Dairy Direct Gippsland

A

PUBLICATION

GIPPSLAND Issue 15, April 2017

Doing dairy with an audience » page 20

Farmer of the year » page 11

Organic choice » page 18

In the field at Labertouche and Fish Creek » page 30

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More than just milking cows Dairying means being part of a community, not just a farmer.

Dairy farming has always meant more to me than just growing grass and milking cows.

It’s been about family, community and opportunity.

When Leesa and I first purchased our farm we worked hard at building a business that could provide security for our family and, hopefully, provide us with a comfortable retirement.

But it’s given us so much more than that.

Life as dairy farmers has allowed us to build a great platform to raise four children, two of whom are working with us on the farm today. It has introduced us to lifelong friends and made connections in the dairy community that we value highly.

So when Graeme Nicoll stepped down as GippsDairy chair, I had no hesitation in putting my hand up to replace him. I wanted to give something back to the dairy industry and I couldn’t think of a better place than GippsDairy to do it.

In my time at GippsDairy, I have seen just how important its programs are in helping other farmers grow their lives and careers in the dairy industry. Whether it’s pasture improvement, animal health or business skills, GippsDairy has been putting information into the hands of Gippsland farmers to help them create more resilient farm businesses.

In an industry that is often at the mercy of factors outside of our control (like world milk markets and climatic conditions) GippsDairy offers the tools to build a sustainable industry for generations to come.

But a sustainable dairy industry is more than just a healthy balance sheet.

Farmers these days have a ‘social licence’, meaning they need to meet community expectations on how they work their land and treat their animals. With programs like Fert$mart and Euthanase Livestock, GippsDairy is helping farmers meet these expectations while maintaining profitable farm businesses.

During my time as GippsDairy chair, I would like to continue to promote the dairy industry as a solid place for investors to put their money, for school kids to consider as a career and for dairy farming families to grow their business.

Just as importantly, I’d like to see our governments and the wider community recognise that the dairy industry plays a vital part in the economic and social structure of regions like Gippsland and that we are a sustainable and responsible industry.

—Grant Williams GippsDairy chair

contents

May reminders....................................4 MG suffers financial loss...................5 Virtually profitable.............................6 Forum hears farmers’ fears...............8 Perennial rye-grass hidden risk........9 Resilience rewarded.........................11 Industry knowledge pays off...........12 Taking time out to give something back.................................14 Fonterra announces step-up...........17 Choosing the organic path..............18 Tourism has made it through the farm gate.....................................20 Beware Q fever..................................23 Production margins remain tight...24 Guesswork out of rye-grass.............28 Work on profitability........................29 Use autumn as a launching pad.....30 Course aims to improve milk..........31

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A

Reminders for May

PUBLICATION

GIPPSLAND Issue 15, April 2017

Doing dairy with an audience » page 20

Farmer of the year » page 11

Organic choice » page 18

In the field at Labertouche and Fish Creek » page 30

Cover: Will Ryan works at Caldermeade Farm Café where he’s not far from the public.

Story, page 20

Editor Geoff Adams editor@countrynews.com.au Writers Geoff Ellis, Rodney Woods and Geoff Adams Graphic designers Stacey Taylor, Sean Cox, Brendan Cain Advertising James MacGibbon james.macgibbon@ countrynews.com.au Published by Country News PO Box 204, Shepparton, Victoria 3632 (03) 5831 2312 www.countrynews.com.au Printed by Edge Print

Supported by:

Are you reading someone else’s copy of Dairy Direct?

If you are dairy farming and want to make sure you get your own copy phone GippsDairy on 5624 3900.

Please call as well, if you are getting more than you need.

4

APRIL 2017

Feed planning • Have a plan to feed all the stock on your farm with fodder that’s feed-tested and is likely to get you better grown and conditioned stock and more profitable milk production. This is very important for young stock that are commonly underfed during autumn and winter.

• Check your volumes of hay and silage against the planned feeding; if you need to change the plan if volumes are low you will know in advance.

Establish a wedge of pasture after the autumn break • Balance your grazing rotation with seasonal conditions and your calving pattern. If you dry-off all or most cows and destock the farm for a period in winter, you may be able adopt a more aggressive grazing strategy now. If you milk cows through winter make sure to plan for the feed demand from pasture in winter.

• Plan your grazing rotation without areas of renovated or oversown pasture as these areas may take some time to become available if rainfall comes late in autumn.

• Have a plan for wet soil conditions should they occur; stand-off paddocks and suitable feed sources may be required this winter.

• Use nitrogen fertiliser to boost pasture growth if required. For more information see: http:// fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/ dairy-soils-and-fertiliser-manual/chapter12-nitrogen-and-nitrogen-fertilisers/ • If cold conditions occur and the herd is eating pasture faster than it’s growing, consider the use of gibberellic acid to increase pasture growth rates.

Establish and manage new pastures • Check new pastures for pests such as red-legged earth mite and lucerne flea; if found, they will need to be controlled as soon as possible to reduce damage to the seedlings.

• Do the ‘pluck test’ to check if newly sown pastures are ready for grazing. The plants need to be well-anchored in the ground so they will not pull out; sometimes just waiting until a wet soil has dried out is enough for the plants to stay in the ground during grazing.

• When grazing newly sown pasture for the first time, if possible use a large mob of animals that are lightweight (young stock) for short periods of time to lightly graze new pastures to a 4 cm to 6 cm residual.

• Follow the first grazing with broad leaf weed spray if it’s required to allow the pasture tiller to thrive.

• Consider the use of nitrogen to strengthen the plants and grow more dry matter after the first grazing.

Stock • Drying-off offers the opportunity to prevent mastitis using dry cow treatments. Cows that have had mastitis may need to be treated differently to cows that have a low BMCC and have had no mastitis.

• Ensure dry cows have enough feed. Dry cows require between 70 and 90MJ/cow/day and 13 to 14 per cent crude protein when dry. Check the quality of the feed they are being offered if pasture is limiting; local Gippsland hay is often very low quality and should be feed-tested if it is offered as the only feed source to dry or transition cows.

• Cows within 21 days of calving (transition cows) should be fed carefully to prevent milk fever and other difficulties. Talk to your adviser about this or see the Dairy Australia website www. dairyaustralia.com.au and search for ‘check list for transition cow management’.

• When preparing for autumn cow joining, make sure you have the necessary bull power. Aim for six bulls per 100 cows if not using AI and three bulls per 100 cows with AI. Rest the herd bulls regularly; InCalf recommends alternating bull teams at least weekly.

• Consider checking bull fertility, checking for pestivirus (especially if a new bull enters the property) and vaccinating to prevent sexually transmitted diseases such as vibriosis.

Young stock • Investing in feeding young stock well provides a return to your business in more than one way.

• Get back in calf more easily as first calvers in the herd.

• Produce more milk than undergrown heifers.

• Contribute to a more predictable calving pattern as they are calved down at 24 months old rather than 30 months old.

• When preparing your calf-rearing facilities, consider disease and ease of operating as priorities. For more information, go to: http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animalmanagement/Animal-welfare/Calves.aspx Water issues • Make a note in your diary of irrigation trouble spots that need maintenance. Farm channel maintenance, irrigation stop maintenance and pump maintenance need to be planned ready for the next irrigation season.

Business • Once complete, take the time to check your planned cash flow against your GST for the third quarter.

• Plan your tax with your accountant or make the appointment to do so.

• Prepare to plan next financial year’s budgets, taking into account the current milk price and input costs and considering the things you want to do on the farm in the next 12 months.

MG suffers financial and supply loss New managing director is positive despite profit slump and big drop in milk supply.

Murray Goulburn Co-operative has recorded a first-half-year loss of about $31.9 million and has suffered a 20 per cent reduction in milk supply.

The big milk processor has also experienced a 14 per cent cut in revenue compared to the same period last year.

While the result looks disappointing on paper, new managing director Ari Mervis said the financial results were not unexpected in a particularly challenging year.

Mr Mervis said it was flagged in October last year that there would be a debt generated due to the attempt to maintain a competitive milk price.

So, he said, the financial result was broadly in line with last year.

“Record rainfalls and high levels of competitor activity have reduced our milk intake, impacting revenue and our ability to fully recover fixed costs and overheads,” Mr Mervis said.

“In addition, although the recent increases in

Murray Goulburn managing director Ari Mervis speaking in Shepparton recently.

He said the company was pursuing cost reductions and after last April more than 200 positions had been removed from the corporate office, generating savings of $10 million to $15 million in the current financial year.

When fully implemented, it will create about $50 – $60 million of savings annually.

A company asset review is under way which Mr Mervis said was being pursued with Record rainfalls and diligence and rigour. high levels of competitor Mr Mervis said he was aware of speculation about the future of the Rochester factory but activity have reduced he said no decisions had been made. our milk intake.

“It would be premature to draw any conclusions.”

Ari Mervis He said the outlook was more favourable with on-farm conditions and global Mr Mervis said there were about 350 conditions. suppliers who had left the co-operative since May but there were still about 2200 suppliers “While there is a lag on the benefit of those and his focus was on them and retaining commodity prices if they are more favourable them by obtaining the best he could for and optimistic, there is a general consensus them. that things are looking more positive.”

the global prices of dairy commodities are welcome, they have not recovered in time to impact on MG’s first-half sales volumes.”

The company has blamed aggressive market competitiveness for milk supply and seasonal conditions for the big drop in milk supply.

“

”

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APRIL 2017

5

Rural Rumenations with KATIE MACAULAY

Columnist Katie MacAulay lives in South Gippsland, and has been married to a dairy farmer long enough to appreciate the smell of good silage. She loves chooks, enjoys stacking hay bales with the tractor and wonders why the lawn grows twice as quickly as the grass in the paddocks.

Virtually profitable with the click of a mouse It all began innocently enough.

Junior told Hubby he should sell his old tractor and buy a new one. Hubby thought the cows needed more feed. Junior wanted to buy more chooks. Hubby wanted to buy a corn planter and diversify the crops he was sowing.

Not much different to the normal household conversation although I wasn’t confident that we could grow corn on dryland. I did like the idea of more chooks though.

Then Junior casually mentioned driving down the road. At 83 km/h. Hubby laughed and told him to avoid the highway. I had to put a stop to this.

“Chill, Mum. We’re talking about The Game.”

My brother had given Junior a farming

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simulator computer game which Junior spent every free minute playing. In the beginning, it wasn’t so bad. Junior sat at the computer quietly until Hubby sent him outside to play. Hubby has an ingrained dislike of computers and could never see why anyone would spend their free time sitting blob-like in front of one.

But Junior was persuasive and after much pestering, finally convinced Hubby to try his game. Hubby took to it like a cow to an unprotected silage stack and ever since, I can’t tell what is real life and what is game talk.

Eventually, sick of being rendered mute at the dinner table because I wasn’t ‘in’ on the game, I decided to try it. Junior enthusiastically found me “a spare farm” and I sprung into action.

First task was to harvest my wheat crop.

Filling up the header bin was easy but then I had to deposit my wheat into a trailer so I could drive it to my silo. The boys were right, this game was extremely life-like; no matter how many times I tried to reverse the tractor, I couldn’t line up with the tow bar on the trailer.

This was hard work. Why anyone would

want to do this for fun was beyond me.

“But crops are ready to harvest after one day, there are no weeds, the cows produce milk without me milking them and the sheep provide wool bales without me needing to shear them. What isn’t there to like?” Hubby said.

“You can always just walk around and explore the farm and surrounds if you’d rather. If you pick up enough gold coins, you can become very rich,” Junior said.

I looked dismally at my tractor and trailer which were now jackknifed to the point of no return. Hmmm, there’s a reason I don’t back tractors in confined spaces in real life.

“So let me get this straight. Even though this is a farming simulator game, I can avoid farm work and ‘work’ off-farm?”

“It’s the quickest way to get rich,” Junior added.

I haven’t found all the coins yet, but Junior has. He’s since paid off his overdraft, replaced all his old tractors and expanded his herd.

It’s made me realise that we’ve been approaching this dairy farming caper all wrong; forget the hard slog of milking cows, it’s time to invest in a gold detector!

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Rethinking the Everyday

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COCO pays off for farmers Cups On Cups Off courses being delivered by GippsDairy across Gippsland are already having a positive impact on dairy farm businesses.

Bruthen dairy farmer Peter Jennings sent two of his employees to a recent Cups On Cups Off (COCO) course and was delighted with the outcome.

“It’s gone tremendously well, they have come back recognising that milking cows is a trade,” he said.

“That professionalism in how the course was presented sent the message that there are people out there willing to train them and further their profession.”

For Peter, the practical outcomes involved a series of small changes that added up to significant improvement in how the dairy shed operates. He has also noticed a general improvement of the care being taken with the milking process.

“There’s a whole understanding of the process and enthusiasm to see if we can get this right and do what’s been suggested,” he said.

“For instance, not rushing to put the cups on because we want a little bit of that let down first.”

“We’ve changed the nozzle on the pit hose to keep the pressure down and the flood water up. We’ve put a paper towel dispenser in the pit, for wiping cows and wiping hands.”

“We’ve update the whiteboard. We used to write down all the mastitis cases in a book, but we now put them on the board so we are reminded every day about it and we can

Travis, Shane and Peter have used Cups On Cups Off to improve dairy shed performance.

now go back and double check a cow that might have high cell counts.”

Travis Davey, who has been milking on the Jennings farm for several years, was initially sceptical about how much he could learn from the course, but came away with a new attitude towards his work.

“I got more out of it than I thought, to be honest,” he said.

“I learnt some crucial details about bacteria and not aspirating or aerating to spread bacteria.

“As soon as we had some cow crap coming down, I would just hose it off, which meant I was spreading bacteria, E.coli and staphylococcus all over the place — two cows this way, two cows that way. So now we leave that and we hose up in between rows, which is minimising the spread of it.”

Shane Worseldine, who only started milking in recent months, enjoyed the informal nature of the course and the group participation aspects that fostered an environment where people of all experience levels could get

something out of it.

“I learnt a bit more about mastitis, dairy hygiene and about how to keep the cell counts down,” he said.

“Something I picked up on is that the opening of the teat stays open a lot longer than you think, so you need to watch what you splash up onto them.”

“The other thing was the importance of wearing gloves, so I’ve started to wear them now because the pores in your hands and cracks in the skin can harbour bacteria.”

GippsDairy regional extension officer Louise Sundermann said feedback from recent courses had backed up the experience of Peter, Travis and Shane.

“Both employees and employers are telling us that this course is making a real difference to the way they operate in the dairy shed and is having positive outcomes on cell counts and mastitis levels,” she said.

For more information on upcoming courses in your area contact Louise on 5624 3900 or louise@gippsdairy.com.au

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Getting into DairyBase

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A two-day program to improve understanding of how to record good quality data to analyse your business using DairyBase.

The one-day workshops will be held at: Maffra on 16 May West Gippsland on 17 May South Gippsland on 18 May Each day will run from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm. Venues will be announced closer to dates.

To register contact Tony Platt at tony@gippsdairy.com.au or 0477 440 339.

The program helps develops an understanding of the DairyBase tool and how it can inform your business.

Getting into DairyBase will be run over two days in consecutive weeks. Each day will run from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm.

Workshops will be held in: Maffra on 29 May and 5 June Warragul on 2 June and 9 June To register contact Tony Platt at tony@gippsdairy.com.au or 0477 440 339.

Forum hears farmers’ fears Dairy farmers tell the ACCC they are worried about milk prices and the future.

Milk price transparency and the future of the dairy industry were the biggest concerns of farmers who attended an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission forum in Shepparton at the end of February.

ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh said a lot of time was spent on price transparency during the forum.

“The examples provided were that processors announce a price at the start of the season and many farmers are not getting the price at the end of the season, meaning there is little resemblance between the forecast price and what they are getting paid,” Mr Keogh said.

Fifty-five farmers attended the forum, where the other big topic of discussion was their concerns about the dairy industry’s future.

“The general mood was quite downbeat and a number expressed real concern about the future in dairy farming,” Mr Keogh said.

He said there was real angst about whether dairy farming would be a viable business into the future.

“There was a lot of questions about whether dairy companies had breached competition laws in Australia.”

Mr Keogh said the aim of the forums was to understand what farmers’ experiences were with dairy processors.

“The aim of the forums is to get good information about their experiences in business with dairy processors.

“It’s in our interest that good open competition and proper markets are working within the industry.”

The Shepparton session was one of a host of forums across Australia that will form part of the ACCC’s submissions to Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison about competition and fair trading.

“The information from the forums in combination with detailed information from processors and retailers will be analysed and further talks with processors and retailers will be had,” Mr Keogh said.

“Recommendations are to be made to government, with a report handed to the treasurer before October this year.”

ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh said the mood in the room at the February meeting was “downbeat”.

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Perennial rye-grass holds hidden risk Naturally-occurring fungus can lead to problems for livestock.

Perennial rye-grass toxicosis (PRGT) can be a serious and widespread problem in livestock grazing perennial rye-grass-dominant pastures during the summer and autumn.

The condition occurs annually, particularly in southern Victoria, and in some years serious incidents of PRGT result in devastating animal losses.

About 90 per cent of established perennial rye-grass plants are infected with an endophyte fungus known as Neotyphodium lolii. This naturally occurring fungus is not harmful to the grass, but it produces chemicals (alkaoids) which can produce toxic effects in livestock grazing infected pastures.

The most commonly recognised symptom of PRGT is rye-grass staggers, which can be seen in sheep, cattle, horses, deer and alpacas. Less obvious signs may include ill-thrift, especially in young stock, heat stress, scouring, reduced fertility and lowered milk production, which all contribute to production losses and animal welfare concerns even when staggers are not seen.

There is no specific treatment for PRGT, however toxic pastures can be avoided with

careful animal and pasture management strategies.

A risk management approach on farms known to be at risk of PRGT will reduce the incidence and impact of the disorder.

Perennial rye-grass toxicity occurs regionally in winter rainfall areas every year, most commonly in late summer and early autumn.

During the past 31 years there have been four serious incidents in Victoria, resulting in widespread animal losses and welfare problems on many properties (1986, 1993, 2002 and 2005).

In the autumn of 2002, an estimated 100 000 sheep and 500 cattle died as a result of PRGT in Victoria.

A similar number of sheep died during the subsequent winter as a result of heavy burdens of intestinal worms, partly due to animals being unfit to muster for strategic drenching in late summer due to staggers.

The most toxic pastures are those dominated by perennial rye-grass.

High-risk seasons are likely when late-season rainfall causes abundant pasture growth and

where the following summer and autumn conditions include hot spells during the dry period.

The main legume in mixed pastures is often an annual species and is inconspicuous by the time PRGT problems are seen, having dried off, been trampled and decomposed, leaving the pasture as a pure stand of perennial rye-grass.

There is no specific therapy for PRGT. Recovery occurs over one to four weeks once animals are removed from toxic pastures.

In mild cases of staggers, stock should be left undisturbed or quietly moved without a dog to a safer paddock with a water trough, rather than open water to avoid the risk of drowning.

Some collapsed animals may stay down; it is important for these to be brought in within 24 hours and nursed.

In more severe cases removal from toxic pasture is vital, but may take several days.

Excitement must be minimised to reduce the number of animals that collapse and then require intensive nursing or destruction. – Agriculture Victoria

APRIL 2017

9

PROMOTING WINTER GROWTH IN YOUR PASTURES

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GNITOMORP Resilience rewarded HTWORG RETNIW A willingness to adapt wins couple a farming award.

SERUTSAP RUOY NI

GippsDairy deputy chair Lauren Finger and her husband Simon have been named as The Weekly Times Coles 2016 Dairy Farmers of the Year.

The Fingers, from Yannathan, milk about 950 cows across three farms and were rewarded for their resilience in adapting to a changing climate in 2016.

Once-a-day milking improved cow welfare and slashed running costs for electricity, meaning they were able to maintain their business during a difficult and often unpredictable period.

“I’d like to think we were chosen because we were able to see our way through a challenging year and grow our business at the same time,” Mrs Finger said.

“We are very adaptable farmers which is absolutely essential in this day and age. You need that awareness of all those factors that operate around you like grain price, milk price and the season and how you can use those to your advantage.”

Yannathan’s Lauren and Simon Finger have been named as The Weekly Times Coles 2916 Dairy Farmers of the Year.

Since receiving the award, the Fingers have “There’s such a huge range of courses reflected on their time in the dairy industry. and training that GippsDairy and Dairy Australia offer and we have taken advantage “We’ve done it initially as sharefarmers in of that, particularly around farm business 2007 with 200 cows, so it’s nice for people management, which has given us an to know you can start out as a sharefarmer understanding of where our business is at and grow from there,” Mrs Finger said. any given time.”

In her role as GippsDairy deputy chair, she encouraged other dairy farmers to build their The winners were selected from the hundreds of farmers profiled in The Weekly knowledge and skills, just as she and her Times during 2016. husband had done.

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APRIL 2017

11

Two-month-old calf, Lighting Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-Imp-Et, sold for a record breaking $250 000 at the World Wide Sires Evolution Sale at International Dairy Week.

Industry knowledge pays off An interest in genetics has eventually resulted in a Gippsland farmer breeding a calf that has sold for a record-breaking amount.

An 82-day-old Holstein became front page news across Victoria following the International Dairy Week auction in January.

Declan Patten and his business partner Callum Moscript knew that Jedi Gigi would reach a good number, but two determined bidders wanted that calf and pushed each other to a new record.

Mr Patten and Mr Moscript were both in shock when the hammer fell. After the high-fiving ended they had a quiet celebration dinner with a few friends.

Lighting Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-ImpEt sold for $251 000. The heifer’s full sister, Lightning Ridge-CMD Jedi Yahoo, sold for $37 000 at the same auction.

Results speak for themselves, but how did Mr Patten become the centre of the Holstein universe?

Raised on a Gippsland Holstein farm, Mr Patten was immersed in the dairy industry at a young age. When he was 12 years old he read more than 20 years of dairy 12

APRIL 2017

magazines in one summer.

Mr Patten has turned his passion for the Holstein breed into a career. He now owns and operates Lightning Ridge Holsteins, a multi-national livestock business based in Lardner, Gippsland.

The business owns about 140 Holstein and Jersey cattle in seven countries around the world. The main focus is to purchase elite genetics globally and import those genetics through embryos to Australia. Knowledge of cow families is a great foundation but building strong relationships is key to success in this industry.

Importing embryos is a very simple process for sellers and buyers who use specialist export-import companies that deal with the logistical side and handle the paperwork.

The industry was revolutionised seven years ago when DNA, or genomic technology, was introduced. This allows the measurement of genetic potential from a hair sample from a day-old calf.

When she went to auction Jedi Yahoo was the number two GTPI (genomic) heifer in Australia, about 200 points below her sister.

Her breeding ability is not as great as Jedi Gigi so she attracted a lower auction price.

As well as Holsteins, Lightning Ridge has been working on Jersey genetics. Its first one was shown at International Dairy Week last year and took away Intermediate Champion.

Lightning Ridge CMD Jedi Gigi was to be flown to Canada before being transported to her new owner, Texas-based Sexing Technologies, a marketer of sex-sorted semen around the world.

There are many opportunities for travel within the industry and Mr Patten feels fortunate that cattle have taken him all around the world.

And if an ambitious 12-year-old is reading this year’s dairy magazines, Mr Patten’s advice is to study your industry from back to front, understand its trends, and make as many contacts in your field as possible.

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Graeme Nicoll and Jess with the herd.

Taking time out to give something back One farmer is striving to do his best on his own farm and across the industry as a whole.

Running a dairy is a full time job, isn’t it? How can a farmer find the time for an industry leadership role?

On his Fish Creek property, Graeme Nicoll discusses pastures and planning as he watches a silage cart coming down a lane.

“Gillian and I have invested a lot of time and energy to get to where we are now; we worked particularly hard in the early years,” Mr Nicoll said.

Prior to dairy farming, Mr Nicoll was with the CSIRO. That background, combined with a Nuffield Scholarship in 2010, has given him a research-based outlook which carries into a ‘whole of farm’ approach to dairy management.

The Nicolls work to a well thought-out plan.

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APRIL 2017

They sit down regularly in formal meetings three-way crosses. Individual feeding in the to review progress. dairy is available, although they don’t often use that option, preferring to run a simple “We look at what we have done and what we system. Pre-milking drafting helps reduce could do better — we don’t just finish one thing and jump to the next,” Mr Nicoll said. labour inputs.

The farm runs a seasonal calving pattern He also has a strong focus on pasture starting in mid-May and the heifer calves are management. raised as milker replacements.

“In an area with such reliable rainfall, The bull calves are kept until they are perennials work well for us, though we do between six and 10 months. They are fed on run crops as part of our renovation program. milk or powder depending on the economics We have 8 ha of chicory this season.” of the season.

The Nicolls began farming 20 years ago, “Some years we don’t do too well with these through purchase and lease of land. They calves, some years we do, that’s part of the have expanded to a milking area of 105 ha whole risk plan for our business,” Mr Nicoll on their 250 ha property.

Along the way they invested in a new 30-unit said. rapid-release shed to milk their herd of 300 Benchmarking is an important part of this

Graeme Nicoll in the shed.

Keeping track of the industry and the farm.

plan. The Nicolls use DairyBase to compare their operation with other farms.

Mr Nicoll said there were a lot of data sets in DairyBase that allow for comparison of many aspects of farm performance. “It assists us to monitor how our farm is performing.”

Other aspects of risk management have been identified and policies created to manage them. A good example is the safety policy that every employee must sign off on before commencing work. This includes a checklist so Mr Nicoll knows he has completed a full safety induction.

The Nicolls employ two workers. The dairy is set up for single-person operation, enabling them to spend quality time with their two boys — as well as ensuring a sustainable lifestyle for their workers.

Having two workers also allows Mr Nicoll to GippsDairy, including two years as deputy chair and 18 months as chair. He recently fulfil a passion — to see the Australian dairy stood down from that position to fill a casual industry prosper. The farm management vacancy on the Dairy Australia Board. structure gives him the time to perform a leadership role in the industry.

He reflects positively on his stint on the GippsDairy Board. Initiatives such as Tactics He had always wanted to undertake a for Tight Times are delivering positive Nuffield Scholarship and in 2010 he outcomes on farms across Gippsland. He had a crack at it. “The Nuffield is a great believes it is vital that farmers know what opportunity to look at our business from a their levy contributes to and see value for distance.” their money.

Mr Nicoll spent 16 weeks travelling the Whether Mr Nicoll gets a full-time world looking at agriculture generally and the dairy industry in particular. For him, this position at the next Dairy Australia AGM or not, he plans to continue to serve the put our industry into a global perspective. dairy industry.

He then travelled Australia talking about the Nuffield experience and what it taught him “I am passionate about quality leadership and about global trends and practices.

I believe a collaborative approach is critical to the success of the dairy industry.”

This led into five years on the board of APRIL 2017

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Processor says the increase matches its forecast closing price. our product mix into products generating those higher returns, which we’re able to deliver back to farmers at the farm gate.”

The company said it had achieved strong growth in its ingredients business and the Beingmate joint venture at Darnum was now up and running.

The construction of the multi-million dollar Stanhope cheese plant was on-track for completion in mid-2017 and the Cobden coolroom was now ready to accommodate growth in Western Star production from April.

“The progress we’ve made on our strategy, coupled with improvements in the global dairy market, has enabled us to deliver this step-up to our farmers,” Mr Dedoncker said.

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Fonterra has announced an increase to its supplier farm gate milk price to $5.20/kg milk solids.

The February announcement has resulted in the company reaching its forecast closing price for the 2016–17 season.

Fonterra Australia managing director René Dedoncker said this revised price reflected improvement in the global commodity markets and progress on key initiatives for the Australian business.

“Production has fallen across the major exporting regions, particularly Europe and New Zealand, and we’ve seen a significant decline in Australian milk supply,” Mr Dedoncker said.

“This has helped to rebalance global supply, while demand has remained firm. As a result there has been a steady improvement in global dairy commodity prices and this is reflected in our farm gate price.

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INTEGRITY. RELIABILITY. EXPERIENCE. APRIL 2017

17

Having a crack at organics has paid off for Daniel, Paul and Carolyn Hales.

Choosing the organic path Mulching and aerating improve the productivity of the pasture.

The road was rocky at times, but this family is glad to have made the journey.

The Hales family of Korrine knows the cost of having a crack at organic farming.

Three years down the track and Paul, Carolyn and their son, Daniel, can look back and smile.

Daniel’s great-great-grandfather Duncan McDonald selected this farm in 1896, so he is the fifth generation to farm this area.

In 2015 they were falling behind. Low fertility, low output and high input costs suggested that mainstream dairy practices weren’t working so they made the decision to ‘go organic’.

When discussing the concept with other farmers, Carolyn noticed people would ask questions but not listen past the first sentence.

Perhaps it was a bit too different.

But by the time the family was transitioning the farm, the industry had taken a downturn and people were far more attentive.

Converting to an organic, low-input system meant big changes in the herd. Even though they were only feeding 1–2 kg/animal/day, cutting off the grain to high-input Friesians rendered them unable to produce enough milk.

18

APRIL 2017

“We got rid of the grain bill, but we choppered a lot of milkers in the first year,” Daniel said.

Income from the sale of unproductive cows was used to purchase heifers more suited to low inputs and cover the loss of income from a dwindling milk cheque.

The family now breeds for a small functional cow that will produce 350 kg/year of milk solids solely off grass. At that rate, with the premium for organic milk, they can make money as long as the fertility rate stays up.

The 160-cow milking herd now consists of Jerseys, Jersey crosses, a few Friesians and a couple of Ayrshires.

They mix and match the genetics to create cows that suit their needs, though the philosophy could be summed up in a joking aside from Daniel: “If you’re big and black and white you won’t work here”.

The next joining will be Ayrshire, Jersey and Dairy Shorthorns. They use AI and mop-ups bulls that live in a paddock when resting.

Calving starts on January 20. Few of the bull calves go on the calf truck as most are raised to steers. Calves are put on cows that might have a cell count so that value is added to milk that would otherwise be wasted.

The 214 ha farm now supports a total of 330 head (including the 160 milkers and 30 beef cattle).

There are no plans for expansion, as they see

this as a very sustainable balance between production and pasture.

Paul said they are not pushing things to their limits.

He said at about 1ha/milker and with small to medium cows, the per hectare production figures were lower but the input costs were lower and very sustainable.

He said this contributed to the good health of the cows, as they could wander around and eat what they fancied.

Instead of using urea, the Hales have increased the productivity of their pastures through mulching and aerating. The only things they buy in are minerals and seaweed.

They believe strongly in soil testing to identify what is lacking in the soil, and therefore the grass.

Instead of buying expensive mineral blocks they make their own with salt and molasses.

The cows love them and they only get the minerals and vitamins that they lack, not a broad range of unnecessary elements.

The seaweed is granulated and comes in 25 kg bags so it’s a bit different to the raw seaweed that Paul’s great-grandfather used to feed his cows in Scotland.

At $4000/tonne the farm goes through about three-quarters of a tonne a year. The seaweed includes six different minerals and many trace elements.

Daniel said mastitis had decreased and pregnancy rates are much higher, now above 80 per cent. A good percentage are heifers so the need to buy in more is receding. In the first year of organic operation a third of the herd had to be replaced.

Attention to minerals and elements in the diet is paying off in another aspect — calving.

A touch of apple cider vinegar in the water trough, along with dolomite that includes calcium and magnesium, is reducing incidence of milk fever. This season they calved down 150 cows without one case of milk fever.

All the farm’s milk is bought by Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia. Australian Organic conducts annual and random audits to ensure the farm complies with accreditation standards for organic farming.

Daniel said the key to accreditation was keeping the documentation up to date and adhering to procedures.

Hay contractors have to blow out their machines before entering the property to avoid weed contamination. If you are going to put lime on a paddock you have to write down the date, paddock number and the amount then sign a declaration to the effect that the machine had been washed out beforehand to stop contamination.

There is a 10m buffer zone around the perimeter of the property and the neighbours are mindful of the risk of contamination

Careful pasture management provides healthy, organic feed.

when spraying adjoining paddocks.

The Hales don’t spray weeds; they carry a hoe on the quad bike and grub out weeds they spot as they follow the milkers back to the paddock.

Enjoying a break between milkings, Daniel, Paul and Carolyn reflect on their decision.

Admittedly the timing could not have been better, and they are glad they turned their backs on the big milk companies.

Although every farmer has to choose their own path, going organic certainly paid off for them.

Daniel and Paul Hales inspect the herd.

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19

Tourism has made it through the farm gate Dairy sheds don’t usually have window cleaning as part of the daily routine, but things are done differently at Caldermeade.

When Will Ryan goes about his daily routine he could have several dozen visitors looking over his shoulder.

The leading hand on a commercial dairy farm, Mr Ryan is under the spotlight because the business is also a major tourist attraction.

Every afternoon he supervises two employees who milk 400 cows. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for all those people on the viewing platform.

“Occasionally you might be distracted by a camera flash but your focus is on the cows,” long-term employee Michelle Venten said.

The cows aren’t upset by all the attention, either. Mr Ryan said this herd was often described as the calmest cattle in the industry.

Though possibly a genetic trait, he attributes this to high quality stock handling and close human contact in the calf shed and nursery.

Caldermeade Farm Café features a nursery where children of all ages can interact with a selection of calves and other farm animals, which get used to being in the company of humans.

Weaned heifers are raised at the home farm about 80 km away at Pound Creek. The two properties are operated as one family business, sharing equipment and calf-rearing.

Calving happens at Caldermeade in autumn,

The café and nursery are the first stop.

20

APRIL 2017

with spring and autumn calving at Pound Creek.

All the heifer calves are raised on-farm, with milk for the first 10 weeks and access to grain and hay. They are then transitioned to grass, grain and hay upon weaning.

There is a big focus on cleanliness in the calf sheds and a huge emphasis on early detection of sickness. Mortality rates are generally below two per cent.

“

For a lot of our visitors this is their first experience of ‘dairy’; we want them to see the best face of the industry.

Will Ryan.

”

Procedures such as pregnancy testing or vet treatments are carried out before the nine o’clock opening. Not that anything untoward is happening, it’s just that the general public might misconstrue the nature

of an injection.

There is typically a big knowledge gap for those who have not experienced dairy first hand and it is a pleasure to pass on the knowledge.

“For a lot of our visitors this is their first experience of ‘dairy’; we want them to see the best face of the industry,” Mr Ryan said.

“We can’t run the risk of people taking photographs of mucky rails or unclean floors. The reputation of the whole industry is at stake.”

There aren’t many dairy sheds that include window cleaning as part of the daily routine.

The peak of the café traffic is the summer months and school holidays. About 40 000 to 50 000 people visit the café on an annual basis with about 12 000 cars a day driving past the front gate.

Mr Ryan enjoys the role of being a spokesperson for the dairy industry. He is helping to dispel myths and particularly enjoys tours by school groups.

Tourists enjoy the dairy equivalent of the paddock-to-plate experience. Many people use Caldermeade as a halfway stop between Melbourne and Leongatha and there is a loyal, local customer base.

With only 2 m of fall from high point to low point, most of the farm is on show. Public

Bovine art is plentiful around the café.

access is limited to the area around the shed and café, with the centre pivot irrigator visible across 2 km of highway frontage.

Three large silage pits stand out as well.

Caldermeade employs four people on the farm with up to another two plus casuals in the café, depending on the season. There are a further 13 full-time equivalent positions at Pound Creek.

The two farms and the café each have managers who report to Tim Jelbart, general manager of the Jelbart Family business.

Mr Jelbart is accountable to a family management board with external advisers that meet quarterly to discuss strategy and finances.

Will Ryan ensures that everything is up to spec.

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Away from the public access areas.

Extra height in the shed accommodates the viewing platform.

Will Ryan and Michelle Venten discuss the daily plan.

>> Continued from page 21 The large size of the combined operation — 400 milkers at Caldermeade and 1000 at Pound Creek — has enabled investment in technology that pays for itself over the long term.

The herd is monitored through CowManager, which tracks each individual cow’s activity, temperature and behaviour, with GEW Dairyplan system tracking all treatments, milk production and lactation summaries.

are not mutually exclusive.

“As a family we are passionate about the dairy industry, so we would like to keep contributing to the industry,” Mr Jelbart said.

The café proudly displays the best of the industry — as well as serving great coffee.

Looking at the menu Mr Jelbart offers his advice: “The pies are excellent, but hard to finish as they are so big. My favourite is the steak and bacon.”

Mr Ryan can check the herd from his mobile phone and receives alerts if any particular animal’s data trends away from average.

Subtle changes warn of the onset of health issues and can also be used to track fertility.

Early intervention minimises the risks and can be used to optimise insemination.

Low staff turnover, low calf mortality rates and healthy, productive milkers mixed with high visitor numbers prove that tourism and modern dairy farming

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Beware Q fever Cases of this highly infectious disease are on the rise in Australia.

Q fever has been in the news lately, with an increase in reported cases in most states across Australia. There have been more cases reported in the past two years than in any year since the National Q Fever Management Program ended more than 10 years ago.

So what is Q fever and why is it important?

Q fever is a zoonotic disease originally recognised in Australia in the 1930s.

The term ‘Q fever’ is a shortened version of ‘Query fever’, because the cause was unknown. We now know that Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, and exists worldwide.

Many types of animals can be infected with C. burnetii. Sheep, goats and cattle are the main sources of infection for humans, but other animals including cats, dogs and kangaroos can be infected. It has even been detected in fur seals.

The C. burnetii bacteria is highly infectious and survives in air, soil, dust and water. It can also be carried on items such as clothing, wool, hides and straw. Placental tissue and fluids from infected animals contain high numbers of C. burnetii, and this is one of the

ways it enters the environment.

Clinical symptoms of Q fever in humans vary, but in Australia these symptoms include a high fever, muscle and joint pain, severe headache and fatigue. These symptoms are similar to other infections such as influenza, and as such Q fever can often be misdiagnosed.

The severity of the illness varies, from showing little to no symptoms through to requiring several weeks of rest. It is also possible to develop chronic Q fever. There is also a condition known as post-Q fever fatigue syndrome, which has been known to develop in people who have suffered an acute case of Q fever.

Those most at risk are people who work with meat and livestock. In addition, there have been instances where gardeners may have contracted the disease from animal droppings, including those of kangaroos.

There is a vaccine available in Australia to help protect people at risk of Q fever. Those who are vaccinated may develop minor side effects include a sore arm, headache, fever, and a general feeling of being unwell. The Q

Livestock Biosecurity Network biosecurity and extension manager Rachel Gordon.

fever vaccine is currently not recommended for children under the age of 15 years.

As well as utilising the available vaccine, people can reduce the risk of Q fever through: • Washing hands and arms thoroughly in soapy water after coming into contact with animals.

• Minimising dust in yards, and areas where animals are housed or slaughtered.

• Using protective outerwear, and removing it prior to entering the home.

To bolster biosecurity on your farm, download the free FarmBiosecurity app.

– Rachel Gordon Livestock Biosecurity Network’s biosecurity and extension officer

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Production margins remain tight Report points to declining milk production but lower input costs.

Milk production failed to increase and input costs were also on the decline during the past year, according to a new Dairy Australia report.

The Situation and Outlook report said milk production margins remained tight or negative, and many farmers faced a significant task rebuilding their equity position after the past 12 months.

The report said the year-on-year drop in Australia’s milk production had moderated, from more than 10 per cent for the first four months to 8.5 per cent for the July to December period.

Dairy Australia expects this gap will narrow further but remain significant, as it forecasts full-season production to be down by six to eight per cent on the 2015–16 total of 9.5 billion litres.

Victoria’s 10th-wettest spring on record saw northern Victorian dam levels up and temporary water prices down. Spring rainfall in the Murray-Darling Basin was above average by 64 per cent.

The rain brought relief to farmers in northern Victoria as well as those across the border, with temporary water prices trading at $160/Ml south of the VictoriaNSW border and $118/Ml north of it. Both figures were down significantly from the previous year.

Dairy Australia’s report also found that wheat and hay prices were down, with stockfeed wheat at $230/tonne and shedded cereal hay sitting at $148/tonne at the end of last year.

24

APRIL 2017

The report also suggested that Meat & Livestock Australia was predicting the possibility of cattle prices easing by 20 to

40 per cent in its 2017 Industry Projections Report and culling of cattle had increased in the 12 months to January by 16 per cent.

What the report said The main points from Dairy Australia’s Situation and Outlook report are: Better balance in global dairy markets and lower input prices are positive signs for the Australian industry.

However, production margins remain tight or negative, and many farmers face a significant task rebuilding their equity position after the past 12 months.

International dairy commodity prices for most products are back above five-year average levels and costs of major inputs continue to fall, with big grain and hay

harvests bolstering supplies.

The year-on-year drop in Australia’s milk production has moderated, from more than 10 per cent for the first four months to 8.5 per cent for the July to December period. Dairy Australia expects this gap will narrow further but remain significant, forecasting full-season production to be down 6–8 per cent on the 2015–16 total of 9.5 billion litres.

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High Green Bolton Noni owned by J. and B. Fisher and S. and R. Joyce won the veteran cow class at last year’s winter fair. Judge Eddie Bue said for a 10-year-old cow that had had six calves, she was amazing. She is pictured with Steve Joyce.

Winter fair enters its fourth year Concept is going from strength to strength, with exhibitors keen to return.

Before you know it July will be here, and so will the National Herd Winter Fair.

Held in Bendigo on Wednesday and Thursday, July 5 and 6, the fair complements International Dairy Week by offering an opportunity for stud breeders to showcase their autumn-calved cattle, or cattle that couldn’t quite make it to dairy week in January.

This is the fourth year the show has run and it is now recognised as one of the top two shows in the country.

Organiser Claire Modra said the fair’s committee was hoping for another good year.

Wednesday will see the junior handlers take to the ring, with junior champions for the Youth Show and the Red Show crowned, along with Supreme Junior Exhibit.

On Thursday the in-milk classes kick into action with Supreme Intermediate Udder, Red Intermediate Champion and Supreme Intermediate Exhibit to be crowned, followed by Supreme Senior Udder, Red Supreme Champion and Supreme Senior Exhibit.

In the best interests of cow health, the supreme udder categories were separated last year and this initiative has been carried over into 2017.

Lead judge for 2017 is Gerald Coughlin from Trent Valley Holsteins and Jerseys in Ontario, Canada and associate judge is 26

APRIL 2017

Nicola Paulger from Adadale Jerseys and Elders’ Dean Malcolm said the sale had been opened up to support not only the best Holsteins at Kenilworth in Queensland.

Australian pedigrees but imported ones too.

“This is the first time we have had a female “Having an Australian-only sale was a in the judging ring and it is fantastic,” fantastic initiative but we feel we can add Mrs Modra said. to that by introducing imported pedigrees,” “We are hoping our numbers will be back up Mr Malcolm said. around 250 again this year. The milk price seems to be heading in a positive direction so hopefully things are starting to pick up and we will gain a few more numbers compared to last year.

We are well on our “We are well on our way with many of our way with many of our sponsors returning again for 2017 so we are expecting another strong prize pool.” sponsors returning Murray Polson from Oxley Vale Holstein Stud again for 2017 so we are travelled 13 hours from Taree to attend the fair for the first time last year, and he was expecting another strong impressed. prize pool.

“We have been watching the concept since it started and we liked what we saw. We were Claire Modra made so welcome by the committee and they had some age groups not available in other shows that really suited us,” Mr Polson said. “The winter fair is one of the top two shows in the country and it complements dairy He said the trip down was made even week very well. It’s at a great time of the sweeter by securing two class winners. year and we are hoping the sale will provide “We intend on coming back again this year. another great option for people looking to We can actually show our cattle cheaper at sell cattle.” the winter fair then we can in Sydney which Sale lots will be a mixture of black and is only three hours away from us.” whites, and red and whites, and sale organisers are expecting a catalogue of about Elders has taken on the sale and will host the 40 animals.

Winter Warm Up Sale on Wednesday night.

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Taking the guesswork out of rye-grass A new forage ranking system will help farmers choose the best variety for their needs.

Dairy farmers can now make more informed, the myriad of perennial rye-grass cultivars commercially available in Australia, until profitable decisions when choosing the best now. perennial rye-grass for their farming system and forage needs, following the launch of the “With little independent information on Australian Forage Value Index. the traits and capabilities of these existing cultivars, farmers tend to stick with what Developed by Dairy Australia in partnership they know and have used, which can result with Agriculture Victoria, Meat & Livestock in lost production opportunity and reduced Australia and the Australian Seed Federation, incentive to invest in new pasture cultivars,” the FVI is an independently-analysed, Mr Murphy said. industry-endorsed economic index based on seasonal dry matter production.

“The Forage Value Index scores are calculated by multiplying the seasonal yields of each Using a simple banding system, the FVI cultivar (as determined by experimental ranks the performance of 20 of Australia’s trial data) with the economic value (as most popular perennial rye-grass varieties determined by case study farms in different relative to the typical climactic conditions dairying regions).” within each dairy region, providing farmers with another tool to help lift farm The economic values for the increased dry profitability. matter yields in the trials ranged from $0.15 to $0.37/kg of extra dry matter.

Dairy Australia’s farm profit and capability group manager Chris Murphy said there Economic values are the change in operating had been no independent method available profit for every kilogram of dry matter increase. The economic value varies with the to assess the agronomic performance of

Working out the value of rye-grass.

season, for example, pasture grown on-farm is worth more in winter than spring.

To be included in the FVI, each cultivar must have seasonal yield data from at least three, three-year trials using strict experimental protocols. All trial data was analysed by an accredited statistician and reviewed by a technical advisery committee to determine its place within the FVI banding scale.

The new Forage Value Index for Australia can be accessed at: www.dairyaustralia.com.au/FVI

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Work on profitability Scholar says rather than searching for another way, farmers should work to make the best of the system they already have.

A Nuffield Scholar has urged fellow dairy farmers to place stronger emphasis on making their production systems more profitable, as opposed to searching for a ‘silver bullet’ business solution.

Paul Niven, who was awarded a scholarship in 2014, has made the recommendation following his Nuffield research, which covered the topic ‘Management Systems and Price Risk Management in Multi-site Dairy Operations’. The focus of his study was in the United States and New Zealand, but also included observation and analysis of dairy management systems in Ireland, the United Kingdom, China and India.

“Within Australia, it is time to move the debate from which system is the most profitable, to how do I make my chosen system most profitable,” Mr Niven said.

“However, to do this the farmer must know “What they do exceptionally well is link the their farming system intimately, whether ‘cow’ data into the total farm management they’re operating a small family business or a system. And this is not easy, particularly large corporate business with multiple sites in a grass-based dairy system where you’re and tens of thousands of cows.” managing two systems,” he said.

Mr Niven is currently the Pure Source Dairy Tailoring this approach to Australia will Farm Company general manager in Qihe require some work.

County, Shandong, China. Prior to this “In terms of management systems, the US he was the dairy business manager for the and New Zealand have dominant systems Van Diemen’s Land (VDL) Company in that work well, but aren’t easily adaptable to Tasmania, overseeing 25 pasture-based dairy Australia,” Mr Niven said. farms, 20 000 milking cows, 120 people and “This is disappointing, but it does present more than seven million kilograms of milk an opportunity in Australia to refine some solids. of the systems that we have and continue to Through his role at VDL, and his subsequent close the gap.”

Nuffield studies, Mr Niven was intrigued as to how he could consolidate information from across 25 farms to monitor in real-time what’s happening within the operation, and then adapt to fluctuating input (urea, grain) and output prices (milk).

The Pure Source Dairy Farm Company general “In all agricultural commodity-based manager Paul Niven. businesses, we have fluctuating input and output prices, and when those aren’t managed properly we are faced with material impacts on business profitability,” he said.

“So I really wanted to know how dairy businesses in other countries manage these challenges.”

According to Mr Niven, this fully integrated approach to business operations is something dairy operators in the US and NZ wove well into their management systems.

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Karen Baum from Rural Skills Connect with Middle Tarwin farmers Phil and Julia Allen at the autumn tactics event.

Megan Douglas and Will Colbert from Nilma North catch up with Jindivick dairy farmer Paul Custance at the Labertouche event.

Host farmer Graeme Cope didn’t mind getting his hands dirty while discussing soil health at the autumn tactics day.

Parmalat’s Glenn Geoghegan and Andrew Wood catch up with GippsDairy’s Louise Sundermann at the Fish Creek field day.

Using autumn as a launching pad Farmers learn management tactics at field days.

Farmers have turned out in force to field days aimed at improving outcomes from autumn management.

The Tactics Farm Days were held in West and South Gippsland last month and discussion topics included autumn feed planning, pasture renewal, soil testing, fertiliser options, tax planning and transition cow management.

GippsDairy regional extension officer Karen Romano said the days — held at Mark and Trish Hammond’s Labertouche farm and at Graeme, Jenny and Shaun Cope’s Fish Creek farm — seemed to hit the mark with those who attended.

“These days are about using autumn as a launch pad for the coming season as well as consolidating the better spring and summer that most farms have enjoyed this year,” 30

APRIL 2017

Ms Romano said.

“We had great guest speakers like Damian Adcock from Murray Goulburn, Richie McGrath from Ridley Agriproducts and Tarwin Vet Group’s Peter De Garis, just to name a few.”

Ms Romano said the strong turnout on both days reflected the dairy industry’s desire to bounce back strongly from a tough couple of years.

“There’s a positivity around the industry, which is more about farmers wanting to control the things they can control, which is what these days are all about.”

The Tactics Farm Days have been delivered through Dairy Australia’s Regional Development Programs and funded by the Gardiner Foundation, the Federal

Government, the South Australian Government the Tasmanian Government and major dairy processors.

Graeme and Shaun Cope enjoying the day with GippsDairy’s Karen Romano.

Course aims to improve milk quality GippsDairy’s Cups-On CupsOff course has one overriding goal: to help farmers and milking teams become better skilled in routine practices to manage milk quality and reduce the risk of mastitis.

Mastitis and milk quality affect the bottom line of all dairy farms, with every case of clinical mastitis costing at least $270 in treatment costs and lost milk.

Cups-On Cups-Off (or COCO) is a two-day training course delivered by the National Centre for Dairy Education and Countdown2020’s trained experts in mastitis and milk quality.

It helps dairy farmers achieve best practice in milk harvesting, with the emphasis on the detection, treatment

and prevention of clinical mastitis.

Learn about: • How and why mastitis infections occur.

• Practical methods to detect and deal with mastitis.

• How to adapt your milking process to reduce the risk of infection.

The next course is in Leongatha on April 19 (day one) and April 26 (day two).

Day one will run from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm and the second day will run from 10 am to 1 pm.

Courses cost $180, but dairy company subsidies may be available. To register your interest in a Cups-On CupsOff course, phone Louise on 0428 573 909 or email louise@gippsdairy.com.au

Calendar of events Please contact GippsDairy for updates.

Phone: (03) 5624 3900.

Email: executiveassistant@gippsdairy.com.au

Getting into Farm Financials

April 24, May 1 and 8 in Maffra.

A three-day program to develop the fundamental skills of farm business management. Program includes understanding cash planning, chart of accounts, milk statements and developing strong foundational skills in FBM. Contact: Tony Platt at tony@gippsdairy.com.au or 0477 440 339.

Feeding Pastures for Profit

Starting May 3 in Macalister Irrigation District, starting April 28 in South Gippsland and starting April 27 in West Gippsland.

A year-long program to optimise feeding management and utilisation on your farm. This program is the industry benchmark for best practice feedbase management.

Contact: GippsDairy at info@gippsdairy.com.au or 56243900.

Humane Euthanasia of Livestock

May 16 in Maffra, May 18 in South Gippsland and May 17 in West Gippsland.

An accredited program to ensure farmers have the skills and knowledge to humanely euthanase sick and injured livestock.

Contact: GippsDairy at info@gippsdairy.com.au or 56243900 Getting into DairyBase

May 19 and June 5 in Maffra; and June 2 and 9 in Warragul.

A two-day program to improve understanding of how to record good quality data to analyse your business using DairyBase.

Contact: Tony Platt at tony@gippsdairy.com.au or 0477 440 339.

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Gary says, “I’ve moved completely away from chemical sprays altogether. We’ve added red clover to our pasture mix for its deep rooting and run a pasture rotation over 30 days. One of the aims is to grow more grass all year round. We have good grass colour even in winter. We have also experienced no bloat problems with clover feed. We have had more green feed using Excel-Crop right through summer and even into February and March. The liquid fish fertiliser has been excellent in improving the quality of our pastures. Overall we are very happy with the use of Excel-Crop liquid fish fertiliser and the benefits are apparent across the farm. South Gippsland Dairy Farmer See more testimonials: www.excelcrop.com/case-studies APRIL 2017

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