APRIL 2020 ISSUE 114
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A new home in Oz More sunshine, no snow for this couple, see page 10
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2020
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Chair’s message Plan, prepare and take care of each other FIRSTLY, HOW are we all faring?
This ever-evolving situation regarding the COVID-19 virus continues to be at the forefront of all our minds and it is very tricky to imagine what the new normal might look like. Due the fluidity of the circumstances it is difficult for me to write on the current position. As we work through these challenging times, it is of course essential that we plan and prepare as much as possible to safeguard our businesses. This includes keeping in contact with your trusted field staff and service providers to ensure essential supplies remain available, and collection of milk and livestock continues. However, people are our most important consideration at this moment. Whether that is our
family, friends, farm team or the wider population. We are a very close-knit industry and look out for each other through times of adversity. It is one of the many qualities I admire in our farming community. In mid-March we made the decision to postpone all face-to-face events, workshops and meetings. This included our Great South West Dairy Awards Gala evening, which was due to take place later that month. We will announce a new date for this prestigious event once we know when it is appropriate to do so. The finalists have already been announced and I must say that the calibre of applications this year was exceptional.
We appreciate the support of our generous sponsors and everyone else involved in the awards, as we wait to reschedule the event. Whilst we have been unable to run our usual calendar of workshops and events, the team at WestVic Dairy has been busy utilising other methods of service delivery in order to help you make informed business decisions on your farm. We like to use a variety of communication platforms to deliver our extension content and during the current situation we have increased our use of technology in the form of videos, podcasts and online resources. Of course, life on-farm continues regardless of what is happening around the country and the world.
Many of us are now in the thick of one of the busier periods of the farming calendar. Calving is in full swing for many, and pastures are being re-sown prior to the autumn break. Personally, we are flat out calving on our farm. Between the calf shed, home and the computer screen to do video conferences, I have been in what seems like self-isolation as well. It may look like chaos at times, but I like to think it's the organised kind! Take care of yourself, your loved ones, neighbours and our elderly in the community and if there is anything we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 5557 1000. ¡ Simone Renyard WestVic Dairy chair
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Mark, Tracey Madden Paul and Helen Madden on the site of their new dairy, with a windfarm prospecting tower in the background.
Farmers fight windfarm plan DAIRY FARMER angst is growing over plans for
a giant wind farm in south-west Victoria. Farmers have joined a Moyne Shire Hexham wind farm community engagement committee and will argue that prime farming land should be kept for farming purposes. Committee member and Ellerslie dairy farmer, Mark Madden, said farmers were concerned about the loss of productive land and the potential impacts on their operations. Mr Madden is also part of the Hexham Community Environmental Action Group, representing more than 30 landholders opposing the plan, and is one of more than 200 signatories to a petition against the windfarm. Mr Madden and his wife Tracey farm with Mark's parents Paul and Helen on a property on the southern edge of the proposed 125-turbine windfarm. The closest wind turbine will be about 300 m from the Maddens' farm and they anticipate they will see eight turbines from their property. They can already see a prospecting tower from their dairy, even on a hazy day. The Maddens say south-west Victoria is emerging as Australia's premier dairy and farming region
and should be protected. “They have a 1.5 km buffer from us but a 5 km buffer from towns,� Mark said. “Why the difference? I can't see the logic. If they're going to be 5 km from a town, they should be 5k from a residence and farm.� The Maddens are also concerned about potential planning overlays which could prevent them building anything within 1.5 km of a turbine. “Effectively we have 1.2k on our land from the wind tower where we can't do anything,� Mr Madden said. “We can run our stock but we can't build a hay shed or a calf shed. They've placed them near boundary fences which would put an overlay on everyone's property.� The company behind the Hexham Wind Farm proposal says the site is well suited to a wind farm development. Wind Prospect says the proposal covers up to 125 turbines up to 250 m high. It would also include tracks, underground cabling, overhead powerlines and other electrical infrastructure. Hexham Wind Farm is in the planning and environment stage and focused on completing
independent technical assessments of potential impacts. A spokesman for Wind Prospect said there were more than 90 wind farms operating across Australia and several hundred thousand wind turbines operating internationally. “With most wind farms located in rural areas, a significant proportion of these wind turbines would be interacting with livestock yet we are not aware of any reports of potential impacts of wind farms on livestock,� the spokesman said. “On the contrary there are many reports of livestock seeking out the shade and shelter created by wind turbines for protection from the sun and other elements.� However, the Maddens say the visual impact would be there forever and concerns about the potential impact on stock and groundwater shouldn't be dismissed. The proposed windfarm would cover 15 000 ha from Caramut to Hexham and down to Ellerslie. Its northern boundary at Caramut is 22 km from the Madden farm. Mr Madden said the wind farm company acknowledged farmer concerns but couldn't
allay their fears. “They say they have majority support but we have over 200 signatures on a petition. There's minimal support for it. We're not against windfarms but we don't see why they've got to dump it on top of people and farms.� The action group has sent a protest letter to Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne. The Maddens say south-west Victoria's prime farming land and reliable rainfall is needed for food production. “There's plenty of vacant land where there's no-one for miles; cropping farms where they'd be glad to see wind turbines,� Paul Madden said. They are also concerned about rumours of more windfarms at Garvoc, Willatook and Woolsthorpe. Tracey Madden said the family wasn't against renewables. “We have to do something for the planet, but we're against good farming land going to wind.� The next Hexham Wind Farm community engagement committee involves Moyne Shire councillors, six community and two Wind Prospect representatives.
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The Tindalls 20-year-old dairy is constantly maintained and upgraded to make the milking process and health checks easier.
Farming to the environment THE TINDALL family from near Casterton
has learnt to farm to their environment, not to a script, and they don't mind improvising from time to time. In an area dominated by beef and sheep farming, the Tindalls have used technology and good farming practices to survive and improve. As one of only five dairy farms in the gently sloping valleys around Coleraine and Casterton, they enjoy mild winters and dry summers. Lachlan Tindall, who farms with his father John, feels depressed when he sees a green tinge on southern farms over summer, but smiles when he can move cows freely over winter. It started as a Soldier's Settlement farm in 1948 and has gone from two people milking 60 cows to one person running a rotary dairy that milks 650. They farm off a 445 ha dairy block with a 365 ha out block, along with a connected beef operation on 525 ha. Like many farmers, the past few years have been tough, but the Tindalls find ways to innovate and improve. Lachlan described the past four years as a perfect storm of negativity; they were caught in the Murray Goulburn collapse, battled drought and low prices and endured a collapse in the Wagyu beef market after buying a new farm. “We've been flat out surviving the past few years,� John said. It's still tough but this year has shown signs of improvement, with dairy leading the way
ahead of beef. “We got rain in the spring at the right time and we managed the pastures better through that period, and because the milk price is better, we've had the ability to pay more for fodder,� Lachlan said. “At our last cheque, we were about 240 000 litres up for the year.� Their Bega milk price of $7.05 and lower feed costs are helping the Tindalls to turn the corner. The farm has medium-framed Friesians and despite the dry conditions (they average 600 mm but only got 400 mm last year, albeit at the right times) they maintain a 1.4 cows per hectare stocking rate, about the south-west average. “We don't want big cows; they do a lot of walking and we don't have the feed for big cows,� Lachlan said. They bought a neighbouring farm to diversify into beef and to grow more fodder. They buy in about 2.2 tonnes of grain or concentrate mix per cow, and around 400 to 500 tonnes of vetch or lucerne hay a year. Experience has shown deep-rooted Mediterranean perennials like Phalaris and Cocksfoot work best on the land, with rye-grass no longer viable on the dairy block. “We use annuals as renovation tools or patchup tools, as well as oats,� Lachlan said. “If a paddock needs renovating, we rip it up and put oats through it for one or two years, which helps with weed control and then, if need be, put annuals in; but I've gone away from putting
annuals straight after oats because you get a bit of a seed build up and when you go back to Phalaris and Cocksfoot, it will smother it.� John said he tried rye-grass for years but it never worked. “We've got a paddock of Cocksfoot that was sown in 1982 or '83 and it's still like a fresh pasture. Nothing kills it — it's drought-proof, crickets, grubs, grasshoppers. They just bounce back,� John said. About three years ago they trialled splitting a paddock three ways to see what would happen
with different strains of rye-grass. As expected, none survived after 12 months but typically the Tindalls are happy to give new things a try. The need for a lot of inputs is exacerbated by autumn calving. “There's never any grass but we want to cash in on the early lactation milk by feeding them better,� John said. “Calving when it's dry is very easy; we only lost one per cent of calves last year. John has always followed the philosophy that you need to farm to your environment, not a script.
The valleys around Casterton are dry over summer but don’t get boggy in winter.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2020
WEST VIC REGION // 5 “We've been doing that subconsciously for the past 20 years,� he said. One of the big improvements over the past decade has been the six-week in-calf rate, now sitting a bit over 70 per cent. What did they do to fix it? A lot of sitting. “We used to do six weeks of AI,� Lachlan said. “We'd take it in turns to sit there on the AI platform watching cows come around. If they came past on heat, we'd draft them out.� Last March they were approached by Genetics Australia to use Herdinsight collars just prior to joining. While John calls it “bovine bling� for the pretty red straps, the collars have been helpful. “We weren't expecting a better conception rate because we were already right up at the top, it was more a lifestyle thing,� he said. The conception rate was the same as the
previous year even though the cows were in lesser condition and the Tindalls expect further improvements in coming years. The biggest selling point for most people is conception rate, for the Tindalls the main payback was lifestyle — Lachlan being able to go motorbike riding and John and Glenys able to holiday for a week in July, something that couldn't happen before. They also make it easier to monitor cows from afar. The dairy has been upgraded with a Jantec system including auto teat spray, cell count monitors, and inline milk meters. “The computer tells staff what to do. One man couldn't milk 650 cows without technology,� John said. They say the system is “hi-tech but simple� and they have been trialling a new software product.
Cow health is a priority, with an intensive vaccination program protecting the herd.
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“I'm happy to be a guinea pig for trials so we can see what works and what doesn't,� Lachlan said. This year the farm is tracking for 8000 litres or a bit over and around 600 kg/MS. About eight years ago they employed independent nutritionist Total Result Ag Consulting and put the focus on margin, rather than straightout production. “Since then, we've gone from about 5500 litres to 8000 with no extra infrastructure and we're milking more cows,� Lachlan said. They also use agronomist Andrew Speirs as part of their confidence in the advice of experts in their field. For the first time they did genomic testing of calves last year, mainly to ensure they keep their best lines and export the lesser animals. “Our starting baseline was higher than normal but we're not big genetics people,� Lachlan said. “We're more interested in feeding cows properly and having a healthy herd to get more milk out of them. I don't see the point of having bigger, flashier cows until we're getting more out of what we've got.� Always looking for ways to make things easier, the Tindalls use an excavator to load silage, cutting the previous tractor time from 45 to 10 minutes. Their focus on animal health has seen the introduction of a heavy vaccination program. “We've had issues dealing with IBR and rotavirus in the past so six-seven years ago we started a vaccination program that has eliminated all
those problems,� Lachlan said. They vaccinate just prior to calving to get coverage on both animals. Last year Lachlan did a trial on about 20 cows just using Teatseal instead of blanket Dry Cow treatment. It worked well and mastitis and cell count were about the same as the previous year. This year around 85 per cent of the herd will be Teatseal only, and only those with mastitis or high cell count will get both Dry Cow and Teatseal.
The Tindalls use an excavator to load silage, saving significant time.
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Mark, Tracey, Paul and Helen Madden.
Investing in the future WHILE MANY dairy farmers are looking to
the greener pastures of other farming interests, the Madden family of Ellerslie is investing in the future of dairy. They're spending $750 000 on a new rotary dairy, a sign of confidence in the industry and their connection to the land. Buoyed by a succession of good seasons and a decent milk price, the Maddens expect to increase numbers and production with the new dairy. Mark and Tracey Madden farm with Mark's parents Paul and Helen. They have progressed
from an original 10-a-side dairy with 120 cows to a 17-a-side, then a 16-double-up and now the 44-unit rotary. Ground work has started and they hope to move into the new dairy by the end of May. As a result, the milking herd will increase from 360 to 400 and a new feeding system is expected to lead to improved production. “It is a show of confidence,� Mark said. “We were to the point that the dairy was at its peak and we had to either step up and look for something bigger or step out.
“We know how to farm this land so we decided to build the new dairy and we're pretty confident it'll be right.� Some neighbours and other dairy farms across the region have converted to beef, sheep or grazing, but that hasn't dented the confidence of the Maddens. “I think too many have gone out,� Mark said. “There will be more demand for milk because of a lack of supply and I reckon those who stay will manage it a lot better and push production in the cows.�
The 293 ha farm, including out paddocks, has a 60 per cent Friesian, 40 per cent Jersey herd, a mix that produces good production and test results for the Australian Dairy Farmers Co-operative suppliers. It is essentially a family operation, supplemented by one part-time milker. Mark and Tracey's children Tess, 15 and Jack, 12, are already showing interest in the farm. “Jack would leave school tomorrow to work on the farm if we'd let him,� Paul said. “In time if he wants to come home to the
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2020
WEST VIC REGION // 7 farm, we want it to be viable.� Over the decades, the Maddens have grown to know and love their land. “We know what the land needs, what grass seeds work here, like Vic rye-grass, Tetila, Lightning, and what super rates we need, and we do a lime test every couple of years,� Mark said. Rainfall averages 711mm to 762mm a year. “It's the best kept secret up here,� Paul said. “If you put money into it, you're going to get a return from it. “When you have a look at other areas, they've had droughts then fires and then floods and in north Victoria they have it hard with water. “You hope they all keep going but this area is usually pretty good. It's the end of February and we've got a green pick.� While buoyant about the industry, they don't have much confidence in the Australian Dairy Plan. “We've got the same people sitting up there going on about what they're going to do,� Paul said. “If you paint an old house, it's still an old house. They need to bring in some fresh people and give them a go.� He also says all farms should get equal voting rights, irrespective of their size. “I'm just as important as the next bloke and no more important than another,� Paul said. Along with contracted professionals, the Maddens are managing the dairy project and helping with a lot of the work. They hope to improve their average 400 kg/Ms to about 450 this year. “We'll hopefully feed them better in the bale in the new dairy,� Mark said.
“The cows will be individually fed which I reckon will make a big difference. We've got cows calving in September-October and we want to feed them differently to the cows that we've got calving in a couple of weeks. “For the cows calving in March, we'll feed up to 6 kilos of pellets and the others we'll keep around four. With the new dairy we can individually concentrate on each cow as she comes in and we reckon we can get another 50 milk solids per cow by improving the feed.� They converted to pellets mid last year. “We weren't getting the mixture of the grain right,� Mark said. “We could see that the last grain coming through the silo wasn't as good whereas the pellets stay pretty neutral all the way through.� They will continue using the old dairy until the new rotary, built on a rise near the existing yards, is online. While Tracey says you need a sense of humour to get through the difficult times, it's obvious introducing the Maddens love their farm. And with a good season behind them and a major investment on the way, the future is looking rosy. “Weather wise this is the best year we've had for a long time,� Paul said. “With price, it's got to have a $7 in front of it and if it balances out in the mid $7s we'd be happy.� For Mark it's all about doing what you enjoy. “You've got to want to do it and enjoy it,� he said. “You don't turn off Friday night and start again Monday.�
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Considerations for bobby calf processing DEBBIE TWISS, EXTENSION OFFICER, WESTVIC DAIRY
Good management in the first five • Having a dry shrivelled navel. • Being at least five days of age -this needs to days for bobby calves includes •
WITH MANY farms now busy calving, it is
timely to revisit our management of all new arrivals, some of whom may only stay a short time on farm. Under current Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines — land transport guidelines, the minimum age for a calf to leave the farm is five days. Increased use of sexed semen and beef breed bulls helps reduce the number of bull calves entering the bobby calf chain but cannot eliminate this pathway. Many farmers have identified the risk of losing social licence to farm as a significant threat to dairy production. Livestock management practices that uphold the guidelines provide assurance to customers and community about minimum welfare standards for cattle on dairy farms. Calf care is a high priority for the future sustainability of the industry, regardless of the outcome for the individual animal. In the last WestVic Dairy newsletter we discussed care and feeding of heifer replacements, here we will review requirements to ensure non-replacement calves are fit for transport.
• •
•
Being fed 2–4 litres colostrum within first 24 hours of life Being fed daily with milk/milk replacer and have ad lib access to water. Being provided protection from excess heat, sun, wind and rain. They must be kept clean and dry with bedding. Always handled gently. Not thrown, hit, dropped or dragged at any time. Bobby calves must not be moved using dogs or electric prodders
Before leaving the farm gate bobby calves must fit for transport, which includes: •
Having received liquid feed within six hours of transport. The day, date and time a specific calf receives this feed must be recorded in a manner able to be presented for audit. • Being able to stand on all four feet and be able to rise from a lying position. Hooves must be flat and worn. • Having no signs of disease, deformity, disability, injury or blindness — no discharges from nose, mouth, navel or anus.
be recorded in a way that can be audited. Being free from antibiotic residue. Being at least 23 kg. There is a chain of people responsible for bobby calf welfare from farm via transporter to processor. Each point of the chain is an opportunity to demonstrate how management practices align with guidelines. In Victoria these guidelines are enforceable under the Livestock Management Act 2010. Dairy Australia has several bobby calf management resources available for download: ■Field guide: Caring for bobby calves before and during transport at www. dairyaustralia.com.au/-/media/ dairyaustralia/documents/farm/animalcare/animal-welfare/bobby-calves/ caring-for-bobby-calf-welfare-beforeand-during-transport.pdf?la=en&hash=2 B0F13DAB17CF3CB795A165181AF9ED3E 54DFECD ■Information sheet: Handling Bobby Calves — Fit for transport at www. dairyaustralia.com.au/-/media/ dairyaustralia/documents/farm/animalcare/animal-welfare/bobby-calves/bobby-
• •
calf-fit-for-transport-factsheet.pdf?la=en &hash=B1E26207D457DAA7FB35D0FE14 12BD1489CEB3D7 ■Book: Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle -A guide for dairy farmers January 2017 ■www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/animalmanagement/animal-welfare We have some free Bobby Calves for Sale signs that are a useful communication tool between farm staff and transporters regarding suitability of calves for collection. The plastic signs have space to insert when calves last fed and provide contact number for any issues. Please phone WestVic Dairy on 5557 1000 if you would like a sign for your farm. The Australian Animal Welfare Standards for Land Transport of Livestock can be accessed at: http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net. au/files/2015–12/Land-transport-of-livestockStandards-and-Guidelines-Version-1.-1–21September-2012.pdf
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2020
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Staff culture vital in the dairy workplace MARC JOHNSTON
IN FEBRUARY I attended the Australian Dairy Conference thanks to the Gardiner Dairy Foundation and WestVic Dairy. Among the many standout speakers, my highlight was Dan Brown's presentation on staff culture in the dairy farm workplace. Dan had been working for Australian Fresh Milk Holdings at Moxey Farm in NSW for many years. He was then transferred to Coomboona Farm in Victoria and tasked with “turning staff culture around”. My current role is herd manager on a 650-cow dairy farm in the Colac region. Dan's experiences at Coomboona Farm were really interesting because I have been trying to improve staff culture in my own workplace. His talk gave me many ideas on how to make dairy farms attractive places to work. Skilled and reliable farm labour is a huge issue at the moment. Retaining and motivating good staff is particularly challenging for large-scale operations like Coomboona and Moxey. As a starting point, Dan recommends we reflect on our own behaviour as senior members of staff and consider whether we are setting a good example. We need to look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves “Would I work for a person like me?”
Communication
looking after staff is essential to business success. There were lots of practical ideas in Dan's presentation and since returning from the ADC I have been trying to implement many of them. WestVic Dairy acknowledges the financial
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Effective communication is critical in every workplace. Dan discussed how they use What's App messaging on their farm. It's a quick way to update the entire team and assign tasks. Pictures can also be uploaded to help make things clearer. Some challenges to this approach include staff not being equipped with smartphones and poor internet coverage across the farm. Regular staff meetings are another management tool Dan uses at Coomboona Farm. Having regular, short meetings with all staff members helps the team to plan out tasks for the week, alert staff to upcoming decisions and outline future plans for the farm. Meetings can also be a good social gathering to allow staff to get to know each other while still maintaining a professional environment. They also provide staff with an opportunity to give feedback to the manager. Dan also discussed how important it is to have regular one-on-one check-ins with staff to see how they are going. Being friendly, open and approachable is a major asset for dairy managers and will help them run a successful business and retain good staff.
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Training Being willing to spend plenty of time teaching and training staff was another valuable suggestion. Instead of just giving staff black and white instructions, Dan said it was important to teach staff how something works and why they must complete a task in a certain way. Negative staff culture, poor working conditions and no work-life balance can lead to breakdowns in the workplace and the loss of good staff. That is why creating a positive workplace culture and
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Alex Bohdanov and partner Ivanna Tsybenko are expecting their first child and are seeking permanent residency in Australia.
Dairy journey from Ukraine to Australia AUSTRALIA'S DAIRY industry has often
looked across the world to fill on-farm positions but not many make the trek from Ukraine. Alex Bohdanov and his partner Ivanna Tsybenko have, and they are setting up home on Brian McLaren's Woolsthorpe dairy farm. With their first child on the way, they are applying for permanent residency while Alex hones his love of farming as the farm's herd manager.
More than two-thirds of the land in Ukraine is dedicated to agriculture and the country has an intensive and developing dairy industry, but Alex and Ivanna wanted to look further afield. Alex studied production technology and processing in agriculture and worked in Ukraine on a dairy farm but decided to look overseas for better job security. About seven years ago they found the right match in New Zealand.
“It was a good choice,” Alex said. “New Zealand was much easier than Australia in those days to get a work visa.” “I found an agent in Kiev looking for young people to go to work in New Zealand and he found a farm assistant position.” Despite language difficulties and challenges in passing a required English test, Alex started alongside workers from the Philippines and Germany on a 650-cow farm. Their initial three-year visa could only be extended if Alex stepped up to a management position so he studied various courses such as animal husbandry and pasture management at agriculture school in New Zealand. “You get advantages if you study locally,” he said. “It's all about local knowledge. If I was going to get a step-up in the job, I needed to do local courses.” He was able to move on to another farm as herd manager, opening the door to another three-year visa. “It was a good experience. The practical experience was great, learning about treating
lame cows and different kinds of treatment to care for cows.” He looked to make the move to Australia after the farm he was working on suffered a Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, like many other farms in New Zealand. Having studied in two different countries and now worked in three, Alex is able to compare best farming practices, though nothing matches the challenges of minus-20-degree temperatures in Ukraine. “Ukraine is a relatively young country; not that long ago we were part of the USSR. “The way people work there is a bit different from western countries,” he said. In Ukraine university, his study was more theory-based, in New Zealand it was more practical, while western farms are more about efficiency. “People are really focused on efficiency in western countries and you don't have many people to work the farm, Alex said. “In Ukraine a farm with say 700 cows could have 40 people working on it. They employ a fulltime vet, mechanics, full-time tractor drivers. It's a different system with a big difference in mentality.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2020
WEST VIC REGION // 11 “In Ukraine people focus on many, many details, such as herd testing every 10 days. They want to make sure the quality of product is very good.� Alex said the milk price was the same around the world — not as much as farmers want or need, while wages for farm workers were much higher in Australia and New Zealand. “But there is a difference in the cost of living. You can live there with the lower salary because things are much cheaper,� he said. The weather might be the biggest difference and challenge. “We have really cold winters, sometimes minus 20 with lots of snow. The cows are kept in barns or sheds.� The Ukraine Government has been encouraging small family farms. Grants are available for milking equipment along with subsidies of $100 per cow per year. Some family farms survive with just 10 to 12 cows. Alex and Ivanna keep in touch with their home land and try to visit every year. “It's a good country; it's not as bad as some think,� Alex said. “You can work overseas for a few years and get some money to buy properties.� Alex and Ivanna own apartments there. “At this stage we don't plan to go back to Ukraine but it's good to have something there
because you never know what will happen,� Ivanna said. They have applied for permanent residency in Australia and are expecting their first child in late July. “We had looked at Canada but we had holidays on the Gold Coast and looked around and thought the country was nice and Australia was a good choice,� Ivanna said. “Australia is closer to New Zealand and has a similar culture.� While Ivanna works as a hairstylist in Warrnambool, Alex is enjoying his role as herd manager for the McLaren farm where he's part of a four-strong permanent workforce supplemented by casuals and part-timers. The farm has more than 600 cross-breed cows plus heifers on a 450 ha grazing platform, plus out blocks for silage and young stock. “I don't see a huge difference between Australia and New Zealand but we feed out a bit more during summer because we don't have irrigation here. In New Zealand, every farm I worked on had irrigation.� While learning new skills and adapting to the local conditions, Alex has been focused on herd health and keeping cows clean from mastitis. “We're doing well; our cell count varies from 120 to 150 which is pretty good for the end of the season,� he said.
“In Ukraine a farm with say 700 cows could have 40 people working on it. " — Alex Bohdanov
Despite not having irrigation like his New Zealand farms, Alex says the season has been great for hay and silage.
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You will have noticed an increase in electronic mailouts, additional video and audio content as well as more social media activity.
The team at WestVic Dairy continue to be available to assist you and your farm business through these challenging times.
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Whilst we are unable to run our usual range of extension events, we are using other routes of communication.
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Less worms, more milk.
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A business case for drenching dairy cows with Epricare® Pour-On
A
common challenge for most businesses is finding a balance between reducing inefficiencies and improving productivity. In doing so, successful businesses are persistent in their efforts to continually identify and drive improvements in the current system that reduce costs and increase revenue. This is no different in commercial dairy operations, where producers look to maximise sustainable production and minimise cost, constantly measuring and assessing profitability and return on investment (ROI). Although efficiency and productivity are both important to successful businesses, they commonly compete with each other, as efficiency looks to strip resources out of the system while productivity attempts to increase production. In tough years, the high cost of inputs in relation to farm revenue sees many producers adopt a lean businesses model, as it is less risky to cut spending than it is to increase productivity. As a
result, many farmers focus investment on activities that are perceived to generate the highest ROI, including herd genetics, nutrition and technology while cutting other costs perceived as less important. However, how do you know the value of each input or activity if you don’t measure it? One such input that is commonly overlooked is treating cows with an effective drench to control worm burdens throughout lactation. There is a common misconception that worms don’t have a significant effect on mature cattle. Although gastrointestinal worms rarely cause clinical signs of disease in dairy cattle, with most animals appearing healthy, it has been found that gastrointestinal worms will decrease feed intake and reduce the efficiency of feed utilisation.1 So, not only are the cattle infected with worms eating less, they are less efficient at using what they do eat. A study conducted in Australian dairy cattle showed that effective control of
gastrointestinal worms in early lactation can significantly increase milk volume and the quantity of fat and protein produced. The study, involving more than 2,500 dairy cattle run under commercial pasture-based production systems in Australia, showed that effective worm control in the first 100 days of lactation can increase milk production (47 L), increase milk protein (2.2 kg) and increase milk fat (1.8 kg).2 In milk yield alone, this is estimated to be an increase of 21c/head/day or around $15,750 per year, for a 250 cow dairy herd.*^ Outside of the scheduled dry period, every day that a cow is not producing saleable milk impacts on the profitability of the business. One variable that has a significant impact on the annual production of the herd is the average calving to conception interval. With a shorter calving to conception interval, the herd can start producing milk sooner, increasing the number of days
in production and therefore total herd output. A recent study3 showed that post calving control of gastrointestinal worms with Epricare can reduce first-calving heifers’ average calving to conception interval by 12.9 days, when compared to untreated cattle. If achieved, this can increase saleable milk output by around 250 L#, at a value of $114 per first-calving heifer in the milking herd.* Although efficiency and productivity can compete within a business, it is possible to find the right balance through assessing the ROI of farm inputs and activities, and selecting the ones that bring the highest returns to your business. As you can’t accurately manage something that you can’t measure, talk to your local CRT store or call your Boehringer Ingelheim territory manager about assessing worm challenges in your herd throughout the year, and selecting the most effective drench program for your operation.
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Available from your local CRT store. *See product label for full claim details and directions for use. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Australia Pty. Ltd. Level 1, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde NSW 2113 Australia. ABN 53 071 187 285. ®EPRICARE is a registered trademark of the Boehringer Ingelheim Group. GENS.15.06.0146
*Milk price of 44.2c per L ^300 days of lactation #Milk production of 20 L per day References: 1. Coop. R & Holmes. P., (1996) Nutrition and parasite interaction, International Journal for Parasitology, (26), Issues 8–9, pp 951-962, ISSN 0020-7519, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7519(96)80070-1. 2. Little et al., (2000) Effect of Eprinomectin at Calving on Milk Production of Dairy Herds. Proceedings of 17th Annual Seminar of Society of Dairy Cattle Vets, NZVA. 3. McPherson et al., (1999) The Impact of Eprinomectin Treatment on Dairy Cattle Reproductive Performance. AAVP Proceedings, 44th Annual Meeting, New Orleans 1999; 44th Annual Meeting: 41 See product label for full claim details and directions for use. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Australia Pty. Ltd., Level 1, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113 Australia. ABN 53 071 187285. Epricare® is a registered trademarks of the Boehringer Ingelheim Group. All rights reserved. AUS-EPRI-191001