Dairy direct April 2014 by McPherson Media Group

Country News PUBLICATION

Issue 11, April 2014

Introducing our Focus Farmers

» page 12

» page 8

FAMIL Y

How to save more calves in their first 24 hours

2014 E TH

» page 44

RNATION

YEAR OF

Raising better heifers

» page 35

RMER • IN FA

Alpine valley farmers set ambitious plan

Cover picture: Simon Bingham

Editor Geoff Adams editor@countrynews.com.au Writers Cathy Walker Laura Griffin Sophie Bruns Photographers Ray Sizer Simon Bingham Julie Mercer Bianca Mibus Graphic designers Teresa Lagozzino Brendan Cain Riverine Herald production team

Sales manager Jamie Gilbert jamie.gilbert@countrynews. com.au Published by Country News PO Box 204, Shepparton, Victoria 3632 (03) 5831 2312 www.countrynews.com.au A Country News publication

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APRIL 2014

Dairy Direct I hope northern Victoria farmers are able to capitalise on the four new focus farms being set up across northern Victoria. The farms, which we introduce in this issue, are an excellent opportunity to get some handson, grassroots (excuse the pun) information about modern farm practices. I remember going to field days over the past two years and being disappointed at least once, when I noted the small number attending. It seemed a golden opportunity was being missed to pick up on first-hand experience that other farmers had been through without the cost of doing it yourself. Perhaps the field days may have been at the wrong time, but I certainly hope there is more interest in what seems a practical opportunity to pick up some

ideas. Meanwhile speculation is rising over where the milk price will end this season, with Fonterra talking about $6.80 to $7/ kg milk solids, and Murray Goulburn pointing towards about $6.70/kg. A UDV-commissioned study has found milk prices averaging around $5/kg over the past 10 years, so the factory forecasts are being welcomed. We just don’t want to slip back into the boom and bust cycle that has dominated dairy during those 10 years. See what new UDV president Tyran Jones had to say on page 10. Geoff Adams Country News editor

contents

Interest is growing In a time when industries are facing renewed struggles, it’s heartening to see the dairy industry, particularly in our region, attracting renewed interest. Australian dairy is a $13 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry, with the Murray Dairy region contributing about $4.3 billion. The recent $40 million investment by ACM (Australian Consolidated Milk) and Pactum Australia in a UHT production facility in Shepparton is welcome news. With an initial capacity of 100 million litres, it will have the potential to increase up to 350 million litres over time. Murray Goulburn is also looking at major upgrade investment with a total value of between $400 million and $500 million in the next three to five years. Investments such as this should continue to drive higher and hopefully more stable farm gate prices in the region. The recent takeover of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter by Saputo has only reinforced that interest in dairy from the wider community continues to grow. Our industry has the potential to grow substantially during the next decade to meet growing international demand. Realising this growth potential and expanding the industry’s economic, social and environment benefits depends on a

Doing Dairy

Dairy news

4–6

Animal health 8

positive national and international operating environment. The Victorian Government’s recent release of the Goulburn Valley Industry and Employment Plan has also been a boost to confidence in the region’s dairy industry. The government’s taskforce identified 13 early actions within the Goulburn Valley. The plan outlined supporting and enhancing growth in the dairy industry as the first strategic priority. Murray Dairy is pleased to see the early action as supporting progression of the first stage of the Murray Dairy Accelerating Change Project. Our region boasts many competitive advantages and is well positioned for industry leaders to work together for successful outcomes. Jenny and I attended a function in Melbourne earlier this year where three of our region’s farmers were featured. Congratulations to Mark and Narelle McDonald from Tallandoon for winning Dairy Farmer of the Year, and finalists Mark and Lynne Peterson from Nathalia. Do take the opportunity to catch up on news about our three new Focus Farms, discussion group funding and other dairy news within this edition. Malcolm Holm Murray Dairy chairman

Colostrum under the microscope

Growth extends across farm

Make that first drink count

Sizing up to make efficiencies

Program participation beneficial

New Focus Farmers hoping to learn as they go

Priorities set

Discussion groups funded

Focus on herd improvement

Change moves farm into fertile period

Take hard work out of labour hire

FutureDairy announces new robotic rotary 32 Get it right from the start

Soil structure improvement dramatic

High plans for valleys

Milk prices appear promising

Feed right for best cow health

Value-adding venture

Trade barriers must be overcome

Heifer rearing goes off-site

NZ dynamo to kick off dairy symposium

Calendar of events

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Doing Dairy

with SOPHIE BRUNS

Sophie Bruns is a dairy farmer from Gunbower with a husband, two daughters and a mortgage.

Season brings new challenges Cooler weather welcomed along with hopes of a better industry climate ahead It is hard to believe we are heading into autumn and all the joys that season brings for us — paddock work and watering for Rob, cows and calves for me and of course the much awaited netball season for my youngest daughter — who has been running up the road in anticipation. The change in weather has certainly been appreciated by us all. At least now I can get the cows up without a water bottle, icy-pole, sunscreen, hat and three very hot panting dogs. It’s funny because I used to have to cart my two girls around and now I have three dogs — usually a border collie on the front of the four-wheeler, a Maltese on my knee and one-of-a-kind wonder dog Barney-George on the back. These three loyal puppies follow me around everywhere and I can’t get out the door without at least two of them at my heels. I just wish they could open gates or do

something that was at least partially useful — working dogs they certainly are not! Calving this season hasn’t got off to a great start: four calves on the ground, one irrigation channel rescue and another neardeath experience for me. I had to bring up a cow that had calved in the wrong paddock, which is no big deal except when she turned on me not once, twice or three times — but four times she attacked the motorbike, pushing me backwards on numerous occasions. I spent most of the trip either screaming or yelling and my handy work dogs were nowhere to be seen; they headed for the hills at the first sign of trouble and left me to work that one out on my own. Rob, watching it unfold from the tractor, found the whole thing quite amusing. We have hopefully purchased our last lot of temporary water for this season. We have sent two lots of heifers away on weight

gain — we have never done that before so it is a bit of an experiment for us. We are working on the theory of growing as much food as possible for our milking herd and with an extra 52 ha coming into the mix this autumn, we are hoping to drastically cut our hay bill. As I talk to farmers around the district there seems to be some optimism finally creeping back in. For many this year will be one of consolidation trying to recover from the nightmare of last year; but with talk that next year could be good too, we might find that for once we are actually in the right game. I only hope it’s not just the next two years that are good. For our industry to grow and prosper we need to be on the receiving end of sustainable milk prices more often than not, which certainly hasn’t been the case during the past decade.

dairy news

Culture change needed Focus on production systems that move with the times New UDV president Tyran Jones wants a change of culture in the dairy industry to see farmers expect to be profitable, to grow and to be resilient. Mr Jones, who milks more than 500 cows at Gruyere in the Yarra Valley, said one of the key issues facing the industry was how to design dairy production systems, predominantly on-farm, that were more robust and resilient to environment and economic changes. He said introducing techniques and technologies to improve efficiencies on-farm would help farmers produce milk at a

APRIL 2014

lower cost. Mr Jones said it would also benefit the industry to focus more on business performance and celebrate farmers who consistently performed well — getting away from the tall poppy syndrome. Mr Jones grew up on the family farm and returned there full-time in 1997 after working in structural design in Melbourne and Perth. During his time in the dairy industry, which also includes serving seven years on the GippsDairy Board, with four years as chair and director of the Gardiner Foundation

since October 2011, he has seen the cycle of boom and bust.

Tyran Jones

Mr Jones congratulated his predecessor Kerry Callow, for whom he was vice-president since last March, for retaining membership in the UDV, ‘‘putting it back on the map’’ and reengaging with other industry bodies during a challenging period.

dairy news Farm life appeals Finley-based dairy farmer Kristen Clark was named Outstanding Student of the Year for northern Victoria by the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia. The mature-age student took out the honours at a graduation ceremony where she was congratulated for dedication to her study requirements and farming commitments. The 32-year-old qualified engineer made a decision after four years in the field to return to life on the family farm where she relishes the challenges and opportunities of a 700-head dairy farm. Ms Clark studied a Diploma

of Agriculture online with NCDEA through GOTAFE Shepparton and praised the benefits of a course that provided her with up-to-date dairy-specific knowledge and skills. ‘‘The material we learned was applicable in the management of the farm and there are a number of things I’ve now implemented such as a business plan and breeding plan,’’ Ms Clark said. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Dairy Australia chair Geoff Akers said making the industry as attractive as possible was vital to meet the ongoing need for recruiting and retaining qualified staff.

No bull, choose for our conditions The future competitiveness of Australian genetics and herd improvement is in doubt, according to former UDV president Kerry Callow. “Farmers are choosing overseas dairy genetics, rather than buying Australian bulls’ semen,” Ms Callow said. “Farmers are essentially saying it is unimportant whether genetics are proven to be suited to Australian conditions.” Dairy farmers have recently moved towards using greater amounts of imported semen rather than using the Good Bulls Guide listing of Australian animals. Today only 50 per cent of Australian farmers herd-record, and sales of domestic standing bulls account for less than 30 per cent of semen sales. Ms Callow said Australian progeny test bulls were proven under Australian conditions and the Australian ABV system specifically dealt with the unique concerns of our way of farming, such as longer walking distances, pasturebased feed, seasonal and split calving patterns and fertility issues. “The genetics we breed from are best judged under the environment in which they are going to be milked, not overseas conditions. “It is a concern of the UDV that there is a risk the Australian genetics industry may soon be lost and we will no longer have dairy cows which are optimum for our conditions.” Ms Callow said the industry needed to decide whether it mattered that Australian genetics were not a priority and, if so, how the industry should respond.

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dairy news

Outlook bright for farmers 2014–15 to $3.4 billion, reflecting forecast World dairy prices and Australian farm higher world dairy product prices and an gate milk prices are expected to remain assumed depreciation of the Australian dollar.” favourable during the outlook period. World indicator prices of a range of dairy That’s the message for Australian dairy farmers products are forecast to increase in 2014–15: following the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences release • Whole milk powder and skim milk powder of the March issue of Agricultural commodities by two per cent to average US $5220 a at its Outlook 2014 Conference in Canberra in tonne and US $4815 a tonne, respectively. early March. • Cheese and butter by around three per cent “The outlook for dairy is promising. Australian and two per cent to average US $4920 a milk production and exports of dairy products tonne and US $4665 a tonne, respectively. are expected to rise over the outlook period,” “It’s expected there will be continued strong agricultural commodities manager Peter Collins demand for Australian dairy products from said. Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. In “The value of Australian exports of dairy 2012–13, these markets accounted for around products is forecast to rise by 14 per cent in 94 per cent of the total value of Australian dairy

exports,” Mr Collins said. “The Australian farmgate price of milk is forecast to rise by around five per cent in 2014–15 to average 50 ¢ a litre. “In addition to this expected price increase, Australian milk production is forecast to increase by two per cent in 2014–15 to 9.25 billion litres, following a small contraction this year. “Over the medium term, Australian milk production is projected to rise to around 10.2 billion litres by 2018–19. “The average farm cash income for dairy farms is forecast to rise in 2013–14 to $129 000, an increase of around 192 per cent.”

Prices take a climb Fonterra Australia has tipped its closing price range will average $6.80 to $7/ kg milk solids and give farmers confidence to invest in farm growth. In March, Fonterra announced a step-up of 16¢/ kg butterfat and 40¢/ kg protein for the 2013–14 season for suppliers in Victoria and Tasmania. This brings Fonterra Australia’s current average farm gate price to $6.64/ kg of milk solids (kg/ MS). It was Fonterra’s third step-up this season and fifth overall, coming as global supply for dairy remains tight, and strong demand continues from Fonterra Australia’s key importing countries and customers, especially in Asia. Murray Goulburn will pay a fourth step-up in farm gate price for the 2013–14 season of 18¢/ kg and 38¢/ kg of protein, expected to be worth about $62 million for its southern Australian farmer suppliers. MG managing director Gary Helou said strong global demand

for dairy foods had kept key dairy ingredients such as whole milk powder at near record price levels “for an unprecedented period”. The latest step-up will take MG’s weighted-average available price for the current trading year to $6.53/ kg milk solids. MG has tipped southern supplier payments will range up to $6.70/ kg for the full year, but fluctuating commodity prices and currency movements may undermine that target, or lift the final price even higher. Bega Cheese announced a price increase in March of 16¢/ kg fat and 40¢/ kg protein for Tatura Milk suppliers. Bega chairman Barry Irvin was asked at a suppliers’ meeting if he would give an end-of-season forecast for the milk price, but said he wouldn’t do so at this stage. He pointed to a number of variables which would affect the final price.

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animal health

A regular column from Rochester Vet Practice

Don’t become a calving statistic Minimise calf deaths after difficult births

Attention to newborn calves should increase survivability.

A recent large-scale study from dairy farms in Colorado in the United States found that calf stillbirths and deaths within the first 24 hours after being pulled by the farmer or the vet was eight per cent. It should be between one and three per cent. Calves that are at risk of being born dead or dying in the first 24 hours after being pulled include: • Any calf that requires farmer or vet assistance to be delivered. • Large birth weight calves. • Twins or triplets. • From mothers that have a long labour. • Immature/premature calves. • Calves coming back feet first. • Traumatized during the birthing process, for example, broken legs, swollen face or broken ribs (21 per cent of calves pulled with a jack have broken ribs compared to none when delivered by caesarean). • Calves that appear yellow at the time of 8

APRIL 2014

birth (this is called meconium staining and indicates calf stress in the uterus).

seconds. You can stimulate the calf to breathe by placing your finger or a piece of grass/straw in the nose and rubbing A checklist to follow when pulling the calf ’s head and chest with towels. calves to try and reduce the • Check for broken ribs or limbs. number of deaths includes: • The calf should lift its head by • Remove the membranes from the muzzle of the calf. itself within five minutes. • Remove mucous and fluid • The calf should be able to from the mouth by using your maintain the sitting position fingers to scoop it out. by itself within 15 minutes. • Sit the calf up on its sternum. Never • Check for congenital defects, for example, hang a calf up by it back legs or swing umbilical hernia or mouth defects. it around. Traditionally after a calf was • Dip or spray the umbilical cord born it was hung up by its back feet, with iodine or chlorhexidine. as this was thought to remove fluid from the calf ’s lungs. Some of the fluid • The calf should stand within two does come from the mouth and lung hours and suckle shortly thereafter. regions but the majority comes from • Correctly id and record the stomach, which does not need to be the calf and mother. removed. The main concern in hanging • Ensure adequate colostrum intake (three the calf up by the back legs is that the calf litres within two hours after birth). is unable to take the deep breath required — Ash Phipps to correctly inflate the lungs with air. • The calf should take a breath within 30 Rochester Veterinary Practice

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Colostrum

under the microscope Study aims to guide production, collection, storage and feeding of high-quality colostrum

Ashley Phipps

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complete his Masters degree. His goal is to develop statewide guidelines on how dairy farmers can produce, collect, store and feed high-quality colostrum for their replacement heifers Dr Phipps also holds qualifications in community recreation, fitness and water rescue, and has served in work placements in locations as varied as Western Arnhem Land, Maffra, Phillip Island, Mildura and the Werribee Open Range Zoo.

“

Nanneella vet Ashley Phipps has a longfactors that affect colostrum quality in held interest in raising calves and is now terms of immunoglobulin content and researching factors that affect colostrum hygiene on local farms.’’ quality on northern Victorian farms. The three-year research project is part of Dr Phipps’ double Masters degree in Veterinary I have a strong interest Studies and Veterinary Science (Clinical) at in calf health and The University of Melbourne — a course management as I see these supported by Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Foundation. The new dairy cattle animals as the future of medicine residency program allows him to our dairy herds ... continue his studies while working as a vet. Ashley Phipps Dr Phipps qualified for his Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree with first-class He has looked at previous research and honours in 2011, and after graduating took has surveyed 58 of Rochester Veterinary up full-time work at Rochester Veterinary Practice’s clients about their farming Practice and moved to a small property in Nanneella, where he raises dairy-cross calves systems, including calf rearing. as a hobby. “Some farms collect calves within hours of them being born, others a day or two.” Dr Phipps, 26, grew up on a mixed enterprise farm at Invergordon, raising beef Dr Phipps then observed 442 cows on four and dairy cattle, pigs and poultry. farms and recorded the timing of calving, age and breed of cow, teat treatment and “I have a strong interest in calf health and other management actions. management, as I see these animals as the future of our dairy herds,” he said. A $12 000 Greenham Dairy Scholarship awarded to Dr Phipps earlier this year “As part of the clinical component, I’m conducting an in-field research project on will allow him to finish his research and

Some farms collect calves within hours of them being born, others a day or two ... Ashley Phipps

He lists his sporting interests as hockey, cricket, touch football and mixed netball, but says there’s little time these days for sport after work, study and the demands of his small property.

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Murray Dairy

Focus Farm

Kyabram’s Susan and Peter Wearden will open the farm — and their books — as part of the Murray Dairy Focus Farm program.

Growth extends across farm Kyabram farmers are expanding their land and herd size to improve land use and labour efficiencies, and ultimately profitability

Kyabram’s Peter and Susan Wearden plan to expand their herd by natural herd growth. This calf was photographed the day it was born.

APRIL 2014

expensive feed, but there were About 18 months ago benefits, so it would be good to Kyabram’s Peter and Susan assess their cost-effectiveness. Wearden bought 70 ha near their 84 ha home block. In The couple has expanded the early March, the new block’s Friesian x Jersey x Red cross-bred irrigation layout was being herd by natural herd growth upgraded to make it part of the since the drought ended. Mrs milking area. The Weardens Wearden said the three-way crossgrow wheat and vetch and breeds gave them “hybrid vigour run some cattle on a 33 ha and genetic health”, including out-block 6 km from the home with fertility. block. The Weardens are also breeding Having Taripta as part of the for longevity and smaller framed two-year Murray Dairy Focus cows that are more efficient feed converters. Farm program will expose the operation to scrutiny and help Mrs Wearden said tight times in the Weardens make it a more recent years had also mitigated robust business. the operation’s growth. One thing the Parmalat suppliers “We’ve also been through tough will review is feed. The Weardens times during the global financial have done the “Pasture for Profit” crisis and the subsequent drop in program and, following Phil milk prices,” she said. Shannon’s principles, make as The herd is now 300 strong. The much feed as possible. Weardens artificially inseminate They supplement hay and feed cattle to split calve — 60 per cent Coprice pellets in the dairy and spring and 40 per cent autumn, for lead and calf feeding. Mr although Mr Wearden said the Wearden said pellets were a more calving pattern was flexible.

Words and pictures: Laura Griffin Words and Pictures: Laura Griffin

Three-way crosses give the Weardens’ herd hybrid vigour.

The working team — including a part-time and a casual milker and another employee who shares the load with Mr Wearden — gives the couple more flexibility. “They are pivotal to our success,” Mr Wearden said. “They give us the confidence we are leaving the farm in capable hands when we visit our four children

who live interstate and overseas.” Another consideration in their expansion plans is water security. They have 250 Ml of high-reliability water share and 111 Ml of low. Mr Wearden said to improve water use efficiency, spinner cuts helped to get water on and off as quickly as possible and 100 per cent of the water was recycled.

Automated irrigation is used throughout the farm

Water is recycled on the farm

Feed will be one area of focus for the Weardens to improve efficiencies.

APRIL 2014

Dairy keeps on growing The growth in the Murray Dairy region of 20 per cent was nothing short of impressive, Dairy Australia chairman Geoff Akers told farmers at the last Murray Dairy forum in Moama. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Having experienced many of these difficulties myself on my own farm, the resilience of the Murray Dairy region to bounce back so well is testament to the hard work and perseverance of our industry,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Akers said. He said recovering milk production and firm demand put the Australian industry in a good position moving forward. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I believe 2013-14 is pivotal for Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dairy industry, and what happens over the next

couple of years will see if we are able to grasp the mettle and move this industry forward. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is important we do not miss our opportunity in the global market.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Over the past seven years the average Victorian dairy farm has made a profit in only four of those years. Mr Akers spoke of the importance of information gathered from the Dairy Farm Monitor Project. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The project tells us in 2012 there was a break-even price that ranged from farm to farm of $3.66 to $6.95 per kg of milk solids. An average price of $5.05 was paid although that

too varied from $4.62 to $5.05. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We need to focus on producing milk profitably and have a system that will sustain the ups and downs of milk price and the highs and lows of seasonal conditions.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The project also found the average dairy farm over the past five years purchased 45 to 50 per cent of its own metabolisable energy fed, which increased cow debt by 20 per cent to $3500. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dairy Australia has set targets to improve farm profitability through increasing pasture consumption to one tonne of dry matter per 100ml of rainfall or irrigation on at least 50 per cent of farms,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Akers said.

Learn to build wealth Workshops and study tours will be among the events organised by the Murray Dairy Young Dairy Network to help young farmers strengthen their position in the industry. Since the new and improved network was launched in December, the steering committee has identified two main areas of focus to shape events to be rolled out during the next couple of months. The first is to explore strategies for young people to build their wealth and to develop ownership pathways within the dairy industry. In response to this, a series of workshops is currently being organised to be rolled out across

three of the sub-regions throughout the Murray Dairy region. The second is to co-ordinate a local study tour, which will give young farmers the opportunity to learn from their peers and to be inspired by their stories of success. It will also provide young people in the industry with a great opportunity to grow their networks within the Murray Dairy region. This event has been earmarked for June. The Young Dairy Network is developing and young people in the industry are encouraged to get involved and contribute. One young member has already reaped

the benefits of her involvement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; winning a five-day holiday to the Gold Coast. Ann Wood of Molyullah won the membership competition. Ann manages her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dairy farm and it will be her first interstate Ann Wood holiday. For more information on the Murray Dairy Young Dairy Network, visit www.facebook. com/youngdairynetwork

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Make that first drink

count

Colostrum plays a vital role in the early life of a calf

Unlike humans, the placenta of the cow keeps the maternal blood supply separate from that of the unborn calf. This prevents the transfer of antibodies from the cow to the calf before birth and the calf is born with no ability to fight disease. Colostrum is the substance that provides the antibodies that form the main protection from infectious diseases for the calf in the first six weeks of life, until the calf can develop antibodies of its own. Without colostrum, a calf is likely to die. Colostrum begins developing in the weeks before calving and production completely ceases once the cow gives birth. It is at its strongest concentration and highest quality at the point of calving. It is important to be clear about two key facts relating to colostrum: • No additional colostrum is produced from the moment the calf is born. • The protective capacity of the cow’s colostrum begins to decrease straight after calving.0 Understanding these points is the key to getting colostrum management right on-farm. If you collect colostrum straight after birth, it maintains its protective capacity so long as it is stored correctly in the fridge or freezer. It is important to be clear about two key facts relating To colostrum: • The calf ’s intestine absorbs the large IgG molecules easily straight

after birth. • The intestine’s ability to absorb antibodies decreases after birth — it decreases by 30 to 50 per cent within six hours of birth. It stops completely between 24 to 36 hours after birth. Transfer of immunity Transfer of immunity refers to the transfer of antibodies from the cow to the calf through colostrum. To achieve successful transfer of immunity, calves must consume sufficient amounts of antibodies and then absorb it through their intestine and into the blood system. Failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT) is a term commonly used in scientific and veterinary texts. The word ‘passive’ describes the way the antibodies move from the gut into the blood circulation. The term FPT can be considered the same as failure of transfer of immunity. Failure of transfer of immunity occurs when calves do not have sufficient protective levels of antibodies in their bloodstream shortly after birth. It means that the calf has either not consumed enough or absorbed enough antibodies into its own body. Calves that have had difficult or prolonged births often have failure of transfer of immunity. It is associated with an increased risk of disease and death pre-weaning. Longer term issues include: • Increased losses up to six months of age. • Decreased rate of growth.

• Increased average age at first calving. • Reduction in milk production during the early years in the herd. Failure of transfer of immunity is common. It is estimated that about 31 per cent of pre-weaning deaths in the first three weeks of life could be attributed to such failure. A recent study estimated that nearly 20 per cent of all United States dairy heifers had a failure of transfer of immunity. The situation is likely to be similar in Australia. Colostrum replacements Colostrum replacements are often promoted to be used instead of fresh colostrum but many of these products have been found to have very low levels of IgG and have little value in preventing failure of transfer of immunity.

Some products may be marketed as supplements to be used in addition to fresh colostrum. • Studies have found that the absorption of antibodies is less than for fresh colostrum making them of little value in the prevention of failure of transfer of immunity. • Increasing the dose of these products has been recommended to address this issue but their high cost limits this practice Colostrum substitutes are made from either freeze-dried colostrum or from the blood serum of cows. It is important that the level of IgG in these products is known prior to using them. Replacement products should be designed to provide a dose of 100g of IgG

Thank you Murray Dairy thanks those who took part in this year’s Murray Dairy Business Forum in Moama.

CMA and North Central CMA.

Particular thanks are extended to sponsors and industry partners — Murray Goulburn, Dairy Australia, NCDEA, Kilter Rural, Murray Local Land Services, Waterpool, Bega, Fonterra, Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (CMA), North East

Congratulations to this year’s NCDEA graduates, it’s great to see all their hard work and efforts recognised at the graduation. Special congratulations to Kristen Clark from Tocumwal, for being awarded the NCDEA student of the year.

All of our speakers played an important part in the day’s success.

Visit www.murraydairy.com.au

APRIL 2014

Murray Dairy

Focus Farm

Adding compost to Brad Adams’ Strathmerton farm has improved the soil so much that he plans to do the same thing on his recently purchased property about 5 km away.

Sizing up to make efficiencies

Farm purchase allows move to more sustainable operation

He hopes adding 205 ha to the existing 212 ha will allow him and his team to grow more feed, which will reduce the financial risks of having to buy feed and achieve efficiencies by sharing labour and some machinery. “It will make it a more sustainable operation,” Mr Adams said. “We want to get operational profits from both.” They are now milking about 380 cows — mostly Jerseys on a roughly 50:50 split calving pattern. Mr Adams plans to expand the herd largely by natural growth and aims to milk 600 cows this autumn. The expansion also shows his confidence in the Australian dairy industry. He said with global demand for dairy products growing, the industry was “set for a bit of a boom”. Also key to Mr Adams’ goal of being more sustainable is growing more feed by improving the soil. 16

APRIL 2014

Mr Adams, who is helped by his father Maurice and staff including a full-time manager on the second farm and two other permanent staff, lays wood shavings around the dairy to help capture manure and keep the dairy dry, which are then composted.

“

There is a lot more to learn about soil because it is often neglected, but it is something we own and can control.

“

Earlier this year, Strathmerton dairy farmer Brad Adams added a farm to his operation which has almost doubled the size of his holdings.

Brad Adams

For the past few years on the home farm they have spread the compost and mixed urea over paddocks. Mr Adams said there had been better root development, soil structure and water usage. Between the two farms there is just below 1000 Ml low-reliability water share and about 100 Ml of highreliability. He said having a deep bore with a 700 Ml licence for irrigation also made

him feel reasonably secure regarding water. Improving the “typical heavy clay soils” of the new farm, which is about 5 km away from the home farm, will be a key area of the Murray Dairy Focus Farm program. It is the first time Murray Dairy will include a soils-focused farm. “There is a lot more to learn about soil because it is often neglected, but it is something we own and can control,” Mr Adams said. “Since using compost and foliar application of mixed urea, plants produce just as much with less inputs and cows give more milk because we are not seeing them cooking in nitrogen.” Mr Adams looks for cows that are much more efficient — that have a good ratio between body weight to milk solids produced. “It’s all about strengthening the balance sheet.” He is looking forward to the honest and constructive feedback from farmers and service providers, which will help strengthen his operation and give him an opportunity to continue to learn.

Words and pictures: Laura Griffin Words and Pictures: Laura Griffin

Brad Adamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; herd is predominantly Jerseys to increase feed conversion efficiency.

Brad Adamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; farm is in an expansion phase.

Wood chips are spread near the dairy to capture manure, which is then composted. APRIL 2014

Murray Dairy

Focus Farm

Lemnos dairy farmer Bernie Macgill and Dookie-based farm consultant Brett Davidson.

Program participation beneficial Focus Farm involvement helps grow plans for the future

At the tail end of their Katandra West property being part of the Murray Dairy Focus Farm program, Nick and Jane Andrews say they’ve had great data, constructive feedback and help to refine their plans and strengthen their business. They surprised the about 40 dairy farmers and support industry staff at farm field day in late January with their decision to change their herd type from Holsteins to Jerseys. The Holstein herd — which presenter farm consultant Phil Shannon described as ‘‘big and beautiful’’ — is the result of 40 years

Farm consultant Phil Shannon.

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of artificial insemination breeding, but Mr Andrews wants smaller animals with better fertility and feed efficiency. The family has bought some Jerseys and is yet to sell the Holsteins, so the milking herd for the 2013-14 season is estimated to be 250, which farm consultant Mr Shannon said was more than the 92 ha farm’s normal stocking level. Mr Andrews said milking extra cows was not a problem when milk prices were high and feed prices were low. As of March 3, there were more than 300 cows in the herd — 200

Words and pictures: Laura Griffin Words: Laura Griffin Pictures: Bianca Mibus

Friesians and the 100 purchased autumncalving Jerseys that were calving. The cows were not eating pasture, but the aim was to get some pasture back into their diet as soon as possible. All the millet was cut for silage, then sprayed out and drilled with Italian ryegrasses and shaftal in late February. The lasering of the 24 ha has one more grading to go, which was scheduled be finished in early March. Once this is completed, the paddocks will be sown down with Italians and shaftal and then watered. Paddocks that were not watered in since early to mid-January were totally oversown because the Andrews family did not believe they would come back due to the heat during that period. The permanent pasture that was not watered for four weeks has been watered and has come back really well. Following a Fert$mart plan, half the farm has had one tonne of lime and two tonnes of gypsum applied to improve the soil structure. The Andrews family is going ahead with an irrigation upgrade on about 25 ha of the farm despite being unsuccessful in an application for farm water on-farm funding. Works have included re-lasering and

replacing shovel cuts and 10 cm pipes with bigger channels and 90 cm Padman stops. They want to grow their herd size to more than 300 cows so they can employ a fulltime labour unit to help get a better work/ life balance, particularly since the birth of their first child, Joshua, in November. Mr Andrews said to grow the herd, they would explore expanding the farm and replacing the old herringbone dairy. Mr and Mrs Andrews’ wish to convert the capital spent on 48 Ml of high-reliability water share they bought in anticipation of the farm water program to similar lowreliability holdings sparked lively discussions about water allocations at the January field day. Mr Shannon said water was one of a dairy farm’s biggest inputs and as with any other big expenditure it should be considered on a long-term basis. He urged farmers to consider the cost and risk of owning high-reliability water shares versus buying transferable water entitlements annually. ‘‘Farmers also need to look at what price can they afford to buy water, even if that means letting perennial pastures go, or look to buy alternative feed sources,’’ Mr Shannon said.

Nick and Jane Andrews have instigated big changes on their farm during the Murray Dairy Focus Farm program.

APRIL 2014

FARM IN THE SPOTLIGHT The Glass family grows as much cattle feed as possible.

New Focus Farmers hoping to learn as they go The Glass family at Gundowring is ready — and willing — to be put under the microscope as the latest Murray Dairy Focus Farm in the north-east. Farmers Pat and Kerry Glass with their son Brendan and his wife Sarah are longestablished Holstein breeders who moved back to the valley nine years ago after farming on irrigated country at Rochester. Brendan said the writing was on the wall with the demise of the Campaspe irrigation system. “We could see where it was going. Dad grew up here and Mum came from the Tallangatta Valley,’’ Brendan said. “Farming up here is a lot more enjoyable —

APRIL 2014

plans to build up to 500 this year. there’s no stress without irrigation, worrying about whether you’ll get water.’’ “When we only had 180 cows I knew all the pedigrees back three generations,’’ said His wife Sarah, busy with four-month-old Tameika as well as Isabella, six, and Michaela, Brendan, who said many of the herd were registered Holsteins and others were pure three, agreed it’s a lovely part of the world in Friesians. which to live and raise a family. Despite a long, hot summer following a spring Their farm is in a valley surrounded by hills that, to quote Brendan, “looked okay and then — including where the neighbour has a high just stopped”, the cows look sleek and happy, point to launch his hang glider — and is on with the heifers munching on hay in feeders both sides of the road with a tunnel beneath full of mostly home-grown hay. it for the cows to cross safely. “We buy in a bit of oaten and lucerne hay but The 130 heifers are just beginning to calve try to make as much as we can for our own and Brendan said they were inseminated needs,’’ Brendan said. with semen from Viking Genetics and Alta. The Glass family has 663 ha for the herd and They are the first cabs off the rank in the crops, and two staff members, one part-time. straight autumn-calving herd that the family

Words and pictures: Laura Griffin Words and pictures: Cathy Walker Words and pictures: Cathy Walker

Heifers waiting to calve take full advantage of the shady gums.

Being part of a Focus Farm will be a learning curve, Brendan Glass says.

For someone who readily asserted he enjoys the peace of farm life working with the cows and “not having to put up with people’’, being part of a Focus Farm is a leap, but Brendan said he’s looking forward to it. He has been part of the Milawa OKs discussion group and the previous north-east Focus Farm of Mark and Narelle McDonald, and seen the benefits that can flow. “The business side of things will be important for us. A budget we’ll have to get our heads around, and new ideas to improve the bottom line.’’ His father Pat is involved in several dairy groups and sits on the committee of Holstein Australia’s Victorian branch. Brendan said

Pat was keen to get young people involved in the Focus Farms and have a good spread of ages among the support groups — “People who will ask the dumb question that isn’t dumb — if they don’t ask they don’t find out.’’ Sarah added: “The groups are a great resource and they spur everyone’s interest to help the industry grow and improve. The more open you are, the more feedback you get.’’ Succession is another topic that will rear its head in this farm scenario. Brendan will turn 30 years old about the end of the two-year Focus Farm and his parents may be ready to take a step back. “I hope so — in a nice way.’’

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Priorities set Summit hears farmers’ thoughts on way forward for dairy industry

APRIL 2014

Mr Cross said the conference was timely, priorities including what their levies were with the dairy industry being at a pivotal spent on. point. “It is now up to the ADF (Australian Dairy “It has been in decline, but we are Farmers) to see what they do — whether it rebounding with a strong year of milk was a talk-fest or whether these priorities prices,” Mr Cross said. are included in a blueprint to plan their Despite this positive trend, he said farmers ongoing strategy.” were hesitant to make investments, which was a concern to the whole industry because as processing plants were expanding, the challenge would be getting enough milk Everyone has a role to play to ensure they operated efficiently. to encourage and educate “Everyone has a role to play to encourage and educate farmers, and the dairy industry farmers, and the dairy needs to do more to sell itself.” industry needs to do more Developing strong leadership in all to sell itself. Rick Cross aspects of the industry, including in farms, discussion groups, factories as well as representative bodies, was a key requirement The summit was supported by Dairy for it to prosper, Mr Cross said. Australia, the Australian Dairy Industry He said the “grassroots” meeting was Council and Coles, and was opened by worthwhile and positive, and gave farmers Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce. the opportunity to be involved in setting

“

Dairy farmers from across Australia met in Melbourne last month for the inaugural Australian Dairy Farmers’ National Dairy Farmers’ Summit to discuss and outline priorities to help the industry’s profitable growth. Rick Cross, who milks 300 cows in Toolamba, was among the 150 dairy farmers who, along with representatives from processors, industry bodies and government, identified 18 key priorities for the dairy industry, with delegates them ranking them in order of importance. Farmer profitability was a recurring theme. The top three priorities were: 1. Develop an industry strategy for innovation, investment and growth. 2. Identify pathways to success to encourage investment and confidence in the industry. 3. Government to continue with trade reform that benefits dairy.

Discussion groups funded Dairy Australia will provide funding support for up to 90 discussion groups during the next three years Established and new dairy discussion groups are eligible for funding support of up to $3000 per group from Dairy Australia and farmers are encouraged to contact their Regional Development Program to discuss the funding process and assistance that is available to help run effective groups. Dairy Australia’s Extension and Farm Change program manager Neil Webster said farmers around Australia wanted to see a reinvigoration of discussion groups. “Discussion groups have been a part of the industry both here and overseas for a long time and can be a very effective approach to extension when they have a clear purpose and are well organised. We know that many farmers see value in discussing their business decisions with other farmers,” Mr Webster said. A key factor contributing to successful

groups is that the group’s direction is driven by the farmers involved. “We are keen to connect with groups and help support them to be successful so that farmers can get even greater value from their involvement,” Mr Webster said. Groups may use their funding for the engagement of a facilitator to support effective group operation or to pay for a specialised speaker and expert advice delivered to the group. Targeted farm field days, farm walks and other activities agreed with the relevant Regional Development Program and Dairy Australia will also be eligible for support. Farmers interested in applying for funding a discussion group or wishing to create or re-establish a discussion group in their area should contact their Regional Development Program or Dairy Australia extension coordinator.

Discussion group funding is one of the many examples of the dairy service levy at work. For more information on this and other levy investments visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au

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You’ll never be first by following footsteps of others! VikingGenetics have been breeding for healthier cows since 1985 - longer than anybody else in the world! We believe that a healthy cow is an economical cow. She’s high producing, calves easily, gets pregnant and stays healthy.

hoof health and other health traits is high, showing that cows with sound hoofs also are healthy. Hoof health has been included in NTM since 2011, and VikingGenetics continue to be in the frontline breeding healthy cows!

In the three VikingGenetics countries; Denmark, Sweden and Finland; we have a unique registration system. All reports from farmers, milk recording, veterina rians, hoof trimmers, technicians and classifiers go into the same database. Reli able data and large daughter groups mean breeding values with high reliabilities also on the health traits!

Different sire lines VikingGenetics have a large Holstein breeding program and a different breeding goal than most other countries. Being a cooperative we are aware of our respon sibility for keeping diversity in the breed. Therefore we select many alternative sire lines that breeders outside Scandinavia might not be familiar with. Below are three examples of such different sires and they have high NTM too!

NTM - Nordic Total Merit VikingGenetics breed for total economy expressed in NTM a combined index of 13 different economically important traits. Sires above NTM +20 assure you MAXI MUM PROGRESS for all economical im portant traits. In this way VikingHolstein sires ads value to your business every day! 50% of the weight in NTM is on health & reproduction, 30% on production and 20% on conformation. The 13 traits in NTM are combined from many sub indices. For example the fertility index is a combination of 11 different sub indices and index for mastitis resistance is combined from clinical mastitis reported from the veterinarians and cell count. This is unique, and makes our breeding values accurate! Better hoof health - we breed for it! Most farmers have experienced bad hoof health. Thanks to registrations done by hoof trimmers we can calculate an index for hoof health and in that way reduce hoof diseases. The correlation between

VH Basten

A Viking sire in the fast lane! If you just follow in the footsteps of others, you will never be able to pass! A different sire line is most wanted in the Holstein world and VH Basten is what you are look ing for – a bull that has a different sire line and top genetic level! VH Basten is the best Banker son com ing from a strong family at Langballe Farm, Denmark. The dam is a VG 87 Lambada cow with an average of almost 12,000 kg milk in 7.5 years. Before her is one of the many great, longliving Funkis cows. VH Basten has 212 milking daughters and 134 of those being classified. Essential traits like components, female fertility, udder health and calving ease are all above 110 and he breeds at the same time excel lent conformation – the mammary peaking with impressing 125. Time to pass!

VH Mogens

New calving ease specialist suitable for maiden heifers! VH Mogens is sired by Mascol who was not a heavily used sire in Australia. The dam was an Oman cow and the grand dam was a T Funkis. VH Mogens is a lovely bodied black bull giving easily born calves that grow well into medium statured cows with good strength. Production is really bal anced with positive milk and components, protein +0.20, 21 kg and strong ABV(i) on APR 225. We are getting many comments on how well the Viking calves grow here in Australia and VH Mogens calves will be growing as well with a growth index of +114. Udder health, longevity and hoof health are all positive along with his ABV(i) +105 for daughter fertility.

D Sol

Reducing your costs! There are two ways of earning more money on the bottom line. Either by producing more milk or by reducing your costs. D Sol improves your bottom line by reducing your costs. D Sol will have many daughters coming into milk all over Australia in 2014. His attraction here is his impressive health profile, the ability to produce the “invisible cow”! “Into the shed and back onto the pasture” on strong feet and legs and with no help from the local veterinarian. D Sol daughters should be the cows that last, it’s in the genes. His mother is classified EX 92 and has now produced 140,000 kg milk in 10 lactations and is still going. D Sol’s full sister is also still producing and has done 80,000 kg in five lactations.

VH Basten - NTM +26

VH Mogens - NTM +19

D Sol - NTM +20

(Banker x Lambada x Funkis)

(Mascol x O-Man x Funkis)

(Shottle x Funkis x Otto)

APRIL 2014

www.vikinggenetics.com.au · info@vikinggenetics.com.au · Office: (02) 6071 3007

Look beyond the horizon VikingGenetics is in the frontline breeding healthy cows

Photo: Elly Geverink

Different sire lines with a unique combination of good health and high production giving you a more profitable cow

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APRIL 2014

Words and pictures: Sophie Bruns

Focus on herd

improvement Family business moves from physical expansion to genetic gain It has been a time of expansion for the White family during the past 10 years. Mary and her son Gary and his wife Jo milk 550 Jersey cows on 336 ha near Cohuna. The family has developed the business to a level they are comfortable with, in terms of herd and land size and capital improvements, and now their focus is on improving the genetic merit in their herd. “I am looking for a high protein cow with good type, there is no point having a high production cow you can’t milk because her front teats are too wide, or they are too short,” Mr White said.

The herd averages 200 kg of protein and 260 kg of butterfat from a pasture-based diet. The cows are fed up to 6 kg of grain, but that figure can also be as low as 3 kg. “We are a largely self-sufficient operation but in odd years we do have to buy in hay. I always look at what is the better investment, water or hay, and this season I felt it was better to purchase water and grow grass.” The family has bought additional land and modernised their irrigation infrastructure through Goulburn-Murray Water connections and on-farm water programs, and with all that

THE MARKET LEADING AITCHISON

now out of the way the focus has returned to the herd. “We have got our stock numbers where we want them to be, but in doing that we have probably kept some cows a bit longer then what we normally would,” Mr White said. The family has always used AI and has received fairly good conception rates of about 90 per cent. The herd is artificially inseminated then mop-up bulls are used over a period of about 11 weeks. This spring about 16 per cent of the cows are not in calf, a figure Mr White is not comfortable with.

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Seeking to get priorities right Scheme calls for farmers’ input to better inform breeding index

“I am disappointed with our rate this season — it is a pretty bad number for us. We had our vet out and he said the hot spell over summer has probably had a fairly big impact on fertility this season.” When it comes to choosing bulls, Mr White makes a list and takes them into his local herd improvement centre which then matches those bulls — and some he hasn’t considered — to his cows. “I do look at the APR top 20 bull list but type and component are very important to me and I do have a preference for out-crosses. I take what comes in an animal but I do like a good-statured cow. Sometimes a smaller one can be just as good as the others, though.” Mr White is starting to get on top of a nine-month battle with the mastitis bug Strep ag after implementing some management changes. “We were struggling to keep our cell count under 250 000,’’ he

said. “We took some samples into National Herd Development and found a large percentage of the herd at the time had the bug. After consulting with our vet we split the herd in two and milked the Strep ag herd last to prevent cross-contamination. “As they were dried off they were treated with dry cow and teat seal and were then rejoined to the main herd after calving. “Our cell count is now around 150 000 and we are well and truly back in the premium milk band.” Mr White said in the future he would operate a closed herd but if he did buy in a cow he would test it for Strep ag before it was allowed to join the main herd. “At the time it was expensive to individually test all the cows but in hindsight it has worked very well for us and in our herd of 400-odd cows we would be lucky to have any more than one cow on the bucket with mastitis.”

Peter Williams

recently and said farmers there were Dairy farmers have different priorities when it comes to seeking the inclusion of gestation breeding their cows, and a lengths in the index so they could series of farm walks hosted choose shorter-term gestation bulls by the Australian Dairy Herd to move their calving forward to Improvement Scheme in northern coincide with grass growth. Victoria recently certainly showed “There is a lot of information in the that, with three farms, three index and it is important we get the breeds — Holstein, Jersey and mix right. If we vamp something up, Aussie Red — and three different are we prepared to let something systems. go?’’ While the number-one goal of He said while it was obvious every farmer is profitability, farming the index could not cover every systems and different cow breeds can influence what traits a farmer single trait, it was important the looks for in a bull. Many use the information was relevant and able ADHIS Australian Profit Ranking to take the industry forward. Index to help find the information The farm walks will continue across they need. the country under the banner of As part of the walk, ADHIS’ Peter Australia’s Longest Farm Walk, Williams was in Cohuna hosting providing information, facilitating the northern Victorian end and discussion and sharing different he is urging farmers to look at perspectives on genetic traits. the current APR, and let ADHIS An online survey can also be found know what is required of the index at www.adhis.com.au heading into the future. The APR is the main breeding “Some people might be happy with the current index and others might index available for Australian dairy not be, but we need to start the sires. It showcases different traits discussion,” Mr Williams said. that influence net farm profitability, including production (milk, fat and “The farm walk idea is working beautifully and generating some protein yields) and non-production strong views, which can differ traits. Non-production traits slightly from farm to farm, region include survival (longevity), fertility, to region.” mastitis resistance, liveweight, temperament and milking speed. Mr Williams was in Tasmania

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Greg Goulding

Change moves farm into

fertile period

Aussie Reds have positive influence on calving ease and herd management

APRIL 2014

but now I couldn’t be happier. Our fertility is back and I see a really good future for us.”

“I then decided to put the Reds over the Jerseys to improve their strength. We had half Reds, half Holsteins and I noticed the Holsteins kept returning, so we then began joining them too. I then began to feel like I was doing the right thing for my herd — and We decided to make the change and it certainly was a to me, a good cow is a good cow, no matter what colour or breed it is.” big decision at the time, but Mr Goulding used to have to cull heavily for fertility but that is now no longer an issue. now I couldn’t be happier. Last season, of the 420-cow herd, 55-60 per Our fertility is back ... cent were successfully joined in the first round Greg Goulding of AI. The mop-up Wagyu bulls ended up mating with only 80 cows. “The Reds are just so easy to manage, they The conversion took about eight years and get in calf, they calve well and they are a initially began by joining the heifers to the low maintenance smaller cow, with heaps of red breed.

“

When fourth generation dairy farmer Greg Goulding made the decision to swap the family herd from Holsteins to Aussie Reds about 16 years ago, fertility was a real issue. Today that is no longer the case. “We were getting so many cows not in calf I was starting to wonder: What was I doing wrong? Was I not feeding them properly? “I was getting very frustrated and began thinking maybe I wasn’t a very good farmer,” Mr Goulding said. Around the same time the family purchased 30 heifers, 20 of which were Aussie Reds. “I was surprised by how good they were, how easy they were to manage, and how good their fertility was. We decided to make the change and it certainly was a big decision at the time,

Words amd pictures: Sophie Bruns

“

The Reds are just so easy to manage, they get in calf, they calve well and they are a low maintenance smaller cow, with heaps of strength. Greg Goulding

strength. I am a bit of a lazy farmer and I hardly ever check them during calving season because I just don’t have to.” The herd averages 7500 litres, while the components average 3.6 per cent for protein and 4.7 per cent for fat. When it comes to breeding, Mr Goulding uses bulls from Sweden, Denmark and Norway and he is always on the lookout for new bloodlines, to mix things up a bit. He likes a cow with longevity and good temperament — but in saying that, he did

make a trade-off and picked a cow that wasn’t so flash for temperament because its other positive traits were what he was looking for. He also is not afraid to use progeny test bulls in the herd. “On their biggest day our cows would walk 12 km so we have to breed a strong animal that can stand up to that.” Mr Goulding opened up his farm as part of the ADHIS farm walks held recently.

“

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Words and pictures: Sophie Bruns

Jordyn Sleep knew nothing about dairy farming when he left school a couple of years ago. Today he is 12 months into a traineeship and has surprised himself by how much he is enjoying it.

Take hard work out of

labour hire “Employing a trainee means we can train Jordyn the way that suits our business because he doesn’t have any pre-conceived ideas on how things should be done.”

“

When it comes to employing labour on the farm, many potential employees are put off by the process; working out wages, taxes, super and WorkCover can be daunting. Leitchville dairy farmers Brad and Leesa Windridge chose to employ their trainee Jordyn Sleep through Murray Mallee Training Company. The company takes the hassle out of the employment process and does the hard work for them; the Windridges in effect lease their trainee from the company, which in turn pays their trainee. It is a relationship that appears to benefit the three parties — Murray Mallee has placed a trainee, the Windridges don’t have to worry about any of the paperwork and Mr Sleep receives an Australia-wide recognised qualification. “The headache of the whole employment process has been take away from us, which frees up our time,” Mrs Windridge said. A representative from the company turns up once a month to talk to both parties to make sure everything is tracking well, and Mr Sleep is able to do all of his training on-farm, thus avoiding having to attend trade school in another town. “It is good to see someone learning new skills and also be keen to learn them,” Mr Windridge said.

The headache of the whole employment process has been taken away from us, which frees up our time.

Brad Windridge

Mr Sleep initially began milking on the weekends just to earn some extra money, and he has surprised himself by how much he enjoys life on the farm. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school and I didn’t know the first thing about farming,” he said. “I started milking on the weekends for Brad and Leesa and never once did I think I would be a dairy farmer, but I started out and found out I really enjoyed it. Having Murray Mallee involved makes everything organised and less stressful for me and my employees, because they look after everything.” While Mr Sleep enjoys all aspects of the farm

Training company makes it easy for farmers to employ workers

he has a particular love for cows and would one day like to own some of his own. Murray Mallee apprentice and trainee consultant Peter Den Houting said there had been a spike in demand for dairy industry trainees. “We have quite a few farmers looking for trainees at the moment, and because of the skills shortage there is quite good government incentives for both parties,” he said. “Employers come to us looking for employees or people come to us looking for traineeships or apprenticeships. Essentially we employ the person and lease them to the employer, who pays us fortnightly and we then in turn pay the trainee weekly.” Mr Houting said many people were unaware of the opportunities the dairy industry provided and the career choices that were available. Certificate III in dairy is an 18-month training program open to people of any age, and while there is an award wage, employers can choose to pay above that. At the end of the traineeship, among other things, a person will be competent in four-wheel motorbike driving, front-end loader and chemical use, and basic OH&S principles. Participants are also encouraged to complete an AI course. APRIL 2014

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Partnership to investigate automated milking performance in large-scale pasture-based operation Tasmania but the ability of Retreat Creek — the farm the system to perform with owned by western Victorian larger herds — up to 800 dairy farmers John and cows — remained uncharted Clare Cotton — will territory. become a partner farm for the FutureDairy project “The robotic technology for milking cows is well proven. when the family installs But its success in grazing Australia’s second robotic herds depends very much on rotary automatic milking adapting farm management system (AMS). practices to encourage cows The robotic rotary was to move on their own from developed for the automatic the paddock to the dairy milking of larger grazing and around the farm,” Prof herds by dairy equipment Kerrisk said. company DeLaval in The FutureDairy team has collaboration with the developed management FutureDairy team. guidelines for AMS based on The Cottons, who currently research and experience with milk in a 50-unit rotary dairy, commercial farmers using expect to be milking in their AMS box units. robotic rotary towards the end of this year or early next year. “Our work with the Cottons, and also our experiences with Once they have adapted their the Dornaufs at Gala Farm farming system to automatic will enable us to develop milking, they plan to expand guidelines for achieving the the year-round calving herd optimum performance from from the current 550 cows to the robotic rotary under between 600 and 800 cows. Australian conditions,” Prof As a partner farm, the Kerrisk said. Cottons will co-operate Retreat Creek is well suited with the FutureDairy team to the robotic rotary and an to monitor the system’s expanded herd size of 600 performance, especially when to 800 cows. The existing the technology is operating infrastructure — such as towards its technical capacity the feed pad, laneways and (600-800 cows). The farm layout –— can be easily research partnership has adapted for voluntary cow been generated to enable movement around the farm. FutureDairy to conduct research within a commercial Once operating smoothly, the farm setting, so that specific Cottons will host field days findings are applicable to and other scheduled visits to share their experiences. The a large-scale pasture-based FutureDairy team will report operation with cows milking on findings to industry. themselves voluntarily. FutureDairy’s major sponsors FutureDairy project leader for the research partnership Kendra Kerrisk said the with Retreat Creek are Dairy robotic rotary had been Australia, DeLaval and the proven under commercial University of Sydney. conditions at Gala Farm in

Get it right from the start Best practice calf-rearing ensures robust animals that can hold their place in the herd By giving dairy calves the best start possible, dairy farmers can enhance the health and performance of their herd over the course of their working lives. In fact, one dairy farmer takes this premise even further, describing rearing his dairy calves as similar to caring for ‘super-fine athletes.’ This focus ensures his dairy calves grow strongly and soundly and reach their full genetic potential. Erwin Van Den Berg and his brother Iwan are dairy farmers at Cobram. Erwin knows how important a solid start is for a calf due to the hard work required throughout their life on any fully operational dairy farm, and places priority on best practice calf-rearing. Veanavite No. 1 pellets are an important part of his calf rearing program after researching and trying many different options. “My father used Veanavite for rearing calves when he purchased the farm here at Cobram in 1982 and I’m extremely happy with the performance of my calves being fed it over 30

years later,” Erwin Van Den Berg said. The Veanavite range is produced by Corowa-based stockfeed company Rivalea. Veanavite No. 1 has 22 per cent crude protein derived from all natural Erwin Van Den Berg, his partner Julie and son Ike. protein sources and is the highest protein calf pellet balance the diet and develop the rumen until on the market. It contains weaning. rumensin to improve feed conversion efficiency and coccidiosis control, and rumen “It is important to have small enough groups buffers to reduce risk of acidosis. It also when feeding ad lib, so the bigger calves don’t has a balance of micro and macro minerals eat too much and the smaller ones can have including vitamins A, D and E for a balanced enough. It really reduces bullying issues,” he diet and healthy calf. said. Mr Van Den Berg is milking 1400 cross-bred The calves continue to be cared for and are cows which calve in a tight calving pattern fed a total mixed ration on a feed pad until over six weeks, with 500 calves reared each they are nine months old. The ration includes year in February and August. Veanavite and forage to achieve target growth rates and ensure genetic potential is reached, The calves are split into pens of 12, then so the outcome is a sound structured animal milk-fed for the first eight weeks and ad lib at an early age. fed cereal hay and Veanavite No. 1 pellets to

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• Very good farm layout with the dairy very central and good laneways servicing the paddocks that are sown to lucerne, annuals and clover.

• Top quality Cobram and Moira loam soils. • Three-bedroom brick-veneer family home, set at the front of the farm with open-plan living. • One large hay shed, two machinery sheds that have been used for calf rearing. • Great starter at $520,000.

• GMW delivery share in place and connected to the main channel. S&D bore supplies water to dairy, houses and stock troughs. • Very good spear point with 300 meg license currently used to irrigate lucerne under sprinklers. • Our vendors are expanding so now is your chance. • Priced to sell at $1,400,000.

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Soil structure improvement

dramatic Inoculant gets to the H root 2of the problem

Muckatah farmers John and George DePalma were seeing less and less response to fertiliser on their dairy farm and as a consequence turned to a chicken manure base two years ago. Although they witnessed some improvement in the soil, there was little nodulation in the clover and no earthworms. The DePalmas sought out Petrik Soil Technology in a bid to lift their soil structure. Petrik director Shane Fitzgerald said many soils lost their ability to process organic matter through to humus under the impact of agriculture. ‘‘While this can be seen in most agricultural systems, it is the dairy environment where this limitation becomes most obvious, through the build-up of organic matter on the soil’s surface and severe compaction under this,’’ he said. Mr Fitzgerald said in-ground composting was where manure was inoculated with the Petrik humifying biology at or soon after application. The DePalmas’ initial Petrik application was in August 2012.

“

While this can be seen in most agricultural systems, it is the dairy environment where this limitation becomes most obvious ... Shane Fitzgerald

“

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The liquid inoculant was applied to manure as it was spread. Inspection at a field day at the property last year showed root penetration to 140mm — an improvement of 110mm — and prolific worm penetration and extensive nodulation of the clover. Mr Fitzgerald said no synthetic nitrogen had been used on the pasture for the past year. He said structural improvements in soils opened up air and water flow and resulted in better native soil biology function, water infiltration, rooting depth and nutrient access.

Words and pictures: Cathy Walker

Rejuvenating dairy in the alpine valleys means attracting new, younger players, Stuart Crosthwaite says.

High plans

for valleys Project aims to rejuvenate dairying people and production in alpine areas

He said it was clear some farms were flourishing and engaging in new technologies, but the question remained: why aren’t the others latching on and starting to grow? “The Mitta community had seen a lot of farmers move away and were feeling the pressure. They came to us and said, ‘we need to rejuvenate dairy; it’s the heart of our town’.’’ North East Murray Dairy, he said, had been a bit of a pioneer in the industry and was keen to get involved to redress the apparent stagnation of the industry. A growth plan was needed to provide a farming community with what they needed to be profitable, and redress some of the negative images of dairy. “When the project was born we had to hang our hat on something and we came up with milk production,’’ Mr Crosthwaite said, but added it was far broader than that. Support for the plan comes from DSDBI, Dairy Australia, and the four local shires: Towong, Indigo, Alpine and Rural City of Wangaratta. The plan for growth identifies four key areas for action: • Continuing to raise dairy farm business performance and profitability using current and emerging farm management practices. • Improving pathways out for retiring dairy farmers and pathways in for the next generation. • Implementing a workforce strategy

to ensure the industry can attract and retain the people it needs. • Developing a culture that supports and values dairy growth for the region. Mr Crosthwaite said the harnessing of young minds had already begun in the valleys, with school students the obvious target.

“

Double the milk production in northern Victoria: it’s far from a throwaway line. A grassroots movement that was born out of concern for the slow death of small alpine towns crystalized into the Alpine Valley Dairy Pathways Project, which will run until 2025 and aims to reinvigorate the sector and attract new farming families to the area. And along the way, milk production could lift from 200 million litres annually, to 400 million. Kergunyah South farmer Stuart Crosthwaite, a former Murray Goulburn and Bega Cheese field officer, is one of the driving forces behind the project and chairman of North East Murray Dairy. His enthusiasm for dairy and the beautiful alpine valleys shone through as, between bites of lunch during a busy day sowing pastures, he described the plan to help older farmers out of the industry while encouraging new, younger people in, creating a win for all concerned. He said dairy accounted for just nine per cent of the arable land in the valleys: Ovens and King, Kiewa, Mitta, Tallangatta and Upper Murray. It was important to make sure farmers exiting dairy did not turn their properties over to other pursuits such as beef or cropping. “In the last 10 to 12 years we’ve lost 35 per cent of farms even though milk production has increased 40 per cent,’’ Mr Crosthwaite said.

When the project was born we had to hang our hat on something and we came up with milk production... Stuart Crosthwaite

As part of the Alpine Valleys Dairy Pathways Project, local farmers, representatives of Charles Sturt University and GOTAFE met school principals in Tallangatta, Corryong and Wangaratta last month to investigate how they can facilitate more agricultural education to be incorporated into school curricula. Mr Crosthwaite agreed there were financial hurdles to getting into dairy, but said leasing a farm and sharefarming were good options. ‘’Young people are intimidated by the size of the capital mountain but the retiring farmer is better off (financially) leaving it as a dairy farm and creating a pathway for people to get in. “This is a great industry to be in; you can make money and have a good lifestyle.’’ APRIL 2014

Heat detection made easy

Planning for new opportunities

Shepparton-based Australian company Easy Dairy Automation Systems has been appointed as the sole distributor of the Afimilk heat detection system Afi Act II to Easy Dairy users in Australia. “Easy Dairy was a natural choice of distributor for us,’’ Goulburn Valley Afimilk wholesaler DMSafimilk’s director Clint Brereton said. “Easy Dairy Herd Management Software is used by around 2000 farmers in Australia. When it comes to software, farmers want ease of use and compatibility with quality automation systems; Easy Dairy software provides that.’’ Easy Dairy owner and director David Chandler said they had been looking for a heat detection system for some time that did what it promised and was good value for money for customers. “We have found that with Afi Act II,’’ he said.

The dairy industry will play a key role in the Goulburn Valley Industry and Employment Plan, Deputy Premier Peter Ryan has announced. Mr Ryan said the Goulburn Valley Industry and Employment Plan set out strategic approaches to leverage new industry, trade, investment and employment opportunities. “Food production and food processing have a strong future in the Goulburn Valley and this plan will implement a long-term strategic approach to manage structural change in the region,’’ Mr Ryan said. The Shepparton region has 1097 dairy farms, according to the latest ABARES figures, accounting for 32 per cent of all farms and 23 per cent of all dairy farms in Victoria. Dairy farms accounted for 31 per cent of the total gross value of agricultural production in the Shepparton region, followed by horticulture. In the new strategy, one of the main

“Afimilk are the world leaders in herd management technology, they have 30 years’ experience in making sure farmers get the results they want. “Progressive dairy farmers who are serious about having a profitable, efficient business will benefit greatly from using the Afi Act II heat detection system. “Together, I believe that DMSafimilk and Easy Dairy can look after Australian farmers better than anyone else in Australia.” Mr Brereton said a main concern for farmers was maximising opportunities to have cows in calf. “The Afi Act II uses pedometers to monitor the movement of cows around the clock. The movement is then automatically graphed for the farmer’s or farm worker’s easy interpretation. High peaks in cow activity indicate the cow is on heat.’’

objectives for the region is to support and enhance growth in the dairy industry. “The region needs to continue to increase capacity to support growth into new and existing markets, particularly growing niche areas. It also needs to support investment into new farms, facilities and technology,’’ Mr Ryan said. “A focus must be on-going development of existing dairy farmers as well as the next generation of dairy farmers by raising awareness of the sector and highlighting that it is more than ‘just cows’. This requires a varied range of skills to ensure all operators are employing industry best practice. “The new $5 million Goulburn Valley Industry and Infrastructure Fund will directly support business and industry to create jobs and boost productivity,’’ Mr Ryan said. “The fund is now open for interested businesses and industry to apply.’’

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Feed right for best cow health Balanced transition diets reduce incidences of displaced abomasum

With good preparation and excellent management practices, cases of displaced abomasum should not number more than three per cent of your herd. If you often see more cases than this, and would like to reduce the incidence of displaced abomasum on your farm, transition feeding may be worth some further thought. The transition period (three weeks before calving) is the key to reducing incidences of displaced abomasum during early lactation. The abomasum normally sits on the lower right side of the abdomen. Displacement occurs when the abomasum fills with gas,

APRIL 2014

causing it to rise upwards in the abdomen towards the backbone on either side of the rumen. In a left displaced abomasum (LDA), the passage of food is usually partially obstructed, leading to decreased appetite and dehydration. Fortunately, around 90 per cent of cases occur on the left, and if diagnosed and treated early, these have a high success rate for survival. In a right displaced abomasum (RDA) however, the abomasum can twist, leading to complete obstruction of both food and blood flow. The walls of the abomasum begin to die, becoming fragile and prone to tearing. RDAs have a significantly lower

chance of survival. Two major factors contribute to the disease. The first is related to poor functioning of the rumen and abomasum. When these two organs stop churning and become still, they tend to accumulate food and gas, which then causes them to shift around the abdomen. This is often due to an unbalanced diet, and can be controlled by good management. The second factor is change in organ size, caused by calving (which suddenly allows more room in the abdomen) and reduced feed intake in late pregnancy (causing reduced rumen fill and smaller rumen size).

A BALANCED DIET Most cows are diagnosed with the disease in their first month after calving, when milk production drops, feed intake is lower and/ or they lose condition. This is often due to an unbalanced diet during the transition period (the three weeks prior to calving). A balanced transition diet must have the right amounts of energy, protein, fibre, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace elements. It must also stimulate rumen adaptation for safer grain intake during lactation. The Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD) level is also important. A good DCAD diet increases blood acidity, making it easier for the cow to release calcium from the stores in her bones. Good DCAD diets are high in anions (such as chloride and sulphur), and low in cations (such as sodium and potassium). In fact, the high potassium content of pasture is a major reason why grass intake is restricted during the transition period. All feed sources contain different amounts of these components. A ‘transition feed analysis’ can be done to test the DCAD levels of your diet and a nutritionist can help you to get the balance right for the herd.

A transition diet which has a DCAD level of less than 80 milliequivalents/kilogram/ dry matter (mEq/kg/DM) is considered ideal. Generally, almond hulls and molasses are among the highest DCAD feeds at >600 mEq/kg/DM; rye-grass/clover pastures rate about 400; pasture hay at around 230; wheat around -20 and some minerals like epsom salt, gypsum and ammonium sulphate at -8100, -10590, -14950 respectively.

TREATMENT

These averages are rough guidelines and can vary considerably. For instance, pastures irrigated with effluent and pastures that are short and grazed have a higher DCAD level. Minerals in the form of a commercially mixed pellet or grain mix, or added in their raw form to a mixed ration, are the typical source for low DCAD components of a transition diet.

DEPI Dairy Services is currently running Feeding Impact Groups to help dairy farmers better manage the impact of changes in seasonal growing conditions, cost of feeding and milk price. New groups will be established later this year.

A transition diet is not only ideal for reducing a herd’s risks for displaced abomasums; it is also used to minimise incidences of milk fever (usually the biggest focus), ketosis, retained foetal membranes (RFMs) and uterine infections, udder oedema, poor milk production and poor fertility.

Even though you may apply best management practices to a transition diet for your cows, you might still end up with a small number of cases. It is essential to seek veterinary advice for treatment options. Early diagnosis is always best to improve chances of survival, particularly if it is an RDA.

FEEDING IMPACT GROUPS

For more information on participating in future Feeding Impact Groups, register your interest with Sarah Brown at DEPI Echuca, phone 5482 0458. For more information, factsheets, feeding calculators and publications relating to transition feeding, visit the Dairy Australia website www.dairyaustralia.com.au and search for ‘feeding and nutrition’. — By Brendan Ley, DEPI Tatura and Ee Cheng Ooi, DEPI Ellinbank

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Value-adding venture Plant perfectly placed to take advantage of milk-producing region A new UHT milk processing plant in Shepparton has attracted government funding of almost $1 million. The $40 million plant, operated by the Pactum Dairy Group, is expected to create 25 full-time jobs. It is also expected to generate up to $100 million in sales per year, with a key focus on exports sales to China and other parts of Asia. Pactum Dairy Group is a joint venture between Kyabram-based Australian Consolidated Milk and Pactum Australia, a part of the Australian Stock Exchange-listed Freedom Foods Group. ‘‘The Shepparton region produces over 22 per cent of Australia’s fresh milk, so it was clearly seen as the perfect location for long-term access to sustainable and economic sources of milk,’’ Australian Consolidated Milk director Michael Auld said. Mr Auld said the venture was based on value

adding to raw milk for the domestic and export markets, but also to deliver sustainability to dairy farmers. ‘‘Without the farmers being sustainable we have no business,’’ he said. Pactum Group operations general manager Mark McWhirter and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan during a factory tour in Shepparton. ‘‘We see a lot of opportunity to expand and take a net operating profit of $4.2 million. advantage of those export opportunities.’’ From July 2014, Pactum will expand its Commissioning of the plant, a maze of shiny capabilities with installation of 250 ml vats and pipes, began in December and the Prisma Format and 330 ml Prisma Dreamcap initial capacity will be for 250 ml and onepackaging formats at the Shepparton litre packs. factory. The total investment will be about $15 million, with an initial earnings The Pactum Group parent company, Freedom contribution from July 2015 and phased Foods, recently reported a half-yearly result of development over three years. $6.8 million, an increase of 64 per cent, with

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Trade barriers must be overcome Commercially meaningful FTA with Japan a priority for Australian dairy If recent speculation is to be believed, discussions on a free trade agreement between Japan and Australia have reached an advanced stage. If so, then this is significant news for the dairy industry, as Japan along with Korea and China are key international markets for value-added Australian dairy products. As confidence within the local industry grows, highlighted by domestic and international interest in Australian dairy assets, then so too does the realisation that we must act now to seize the opportunities that will define our industry’s future for decades to come. This includes signing an FTA with Japan that reduces trade barriers, delivers commercially meaningful opportunities, facilitates future growth opportunities and supports the jobs of Australians involved in the dairy industry. We already enjoy the benefits of extensive trade links with Japan. It is the single most

important market for the Australian dairy industry, with $511 million in exports in 2012–13 — 19 per cent of our dairy exports by value. Despite this, we still face a range of trade barriers and market distortions. Cheese is the biggest product category Australian dairy supplies to Japan and we face tariffs of up to 35 per cent on some products. These tariff imposts cost Australian dairy exporters more than $116 million in 2011–12 alone. This is the reason why it is more important than ever that barriers to free trade are removed to provide new and enhanced export opportunities for Australian dairy. We need only look at the example of our friends across the Tasman to understand the benefits an FTA can deliver. Since signing an FTA with China in 2008, New Zealand has seen a six-fold increase

in the total per tonne volume of dairy exports, while Australia by comparison has experienced only relatively modest export growth to China during the same period. As such, we look to the Federal Government to provide the leadership needed to secure a better, fairer and more open deal for dairy in negotiations for the Japan FTA. The dairy industry was concerned at some key omissions in the Korea FTA and cannot support a similar outcome with Japan. We acknowledge that reaching a deal with Japan that provides significant new opportunities for Australian dairy will not be easy, however it never has been. The stakes are too high for Australian dairy farmers and the many men and women who work in the broader industry not to grasp this opportunity with both hands. — Noel Campbell chairman Australian Dairy Industry Council

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Story and pictures: Sophie Bruns

Heifer rearing goes off-site Letting someone else put the work into bulking up their heifers is paying dividends for farmers

It takes two years and a lot of hard work to get a heifer into the herd, and as more and more farmers dedicate their farming land to producing milk only, some are looking at other alternatives. Gunbower dairy farmers Stuart and Clare Modra have sent 40 of their mixed-age heifers away on a weight gain arrangement, where they pay a pre-arranged price for every kilogram each gains. “We decided to send our heifers away because it lightens the load at home. We are overstocked having our milkers and young stock both on the farm. Not having to worry about them means we can do things properly on the farm, and I know Peter (McDonald, who rears the Modras’ heifers) does a good job,” Mr Modra said. He said it made sense to grow out heifers as well as they could. “Well grown-out heifers calve well, you get more production out of them in their first lactation and they are just a more robust animal. They can put all their energy into producing milk and it just seems to set them up for life. 44

APRIL 2014

“We are very happy with this arrangement and that is dependent on water availability. it suits us and our business.” “It is great to see a heifer grow out to its Peter McDonald has been rearing heifers potential- we don’t want them too fat or for weight gain for 20 years on his 480 ha too skinny but after all these years I think property at Murrabit. He first began rearing we have got a good system going now and heifers as an alternative to growing out steers people keep bringing their next batch of because he felt it was a more consistent heifers back - so we must be doing something market. right.” “A lot of people don’t like the weight gain On arrival all animals are drenched, weighed theory — but if the animals don’t put on and given a B12 shot. Thereafter they are weight we don’t get paid, so it is important weighed every six weeks and a bill is sent out. we do the best job we can,” Mr McDonald Any animals that are sick are treated by Mr said. McDonald. He aims to have a heifer weighing about At joining time the system is flexible. 700 kg on the point of calving. Animals can be joined to Jersey bulls or Mr McDonald is happy to organise an alternative “We take animals from weaned calves and (at the farmer’s cost). can rear them right through to the point of calving. It is up the farmer as to how long “Some farmers prefer to join at a specific they are here for,” he said. weight while others prefer a date, we just work in with what they want. We have good The animals are grouped according to age yards and an air-operated crush, so we can and size. They are fed a mixed ration of move heifers through fairly quickly. silage, grain, hay and canola meal during the summer months and graze on sub and rye“At the end of the day this is just another job a grass through autumn and spring. This year dairy farmer doesn’t have to do, and it seems Mr McDonald grew a summer crop — but to work well for all of us.”

Heifer check for bigger cheques Keeping a close eye on your heifers now prevents fertility frustration later

Investing a few hours of your time in checking your heifers today can mean saving even more time and dollars tomorrow. Your heifers need to reach 65 per cent of their mature weight by the start of joining, which means you need to know the weight of your mature cows. This target is critical to the future reproductive success of your herd. The onset of puberty is linked to body weight: larger heifers reach puberty sooner, are joined earlier, are younger at their first calving and are easier to get in calf at their second joining. Under-sized heifers also struggle during the calving period. If their pelvis is too small, they have a dramatically increased risk of needing assistance at calving. For you, this leads to lost sleep, more vet bills and, potentially, the loss of calf and/or cow. For the heifer, it increases her chances of calving-related problems, such as retained foetal membranes and endometritis, which in turn lead to delayed cycling. To make matters worse, poorly grown heifers find it harder to compete for feed, produce less milk in their lifetimes and are more likely to be culled. To prevent this, heifer monitoring is recommended but need not be excessively time-consuming. Here are some handy tools and tactics that can help to ensure that your heifers are fulfilling their growth potential. Visual monitoring is the most basic way to keep an eye on your heifers. Although it seems obvious, it is surprising how easy it is to overlook young stock — especially if they are kept at a faraway paddock, out-block or

work out your target weight and the weight on agistment. Closely observing your heifers below which you will take action (this should can tell you if there are any health problems be target weight x 0.9). in the herd, and if there have been any injuries or deaths. Take some spray marker with you, and that way you can identify or draft off any animals You can also visually check body condition that fall below while you have them in the at joining and calving: any animal whose yards. backbone looks like a sharp, bumpy ridge is under-conditioned and any that are You can also combine growth monitoring completely flat between hip and pin are too with other jobs such as drenching to save fat. time, and it is a golden opportunity to get It is hard to assess weights just by looking but your heifers used to some quiet handling. you will be able to tell if your heifers appear Additionally, some veterinary clinics and herd short, which may be a result of insufficient improvement centres offer a heifer weighing protein for frame growth. service, or you could arrange to share scales with neighbours or relatives. Girth tapes are a handy and inexpensive way to estimate weights if you don’t have scales. The InCalf program recommends that you However, many people find that once they assess heifer growth every three months. At have gone to the effort of bringing heifers in, the very least you should aim to assess your it is easier to weigh them and they appreciate heifers at five months, 10 months and at the greater accuracy. joining (based on a 15-month joining). Hip height is a useful way to monitor growth, Finally, and most importantly, data collection and can be simple. Once you have figured is useless if you don’t act on your findings. out your target heights (search ‘wither height If you do have some heifers that are table’ at www.dairyaustralia.com.au), you underweight, something needs to be done. can fix a measuring stick to the side of Preferential feeding is the most logical way of your crush or race and easily identify those correcting poor growth. animals that are too small. Draft light cows out of the herd and into a Weighing is the best way to monitor heifers, separate paddock, and then supplement with as it allows you to accurately determine a high quality feed (preferably containing whether they are reaching their target weights. at least 11.5 megajoules of metabolisable Dairy Australia has produced target weight energy/kg of dry matter and 16 per cent charts which are easy to print and keep on crude protein). hand as a reference (search ‘heifer growth’ at This extra cost will pay dividends when it www.dairyaustralia.com.au). comes to milk production and reproductive There are also customisable charts and performance. calculators which make it easy to tailor — Ee Cheng Ooi, targets to your individual farm situation. dairy reproduction project officer Before you start weighing, it is a good idea to DEPI Ellinbank APRIL 2014

NZ dynamo to kick off dairy symposium John Penno will be the key note speaker at this year’s Dairy Research Foundation’s annual symposium New Zealand’s John Penno is the brains behind Synlait, a corporate dairy farming business which five years ago set up its own processing plant that will soon be New Zealand’s biggest single site factory. Originally a scientist with Dexcel/Dairy New Zealand, Mr Penno will speak about the Synlait story and the secrets to its sustainable growth at Dairy Research Foundation’s symposium, to be held in the Hunter Valley on June 19 and 20. The processing company has been operating for five years and has a milk supply growth rate of 35 per cent per year from 160 suppliers. It is proud of its track record in retaining suppliers and supporting them to use best farming practices.

Mr Penno is just one of a series of guest speakers who will address the symposium on the theme of ‘Growing Dairy’. On the second day, symposium delegates will visit John and Allison Redgrove’s property at Singleton. The Redgrove family certainly understands what growth is about — in the past five years they have purchased extra land, expanded their cropping area and built a new rapid exit herringbone dairy. Participants will hear about how dairy business growth has been aided by automation and innovation. For more information contact Esther Price Promotions; email esther@ estherprice.com.au or phone 1800 177 636.

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A group of children exhibiting their calves at the 1931 Kyabram Show. The photograph is from the Kyabram Historical Society collection.

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Please check www.murraydairy.com.au for updates or phone (03) 5833 5312. Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18 Cups On Cups Off Corryong Contact: 0447 379 565 Organisation: NCDEA Email: wreuther@gotafe.vic.edu.au Wednesday, April 23 Quad Bike Operations Shepparton Contact: 0447 379 565 Organisation: NCDEA Email: wreuther@gotafe.vic.edu.au Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 24 Cups On Cups Off Katamatite Contact: 0447 379 565 Organisation: NCDEA Email: wreuther@gotafe.vic.edu.au Wednesday, April 30 InCalf Workshop Kyabram Contact: 03 5833 5312 Organisation: Murray Dairy Email: admin@murraydairy.com.au Thursday, May 1 InCalf Workshop Tocumwal Contact: 5833 5312 Organisation: Murray Dairy Email: admin@murraydairy.com.au Friday, May 2 InCalf Workshop Tangambalanga Contact: 5833 5312 Organisation: Murray Dairy Email: admin@murraydairy.com.au Thursday, May 7 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshop, Day 1 Kyabram Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Friday, May 8 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshops, Day 1 Numurkah Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au

Thursday, May 14 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshop, Day 2 Kyabram Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Friday, May 15 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshops, Day 2 Numurkah Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Thursday, May 21 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshop, Day 3 Kyabram Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Friday, May 22 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshops, Day 3 Numurkah Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Thursday, May 28 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshop, Day 4 Kyabram Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au Friday, May 29 InCharge Cow Health and Fertility Workshops, Day 4 Numurkah Contact: 0439 275 896 Organisation: DEPI Email: sarah.chaplin@depi.vic. gov.au

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Afi Act II means no more tailpaint, no need to look for cows on heat and a shorter joining period. The system also indicates non-cycling cows and cystic cows.

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