a great job in collecting data about bulls and heifers.”

After 15 years working on the farm, Ross Anderson is taking over the reins from his parents and plans to continue his family’s legacy of being early adopters.

INTRODUCING THE WWS SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE

IDENTIFYING GENETICS TO MAKE YOUR HERD MORE SUSTAINABLE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME DAIRY FARMS TODAY ARE MORE SUSTAINABLE THAN EVER BEFORE with higher production per cow and fewer resources required for each kg of milk produced.

Fodder and grass production, along with herd management tools and balancing herd inventory are all keys to your sustainable approach.

Many advances have occurred in the genetic industry, starting with frozen semen and more recently sexed semen and commercial IVF. Along with these technologies, genomics has changed the speed at which we are able to make genetic progress in our herds. By focusing on economic traits included in HHP$ and BPI, this Sustainability Guide provides you with targeted genetic options to genetically develop a sustainable herd by creating profitable, long lasting cows.

FREEBORN

IDEAL SUSTAINABILITY SIRE!

7HO13981 SANDY-VALLEY BD FREEBORN-ET BANDARES X KINGBOY X SUPERSIRE

TR TP TC TY TV TL TD HH1T HH2T HH3T HH4T HH5T HH6T

Ladys-Manor Freborn Lilly GP-81

A2A2

557 BPI

HIGH BPI: 557 | SUPER HHP$: +814 SUPER UDDERS: 106 MAMMARY QUICK MILKING SPEED: 103 EASY DOERS: 105 LIKE | 102 TEMP FERTILITY: 111 DTR FERTILITY HIGH COMPONENTS: +0.41%F +0.31%P

-0.17 STATURE

1.25 UDDERS

76 LB. SOLIDS

4.7 PL

gender SELECTED is a trademark of Select Sires Inc. Ultraplus™ is a trademark of STGen LLC. All gender SELECTED semen is processed using Ultraplus™ technology. 04/22 CDCB, HA and Australia data. Rel. BPI 72%, Rel. Type 95%, Rel. Production 99%, Rel. PL 89%.

™

®

Check out the Sustainability Guide here

WORLD WIDE SIRES Phone (03) 5831 5559 • info@wwsaustralia.com

Small photo: Rodney and Eleanor Brown, Kirkstall, Victoria. Photo by Chloe Brown.

Holstein scenic: Phillip and Julieanne Bond herd, Taroon, Victoria. Photo by Phillip Bond.

Product of the USA

HERE FOR YOU.

814 HHP$

wwsaustralia.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

NEWS // 19

Good planning reaps rewards VICTORIAN DAIRY farmer Nicole Saunders has taken out the 2022 Rabobank Business Management Prize from a field of some of Australia’s leading farmers.

Nicole, who operates a dairy business near Maffra in Gippsland, Victoria, was recognised with the award for the strategic business plan she developed for her enterprise, after completing the Rabobank Farm Managers Program, a specialist course designed to strengthen the operational and strategic skills of emerging farmers.

The plan — which the 29-year-old developed as a management project after undertaking the manager’s program — is already delivering tangible benefits to farm profitability and sustainability, helping to transform the operation she began with her husband Brendan after the couple moved to Australia from New Zealand just five years ago.

The Rabobank Farm Managers Program is an annually-held course developed for farmers looking to enhance their management capabilities.

The program covers topics including global trends in agriculture, business planning, financial management, leadership and succession planning.

Taking the learnings from the program and implementing them into the dairy business, Nicole has been able to achieve improvements in business productivity and efficiency, technology adoption and farm infrastructure since graduating in 2019.

Nicole and Brendan made the moved to Australia from New Zealand in July 2018, as they believed there were greater opportunities available in the Australian dairy sector.

“We were attracted by the lower land prices in Australia and the opportunity for higher returns,” she said.

“At the time we arrived, Australian land prices were approximately a third of the price of land in New Zealand. Of course that has changed dramatically in the last five years.”

The couple has progressed from a 40/60 percentage split sharefarmers in 2018 on a 700-cow farm to an operation with a forecasted 800000kg of milk solids being produced in the 2022–23 season, owning 1500 cows and having a mixture of leased and owned land near Maffra.

“We chose to farm in the Macalister Irrigation District, in central Gippsland, because of the security of water—we are very well insulated from drought and adverse weather effects,” Nicole said.

She said participating in the Rabobank Farm Managers Program at a time of massive expansion within their business allowed her to use tools and theories learnt during the program in “real time”.

The business plan Nicole developed included four goals: increase profit per hectare, produce a high-quality product, improve their team and expand the business.

“To increase profit per hectare, we focused on profitable feeding,” she said.

“To achieve this, we changed the calving pattern to fully spring calving to ensure a better match to pasture production and ability to optimise the cows’ diets to their milk production curve.

“We also heavily focused on a pasture renovation and fertilising plan.

“As a result, we had a 25 per cent increase in production on the previous season.”

To achieve the goal of producing a high-quality product, Nicole implemented a bonus system, where employees receive a bonus when somatic cell count averages under 150,000.

“Staff have been vital to the growth of our dairy business — our team is our greatest asset,” she said.

“Our staff are our main focus — they are key to being able to operate at scale.

“We have now included values and culture statements in the business plan, demonstrating just how important our team are to us and our business.

“To meet the goal of an improved team, everyone attended milking courses and we saw a sig-

nificant improvement in their milking skills and knowledge.

“We also introduced ‘work phones’, as we were struggling to communicate with employees during work hours as they would not have their phones with them in the shed.

“I also changed our roster system, so everyone’s roles are more clearly specified.

“And I introduced a tablet in the dairy shed — this is used both for timekeeping and for managing daily tasks, weekly tasks and checklists via an app.”

Nicole said their fourth goal — to expand their enterprise — has seen the addition of a contracting arm to their operation as well as diversifying into horticulture and tourism, with a new Berry Dairy business set to open in October 2023.

The Berry Dairy will be a pick-your-own strawberry operation with an on-farm café.

Long term, Nicole said she would love to connect the dairy business and the café, by having

Farmer Nicole Saunders with Rabobank sustainability and community general manager Marc Oostdijk.

their own milk being turned into a niche product and being able to have a full paddock-to-plate experience.

“I believe the future of agriculture is in ensuring people are connected to the origin of their food and education.”

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FEED SKIOLD DISC MILL

EDEN BREW RAISES $5 MILLION TO MAKE ANIMAL-FREE DAIRY AT SCALE Australian food tech startup Eden Brew, created by Norco, CSIRO, and deep tech venture fund, Main Sequence, has raised US$5 million as part of an ongoing capital raise.

Launched last year, Eden Brew has used science from CSIRO to develop a new way to make milk.

Using fermentation, Eden Brew has developed all 6 proteins identical to those in cow’s milk to produce dairy that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same as cow’s milk.

The funding will be used to scale Eden Brew’s milk product, launch ice cream and expand the team with a particular focus on in-housing science.

Eden Brew co-founder and CEO Jim Fader said that the company was making rapid progress toward developing the holy grail in dairy proteins — the cow’s milk micelle, at scale.

The four-casein micelle gives cow’s milk its unique characteristics, including its enormous nutritional carrying capacity, heat stability, and sensory qualities.

“Creating animal-free milk that can meet the doubling protein demand by

2050 sustainably and is just as delicious as cow’s milk, is our North Star. While there are numerous milk alternatives, they cannot sustainably meet future demand and don’t achieve the sensory or processability properties of cow’s milk.

Our natural method of fermentation future-proofs dairy’s place at every kitchen table, in every cafe, and every ice cream cone,” he said.

Main Sequence Partner and Eden Brew chair Phil Morle precision fermentation was already enhancing food production, not just in cost, but in sustainability and supply chain resilience.

“The result will be an improvement in the efficiency of current industrial food production that meets the demand of 10 billion people by 2050,” he said.

“We’ve witnessed what’s possible with Eden Brew in just a short period of time, and we fully support the company as they take one step closer to launching the product.”

The new investment is part of an ongoing capital raise that will result in the retail launch of ice cream in summer 23/24 and scale milk production.

SKIOLDVMS CLASS LEADING GRAIN MILLING TECHNOLOGY UNPARALLELED MILLING EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION BETTER UTILISATION OF YOUR GRAIN EUROPEAN QUALITY AND MANUFACTURED MULTIPLE DISC MILL SIZES AVAILABLE Flexible Augers • Pencil Augers • Mixers • Cleaners • Control Systems SPEAK TO A SKIOLD VMS REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT YOUR NEXT FEED MILL Complete feed systems also available

CALL US TODAY: Tel: 07 55 477 588

www.vacmillsolutions.com.au Email: sales@vacmillsolutions.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

20 // NEWS

Yoghurt for a cleaner ocean IN AN Australian first, an Adelaide-based

yoghurt manufacturer is using plastic washed up on beaches and found in oceans to create environmentally friendly tubs and lids.

And MOO Premium Foods founder Mick Sanders says it was a barrage of questions he received from nine-year-olds, at a primary school talk, that sparked the idea for the yoghurt tubs

created with 100 per cent reclaimed oceanbound plastic.

About 100 tonnes of plastic — the equivalent to 1.1 million plastic bottles — will be removed from beaches, oceans and waterways this year alone, thanks to MOO. Mick said he went to the primary school “prepared for the kids to ask me questions about how yoghurt was made”.

“Instead, they fired questions at me about what MOO was doing to be sustainable and reduce its impact on the environment,” said Mick, who founded MOO with his wife, Sally Sanders, 17 years ago.

“I was really surprised by their interest and knowledge about environmental issues, and I knew we had to do more.”

Mick and Sally spent the past two years

EVERYWHERE IT MATTERS

BLU-GARD CONCENTRATE TEAT SPRAY OR DIP

Great skin care starts from the udder up Blu-Gard Concentrate is a non-iodine teat sanitiser that is highly effective in reducing new mastitis infections caused by S. aureus, streptococci and coliform bacteria.

• High emollient levels to aid in the prevention and healing of cracked and chapped teats.

• Blu-Gard Concentrate does not lose its potency within short periods and pre-mixed solutions can be stored.

For your FREE Blu-Gard Concentrate 20 litre sample, email agrianz@ecolab.com. Limit 1, only for the month of July 2022.

Customer Service 1800 022 002.

Looking for an alternative to iodine?

FLEX_ECO5788

working closely with St Mary’s manufacturer TechnoPlas to stay at the forefront of packaging innovation.

A year ago, they discovered a Malaysian company converting plastic collected from the ocean, beaches and waterways into food-grade plastic resin.

“This was an absolute game-changer. We finally had the opportunity to help clean up plastic pollution and make a real difference,” Mick said.

“At the very least, we knew we’d be able to make a yoghurt tub from a mix of new and reclaimed plastic, but we really wanted to push the boundaries.

“To finally see the resin and realise it could successfully be made into 100 per cent reclaimed ocean-bound plastic tubs was fantastic.”

The change in packaging attracted the attention of Woolworths, which is partnering with MOO as part of its commitment to growing greener.

Woolworths will nationally stock MOO’s yoghurts in 100 per cent reclaimed ocean-bound plastic tubs to give more shoppers the chance to help clean up the seas.

Ocean-bound plastic is the term to describe all the plastic waste that has ended up in the ocean, as well as plastic rubbish found within 50km of a coastline that is not managed and at risk of ending up as marine debris.

Creating MOO’s 100 per cent reclaimed ocean-bound plastic tubs starts in Malaysia, where recycling company HHI partners with locals to collect washed-up plastic from more than 200 beaches and rivers, in line with strict United Nations’ ocean plastic collection protocols.

The work provides employment in underprivileged coastal communities, as well as helping to clear polluted waterways.

The collected plastic is then sorted, crushed, washed and melted down into resin, which then goes through a decontamination process that meets food-grade US FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 test compliance.

HHI is also certified by Zero Plastic Oceans to confirm that the recovered plastics meet the ocean-bound plastic standards.

FREE Blu-Gard Concentrate sample 20L

An Adelaide company is making the recycled packaging for its yoghurt a major selling point.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

NEWS // 21

Costs crunch farm sector THE LATEST government figures show agricul-

tural exports reaching a record $64.9 billion in 2022–23, but National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson says these positive numbers conceal the “cost of farming” crunch impacting farmers and consumers.

ABARES’ latest Agricultural Commodities Report predicts the industry’s gross value will tip past $80 billion for a second consecutive year on the back of favourable weather conditions and “very high” world food prices, but Ms Simson said these figures did not paint the full picture.

She warned that despite the bumper season, many farmers were feeling the pain of eye-watering production costs.

“Prices for fertiliser, fuel and power are on a rocket ride to the moon,” Ms Simson said.

“As ABARES points out, producers are dealing with the highest fertiliser prices since 2008, as the global energy crisis takes its toll.

“Of course, all this is compounded by the ongoing worker shortage putting the handbrake on production, an issue that will only worsen later in the year during the crucial harvest period.”

Ms Simson said while not all these issues were within the government’s control, it was critical the Albanese Government worked closely with industry to limit the impact of the cost crunch.

“We raised these issues with [Federal Agriculture] Minister [Murray] Watt and discussed how we can work together on cost of farming issues, as we look to mitigate the flowon impacts to everyday Australians.”

Ms Simson acknowledged that despite the challenges, the figures showed the farm sector was tracking well towards its target of $100 billion in farm gate output by 2030.

“Another $80 billion year means we are well on the way to achieving our goal to be a $100 billion industry by 2030, but now is the time to ensure we’re ready for when seasons and markets inevitably turn.”

THE COST OF FARMING Fertiliser prices Source: Rabobank Urea: US$690/tonne (up 89 per cent on the same time last year).

Diammonium phosphate (DAP): US$1100/tonne (up 89 per cent on the same time last year).

Fuel prices Source: NRMA Average June Sydney diesel price: 208.8¢/litre (up 49 per cent on the same time last year).

Land values Source: Rural Bank The median price per hectare of Australian farmland increased by 20 per cent in 2021 to $7087/ha. This was the largest year-on-year increase in dollar terms in the past 27 years and the largest rise in percentage terms since 2005.

Land values impact annual costs such as council rates.

From the NFF

Fertiliser prices have affected farm input costs.

Improve your footprint with HoofPrint®

Selecting bulls for your future progeny has always been about herd efficiency, sustainability and improvement. Now we’re making the sustainability part a little easier.

LIC’s new HoofPrint® index assigns bulls a score based on their progeny’s estimated methane and nitrogen efficiency. The higher the score, the more improvement on your farm and the environment. And that could give you a greener footprint.

Talk to your District Manager about the HoofPrint® index today.

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

There's always room for improvement

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

22 // NEWS

Dairy sale averages $2420

A MULTI-VENDOR sale at Shepparton in

early June saw strong demand for good dairy cows.

The sale achieved a 100 per cent clearance rate with 157 cows and an average of $2420.

Four different vendors had cattle at the sale — two of which were complete dispersal sales of autumn-calving cows.

Held at Shepparton Regional Saleyards, the event achieved a top price of $2900, achieved by both Lot 1 and Lot 14.

Northern Victoria Livestock and Real Estate livestock agent Travis Thompson said the four vendors were all “extremely happy” with the prices.

“ T h e c a t t l e w e n t e v e r y w h e r e — to Camperdown, Wagga Wagga, Finley, Murrabit and, of course, locally too,” Mr Thompson said.

Arryanne Farms from Nanneella was dispersing its autumn-calving cows so the owners could take a couple of months’ break.

The vendor had 51 head at the sale and it was their cattle who reached the $2900 top price twice and averaged $2550.

A. and B. Pangrazio also sold off their autumn calvers to make room for a holiday, selling 37 cows to a top of $2700 to average $2550.

y y r i r i a a d d y y r r e e v v e gge inin hh cc aa ee rr y y r r t t n n u u o o c c e e h h t t n i n i r r e e m m r r fa fa

SEPTEMBER ISSUE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

SPRING PASTURES SPRING PASTURES SPECIAL REPORT SPECIAL REPORT The huge productivity available through pasture renewal The huge productivity gainsgains available through pasture renewal havehave beenbeen proven by research and by farmer experience over recent years.

Renovating proven by research and by farmer experience over recent years. Renovating pastures new high yielding varieties means milk the vat pastures with with new high yielding grassgrass varieties means moremore milk in theinvat and more money in the bank. and more money in the bank.

The September of Dairy will feature a special report on the The September issueissue of Dairy NewsNews will feature a special report on the technology, equipment and techniques toto use tothe getmost the most out of latestlatest technology, equipment and techniques to use get out of Pasture Improvement.

Pasture Improvement.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: Should bedirect sent direct the editor at Should be sent to theto editor at

BOOKING DEADLINE: August 9 BOOKING DEADLINE: August 9 AD MATERIAL DEADLINE: August 17 AD MATERIAL DEADLINE: August 17

PUBLISHED: September 6 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au by9Aug 9 PUBLISHED: September 6 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

by Aug CONTACT: Max Hyde | T: 0408 558| 938 | E: max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au CONTACT: Max Hyde | T: 0408 558 938 E: max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

Oakdale Dairies from Longwarry, near Warragul, was not dispersing the herd but instead offered a run of 56 Oakdale cows to buyers — top price $2600, average $2300.

Retiring farmers C. and D. Davies from Invergordon sold 13 dry cows — the majority Aussie Red crosses who were all in-calf to a Shorthorn bull — which averaged $2000.

MURRIBROOK TOPS $21,000 Prices reached $21,000 at Murray Sowter’s Murribrook sale at Moss Vale, NSW, in April.

Breeders from all parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia were keen to secure the outstanding milking cows and in-calf heifers on offer.

The 113 Holsteins grossed $700,000 with an average of $6195.

The sale top of $21,000 came early when Lot 3 — Murribrook Octane Candace VG 87, PI of 128 on her first lactation and due to sexed Delta Lambda — sold to Eclipse Genetics of Warrnambool, Victoria.

This young cow was one of four daughters of former International Dairy Week winner Murribrook Goldwyn Candace EX 93 to sell, including Murribrook Sidekick Candace, a heifer due in June to Lambda, selling to Gorbro Holsteins of Cohuna, Victoria for $14,000; and Murribrook Doorman Clarity, recently classified VG 86 at two years, selling to Corra Lea Holsteins of Kerang, Victoria for $12,000.

Second top lot at $15,000 was the in-calf heifer Murribrook Kingdoc Tambourine, a daughter of a former Sydney Royal Junior Champion from the famed Toni family. She was purchased

by Eloora Past Co of Deniliquin, NSW. Victorian breeders Gorbro Holsteins bought several of the top lots in addition to the Candace heifer, including Murribrook Diamond Cabernet VG 89, backed by EX 96 and 95 point cows, for $13,000; Murribrook Solomon Tabby VG 87, on first lactation and due to sexed Chief, for $10,000; Murribrook Sidekick Rose, recently scored VG at two years, for $9500; and Murribrook Doorman Lynley VG 87 for $9000.

View Fort Holsteins of Tarwin, Victoria selected the outstanding heifer Murribrook Sidekick Lyster, sold due to sexed embryo from the great breeding cow Durham Lynley, for $12,000; and Murribrook Meridian Roxette VG 88, completing 10 generations of EX and VG from the famous Roxy family, for $9000.

Daniel Latham of Comboyne, NSW chose a tremendous heifer due in May to Genie in Murribrook Doorman Candy for $11,500.

Peter Fullerton of Niranda, Victoria bought Murribrook Doorman Lexi VG 87 for $11,000.

Other sales of note included Murribrook Kingdoc Candace VG on first lactation for $10,000 selling to Somerelle Holsteins of Timmering, Victoria; and Murribrook Unix Vanity, a daughter of the well-known Goldwyn Verbena EX 93, for $10,000 to Corra Lea Holsteins, Victoria.

Of the 113 lots sold by Dairy Livestock Services, 70 were purchased via the Elite Online platform by breeders from throughout three states.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

STOCKFEED // 23

Feed the herd efficiently FEED COSTS are the biggest variable cost

on a dairy farm.

For this reason, efficiently feeding the herd is a key factor affecting dairy farm profitability — regardless of the feeding system used.

Key points to consider when feeding cows: The three main aims should then be: Maximise home-grown feed Maximising the production of home-grown feed is essential to improve the resilience and profitability of farming systems.

Research from across the world in several countries, including Australia, has repeatedly demonstrated the link between increased levels of home-grown feed and higher profitability.

This applies regardless of the feeding system or level of intensity of the farm.

In the vast majority of cases, home-grown feed is cheaper than imported or bought-in feeds.

It is therefore critical to the sustainability of farm businesses to maximise the production and utilisation of this resource.

Dairy Australia’s Feeding Systems Used by Australian Dairy Farmers fact sheet outlines the five common feeding systems on dairy farms in Australia.

Even though farms tend to become more intensified from system one through to system five, there is a mistaken belief that home-grown feed is less relevant in more intensive systems.

This is incorrect, as most successful examples of system five, where cows are fully housed, still grow a large percentage of their feed as

Research from across the world, including Australia, has repeatedly demonstrated the link between increased levels of home-grown feed and higher profitability.

home-grown feed, often as high-quality conserved forage such as maize silage or similar.

No one system is considered better than others and all systems can be profitable.

Selecting the right system for your farm will depend largely on the resources available and your attitude to risk.

When to use supplements Home-grown feed rarely fills all of the feed gaps on Australian dairy farms and so supplements are also used.

These can be very profitable if used correctly and efficiently.

Dairy Australia’s Designing Balanced Milker Diets fact sheet outlines how to maximise milk income minus feed costs in the herd and helps to design high-quality milker diets that are nutritionally balanced.

The principles of marginal versus average milk yield responses are also critical to understand when feeding supplements in order to maximise profit: The Feeding Supplements fact sheet outlines this in more detail and is an important read for anyone wondering what is the most profitable amount of supplement to use.

Feed conversion efficiency

Feed conversion efficiency (FCE) is a useful form of measurement to monitor the efficiency of a feeding program.

However, it should not be associated too closely with farm profit, as it does not account for the cost of the feed consumed by the herd.

FCE is helpful to assess the quality of feed consumed by the herd, particularly the forage component of the diet, as improved FCE is closely associated with higher quality diets.

The Feed Conversion Efficiency fact sheet provides more information and some suggested targets for each feeding system.

– Dairy Australia

WORK NEEDED ON PROBIOTICS Probiotics for gut health in humans is now commonplace, but a group of CQUniversity agriculture researchers say the impact of intestinal health on livestock production is still relatively misunderstood despite recent technological advances.

CQUniversity’s Molecular Microbiology and Animal Health team, led by Professor Dana Stanley, collaborated with researchers from CQUniversity’s Precision Livestock Management team to examine the complexities of intestinal microbiota health and found significant knowledge gaps still remain.

Their conclusions, published in the international journal Animal Production Science, were presented by Professor Stanley at the Australian Association of Animal Sciences Conference in Cairns in early July.

In the paper, CQUniversity’s animal health experts presented the good and the bad of the amplicon sequencing methodology, pointing at a number of issues with the methodology and common errors in data interpretation that may cloud the true state of these microbial communities.

It said microbiota was widely recognised as an important part

of animal health, but a shortage of bioinformatics and data interpretation skills often led to livestock microbiota research lagging behind the general knowledge base.

“Misinformation, misinterpretation and the overstating of outcomes and consequences of microbiota results occur regularly in published scientific literature,” the research team said.

It said many of the challenges of microbiome science related to the high variability of microbiota between individual animals, as well as between breeds, and how quickly it could change due to

alterations in health, feed or environmental factors.

It also noted more attention should also be given to the choice in methodologies for gathering microbiota data from livestock animals.

“Faecal samples will tell a very different story from samples collected from areas inside the animal such as the caecum, duodenum or rumen,” the paper said.

Despite the shortfalls, the CQUniversity team said microbiome research was far from slowing down and the focus was now shifting from productivity increases to application in the animal welfare domain.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

24 // STOCKFEED

Confidence rising in dairy

A man walks past the remains of Russian military vehicles in Bucha, close to the capital Kyiv, Ukraine. Worries about the war in Ukraine are affecting farmer sentiment in Australia.

(AP photo/Serhii Nuzhnenko)

DAIRY SECTOR confidence is rising, accord-

ing to the second quarter Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey released in June.

More than three quarters of dairy farmers expect current good conditions to continue or further improve.

The survey found gross farm income expectations among dairy producers are at their highest level in two years, with 59 per cent expecting an increase in income in the coming year.

However, 67 per cent of Australian dairy farmers believe the war in Ukraine will impact their business negatively, because of input costs and dearer fuel.

The ‘rise and rise’ of input costs and fallout from the war in Ukraine are weighing on sentiment in Australia’s agricultural sector, with farmer confidence declining in the latest quarter.

The survey reveals optimism about high agricultural commodity prices and the prospect of a third consecutive bumper grains harvest has been reined in by the increasing cost of vital farm inputs such as fertiliser, fuel, freight and machinery — and broader inflationary pressures in the Australian economy.

In addition, the latest survey reveals 50 per cent of Australian farmers believe the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have a negative impact on farm businesses, while 25 per cent expect the effect could be positive.

While farm income projections for the 12 months ahead remain stable, the number of farmers looking to increase investment has declined slightly this quarter.

The latest survey found 28 per cent of Australia’s farmers now expect business conditions to improve in the coming 12 months (down slightly from 31 per cent with that view in the previous quarter), while 16 per cent are anticipating a deterioration (from 14 per cent previously).

More than half (53 per cent) expect business conditions to remain stable in the year ahead.

This marks three consecutive quarterly declines in net rural confidence and brings farmer sentiment back to levels last seen in June 2020, after the first pandemic lockdown.

Confidence is highest in the cotton and grain sectors, while also very strong among dairy producers, with high prices combined with excellent seasonal conditions providing the perfect setting for those three industries.

Rabobank Australia CEO Peter Knoblanche said farmers had been enjoying high agricultural commodity prices and generally excellent seasonal conditions in many parts of the country

for more than two years, but many in the sector were now facing considerable margin pressure with input costs rising on all fronts.

He said the healthy returns of the past two years had put farmers in a strong financial position and many had invested in new technology, machinery and equipment.

“The benefits of those investments are certainly helping farmers create some efficiencies, but the cost pressure is not easing and producers definitely need those higher commodity prices in order to meet rising input costs,” Mr Knoblanche said.

The latest survey found the expectation of rising commodity prices remains the main driver of optimism among farmers with a positive outlook, while 62 per cent of those expecting conditions to deteriorate cited rising input costs as a key cause for concern, ahead of falling commodity prices (27 per cent), overseas markets (15 per cent) and labour shortages (nine per cent).

Ukraine conflict impact Mr Knoblanche said the Russia-Ukraine war was also hanging over the agriculture industry, with its impacts on key inputs of fuel and fertiliser sending prices for both skyrocketing, cutting farmer margins in a range of sectors.

“It is undoubtedly exacerbating many of the cost and supply issues which were already in play last year,” he said.

“But for some sectors, especially grains, we are seeing the conflict impact global supply and push prices higher, and also deliver higher local prices with strong demand for Australian grain as the world turns to our producers to help meet critical food needs.

“But as the next round of EU sanctions come into force, there is a lot of caution among farmers about what this will mean for the longer term, which is flowing through to lower levels of optimism.”

This quarter, farmers were specifically asked their views about the impacts of the war in Ukraine on agribusiness.

Of the 50 per cent believing it would have a negative or very negative effect on their farm business, the main concerns were in relation to higher fuel prices (cited by 49 per cent) and increased costs for inputs including fertiliser and freight (cited by 61 per cent).

The 25 per cent who believed it would have positive market impacts said this would be primarily in maintaining high commodity prices and affecting supply/demand. This view was strongest in the grain sector.

MEASURING BETTER PASTURE A cultivation calculator, believed to be an Australian first, has been developed to help farmers assess how much cultivation work they need to make better pastures.

The calculator has emerged as one of the positive outcomes from the Increasing Soil Carbon and Climate Resilient Farms projects, coordinated by Heytesbury District Landcare Network in south-west Victoria.

The projects also found that multispecies pastures can have a huge benefit in late spring and summer.

The projects have included trials based on regenerative agriculture practices to demonstrate how increasing soil biology and adopting minimum or appropriate tillage methods and changing from monoculture pasture species to multispecies can improve soil, animal, pasture and human health.

The cultivation calculator was developed by project team members Healthy Farming Systems cover crop adviser Jade Killoran and regenerative farming adviser and partner in Camperdown Compost, Tony Evans.

Jade said the calculator came about as a response to sowing trials across 20 farms in the project, particularly after noticing spring minimal tillage machines and direct drilling producing unsuccessful results compared to more aggressive cultivation.

The calculator has four categories — time of sowing, previous paddock preparation, previous pastures or crops within the past six months, and soil type.

Farmers can score each of the categories and their total score suggests a cultivation method to increase the likelihood of success for future sowings.

Jade said it aimed to make decisions easier for farmers and to make sowing more successful for multi-species crops or any sowing operation.

“It’s an easy-to-use tool and the categories are quite broad but it helps farmers to place their paddock in a scenario and make it easier to plan whether to do light, medium or heavy cultivation,” she said.

“It takes some of the guesswork out of sowing a multi-species or any type of crop or pasture.”

Jade said the Increasing Soil Carbon and Climate Resilient Farms projects showed that farms in the Western District had winter-dominant rainfall and could grow autumn and winter pastures into spring very successfully, but the pasture becomes dormant in late spring and summer.

“We found that’s where the multispecies had a fantastic impact with producing feed later in the season and the dual benefit of keeping the ground covered and protected for soil health.

“From a production viewpoint, sowing multi-species in spring to boost late spring and summer production was where it was really successful.”

Jade said the trials produced very highquality feed.

“Because of the mix, the animal has the ability to self-regulate their diet and the mix gives energy, protein and fibre at various times of the season.”

Jade said there was a huge upsurge in interest in multi-species pastures and she expected it would be taken up by more farmers in the next five to 10 years.

“It’s a space worth watching,” she said.

Heytesbury District Landcare Network coordinator Geoff Rollinson said the trials had assessed the impact of different additives and cultivation methods on multi-species pastures.

“Jade and Tony noticed great variation in the condition and history of paddocks to establish those trials so they came up with a spreadsheet-based calculator looking at the variables to help farmers to decide what level of tillage is required to prepare a paddock for a crop or pasture,” Geoff said.

“It will give farmers a guide to the best possible chance of success with establishing a pasture.

“It might take two or three years to establish a successful multi-species pasture unless you take account of the variability of the paddocks you’re working with.

“They tested the calculator against actual observations and it stood up to those assessments.”

The calculator is available for free from the HDLN website: https://www.heytesburylandcare. org.au/

A cultivation calculator has been developed by Jade Killoran and Tony Evans.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

STOCKFEED // 25

Fodder trials bust myths DANEKA HILL

AN UP-CLOSE look at how winter crops can

be optimised for dairy cow diets has released its preliminary findings.

These findings include: stem diameter not being an indicator of feed quality, high sowing rates in vetch having no impact on yield and quality, and faba beans being a very high quality forage but challenging to ensile or bale due to its high moisture content.

This has all come from the Fodder for the Future project, a $1.6 million research initiative started in 2021 by Murray Dairy.

The project involves six trial sites across northern Victoria and southern NSW at Kerang, Mitiamo, Tatura, Dookie, Finley and Rutherglen.

Murray Dairy strategic project manager Amy Fay said the trials were “really exciting” because the northern Victoria region hadn’t seen anything like this before.

“Nothing has specifically looked at fodder growth in our region, this is relevant local research,” she said.

“It’s important to note this has been funded by the Federal Government to help farmers adapt to a post Murray-Darling Basin Plan world.”

Because the six trial sites were so spread out, they received vastly different seasonal conditions.

“One of the really important things we noticed was just how challenging seasonal variability is and how climate change is impacting

our ability to manage fodder,” Amy said.

“Our eastern sites versus our western sites experienced different conditions. It shows how farmers have to plan for the whole season and have options up their sleeves.”

A more comprehensive report on trial data is expected to be released by Murray Dairy in the coming weeks.

With one year of trials done, Murray Dairy will repeat the most interesting trials and add new variables as they head into a second year of experimentation.

“People are really interested in what sort of yield and quality is possible in our region,” Amy said.

“They’re also interested in how we put our crop types together, particularly for something as specialised as a rotation for dairy cow fodder.

“The industry is moving away from rye-grass and they want to see what combination is best for soil nutrient management.”

In particular, croppers and dairy farmers are interested to see what legume (for example, vetch or faba beans) works best in a rotation.

“We are working closely with the cropping industry on this … we recognise these farmers (crop growers) are very important to us, because they are growing the fodder we buy,” Amy said.

“Crop farmers are interested in what we’re doing and in particularly they are asking what quality means for a dairy perspective.”

The close working relationship includes having outside groups running the trial sites, as can be seen in the initial breakdown of year one results.

Damian Jones from the Irrigated Cropping Council and Murray Dairy’s Natalie Eckert.

Murray Dairy has partnered with a range of cropping groups to run the trials.

Checking out the Kerang trial.

An aerial view of the Kerang trial.

YIELDING RESULTS The initial breakdown of year one Fodder for the Future project results.

Wheat (Agriculture Victoria) Wheat tiller density is affected by both sowing rate and nitrogen (N) rate, with N having a greater impact.

There was no effect of stem diameter on ­quality.

Oaten hay (Birchip Cropping Group) Oaten hay yields were highest for Kingbale, Mulgara, Brusher, Yallara and Wintaroo.

Sowing date had no significant impact on yield or quality between varieties.

There was a yield response to N, but none to phosphorus (P) or potassium (K).

There was no or minimal impact on stem diameter or quality from the application of

N, P or K. Cereals (Irrigated Cropping Council) Winter trial: Cereal cutting time impacted yield ­significantly.

No effect of cereal stem diameter on quality.

Faba beans have potential to yield up to 20 tonnes DM/ha of high quality forage, ­however, there are significant challenges with ensiling/baling due to high moisture and lodging.

Summer trial: Sorghum was generally more water efficient than maize.

Sorghum yielded less than maize.

Grain sorghum still shows potential due to the lower cost of production and ability

to produce reasonable quality provided yield targets are met.

Yield and quality across all forages decreased with reduced irrigations (as expected).

Cereals (Dookie, University of Melbourne) Significant trade-offs between cutting time, yield and quality in cereal crops.

Tiller density is affected by increased sowing rate.

No effect of stem diameter on quality.

Vetch (Southern Growers) Timok had better quality attributes than the woolly vetches.

High sowing rates increased established plant counts but did not have an effect on yield and quality.

An autumn irrigation was associated with better yields in shorter season common vetch cultivars (but no long season woolly pod vetch).

There was a yield increase of two tonnes DM/ha in vetch that was irrigated versus dryland.

Vetch (Rutherglen, Riverine Plains) Vetch persistence and yield was penalised by wet conditions and subsequently out-competed by the oats.

Earlier sown oats significantly increase silage yield compared to the later sown stand.

Cutting time, sowing date and rate have variable and inconsistent effects on quality of oat/vetch mixes.

Despite the high feed raw material input prices at present, there are still positive returns to feeding Megalac for your herd’s production and fertility.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

26 // STOCKFEED

Society returns to in-person conference

Tim Wilson’s paddocks will be on show as part of the Grassland Society of Southern Australia tour.

Jefo_Ad_Dairy News_July.pdf

1

2021-10-13

IN HIS previous work as an agronomist, Gippsland’s Tim Wilson saw how farmers went wrong when cutting corners to save a few dollars.

Mr Wilson has avoided making the same mistakes on his Labertouche farm near Drouin and will get to show the formula for his success when he hosts a Grassland Society of Southern Australia (GSSA) tour on July 13.

The Angus farm produces grass-fed beef for Coles and Greenham and is enjoying the benefits of “trying to do everything right without being 1:37high PM flying”. too

“We try to cover all the bases and make sure everything is done properly as opposed to cutting corners,” Mr Wilson said.

“I worked in agronomy before working on farm and saw a lot of people cutting corners, and it always ended up costing them money.”

His formula has been a success, earning the farm a placing in the final three of the Farmer of the Year award and becoming the host of farm tours and the subject of TV promotions.

While Mr Wilson has previously opened his farm to show his beef — this time he’s hosting a tour to look at his paddocks.

CYCLE - Reproduction

Now is the Time to call your Jefo Ruminant Expert to assist you in improving your herd's performance.

Looking to improve reproduction in your herd?

Jefo’s Solution has proved successful for over 5,000,000 dairy cows to enhance reproduction.

Call us now and allow our team make a plan for you.

They’ll get to see the results of a relatively good season and a long-held preference for lateseason pasture varieties.

“The season has been reasonable so we can’t complain too much,” Mr Wilson said. “We had a dry start but came in off a wet spring so that didn’t affect us too badly. However, we’ve had a bit of a cold snap coming into winter which has stopped everything abruptly. Normally we grow a fair way into winter but there’s a bit of pressure on for feed at the moment.”

The farm mostly uses late-season varieties with novel endophytes.

“I’ve been sowing Impact 2 with NEA 2 endophyte, although that has gone off the market so I am looking at some options as a replacement,” Mr Wilson said.

“I want to stick with late-flowering, highproduction diploid with a novel endophyte that steers away from staggers issues.”

The 445-hectare farm has 450 breeders, split 50–50 between spring and autumn calving, and the animals are fattened over two years to bring total numbers to about 1300.

The GSSA tour will also visit Darryl Hammond’s dairy farm.

GSSA is returning to an in-person annual conference for the first time since 2019 and to the Gippsland region for the first time since 2008.

The three-day conference runs from July 12–14 will be based at Lardner Park and follows the theme ‘Sowing the Seeds for Success’.

The conference will include sessions on what soil carbon means for your business, optimising pasture diversity and its benefits, and concurrent sessions on protecting and prioritising pasture.

Registrations can be made with GSSA on 1300 137 550 office@grasslands.org.au and more details can be found at www.grasslands.org.au

REDUCING

C

M

Y

M

Y

Y

MY

K

Here's what Leading dairy producers are saying about Jefo's Protected B Vitamin Solutions:

“Since starting on the Jefo Dairy Solutions, we have reduced issues around calving. The cows are heathier and there is a huge improvement in fertility. I recommend these products for every farm.”

Wandilla Holsteins, 450 Holstein cows Leongatha North, Vic

“At Comestar we have used the Jefo Solution for Transition for the past 16 years.

We have seen major improvements in Reproduction, ease of calving, fertility and overall cow health and performance. Every Dairy Farm needs to use it.

It is REALLY that good!”

“We have been using the Jefo Solutions for Dairy for over 12 months and have seen some great results. Cows are Transitioning really well and Fertility is Fantastic. We will keep using these solutions.”

Mark Dee, 430 cows Clydevale Holsteins. Northern Vic

Marc Comtois Comestar Holsteins, Quebec, Canada.

ausinfo@jefo.com | 07 4630 1500 Razaq Balogun: 0419 942 811 | Andrea Henry: 0427 992 335

A company developing the next generation of feed supplements to reduce methane emissions from livestock has been launched in Perth, Western Australia.

Rumin8 is an Australian climate technology company designing solutions to radically reduce methane emissions in agriculture.

The company identifies naturally occurring compounds that have anti-methanogenic properties and instead of harvesting and extracting them from plants, is able to reproduce them in a highly efficient, low-cost, scalable and high-quality process to feed to livestock in order to reduce their emissions.

Rumin8 also expects that its products will have significant productivity benefits for farmers as energy normally lost to methane production is instead converted into higher growth rates.

Rumin8’s most advanced product reproduces the bioactive contained in red seaweed (Asparagopsis) and has been shown to reduce methane production in livestock rumen by up to 95 per cent, whether in liquid, solid or slow-release dose formats.

Rumin8 managing director David Messina said the laboratory results of Rumin8’s lead product replicated the methane reductions of red seaweed, but instead of harvesting from the marine ecosystem, the plant’s methane busting bioactive was manufactured and transformed into a stable feed

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

STOCKFEED // 27

Straw blower keeps it simple A STRAW blower is the ideal machine for any

operator looking to evenly distribute straw for ration feeding or bedding.

Over at KUHN they’re talking a big game when it comes to their Primor 5570 M Straw Blower.

“The versatility of KUHN’s Primor 5570 M is what makes it an attractive investment for livestock producers,” a KUHN spokesperson said.

“Whether it’s ration feeding or distributing straw bedding, the distribution of long-fibre fodder is no longer a chore.

“This well-built machine is the perfect addition for any livestock producer looking to optimise their production.”

The KUHN Primor 5570 M has a ‘shower’ distribution concept which gives it the ability to disperse even qualities of straw.

In addition to straw the machine can feed out silage, has a mixing hopper and an all-fodder type feed rotor.

With a hydraulic tailgate and conveyor controls, the Primor 5570 M allows operators to load round bales easily — the tailgate sits flush to the conveyor facilitating the loading of bales with no need for an external loader.

All operations can be conducted from the comfort of the tractor cab with an electronic control panel that has the ability to change the direction of the chute and adjust the chute cap.

The Primor 5570 M can carry three round bales at one time and a 1.4 m bale can be distributed in less than three minutes, increasing efficiency for all who use it.

To ensure longevity of the machine, the Primor 5570 M has been designed for simple maintenance, according to KUHN.

EMISSIONS supplement in quality controlled laboratories.

“The identification of Asparagopsis’s anti-methanogenic properties was a game changer in terms of reducing methane emissions from ruminants,” Mr Messina said.

“Rumin8’s product will be able to be produced in a consistent, repeatable, manufacturing process which will be effective at reducing methane production and is expected to be significantly cheaper to produce and provide much more reliable dosing and outcomes.”

Livestock contribute about six per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions through methane created during the food digestion process.

Rumin8 is now partnering with the University of Western Australia, University of Melbourne and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to assess the repeatability of the laboratory trials in animal trials in 2022.

“We have every confidence that just as we were able to replicate the success in the lab, we can do the same with our field trials,” Mr Messina said.

“We’re also confident that there will be productivity benefits — increased growth rates or milk production — for farmers who use Rumin8 products.

“It would be an optimal outcome if Rumin8’s products to reduce methane emissions from livestock are paid for through productivity gains.”

To keep the conveyor belt clean, the belt is fitted with an integrated evacuation hatch, making sure there is no more build-up of straw at the bottom on the belt.

KUHN said the new and improved straw blower would increase the efficiency for any livestock producer looking to optimise their operation.

Find out more about the Primor 5570 M at: www.kuhn.com.au/livestock/ silage-cutters-straw-blowers-feeders/ primor-5570-m

The KUHN Primor 5570 M Straw Blower is optimised for feeding out long-fibre fodder.

A GROUNDBREAKING FORMULA DEVELOPED

MYLO/calf ®

THROUGH PROPRIETARY R&D THAT CREATES NATURAL CALF GROWTH BENEFITS.

• REACH TARGET WEIGHTS UP TO 10 DAYS EARLIER • WEAN AT UP TO 6KG HEAVIER • IMPROVE YOUR CALVES’ HEALTH AND WELLBEING

SALES REPS Northern VIC, NSW, QLD, WA South & Northern VIC Western VIC SA, Far Western VIC Tasmania

MAL MCLEOD VERONICA MCLEOD PETER FURPHY CHRIS O’CALLAGHAN RODNEY PARKER

0487 500 466 0499 696 632 0488 414 714 0418 203 509 0418 479 909

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

28 // STOCKFEED

Precision nutrition solution DAIRYING IN Australia presents unique chal-

lenges, and nutritionists as well as dairy farmers have had to continuously evolve with new solutions to overcome these challenges.

Jefo has been partnering with the dairy industry for years as a global and leading animal health and nutrition company, with an expertise in rumen protection technology for precision nutrition.

Rumen-protected B vitamin blends have been used successfully as precision nutritional solutions in several leading dairy farms across the globe for many years.

So, implementing the concept of precision nutrition on your dairy farm will make your herd healthier and more productive, returning a higher economic benefit and making your life easier.

The meta-analysis study To further demonstrate the benefits of precision nutrition, late last year Jefo published a meta-analysis that assessed the lactational performance of dairy cows receiving a rumen-protected B vitamin blend consisting of folic acid, B12, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and biotin.

The meta-analysis combined 50 commercial trials across eight countries (including ­Australia) and included 6483 Holstein cows averaging 159 days in milk and an average lactation of 2.2.

The rumen-protected B vitamin blend was fed at three grams per cow per day under a varying feeding and management conditions.

The study showed that cows supplemented with the rumen-protected B vitamin blend

Precision nutrition is aimed at making the herd healthier and more productive.

responded positively with improved milk yield (extra 0.9 litre per cow per day); milk fat and milk protein yield also improved by 0.04 kg and 0.033 kg, respectively.

The Australian study More recently, Jefo concluded a study on a commercial dairy farm in East Gippsland, ­Victoria.

The study involved 360 cows, randomly divided into two groups (side by side), balanced by age, production and breed.

One group received standard commercial lead feed from 21 days before calving, and s­ tandard commercial supplement post-­calving (Control); the other group (Treatment) received similar pre-

calving and post-calving ­supplements but with added rumen-­protected B vitamin blend pre-calving (folic acid, B12 and riboflavin plus choline) and post-calving (folic acid, B12, biotin, pantothenic acid and p ­ yridoxine).

Post-calving, cows were grazed together and fed silage/hay as a group but received the exper-

KUHN A UST RA LIA

SHOWN: EUROMIX 3

PROFILE 1

PROFILE 2

KEEP AHEAD WITH KUHN LIVESTOCK RANGE Find your nearest Kuhn dealer online. www.kuhn.com.au

PRIMOR 5570 M

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

STOCKFEED // 29 24 24 accumulation — a healthy liver is a healthy and productive cow.

A healthy liver will drive dry matter intake and reduce the extent and severity of negative energy balance, which is associated with transition d ­ iseases and low milk production.

B vitamins need to be rumen-protected It is important to note that B vitamins are readily degraded in the rumen, so to be effective, they must be supplemented in a rumen-protected form to make sure they are effectively delivered to support the needs of the cow.

Rumen protection of B vitamins offers significant advantages over intramuscular injections or feeding high doses of unprotected vitamins by being more cost-effective, environmentally ­sustainable and labour efficient, making life easier for the cow and the farmer.

Based on the published meta-analysis and the recent side-by-side study in Australia, a potential economic return from supplementing dairy cows with rumen-protected B vitamin blend can be conservatively estimated to be $200 per cow per year.

Supplementation with rumen-protected B vitamins can help to improve the health of your cows, while giving your herd the ­opportunity to perform and reproduce well, thus making ­ dairying a lot easier towards achieving your goals.

Contact your nutritionist, veterinarian or Jefo directly to start down the path of ­precision nutrition.

2523 23

of cows (%) Litres

B vitamin B vitamin supplementa on supplementa on increased increased milk yield milk byyield 7% by 7% B vitamin supplementation reduced the proportion of cows with subclinical ketosis by 70%

Litres

20 22 22 15 1021 21 5 020 20

Control Control

B Vitamins B Vitamins

Figure 1. Proportion of cows with Beta-Hydroxybutyric Acid (BHBA) equal or greater than 1.2mMol/L (subclinical ketosis)

24

B vitamin supplementa on increased milk yield by 7%

23 Litres

imental feed only when they were being milked at the dairy.

The study measured blood ketones within the first 10 days post-calving to assess the risk of ketosis; herd testing was conducted every six weeks to measure individual cow’s milk yield and milk components (fat and protein); ­breeding records were collected to assess reproductive performance.

Results showed that when compared to control, cows supplemented with rumen-­protected B vitamins had lower concentration of betahydroxybutyric acid (28 per cent less); had 70 per cent less cows with BHBA higher than the threshold of 1.2mMol/litre for subclinical ketosis; produced seven per cent more milk (adjusted for energy), 10 per cent more fat yield and five per cent more protein yield.

Preliminary analysis also indicated that 100 days pregnancy rate improved by seven per cent in cows that received B vitamin ­supplementation.

Modern dairy cows and B vitamins These two studies demonstrate the fact that modern dairy cows are likely to respond positively to the inclusion of B vitamins when it is in a rumen-protected form, and that B vitamins synthesis by rumen microbes are likely to be inadequate to support optimal performance.

The B vitamins, as nutrients required in small quantities, support various metabolic processes in the liver, and are involved in energy metabolism and glucose production.

They also play a significant role in maintaining a healthy liver by preventing or reducing fat

22 21 20

Control

B Vitamins

Figure 2. Average daily milk yield from three herd test results

RIDLEY LIFECYCLE FEEDING FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE DAIRY COWS Heifer

Calving

Lactation

LIFE STAGES

Birth

CALF MILK REPLACER

AGE 0

CALF REARER PELLETS

To learn how to feed smarter, contact your local Ridley team of Dairy specialists

HEIFER DEVELOPER PELLETS LEAD UP DAIRY PELLETS PERFORMANCE PELLETS CONCENTRATES GRAIN MIXES 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10 11

12 WEEKS

RID23327_Ridley_DNA_LifecycleFeeding_T44_HalfPage_186mmHx260mmW_FA.indd 1

3 WEEKS PRIOR TO CALVING CALVING

LACTATION

1300 531 833 Pakrum.Sales@ridley.com.au 1800 832 644 Gunbower.Sales@ridley.com.au 1800 100 151 Terang.Sales@ridley.com.au 1800 655 600 Carrick.Sales@ridley.com.au 02 6557 3300 Taree.Sales@ridley.com.au 02 6765 0444 Tamworth.Sales@ridley.com.au 07 4699 1777 Toowoomba.Sales@ridley.com.au

RID23327

RIDLEY SPECIALISED FEED

CALF MAXIMISER MIX

29/7/21 4:55 pm

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

30 // STOCKFEED

Balanced nutrition essential BALANCED NUTRIENT supply is essential for dairy cow productivity, according to Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients global technical manager Richard Kirkland.

“Maintaining production, fertility and body condition score are key elements for a profitable dairy enterprise,” Dr Kirkland said.

“In nutritional terms, energy is the primary factor we must meet when formulating rations and this is a major challenge as milk production potential per cow increases, particularly through the early lactation period.”

Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients is a joint venture between the global dairy business Volac and the massive Singapore-based agribusiness Wilmar, which processes oils, sugar, rice, flour and more.

Together the companies are offering a complete range of branded feed fat products — in particular, the popular Megalac feeds.

Dr Kirkland said the “balance of energy” in a cow’s diet needed to be considered carefully as it influenced all aspects of her performance.

“Cereals deliver that essential starch which promotes milk protein, but in excess risks rumen acidosis and low milk fat,” he said.

“In contrast, digestible fibre sources provide a source of acetate and butyrate for milk fat synthesis but deliver a lower energy density.”

Dr Kirkland said body condition was key to herd fertility.

“Delivering maximal megajoules of energy in early lactation is essential to support that genetic drive for producing milk and minimising the extent of body condition loss.”

Research data from the United Kingdom and United States have shown a link between reduced conception rates and extended days to first ovulation with body condition loss.

Dr Kirkland said as a general guide, conception rate decreased by 10 per cent per 0.8 unit decrease in body condition score through the early lactation period (Australian 8-point scale).

“This is a key area where rumen-protected feed fat supplements such as Megalac play a role, providing a highly concentrated source of ME MJ (around 2.5-times that of cereals) with a balance palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) present in a 1.5:1 ratio.

“Palmitic acid increases ttNDFd, milk yield and milk fat yield while oleic acid improves the digestibility of total dietary fatty acids to supply an additional energy boost and improves the development of follicles, corpus lutea and eggs to help increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.”

Recent data from the US also demonstrates that oleic acid influences the insulin sensitivity status of body tissue in early lactation.

Insulin is an important hormone which drives energy to body fat stores and helps reduce body condition loss.

Dr Kirkland said energy supply was critical.

Megalac is a rumen-protected fat supplement that increases energy supply in dairy cow diets without increasing the acid load.

“Dairy cows need nutrients from a range of sources and the MJ of ME they supply will contribute to the overall energy balance of the cow, and the source of the ME supplied will determine the nature of the response achieved,” he said.

“Over-reliance on an individual energy source is likely to cause health, production and fertility issues, so diets need to be set up for success with a considered balance of nutrient sources.”

Sykes is a long term established brand supporting the Australian farming and livestock industry. The company's trusted range includes Medications, Creams and Ointments for all our well cared for livestock of Australia.

Double Cal

Efficient and instantaneous injection relief from Milk Fever (hypocalcaemia)

Big L Pour on

Magnesium Sulphate An injection for magnesium deficiency

Dextrose injection

Deri- Sal An injection for treatment of Acetonaemia (Ketosis)

Pour on worming protection targeting barbers pole worm, Small brown stomach worm, Stomach hair worm, Black scour worm, Hookworm, Small intestinal worm, Thin necked intestinal worm, Nodule worm and Lungworm

Designed for cracked teats and general skin conditions in cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses

Call Your Local Feed Store Today!

Minbal 4 in 1

Sykes Vet International - 27 Healey Road Dandenong (03) 8792 3000 - sales@sykes.net.au

Mineral Injection for instant prevention and treatment of Milk Fever (hypocalcaemia), Grass Tetany and mineral and glucose deficiencies

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

32 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Watch out for anthrax

If anthrax is discovered farmers can access subsidised vaccinations for all at-risk livestock on the property.

AGRICULTURE VICTORIA’S senior veteri-

nary officer Jeff Cave is reminding farmers to investigate any sudden livestock deaths and call a vet to rule out anthrax.

“Deaths of livestock due to anthrax mostly occur in the warmer months, although history

™

has shown they can occur at any time of year,” Dr Cave said.

“Therefore, anthrax should be considered whenever there is any sudden death of livestock, particularly if blood is seen around the animal’s nose, mouth, and anus.”

All private veterinarians who deal with livestock have free access to pen-side ICT kits (immunochromatographic tests) which can quickly diagnose or rule out anthrax when investigating sudden death cases.

“There are several reasons why it is beneficial to know whether an animal has died from anthrax,” Dr Cave said.

“Anthrax is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can potentially infect humans.

The exclusive of anthrax will bring peace of mind both for yourself and your veterinarian when trying to find the real cause of the animal’s death.”

An animal that has died of anthrax must be thoroughly incinerated and have its death site decontaminated, otherwise it will remain a source of future outbreaks.

“Once an animal has died from anthrax, the anthrax spores can leach into and survive in the soil for decades, waiting for the right set of environmental conditions to infect another animal,” Dr Cave said.

If anthrax is discovered farmers can access subsidies vaccinations for all at-risk livestock on the property.

If you suspect a case of anthrax, contact your veterinarian, or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer, or in NSW your Local Land Service, or the Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.

VET SAYS VIGILANCE IS VITAL

PRODAIRY.

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED. Designed for Dairy Farmers.

Delivered by Dairy Vets.

PRODAIRY PARTNER INCLUSIONS ANIMAL HEALTH PROGRAMS

Customised animal health treatment protocols and factsheets for calves, weaned heifers, milking cows and bulls

DIRECT ONLINE ORDERING

• Online ordering and payment system • Directly linked to individual farm herd health treatment protocols • Access to dairy consumables and merchandise

RISK MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING

Annual Herd Profile Survey to identify current and future priorities.

Risk assessments and plans: • Pre-calving care • Colostrum management • Herd fertility • Milk quality and mastitis management • Annual ProDairy Focus Plan

SCAN TO FIND OUT MORE.

PRODAIRY.COM.AU

In January the final barrier stopping the free movement of cattle within Australia came down, when Western Australia eased import requirements.

Agriculture Victoria senior veterinary officer Jeff Cave has seen many disease programs come and go in his 24-year career with Agriculture Victoria.

With so many dairy cows flowing onto farms eager to make the most of the milk and livestock prices, Dr Cave is reminding farmers to maintain good biosecurity habits.

“Overall, the movement of cattle from Victoria to any other part of Australia has become a relatively straightforward process,” he said.

“That is not to say the risk of introduction of JD (Johne’s disease) or a host of other disease has reduced when you introduce new cattle onto your property.”

When introducing new cattle, get a full and detailed history of the cattle, request a National Cattle Health Declaration from the vendor, and apply an on-farm quarantine period in a well-prepared, separate area where the newly introduced cattle can be monitored for disease.

Dr Cave remembers when Australia was divided into zones according to Johne’s disease prevalence.

“You may recall the requirement of check testing and later a ‘Beef

Only Declaration’ to move cattle into the protected zones of NSW and Queensland,” he said.

“Perhaps the biggest change occurred in mid-2016 with the deregulation of BJD in most states and territories and the launch of the Johne’s Beef Assurance Score to allow producers to self-assess and communicate their JD risk.

“The Johne’s Disease Dairy Score for dairy cattle herds followed in early 2018.”

For further information, contact a veterinarian or an Agriculture Victoria animal health officer, or Local Land Services in NSW.

Agriculture Victoria senior veterinary officer Jeff Cave is reminding farmers to maintain good biosecurity habits now that cattle can move easily across the country.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JUNE 2022

ANIMAL HEALTH // 33

Lucy Collins wants everyone to take biosecurity seriously for the sake of the dairy industry.

For love of cows and country

BY LUCY COLLINS

BIOSECURITY IS the process by which we are able to prevent transmission of pathogens between individual animals or groups of livestock.

It forms an important part of controlling the spread of infectious disease.

Understanding biosecurity risks and having good plans in place to both monitor and control diseases are critical to the future viability of our industry.

So what does good biosecurity even look like?

Good biosecurity relies on all members of the farming community to take an active role.

This means everyone — farm owner, farm staff, tanker driver, service providers, consultants, occasional farm visitors, discussion groups and contractors.

It should also include our state and federal governments ensuring we have well-resourced disease monitoring, advisory and response teams, and ongoing border security surveillance with strict importation requirements.

At a farm level, it’s important to understand the infectious diseases considered endemic or exotic to your local area, and at a state and national level.

The responsibility to recognise the signs of exotic diseases and enact tracing if required lies mostly with those who handle the livestock regularly, so staying informed on what to look out for and keeping accurate records should form part of your ongoing duty of care.

Particularly pertinent at the moment to Australian dairy herds is the threat of both lumpy skin disease and foot and mouth disease incursions

from close neighbouring countries, presenting very real economic and welfare risks for our industry.

So, I’m leaving you with some homework today: learn the disease signs and what to do if you’re suspicious — get Googling or ask your regular vet to host an info session.

Complacency has no place on our farms when it comes to biosecurity.

Firstly, it’s important you define your herd’s current disease status as either exposed, unexposed or vaccinated.

Antibody or antigen testing of various samples such as blood, milk and tissue are useful here, depending on the disease in question.

These tests usually only provide a snapshot in time, so regular herd monitoring is key.

Then, evaluating the biosecurity risk for each group of animal on the farm and potential transmission routes will help form part of your biosecurity plan.

Pathogens can be introduced to a herd by: On a practical level, things you can do to manage your farm’s biosecurity risks include: The author has a large, vested interest in the ­biosecurity of the Australian dairy herd, as do all the readers of this publication. The risk of incursion is a genuine threat to our industry, so she’d really just love everyone to ensure they’re doing their bit for their cows and their country.

Lucy Collins is completing her Dairy Residency with the University of Melbourne. She works as an on-farm veterinarian for Apiam Animal Health, and alongside her husband on his family’s dairy farm in south-west Victoria. She is a 2021 Nuffield Scholar supported

by Gardiner Dairy Foundation. Comments, feedback and suggestions can be sent to: lucy.collins@apiam.com.au

XXXXXX 129 mm W X 92mm H

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

34 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Going to the Henty field days AFTER BEING locked down in 2020 and cancelled

last-minute in 2021, spirits are high for the 2022 Henty Machinery Field Days.

Exhibitor bookings have opened for the event, which runs from September 20 to 22.

The Henty Machinery Field Days is southern Australia’s largest agricultural event.

HMFD executive officer Belinda Anderson is reminding exhibitors the booking deadline is Sunday, July 31.

“It is important for exhibitors to be aware that even if they booked in 2021, they still need to re-book to ensure their sites for 2022,” Mrs Anderson said.

“Existing, new or potential exhibitors are encouraged to submit their applications via the HMFD website.”

Country music singer and I’m a Celebrity star Brooke McClymont and her Golden Guitarwinning husband Adam Eckersley will take to the stage in a new ticketed event to be held after the gates close at 5pm on Wednesday, September 21.

The couple will be supported by Walla Walla farmer, singer, songwriter and The Voice entrant Danny Phegan and his Longreach band.

The field days will have all the usual attractions including the prestigious Henty Machine of the Year Award, the working sheep and yard dog trials, Country Lifestyle pavilion, Farm Gate Produce Market, Baker Seeds agronomy

The Henty Machinery Field Days will be back in September after a two-year break due to COVID-19 restrictions.

trials, helicopter joy rides, live entertainment, outdoor reptile show, the Natural Fibre Fashion Awards and vintage farm machinery display.

Entries have opened for the 2022 Henty Natural Fibre Fashion Awards with prizes valued around $5500 and a new award this year for the Business Development Award: Australian

Made Fibre sponsored by JMP Developments, Wodonga, for $500.

For further information, contact the HMFD organisers via their website: www.hmfd.com.au

READY WHEN YOU ARE.

THE JOSKIN MUCK SPREADER RANGE.

www.joskin.com.au (03) 5231 6999 IMPORTED BY COLAC AGRICULTURAL COMPANY PTY LTD, VICTORIA

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS // 35

Updated side-by-side on sale THE 2023 Landboss 1100D is now on sale in

Australia for $20,490 drive away.

The side-by-side is diesel-powered and righthand drive.

The main updates on this 2023 model are revised front-end styling and a dual handbrake system.

The star of the show — a liquid-cooled, threecylinder Japanese Kubota engine — remains untouched and continues to produce 72 Nm of tow-friendly torque and a top speed of 60 km/h.

This top speed is well in excess of what other diesel side-by-sides (or UTVs) can manage.

Interested buyers can expect new lights, a larger grille, sleeker steel protection bar and a Landboss badge.

The durable steel tilt tray has drop-down sides.

The 2023 1100D is now available from Landboss dealers, while fresh supplies of the smaller capacity 800D ($17,990 drive away) will go on sale in mid-July.

Landboss 1100D features

The 2023 1100D Landboss side-by-side has an 800kg towing capacity.

The 2023 1100D Landboss side-by-side (UTV) is now available at dealerships.

The main updates on this 2023 model are revised front-end styling and a dual handbrake system.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

36 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Donation preserves tractors JOHN DEERE is donating 400 litres of coolant

to help preserve a collection of historic tractors that embody the evolution of Australian agricultural machinery.

The coolant will go towards more than 112 tractors housed at the Hal Walton’s Tractor Museum in Carnamah, Western Australia.

Over the past 18 years the museum has built up one of the nation’s best tractor collections.

The collection was started by former Carnamah Chamberlain dealership owner Hal Walton long before the museum opened in 2004.

Hal’s dealership merged to become the Chamberlain John Deere dealership in 1970 after John Deere acquired a 49 per cent stake in the Australian-owned machinery manufacturer.

“John Deere was founded in 1837 and Chamberlain operated from 1949 to 1987 so the history of this equipment is extensive,” Hal said.

“The machinery is stocked with coolant as it protects the cooling system from rust and corrosion, and with this donation we can afford to go through and replace all the coolant which will last for about 10 to 12 years.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of John Deere, as this contribution works toward our goal of saving the history of the Western Australian-built Chamberlain tractors and imported John Deere equipment in Australia.”

John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said it was an honour to support the museum that was playing a vital role in chronicling Australia’s pioneering agriculture history.

“The team at Hal Walton’s Tractor Museum has shown incredible dedication to repairing, restoring and maintaining a remarkable and fascinating fleet of machinery,” Luke said.

“Each one of the machines in the museum has worked as a stepping stone towards the current fleet of efficient and highly technical tractors powering modern primary production across the nation.

“Australian farming wouldn’t exist without its machinery, so it’s vital the history of these workhorses is remembered for years to come.”

AFGRI Equipment Carnamah branch manager Wayne Barry said it was an honour to support Hal and the dedicated team at the museum.

“From time to time, we have lent some equipment and some manpower when needed,” Wayne said.

“We are great admirers of what Hal and the museum team have put together for the community.

“I’m a big believer that the past should be preserved, particularly around Carnamah where machinery, like what is on display in the museum,

was really what built and established the area to what it is today.”

Wayne said the museum was much loved by the Carnamah community.

“It’s a great talking point and something the community can be proud of,” he said.

“It’s a great attraction that pulls in visitors from all around the state. Visitors from all walks of life are interested to find out about the machinery and what it means to the local community and other communities like ours across regional Western Australia.”

Hal said the most popular machine for tourists was the imported 15.98 horsepower 1917 Waterloo Boy, which is the last tractor produced by Deere and Company before the business adopted the John Deere brand with its Model D. “Most machines of this era were melted down for their metal during the war effort, but this Waterloo Boy escaped that duty and remained in a farmer’s shed until a doctor in California bought it, and we were able to later secure it from him,” he said.

On average, between 100 and 150 hours was spent restoring each piece of equipment and upgrade work could cost between $15,000 and $25,000.

“For all of us here, we get a real buzz when we see people come through our museum who are amazed to see the collection of trac-

Hal Walton, the founder of Hal Walton’s Tractor Museum in WA, is delighted to have received a 400-litre John Deere coolant donation.

tors which have been restored and painted to appear sparkling new - the machinery looks as though it has just come out of the factory,” Hal said.

The maintenance program also includes starting each tractor twice a year for a drive around the museum’s lot and oiling the bearings and bushes.

“Then we clean them and polish them, then polish and clean them, then clean and polish them again,” Hal said.

CUT CUT DOWN DOWN YOUR YOUR

FEED FEED COSTS COSTS and get a chance to win a Stihl Chainsaw!

This winter, purchase or order ANY Hustler machine & get in the draw to win a Stihl MS 291 Farm Boss® chainsaw, worth $1,099. A new winner in Australia will be drawn each & every month from May through September 2022. Find out more at hustlerequipment.com/chainsaw.

hustlerequipment.com | 1800 750 428 or 0435 371 311

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS // 37

Emerging technologies pave way KUHN GROUP recently announced it would

introduce more than 80 new features to the market in 2022.

KUHN’s EL 162–300 biomulch power tiller, FC 9330 RA and FC 13640 RA mower conditioners with swath groupers are new products that showcase some of the new features that have been developed.

The new tiller has been designed to cater for organic farming operations, eliminating the need for herbicides to reduce the organic matter in crops. With a working width of 3 m and working depth of three to six centimetres, the rotary tiller is ideal for mixing fresh residues, cover crops or organic fertiliser into the soil.

KUHN’s new mower conditioners, the FC 9330 RA and FC 13640 RA have been designed to optimise output and quality with an integrated swath grouper.

The FC 9330 RA mower conditioner has been designed to adapt its swath delivery from 1.80 m to 3.60 m. The adaptability of the FC 9330RA positions the machine to suit a variety of balers, particularly those with wide pick-ups where the forage density is high. The most common actions of the FC 9330 RA can be controlled by the CCI A3 joystick handle. It also has an integrated inclinometer that controls the belt speed according to the slope of the paddock.

The FC 13640 RA mower conditioner offers its operators a higher working output and has been designed with the goal of preserving the

A FC 9330 RA mower conditioner with swath grouper

soil from compaction. With a working width of 12.4 m — 13.4 m (the largest mowing width in the KUHN mower range), the FC 13640 can form a swath 1.8m-3 m wide.

Its telescopic axel makes the FC13640 suitable for controlled traffic farming and increases the clearance, making it easier to form wider, more evenly shaped swaths to encourage a consistent drying process. To ensure high quality conditioning, the mower has been designed with the pivoting steel finger conditioner. The rotors

are driven by a selector lever gearbox, allowing operators to adapt their conditioning depending on the type of forage.

“One of our most exciting developments has been the KUHN CCI (competence centre isobus) connect technology,” KUHN Australia’s Bruno Fetiveau said.

“The technology continues to evolve and the isobus CCI Connect or CCI Connect Pro released into the KUHN Group in late 2020 will soon reach Australian shores.

“Australian operators were introduced to the CCI 800 and CCI 1200 terminals last season, reducing their downtime and increasing precision.

“The technological advances that are shaping the agricultural industry are pushing machine manufacturers and operators to think outside of the box. To be involved in an industry that is moving in leaps and bounds is exciting and KUHN is certainly stepping up to the challenge.”

BUILT TOUGH Multi 4 & Multi 5 Bale Feeders You expect strength, quality and performance from your farm machinery and McIntosh Bale Feeders deliver all three.

The range of McIntosh Bale Feeders are designed to a strength and performance standard with an all steel construction.

Every detail has been carefully thought out to reduce breakdowns and provide trouble free operation for years to come.

To find your nearest dealer, please contact:

www.tracmac.com.au 03 5625 1522

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA JULY 2022

38 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Award for Temora dealership TEMORA TRUCK and Tractor is the New Holland 2022 Dealer of The Year.

Temora Truck and Tractor, in the north-east Riverina in NSW, has been operating since 1980 and in 2019 joined the Agricultural Equipment Holdings (AEH) group.

The business offers a true one-stop shop for agriculture/construction machinery or heavy vehicle equipment sales, parts, accessories and servicing from its two fully equipped on-site workshops, as well as service field vehicles fitted with the latest technology.

Dealer principal David Thompson said the team was honoured to win the award.

“This award is testament to the dedication and commitment of our team, and recognition of the support from the Temora agriculture community and the AEH Group,” he said.

“The combination of long-standing staff experience and the passion of our team reflects the importance we place on the ultimate customer experience.

“By continually up-skilling our team members with product knowledge, customer service skills, and people management training, we are confident in their ability to understand our customers’ needs to ensure the ultimate customer experience.”

In addition to being named New Holland’s 2022 Dealer of the Year, Temora Truck and Tractor was also named the winner of the High Horsepower Most Improved Performance category.

Ronco Motors, a family-run business that has operated from its existing premises in Pinnaroo, South Australia since 1960, was named the 2022 Precision Land Management (PLM) Dealer of The Year.

This is the second consecutive year that Ronco Motors has been named as New Holland’s PLM Dealer of The Year, winning the award in 2021.

The business is now third-generation family owned and has dealerships in Pinnaroo, Loxton and Karoonda.

Ronco Motors has invested heavily in PLM so they can offer customers a complete and flexible PLM solution focused on leading-edge solutions for managing all crop production needs.

New Holland Australia & New Zealand general manager Bruce Healy said the New Holland Dealer of The Year Award was a prestigious award.

“Apart from winning the trophy, the New Holland Dealer of The Year also receives $20,000 to spend in their business to enhance their customers’ experience with the New Holland brand,” he said.

“Through these annual awards we recognise the outstanding efforts of our dealers across several criteria of excellence, including operations, market share, customer focus, and parts and service and use best in class business practices.

“Australian farmers truly are in the most capable hands, as demonstrated by the deep roots held by our dealers in their respective ­communities.”

The Temora Truck and Tractor team.

Temora Truck and Tractor’s David Thompson and Emma Gilbert.

CASE STUDIES ONLINE

NOW

MAKE THE MOST OF THE HIGH MILK PAYOUT Reduce your urea, apply multiple products in one-pass, including small seeds, and grow more grass with a Tow and Fert.

nothing and we are not tied into a high input system.

With the cost of urea now, it’s a really good cost to avoid.

“

Owen Billing, Dairy Farmer

We have been applying mag “oxide, lime flour and other animal

health products onto the pasture.

We are 6 X less cost per cow in terms of animal health and we have staggering animal health.

“

been able to reduce “ Weourhavesynthetic N to almost

Geoff Bellamy, Dairy Farmer

Tow and Fert Multi 1200 Owner

Tow and Fert Multi 1000 Owner

Image shows spraying with a Tow and Fert Multi 1200 on Owen Billings farm in Korumburra, Victoria

A Tow and Fert is a SMART BUSINESS INVESTMENT

Multi 500

Multi 1000

Multi 1200

Multi 2800

Available in 5 models.

Tow and Fert. There is one for your farm.

www.towandfert.com.au

Multi 4000

UNLOCK THE BENEFITS ® OF CEPRALOCK THE NEW TEAT SEALANT FOR AUSTRALIAN DAIRIES

Flexible dual tip syringe for greater precision to help reduce infections1,2

Smaller air pocket and shorter plunger for smoother and faster application

NEW

Designed, manufactured, and supported

by MSD

Available from your local Veterinarian For more information on Cepralock, contact Clive Schwikkard on 0409 036 544

EVERY COW DESERVES A

TEAT SEALANT

1. S McDougall, 2003. Management factors associated with the incidence of clinical mastitis over the non-lactation period and bulk tank somatic cell count during the subsequent lactation, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 51:2, 63-72.

2. Boddie & Nickerson, 1986. Dry Cow Therapy, Effects of Method of Drug Administration on Occurrence of Intramammary Infection, J. Dairy Sci 69, 253-257. ® Registered trademarks.

Intervet Australia Pty Ltd (known as MSD Animal Health). ABN: 79008467034.

Copyright © 2022 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.