Dairy News Australia May 2020

ABV FEATURE

New health trait welcomed

Page 17

Page 20

MAY, 2020 ISSUE 115 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

FAMILY GROWING ORGANICALLY See page 6

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NEWS // 3

Heifer trade set to continue AUSTRALIAN DAIRY farmers can expect

Farm growth an organic journey. PG.6

Real Australian photographic competition. PG.14

Farmers welcome release of new health trait. PG.20

NEWS ������������������������������������������������������� 3 – 16 OPINION ��������������������������������������������������������� 4 MARKETS ����������������������������������������������� 8 – 9 REAL AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION ��� 14 ABV FEATURE ����������������������������������� 17 – 23 ANIMAL HEALTH ���������������������������� 24 – 25

their lucrative heifer export markets to continue despite the coronavirus.

Landmark International general manager Andy Ingle said trade hadn’t seen any significant impact since the outbreak of the pandemic.

“It has been a reliable source of income for farmers for 15 years and I see that continuing,” Mr Ingle said.

“We haven’t seen any vast impact to date; business continues to tick along.”

Mr Ingle added that there wasn’t a lot of supply in Australia at the moment.

“It is usually a tougher time from the February-March period and it should start opening up more numbers usually from May onwards.”

Mr Ingle said he understood there had been a drop in domestic demand and consumption for some products in China. “We haven’t seen that translate to live animals but there’s potential it may in the future,” he added.

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Paul Mumford said companies were still looking for trade heifers and he expected the income source to continue.

“I understand some markets have closed but there are other markets operating,” Mr Mumford said.

“We’re also in a supply and demand mode and those markets are reasonably profitable at the moment.”

Mr Mumford said Australia produced premium animals and farmers could expect to continue selling surplus stock to offshore markets.

He said that COVID-19 had added some complexities to the trade.

“Each of the selling agents have strict protocols in how they identify trade animals.

“COVID-19 hasn’t stopped those markets but it’s added an extra layer of complexity in getting animals to the marketplace.

“Australian cattle continue to be highly valued in our overseas markets.”

The Australian Department of Agriculture said it had taken steps to maintain export chains while also protecting staff during the coronavirus crisis.

“You still need to follow all existing Australian laws and importing country requirements,” the department said.

The Federal Government has provided a $110 million package to help exporters to continue to deliver into key overseas markets.

However, it says some trading partners may want extra assurances for food and agricultural products as a result of COVID-19.

There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food.

The department said it was confident Australia’s regulatory controls could manage any potential food safety issues.

“We have strict controls for producing meat, dairy, seafood, plant and egg products intended for export,” the department said.

“Food exported from Australia is safe and not a source of risk from the virus.”

COUNTING ON CARBON FOR THE FUTURE OF FARMING A major new project will show how increasing soil carbon on 20 Heytesbury district farms can lead to food production and climate change benefits.

Heytesbury District Landcare Network will lead the $298 000 project which has been funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation through the Eldon and Anne Foote Trust.

Twenty farms across the Heytesbury region are being recruited to take part in the two-year project and the findings will be shared across the farming community through a series of field days, discussion groups and on-ground activities.

HDLN landcare co-ordinator Geoff Rollinson said the project could pave the way for big improvements and savings for all local farmers and build their capacity as advocates for change.

“It aims to show how different soil activities can increase soil carbon, moisture content and nutrient content

that ultimately results in better soil health that benefits all farmers and the environment,” Mr Rollinson said.

Heytesbury region farmers, including dairy, beef, sheep or other enterprises, are being encouraged to submit an expression of interest to join the program.

A steering group has been formed and is developing a work plan for the project. Partners are Deakin University, EAROPH, Focus, Corangamite CMA, Corangamite Shire and Triple R BioChar.

The group is also working with Agriprove to develop a platform for farmers to potentially chase carbon credits through the Emissions Reduction Fund.

During the project, a series of onfarm tests will measure soil health improvements and increases in the nutrient and vitamin value of milk and meat.

“The objective is that over the two-

year period, landholders should see improvements in those parameters and develop strategies to improve soil health and ecosystem function,” Mr Rollinson said.

“It will look at the most cost-effective ways to achieve desired outcomes and the business case for farmers to pursue these activities.”

The project is part of a drive to advance Australian agriculture to a more sustainable form of farming by improving soil and animal health and farm productivity and reducing greenhouse gases to mitigate against negative climate impacts.

This new project will build on the success of HDLN’s Keeping Carbon on the Farm and Activating Soil Biology projects.

For more information or an expression of interest form, contact Geoff Rollinson on 0427 983 755 or email geoff@heytesburylandcare.org.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

4 // OPINION

EDITORIAL

Now for the reconstruction IN APRIL we were all on the brink of what COVID-19 might truly mean to us.

Now we know.

The national economy has been sacrificed on the altar of health; by governments federal and state determined not to see hundreds, even thousands, of people dying by the day.

How that will hit rural Australia is still to be played out.

While most of our country towns dodged the virus bullet, none of us have escaped the economic fallout.

And they have achieved that; just as they have achieved a recession, possibly even depression.

Nationally, our population has learnt a very hard lesson. We have become so reliant on imports it hurts; and in the past eight to 10 weeks scenes of neighbours fighting over toilet rolls has summed it up.

Government was always going to be the loser here; damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

Mental health help for farmers A new network has been created to prevent mental injury in Victoria’s primary production workplaces� The Primary Producer Knowledge Network has been developed by the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH)—a partnership between Western District Health Service and Deakin University based in Hamilton, Victoria� The initiative will collaborate with farmers, fi shers and industry partners to develop evidence-based and practical strategies and resources delivered through

a website, interactive capacity building program and social media platforms� The Primary Producer Knowledge Network project will be delivered over two years to support and further develop sustainable and systemic improvements in mental health across Victoria’s primary industries� For more information contact Dr Kennedy at the National Centre for Farmer Health via a.kennedy@deakin. edu.au or phoning (03) 5551 8533.

Whether we were protected by the tyranny of distance or by draconian and, by and large, immediate action in shutting down borders, shutting down crowds and shutting down just about everything we have; it has worked.

Advertising Max Hyde 0408 558 938 max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Geoff Adams (03) 5820 3229 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd� All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher� Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd�

NEW

Regional editor news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

City people have also become painfully aware of their reliance on agriculture to feed and clothe them.

At the time of writing the US was expecting to see its daily death toll rise to 3000.

And at the same time Australia had recorded just 95 deaths in total.

Here or the US, or the UK or anywhere, the loss of life, already past 250,000 and counting, is a tragedy.

But more and more countries are starting to emerge from the unprecedented ‘organised chaos’ of the past weeks – here the infection numbers are going down every day.

And like the shell shocked from war

Publisher Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd Printed by Newsprinters Pty Ltd Head Office 7940 Goulburn Valley Highway Shepparton, VIC 3630 Phone (03) 5831 2312

zones coming out of their bunkers, many of us will be emerging into a new world where economies face a long, hard haul to get us back anywhere near pre-COVID-19 days.

Hopefully that awareness and the goodwill it has generated spills over to the ‘reconstruction’ of Australia just as we hope our governments might now be considering the wisdom of their willingness to, literally, sell off the farm.

Just looking at the global ownership of Australia’s water resources must be a signal lesson to Canberra that Australia needs to be in charge of its own destiny, not at the behest of foreign companies and governments.

The coming months, even years, will be a test for us all and we will watch with interest how we rise to meet those challenges.

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

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

Postal address PO Box 204 Shepparton, Victoria 3632 Australia

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

WWW.DAIRYNEWSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

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NEWS // 5

COVID-19 spreads to Victorian dairy farm YOU CAN’T get much more isolated than the

rural area of Calivil about 70 km west of Echuca in northern Victoria, so you can imagine the surprise when dairy farmer Dehne Vinnicombe tested positive for coronavirus.

Dehne began experiencing flu like symptoms which included lethargy and a temperature, something he normally wouldn’t worry about but when his parents Ron and Maree started exhibiting the same, he put in a call to Bendigo Health.

Dehne’s parents had been in Sydney while his dad received specialised cancer treatment.

They flew home from Sydney airport on March 19, around the same time as the now infamous Ruby Princess passengers disembarked.

“We think Mum and Dad came into contact with the virus while they were away,” Dehne said.

After calling Bendigo Health Dehne was surprised when an ambulance was sent out to the farm to check on him. With a temperature of 38.5°C he was told to either stay in self-isolation for 14 days or come into the hospital for testing.

“Initially they thought I had pneumonia because I had some fluid on my lung and they nearly didn’t test me. When it came back positive, I thought shit and they then tested Mum and Dad who were positive while my wife Sarah was negative,” he said.

Having now served out the appropriate isolation period and tested free of the virus as are his parents, Dehne said it was a pretty scary time, not for him but for his parents.

But clearly, they breed them tough at Calivil because the family was able to shake the virus off with limited side effects.

“I can’t believe they both made it through with no problems. Dad has cancer and Mum has some breathing issues, so of course I was pretty worried.”

Dehne was able to self-isolate with his parents and with a change in management still go about daily life on the farm.

“I checked I could feed the cows while the workers did everything else including all the milking.

“Freedom Foods arranged a special pick-up time for milk collection and nobody else was

Dehne Vinnicombe might farm in relative isolation at Calivil in northern Victoria, but corona virus still found its way on to the property infecting Dehne and his parents.

allowed in the dairy. We had plenty of sanitiser on hand and everyone followed the appropriate social distancing rules.”

In the process of building a free stall barn at any one time there could be up to 20 workers on the farm, including four farm staff. To keep everyone safe Dehne has introduced a number of on-farm protocols, including social distancing and hand sanitiser.

Visitors must ring Dehne before entering and salesman must make an appointment, all meetings are held outside in an open space with

appropriate social distancing in place.

All farm jobs are set up to limit contact with other people. For example, the auger is ready to go before the grain is dropped off so the truck driver can do his thing without coming into contact with anyone on the farm.

The 30 swing-over dairy has been split in half with one milker looking after the first 15 cows while the other looks after the back half. Milkers wear gloves and sterilise their hands with iodine spray after each run.

One worker has chosen to wear a face mask

and that is fine with Dehne.

Only one person is allowed in each vehicle and if it is a two-man job workers travel to and from separately and travel around the farm in the same vehicle all day. Each vehicle has hand sanitiser.

No-one is allowed near the vat between 1–2 for milk pick up and the processor rings if the time changes.

The front door of the house has a sign to call either Dehne or Sarah and work jumpers are removed before entering the house.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

6 // FEATURE

Farm growth an organic journey MARK LAMBERT has come a long way from

the days when he left high school to milk 80 cows on 40 ha on part of his parents’ farm at Sunnyside, near Railton, Tasmania back in 1996.

Over the ensuing years the farm has grown to encompass 390 ha of red volcanic soil on undulating land with an average rainfall of 1000 mm a year.

The 520 cows are organic, and Mark and his wife Roslyn are busy meeting the challenges of raising a large family and running a large-scale organic farm which up until recently, was the largest on the island.

“Tasmania is a great place to farm organically, the natural climate means we can reliably grow nearly all the feed we need for the cows,” Mark said.

The journey to conversion wasn’t quick, in fact it took about 10 years to become fully certified.

“I wasn’t happy with the advice I was receiving from the department of ag, so I began looking for information on various things which led me to a biological style of farming,” he said.

“Over time we realised we only had to go a little further to become totally organic — I was always open to organics but it did take me by surprise in a way, I wasn’t aiming to be an organic farmer when I set out on this journey. But I am very happy with how we farm now.

“When I started the process there wasn’t even a processor in Tasmania to supply and then suddenly when we were two-and-a-half years into the conversion there were three processors actively looking for milk.

“We chose to supply ODFA because they have a great spread of products and are a great company to get along with.”

Mark said changing his mindset was the biggest challenge he faced during the conversion.

“Things are the same, but also very different. There was a lot of products I couldn’t use which opened up to a whole new world of things I could.”

Getting the soil pH right has been the foundation for success on the Lambert farm. Initially the farm’s soil had a pH around 5.6 to 5.7 while today it is sitting around 6.5 to 6.7.

“If you get the soil foundation correct everything else starts to fall into place after that,” Mark said.

Using products such as lime, dolomite, bioag

Mark Lambert and daughters Alyssa and Abigail amongst their 520 cow organic dairy herd at Sunnyside, Tasmania.

superb and Greatland Pasture Tea have been the key to raising pH and getting soil conditions right.

Mark said you can tell by the colour of the pasture and cow pats how much nitrogen there is in the cycle, when you get your soil balanced correctly it all works for you naturally.

However growing grass is hardest during July and August.

“Tt is a natural low in the nitrogen cycle and you have to be prepared for it, this is when most of the conserved hay is fed to the herd,” Mark said.

“We are actually growing more grass organically than we ever did conventionally, and much cheaper too.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

FEATURE // 7 “We grow a fruit salad pasture which is not the conventional way, but I would strongly encourage it because it allows the cows to selfmedicate and eat what they need.

“When we sow paddocks, we blend our own mix which includes rye grass, cocksfoot, prairie grass, phalaris (trial), plantain, chicory and white, red and sub clovers. You need a permit to buy conventional seed and it needs to be untreated. It can be an obstacle and something you need to be aware of.”

While Mark has now got the grass growing situation under control it was a process and he had to deal with a few health problems in the interim, including milk fever and grass tetany.

"Correcting pH levels and fixing the calcium and magnesium ratio has seen an almost complete absence of milk fever and grass tetany during the milking season,” he said.

“We still get some at calving, which we control with apple cider vinegar and sea salt.”

When it comes to animal health, prevention is the major key to success and if you can address health problems before they arise as an organic farmer you remain on the front foot.

Introducing seaweed and unrefined sea salt has helped Mark’s management particularly around reducing the incidence of mastitis by providing nutrients in both plant and chemical form.

“We have a quarter of the sick cows we used to have, but mastitis is the trickiest to treat — garlic tincture, apple cider vinegar and vitamin C are all good.”

The other major health problem was sore feet which has been addressed by good quality

laneways and copper sulphate foot mats as the cows enter the dairy platform while five-minute copper sulphate foot baths have helped those cows with infections.

“We have had no cows that have had to be dried-off with sore feet this year so I can say that process has been 100 per cent successful."

Mark has recently discovered he has a selenium deficiency which he is in the process of trying to nut out.

“I am 40 days into a 100-day program so we will see how that goes but early signs are looking promising,” he said.

Rearing young stock can be a tricky area, but if you run uncertified animals on the farm, the young stock can be treated conventional up until six months before their first calving.

Mark has found using the probiotic MYLO

by Terragen in calf milk to work very well in the prevention of sick calves.

Parasites are a problem in young stock and he does use commercial product with each calf treated on average three times in the first 14 months of life.

Mark said organic farming can be challenging in terms of management at times, but the hardest thing is sourcing organic feed and grain, when circumstances mean you need to buy some in.

“You can get a permit to feed up to five per cent of total dry matter intake as non-organic feed during times of feed stress."

There are a couple of grain farmers in Tasmania who have started the conversion process which is great for us and great for the Tasmanian organic dairy industry.

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The current season was the first full certified organic season for the business and this one was a particularly dry one from September through to late January when the season changed, and the farm received one of the best autumn breaks it has ever had with cool weather and 250 mm of rain from late January.

“Although there will always be challenges in farming, things are good now, it’s raining again, we have settled into a farming style we are very happy with and we are very blessed,” he said.

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8 // MARKETS

Global trade challenges Supply outlook for Aussie fertiliser and agricultrual chemicals SAM LEISHMAN INDUSTRY ANALYST

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and supply chains have been heavily reported on over the past three months.

A slowdown in global trade has raised concerns regarding product availability in most industries.

Locally, unanticipated summer rain and a favourable start to autumn has prompted onfarm discussions about the supply access to agriculture chemicals, fertilisers and rural supplies.

Favourable rain across key agriculture regions throughout summer improved the outlook for this year, while also increasing the presence of weeds. With this in mind, the availability of herbicides, such as glyphosate and trifluralin, have been of key concern.

During summer, most agricultural chemicals were in relatively low supply, due to subdued demand caused by ongoing drought. When unexpected summer rain fell, many suppliers were caught off-guard with little stock on shelves.

Suppliers increased order from key exporting regions, however, the outbreak of COVID19 disrupted the delivery, in an already stressed market.

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Large structural changes were already taking place in the agricultural chemical supply chain, particularly in China (where a large percentage of ‘round-up’ products are sourced from).

Government restrictions had recently intensified, aimed at reducing the emissions associated with the production of these chemicals.

This saw Chinese exporters cutting production significantly over the past two years. As a result, Australian suppliers reported that it was slightly more challenging to source product from this region.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in China and subsequent impact on supply chains, come at a bad time for agricultural chemicals.

Quarantine measures reduced the production and export capacity at the same time as demand spiked in Australia.

Restrictions implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 slowed handling at Chinese (and other) ports, and caused some congestion, and a temporary backlog in shipment.

New shipments expected soon There is a minor gap in the market for these products, however most sellers are confident any supply shortfalls won’t endure, as new shipments are expected shortly.

In comparison, fertiliser suppliers benefit from having a variety of locations to source product from. Although the Australian fertiliser market is heavily reliant on imports, overall availability does not depend on one major market.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there have been no significant movements in international prices. However, as the AUD weakened, the cost of importing fertilisers has grown. Therefore, the exchange rate is a key area to monitor in the coming months, particularly for urea imports.

Phosphorus and nitrogen imports The majority of this season’s phosphorus imports have already arrived in Australia.

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MARKETS // 9 crops and pastures.

There is, however, some risk to the availability of nitrogen, as Australia enters the main importation period (April, May, June), ahead of peak winter and spring application. There are sufficient stocks globally to satisfy demand, however, ongoing disruptions to ports and shipping are cause for some concern.

At the time of writing, no major delays are expected, although it is an area to closely monitor. Overall, systemic disruption to supply chains have not been reported, and Australia’s ability to source product from different markets makes a significant or prolonged shortfall in fertiliser supply unlikely.

Business normalising On a positive note, business is starting to return to normal in China, as factories have re-opened and production lines are picking-up momentum.

This includes the manufacturing of chemicals, fertilisers and rural supplies.

Workers have returned to ports and this has seen sea cargo routes reinstated and containers started to be re-distributed globally. This is an encouraging development towards normalised supply chain conditions.

The ongoing spread of COVID-19 has caused disruptions to global supply chains with flow-on logistical challenges, however, key farm inputs continue to be shipped, along with local supplies secured before the outbreak.

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NEWS // 11

Ms MITI’S on the ball GROWING UP in Ocean Grove, Audrey Kottek

knew very little about Australia’s dairy industry and certainly had no inkling of working in it.

Today, Audrey has exchanged the sandy beaches of the tourist town for the rolling hills of Korumburra and a blossoming career at Burra Foods.

Audrey’s involvement in the industry stemmed from her participation in the Monash Industry Team Initiative in partnership with Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

Her 12-week summer MITI placement led to a full-time job and Audrey is now helping Burra Foods to improve its yields and reduce its waste.

It’s far removed from what she expected, but Audrey is relishing the challenge and the rural lifestyle.

“Ocean Grove is a bit bigger and a lot more touristy than Korumburra but I didn’t enjoy living in Melbourne and definitely prefer living somewhere regional,” she said.

Audrey has settled into Gippsland life, playing for the local soccer team and coaching a junior squad.

“It’s been a good change,” she said.

“It feels a bit wetter and colder here in the

hills in winter but I don’t mind.”

The program also opened her eyes to the breadth of employment opportunities in the dairy industry.

“Before I did the MITI project, I never thought of working in the dairy industry and didn’t really know anything about it,” she said.

The Burra placement was one of three projects nominated by Audrey, who has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering.

“MITI has a list of projects from different places and you can nominate three of interest,” she said.

“I picked Burra because it was looking at waste and yield on a packing line and it sounded interesting to me.”

During the placement, Audrey identified some key sources of loss, including a high number of underweight bags that had to be removed from sale.

After completing her degree, Audrey secured full-time work with Burra Foods to continue her work in reducing waste and improving yield. She particularly focuses on the chemical recovery plant, finding ways to recover and reuse chemicals used in cleaning silos or drains.

“We help to look after the plant and optimise the way it’s running to reduce our water consumption or increase our yield,” she said.

She’s now a dairy industry convert.

“It’s very interesting and there’s a lot going on. It’s a lot more complicated and a bigger industry than most people think and it’s an important part of this community.

“The regional opportunities appeal to me as well because I know I don’t like living in the city.”

Audrey attributes her change in attitude to the MITI program and Gardiner Dairy Foundation support.

“I wouldn’t be on this path if I hadn’t done the MITI program. It definitely changed what sort of roles I was looking at,” she said.

The Gardiner Dairy Foundation partnered with Monash University to introduce the first dairy industry MITI program in 2014–15 after manufacturers identified challenges in attracting highly skilled young employees to work in regionally based facilities. Engineers were particularly sought after.

The MITI program adds value to the Victorian dairy industry by exposing some of the best and brightest students to the industry as a potential

Audrey Kottek has gone from the surf of Ocean Grove to improving yields and reducing waste at Burra Foods.

career prospect and helping to attract high calibre individuals to work in regional Victoria.

At least six students who have taken part in the program are now working in the dairy industry with Burra Foods and Bega Cheese and joint projects by processors have achieved new shared outcomes for industry, including developing an app to record milk temperature at farm gate pick up.

“

For our family, registration has proved to be a sustainable and valuable long term business investment. Whether it be females or males, sold locally or on export, registered cattle continue to attract a premium value.

”

Lachlan Fry, Katandra Park Holsteins Holstein Australia members since 1973 Master Breeder 2019

The real value in Registered Holsteins Registered Holsteins produce more milk and have higher market value.

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PRODAIRY NEWS The backbone of our farm CON AND MICHELLE GLENNEN - SOUTHWEST VICTORIA Ask Con Glennen when was his last family holiday and he turns to his wife Michelle. “Five years ago. We went to Port Douglas.”

The Glennens are more advanced than many dairy farmers. They have had their entire herd genomically tested and just on a year ago they joined Apiam Animal Health’s Prodairy program.

It is not as though the Glennens don’t want to go on more holidays it is just that they are busy managing the family’s 400 milking jersey cows on their 500-acre farm at Noorat in south-west Victoria. It is a job they have been doing since 1992.

Con says joining Prodairy made sense “to have many of the procedures and protocols that we were doing formalised”.

The program was recommended to the Glennens by his long-time vet “Woody” otherwise known as Dr. Craig Wood from the Terang and Mortlake Vet Clinic. Craig is also Captain of the Noorat and District Fire Brigade.

And it has been a busy few months for Con as he is the Noorat Country Fire Authority Lieutenant and was part of a strike force of 28 sent to fight the Banyabba fire in NSW. The Glennens also export cattle semen to the US. Con and Michelle are the third generation of Glennens to live on the Noorat farm. It was Con’s grandparents who bought the farm in 1923 – meaning that in just three years the family will celebrate their 100th year on farm.

“Woody has been our vet for 17 years and once he explained the benefits of Prodairy we knew it would benefit us. From my point of view it is where our industry has to go.

And it has been very much a family affair. Con’s grandparents had 15 children with Con’s father the youngest. There are 76 grandchildren, including Con. Two of Con and Michelle’s sons – Jim, 27, and William, 21 – also work on the farm.

A partnership started 17 years ago From school mates to vet and farmer SKEETA VERHEY AND ANGELA TURNER - MARLEIGH PARK, KOONDROOK – NORTHERN VICTORIA Ask Leigh “Skeeta” Verhey a question about the running of his dairy farm and he can rattle of any number of statistics from what the daily feed cost is per cow to the daily profit of his cows. In fact, he admits he loves as much data as he can get his hands on to ensure his dairy farm is operating as efficiently as it can.

our herd health; looking at it much more from a preventative perspective than treatment which I initially thought a bit strange because the healthier the herd is, the less I needed Lachy.

That fixation is paying off for Leigh and his partner Angela Turner on their farm, Marleigh Park, in Koondrook in northern Victoria. In the past three years he has reduced his overall herd cost from $206 an animal to $162 (Northern Victoria average $173)

Lachlan is a big believer in Apiam’s Prodairy program which looks at the overall health of a farmer’s herd. For Leigh it has seen him work with Lachlan in tailoring a Prodairy program specifically for Marleigh Park. “I love the on-farm biosecurity stuff and the training programs are great. I sent two of my staff to Cohuna last week to do a calf rearing workshop.”

“Tracking our spend, our feed costs, the output of the cows – there is so much data available but I don’t think a lot use it whereas I can’t get enough,” Leigh admits.

Leigh was born in Launceston but moved with his family to a dairy farm near Gunbower in the early 80s when his father took on a share farm job.

He went to school in Cohuna where one of his school mates was Lachlan Fehring. Today Lachlan is his local vet. Lachlan is from the Border Veterinarian Clinic, part of Apiam Animal Health.

“A couple of years ago during one of our extended dry periods Lachy came to the farm with a USB stick and copied a lot of our data. He came back with some really great ideas about improving

“It is just that now we use Lachy a little differently as we are always trying to get better.”

Leigh admitted that Lachlan “is the backbone of many of the decisions we make on the farm regarding herd health & reproduction. It works well because Lachy drives it. He’s a great sounding board and as honest as they come. When he

comes out to the farm we talk about what we are doing and what we should be doing better. I always have a long list of questions for him.

Leigh moved to Marleigh Park in 2005 and since then has increased the overall farm size with the purchase of neighbouring blocks. Because of the success of his current operation he is looking at increasing the size of his herd from its current 350.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

14 // AGRI-GENE REAL AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

Two year old in milk

Dry heifer

E

E Llandovery Queens Clarie 1969th

B

Allenvale Linda 40

Glenbrook Venus 37

F Panorama Blosom 2

C Eacham Park Envy 71

D Eachamvale Cindy 45

D

C

Eachamvale Erin 4

Glenbrook Gracie 24

A

B

Baromi Luckystrike Elegance 8878

Baromi Barny Myrtle 8588

B is the most balanced heifer in the class� The way she blends through the neck and the shoulder, hardness of her top and loin and blending over her parts gets her over the over the real dairy like heifer in second (E)� Second and third (F) are a close placing but give the advantage to the second heifer of her length of neck and her breed character through her head� Third over fourth (C) because of her cleanness throughout, over the hips and pins, showing more dairyness and cleanness� Fourth over fi fth (D) has a more desirable set to her leg and an advantage through the way she blends through the neck and shoulder� Fifth over sixth (A) because her depth of fore and rear rib�

A Baromi Barny Molly 8594

F Rubyvale PB Duchess

Start the class with a beautiful balanced heifer in (C), beautiful spring and openness to her rib and height and width of rear udder that gets over the heifer in second place (E)� Second over third (D) has an advantage in her cleanness over the hips, pins, ribs and down through the brisket� Third over fourth (B) has an advantage in her fi rmness of fore udder and the way the fore udder blends into the body wall, also more height and width of rear udder� Fourth over fi fth (A) I give fourth an advantage in her set to the rear legs the udder is more up in the cow than the cow in fi fth place� Fifth over sixth (F) has an advantage in cleanness throughout and length of frame�

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

AGRI-GENE REAL AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION // 15

Four year old in milk

Three year old in milk A

F Ovensdale Scarlet 356

Glenbrook Belle 63

B

F

Panorama Angeline 48

B

A

Eachamvale Precious 7

Eachamvale Sarah 38

Hazelmont Empire Berry

C Wanora Flats Pixie Treble Jean

D Kangawarra Samantha 4737

E Illinga Viscount Eva

E Illinga Visions of Victory

The beautiful framed cow that heads this class she is also the most balanced cow in the class (F) her correctness of top and her front teats are a little bit more under the quarter than the cow in second place (A)� Second over third (B) because of her height and width of rear udder� Third over fourth (C) because her depth of fore and rear rib, and more depth throughout� Fourth places over fi fth (D) because she is showing more defi nition of seam and levelness through her fore udder� Fifth over sixth (E) is close placing but fi fth has a slightly better fore udder and the teats are more under the quarter�

Mature cow

D Llandovery Empires Eva 1570

Llandovery Blushs Jinny

A

C

Wallumlands Sunstorm 8th

Dry heifer

B Allanvale Linda 40 — Phillips and Barron E L landovery Queens Clarie 1969 — Rachael Barnes and Cody Trickey F Panorama Blossom 2 — B and J Gavenlock and K and A Dorries C Eacham Park Envy 71 — Shaun and Kathleen Noakes ( English and Noakes ) D Eachamvale Cindy 45 — IL and JA Mueller A Baromi Luckystrike Elegance 8878 — Baromi Jersey and Illawarra Stud

Two year old in milk

C Eachamvale Erin 4 — JD English Braelee BP Dairymaid 2

B Eachamvale Joan 10

E Springvale Fuchsia 35

Cow that starts the class (C) goes over second (D) because she is the most balanced and opened ribbed cow and has an udder that is right up in her for a mature cow� Second over third (A) was a late switch but she matches the cow on top better through the mammary system� She goes over the cow in third because of her height and width of rear udder and shows more seam to the rear udder, granting the cow in third is showing more depth of fore and rear rib and heart� Third over fourth (B) is displaying more depth and openness of rib than the long-bodied cow in fourth� Fourth over fi fth (E) because of her fi rmness of fore attachment and height to rear udder�

T

R O P

E R L

SP

IA C E

Glenbrook Belle 57

A beautiful class of four year olds� First (A) and second (F) are both beautiful balanced dairy cows� I give fi rst place an advantage over second because of her length of head and neck and fi rst cow has the best udder in the class� Second over third (B) has advantage in her depth of fore and rear rib and cleanness and silkiness to her hide throughout over the well-uddered cow in third� Third over fourth (E) because of her quality of udder, particularly in her fore udder� Fourth is a beautiful framed cow and she places over fi fth (D) because of her depth of fore rib, deeper through her heart girth� Fifth over sixth (C) has an advantage through her cleanness throughout and correctness of rump structure�

Owners

D

C

E Glenbrook Venus 37 — IL and JA Mueller D Glenbrook Gracie 24 — Rupert Gazzola B Baromi Barney Myrtle 8588 — Baromi Jersey and Illawarra Stud A Baromi Barney Molly 8594 — Baromi Jersey and Illawarra Stud F Rubyvale PB Duchess — R and K Bailey and Toby Fleming

Three year old in milk

F P anorama Angeline 48 — B and J Gavenlock A Glenbrook Belle 63 — IL and JA Mueller

CALF REARING NEXT ISSUE: JUNE

B Hazelmont Empire Berry — J Breen C Wanora Flats Pixies Treble Jean — Tim and Lisa Nicholls D Kangawarra Samantha 4737 — Tom and Kyleigh Cochrane E Illinga Viscount Eva — Coburn

Four year old in milk

A E achamvale Precious 7 — GK and BJ English F Ovensdale Scarlet 356 — R and A Heath B Eachamvale Sarah 38 — GK and BJ English E Illinga Visions of Victory — Coburn D Llandovery Empires Eva 1570 — Doug Tuhan C Glenbrook Belle 57 — IL and JA Mueller

Mature Cow

C W allumlands Sunstorm 8 — Gordon, Bacon and Govett D Llandovery Blushs Jinny — J Breen A Braelee BP Dairymaid 2 — IL and JA Mueller B Eachamvale Joan 10 — GK and BJ English E Springvale Fushia 35 — Springvale Enterprises

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: Should be sent direct to the editor Geoff Adams at editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au by May 21 BOOKING DEADLINE: May 21 AD MATERIAL DEADLINE: May 28 PUBLISHED: June 9

The most successful dairy farmers know that future production and therefore profit is made or lost at calf rearing. Young stock are the farm’s future earners.

In this special report we focus on the best practice in calf rearing, featuring the latest in techniques, technology, nutrition and animal health.

To get your content in the next edition contact: Max Hyde | T: 0408 558 938 E: max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

ABV FEATURE // 17

You do the numbers

It all adds up DAIRY COW Ivyhurst Mystery OC might not

be the prettiest cow on the block but looks don’t really matter when you hold the title for Australia’s most profitable ABV cow.

The unassuming bovine is owned by Echuca West dairy farmers Andrew and Christine Sebire, who were amazed to find out they owned the nation’s highest genomically ranked cow.

The recent release of DataGene’s Australian Breeding Value top Holstein females on Balanced Performance Index saw Mystery score a staggering BPI of $436 — and, as her name might suggest, the cow was also a mystery to her owners.

“We really had no idea who she was initially,” Christine said.

“We were driving around the paddock looking for her — Andrew was looking for a great big black and white and I jokingly said ‘She will be small and brown’ and that’s exactly what she is, she is certainly no champion in the looks department, in fact she is quite nuggety.”

The OC in her name now actually stands for “off colour” meaning she is no black and white beauty, but in the world of commercial dairying it’s all about numbers and Mystery set the bar high in her first lactation, with a fat test of 4.51, protein 3.79 and total production of 591 kg of milk solids.

The three-year-old has produced two calves

from two straws and is currently ticking the boxes in the fertility department as well.

“We don’t normally keep cross-bred cows and if we didn’t genomic test, we would have never known Mystery’s potential because she is small and just blends into the herd.”

Her newfound fame does not qualify Mystery for any additional special treatment, but Christine said she was the perfect example of why genomic testing had become an important part of their herd management and why joining the Ginfo project four years ago was pivotal.

“We have always been diligent with record keeping and we herd test every six weeks,” she said.

“We were approached by Genetics Australia to join the Ginfo project, which is all about tracking genetic quality in the national herd.”

As part of the initial project Genetics Australia came out and sampled the heifers.

“We found the information helpful when it came to making decisions about the cows’ future and we decided to continue on with the program,” Christine said.

“Every time we de-horn we take a hair sample and send it off and now that’s how we make the bulk of our decisions around keeping or selling animals.”

And with surplus heifers sold to the export

Having the number one Holstein cow according to ABV came as a surprise to Echuca West dairy farmer Christine Sebire - Ivyhurst Mystery OC topped the list with a BPI of 436.

market, the couple can now make educated decisions about selling and know they are keeping the best genetic cows in their own herd.

“We look at each cow’s BPIs whereas before we would have looked at production history and went on looks,” Christine said.

She said since starting the Ginfo program there had been steady gains across the 550-cow split-calving herd.

“We are really happy with the way the herd is heading,” Christine said.

“There has been steady improvement in both production and herd health, and fertility will be the next thing we look at.”

On the back of a tough year the couple is looking forward to the 2020 season with a degree of optimism not felt for some time.

“We have had autumn rain at the right time and our crops are in and we are feeling very optimistic about the season ahead — this is the best break we have had in years,” Christine said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

18 // ABV FEATURE

Going out on top THE SIX decades Bernie McManus has spent

in the dairy industry might be coming to an end but the 73-year-old is certainly going out on top.

His Bercar Jersey herd is currently ranked number two in DataGene’s recently released Australian Breeding Value top 50 Jersey herds in the country and has consistently placed in the top 10 during the past decade, even hitting equal first at one point.

And while Bernie certainly knows how to breed a good cow, he isn’t too shabby when it comes to bulls either — there have been quite a few Bercar bulls who have found their way onto the Genetics Australia sire list and impregnated cows across the country and overseas.

Bernie has embraced modern breeding technology including genomic testing, and the 11 bulls he just tested averaged a BPI of 150 across the group.

“We have one bull heading into Genetics Australia again this year and I recently sold three bulls into one of the best Jersey herds in Australia which really gives me a deep sense of pride.

“I have spent a lifetime breeding cows and a lifetime getting my herd to where it is today.

I know it will be a sad day when it comes time to say goodbye but it is time to scale back and smell the roses and try something different,” Bernie said.

And for someone who has been milking cows since he was 10, life certainly will be different when

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October comes around and the plan to disperse the milking herd comes into action.

Bernie knows every single cow in the Bercar herd and the extensive pedigrees behind each and every one, some of which can be traced back to 13 generations of AI. The nucleus of the herd comes from four very strong cow families — Peach, Biddy, Meg and Rita.

“Peach had 10 lactations and average PI of 125,” Bernie said.

“She was a 6500 litre cow with very high components and was an outstanding foundation cow, while Rita was the first 7000 litre cow we had back in the 1970s,” he said.

The high index of the Bercar herd is the result of decades of hard work by Bernie and his wife Carol.

“It takes strong breeding goals and looking after the herd well. I am strict with cows, especially when it comes to high cell counts, and I always breed from high index bulls with good type and workability.”

Initially Bernie combined farm work with a job in the insemination industry; he estimates he has inseminated well over 60 000 cows over the years.

“Dairying has bought me many great friendships during a lifetime of work, and catching up with other retired dairy farmers and talking about the times we had always brings a smile to my face.”

Bernie McManus days in the dairy might be numbered as he approaches retirement, but he is going out in style with his Bercar Jersey herd sitting number two of the top 50 Jersey herds in the country.

In 1998 the couple took over the running of the Bamawm family farm after the death of Bernie’s father. He says while dairying has never made the family financially rich, it has allowed them to raise four successful children and given them riches on another scale.

“We have always farmed on a smaller scale and it has always been a bit of a struggle but we have managed to get to the point we are now without too much debt and we have ended up with a small but easy to manage and well laid out farm.”

And Bernie has done it all with his wife by his side.

“For someone who didn’t originally come from a farm, Carol has been a great support,” he said.

He laughed as he said he couldn’t have done

it without his daily intake of two of the special buns she makes — which he has with his cuppa every morning.

“From October through to February I get the cows up and Carol will watch the cows come into the yard and check what is in season. We usually confer our lists and rarely do we miss a cow between us; morning and night she is there, and she comes back to help me clean up after milking.

“Carol has all the computer knowledge which is helpful when it comes to the books and breeding side of things.

“I think we have had led a good life and we have certainly enjoyed our time dairying but it is now time for some travel and some extra time with the grandkids.”

30/4/20 5:46 am

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

ABV FEATURE // 19

New data aids breeding for mastitis resistance AUSTRALIAN DAIRY farmers can now breed

specifically for Mastitis Resistance, a trait which delivers animal welfare and economic benefits.

The Mastitis Resistance Australian Breeding Value is one of eight new or updated health and type traits released by DataGene which include: ■■ Calving Ease (updated) ■■ Gestation Length (new) ■■ Mastitis Resistance (new) ■■ Overall Type (updated) ■■ Dairy Strength (new) ■■ Feet and Legs (new) ■■ Rump (new) ■■ Mammary System (updated).

The three new or updated health ABVs complement on-farm management practices.

Farmers will now have more Holstein bulls to choose from if they want their cows and heifers to calve easier.

Thanks to the inclusion of genomics in the updated Calving Ease ABV, most Holstein bulls have a Calving Ease ABV, including — for the first time — young genomic sires.

To breed for improved calving ease, select bulls with a Calving Ease ABV of at least 103.

The new Gestation Length ABV gives farmers a breeding tool to manage late calving cows and help tighten calving patterns.

The ABV identifies bulls and cows whose calves are born earlier than their expected due date. Cows that calve earlier are in-milk for more days before re-joining and have longer to recover post-calving.

To breed for a shorter gestation, look for bulls and cows with a Gestation Length ABV of less than zero.

Farmers milking all breeds of dairy can now select to directly improve the mastitis resistance of their next generation. Even young genomic animals now have a Mastitis Resistance ABV. Previously the Cell Count ABV used an indirect selection criterion for mastitis resistance, but this new ABV draws on three sets of information to directly target mastitis. These include: 305-day somatic cell count, udder depth and clinical mastitis records.

The Cell Count ABV continues to be published as it is a useful tool to breed cows that contribute to a lower bulk milk cell count.

To breed replacements with improved mastitis resistance, select animals with a Mastitis Resistance ABV of greater than 100.

The updated Overall Type ABV has been introduced to help breeders identify animals with higher classification scores.

This change has been reflected in DataGene’s latest bull and cow rankings as Overall Type and Mammary system are included in the three indices: Balanced Performance Index, Health Weighted Index and Type Weighted Index.

The new type traits complete the set of

composite traits and this means farmers have an overview of an animal’s strengths for rump, feet and legs as well as dairy strength.

The new and updated type breeding values are

published for Holsteins, Red Breeds Guernseys and Ayrshires. Type ABVs are unchanged for Jersey.

The new ABVs are the result of DairyBio

research, drawing upon records supplied by Ginfo herds. DairyBio is a joint initiative between Agriculture Victoria, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

Over 40 years of working with LIC has helped Dornauf Family Farms achieve 600kg milk solids per cow.

But every year is a fresh challenge.

It’s all about finding better, smarter ways of doing things for Dornauf Family Farms, LIC’s oldest customers in Australia.

55 years ago they started out with 71 cows averaging 100kg of milk butterfat per season. They soon realised that the traditional Australian cow did not suit their Tasmanian dairy farm. So in the early 1970s the Dornaufs started working with LIC, focusing on breeding long lasting cows with great fertility and production capacity. And they have never looked back. Today their business has grown into four farms, with 2100 cows producing an outstanding 600kg milk solids each per season.

For three generations Dornauf Family Farms have been pushing the boundaries and their business is thriving, but they know there’s always room for improvement.

Contact us to learn more about how LIC can help with improvement on your farm.

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

There’s always room for improvement

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

20 // ABV FEATURE

Trevor Saunders and Anthea Day will be using the mastitis resistance ABV for future breeding decisions in their 950 cow herd.

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a “key platform” in the breeding objectives for Gippsland dairy farmers Trevor Saunders and Anthea Day. Milking 950 predominantly Jerseys, across two farms at Shady Creek, they have been looking forward to the release of the new health trait.

“I think it is tremendous. It really is a key component for genetic economic management,” Trevor said.

“We won’t be using a bull under 100 for mastitis resistance going forward.”

Trevor and Anthea have concentrated on breeding for protein, likeability, type traits such as strength and udders, adding fertility and cell count into the mix in recent years.

They believe the Mastitis Resistance ABV will have more impact on their herd than the Cell Count ABV. “Mastitis resistance is a significant thing for us,” Trevor said.

“We were using cell count as one of our key selection criteria, but we will change that to Mastitis Resistance because it brings in more aspects, other than just cell count.

“For example, the Mastitis Resistance ABV includes records for clinical cases of mastitis; this makes it a significantly more rounded ABV.” While the Mastitis Resistance ABV has the potential to make huge improvements in dairy herds throughout, Trevor Saunders and Anthea Day will only be using bulls with a Mastitis Resistance ABV greater than 100.

Trevor said nothing was more important than on-farm management when it came to reducing mastitis.

“Mastitis resistance is a low heritability trait, similar to fertility,” he said.

“When you use it in a breeding program, it is a compounding trait and it relies on generations of use. It is still important to have good management in place.

“Nevertheless, it’s a really good development for DataGene to have a Mastitis Resistance ABV. I’ve been really keen on it right from the start.”

Free Call 1800 793 465 Email: psemmens@stgen.com

Australia PHOTO Credit Cullen Marketing

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

ABV FEATURE // 21

Mastitis Resistance ABV boosts confidence Breeding Values offer value to his business, but the dairy farmer from Nirranda South, Victoria has been really looking forward to one in particular: the Mastitis Resistance ABV. “I certainly consider cell count when I look at selecting my bulls, but the Mastitis Resistance ABV gives me more confidence,” he said.

“To me it’s more important to reduce clinical cases of mastitis than have a cow with a lower cell count.

“We have an 80 000 to 100 000 cell count, so it isn’t really an issue. But I’d really like to reduce the cases of clinical mastitis.

“The economic impact of a mastitis case is far greater than a cow with a slightly higher cell count.”

Tim chooses bulls via the Good Bulls Guide App, ranking on Balanced Performance Index and then filtering for various traits.

The number one trait was fertility, but now mastitis resistance is a high priority.

Tim hasn’t focused on Type ABVs much in

GENE DATA ADDS UP IN BUSINESS EQUATION The dairy farming profitability equation is simple for Patrick Glass.

“The fewer cows we have to replace each year, the more profitable our business is,” the north-east Victorian Holstein breeder said.

“The more cows we get in calf each year, the more profitable our business is as well.”

For Patrick, the new traits released

by DataGene in April will help with both business goals.

Patrick and his family milk about 550 cows at Gundowring in a seasonal calving system.

He’s hoping to use sires based on Australian short gestation data now the local industry has a breeding tool to help manage late-calving cows.

“Now we will have more trust in the claims made in Australia about gestation length,” he said.

“For us, in a seasonal calving situation, using shorter gestation length sires means cows inseminated in the last three weeks of artificial insemination have a better chance of getting in calf to AI next year. They will have another five to 10 days between calving and joining and this is a great animal welfare outcome.”

The Gestation Length ABV identifies bulls whose calves are born earlier than their expected due date.

A shorter gestation means cows calve earlier and are in-milk for more days before re-joining and this gives them more time to recover after calving.

With cow retention underpinning on-farm profitability, Patrick said improvements to the Type ABVs would also assist in breeding cows with better physical structures.

“The better structured cows, they last longer,” he said.

the past, but he had always applied the ‘udder depth’ filter when selecting bulls.

He said research has proven reducing udder depth is one way to improve mastitis resistance.

“It is really interesting to see, in the new traits, how mastitis resistance has a composite of udder depth in it. The ABV includes cell count, clinical case records and udder depth.”

Milking 400 including Aussie Reds and threeway cross Aussie Red, Jersey and Holstein, Tim

anticipates using the Gestation Length and Calving Ease ABV in combination to increase his confidence selecting Holstein sires.

“Given the three-way crossing, we do use Holstein bulls.

“When we use Holstein bulls over the heifers, if that’s the cross, we will definitely select on calving ease.”

To breed for improved calving ease, select bulls with a calving ease ABV of at least 103.

Tim Humphris is looking to reduce clinical mastitis cases on his Nirranda South farm - the mastitis resistance ABV will be part of that management.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

22 // ABV FEATURE Good Bulls Guide for Red Breeds - Balanced Performance Index (BPI) - Aust Proven Only Indices Bull ID

Bull Name

Source

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI

ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

Daughter Fertility

No. Over Mam Type Herds Type Syst Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

VIKRTOKYO

VR MALBACK TUOMI TOKYO

VIK

292

81

194

284

225

91

75

16

105

104

66

101

87

ARBCYGNET

BEAULANDS SWANNIES - ET

GAC

219

82

181

190

132

92

85

34

99

106

72

104

85

VFOSKE

V FOSKE

VIK

217

93

141

227

174

100

2,547

173

104

106

96

100

99

AXBBLACKWOOD

BLACKWOOD PARK BLACKWOOD

AXB

206

81

165

200

174

92

90

11

99

108

73

98

83

ARBSCAREBEAR

JOHVILLE PARK SCAREBEAR

GAC

182

86

157

128

114

94

137

40

94

98

84

103

88

ARBABBOTT

BEAULANDS ABBOTT

GAC

156

83

93

121

217

92

92

28

95

97

72

96

86

ARBARCHWAY

LODEN ARCHIE

GAC

149

79

108

80

130

89

61

17

91

93

71

106

75

ARBBONJOVI

BOSGOWAN BON JOVI

GAC

138

92

91

140

132

100

2,472

265

101

106

93

103

99

Good Bulls Guide for Jersey - Balanced Performance Index (BPI) - Australian Proven Only Indices Bull ID

Bull Name

Source

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI

ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

Daughter Fertility

No. Over Mam Type Herds Type Syst Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

7JE01344

WILSONVIEW IF MATT

WWS

251

89

219

296

103

96

163

30

108

109

92

100

93

CRVMARVARIE

WALLACEDALE MARVARIE ET

CRV

168

84

125

185

133

93

104

35

106

106

80

97

88

7J1038

ALL LYNNS LOUIE VALENTINO

GAC

166

93

140

250

61

100

2,256

210

114

114

99

95

99

BONTINO

CAIRNBRAE BONTINO

AGR

162

88

107

209

119

97

247

53

111

109

89

98

90

7J1219

DUTCH HOLLOW OLIVER P

GAC

162

87

150

226

52

95

131

27

111

112

93

98

88

CRVVOYANT

MERSEYBANK CLAIRVOYANT

CRV

161

86

130

177

67

95

119

37

102

103

83

103

88

TAHBILK

BEULAH TAHBILK

GAC

152

89

77

176

159

97

298

63

106

106

90

93

94

AUSSIEGOLD

BROADLIN AUSSIEGOLD P - ET

GAC

149

92

94

187

98

99

821

139

107

104

96

98

98

VOYAGEDALE

WALLACEDALE MELS VOYAGE

GAC

144

84

104

104

139

93

122

45

99

99

77

98

89

VALIN

KINGS VIEW VALIN 4697

GAC

137

86

103

189

73

95

167

50

108

105

87

95

79

011JE1118

ALL LYNNS VALENTINO MARVEL

ALT

132

88

133

168

39

97

211

52

104

105

85

98

95

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

ABV FEATURE // 23 Good Bulls Guide for Holstein - Balanced Performance Index - Australian Proven Indices Bull ID

Bull Name

Source

Conformation Traits

Production Traits

BPI $

BPI Rel

HWI

TWI

ASI

ASI Rel

No. Dtrs

No. Over Mam Herds Type Syst

Daughter Fertility Type Rel

Dtr Fert

Rel

GILES

WILARA JOSUPER JO-ET

GAC

341

77

233

293

257

86

44

21

101

96

76

106

63

MAEBULL

CALISTER MAEBULL

GAC

312

87

275

314

122

95

150

48

103

101

83

111

92

29HO17706

DE SU 12128 TAILOR

ABS

312

85

295

347

78

92

94

20

109

111

86

109

79

KINGTUT

RENGAW REDMAW KB 9975-ET

GAC

311

83

219

261

226

93

96

22

101

106

85

107

66

DESTINATION

KAARMONA DESTINED-ET

GAC

306

79

276

326

97

90

65

19

107

105

76

112

65

29HO17747

COOCKIECUTTER HARPER

ABS

303

84

213

282

227

91

77

20

103

104

85

104#

81

29HO17919

DE-SU 12659 TACTIC

ABS

303

81

236

318

195

91

88

18

104

106

79

102

66

7HO11752

ROYLANE BOOKEM BOB 5170-ET

WWS

301

86

207

276

235

95

216

16

101

104

84

106#

83

29HO16667

DE-SU 11228 TOPSY-ET

ABS

286

90

198

292

236

97

259

38

103

103

89

100

96

ENFORCER

RED FIELD DOORMAN FROUKJE

GAC

283

81

212

284

183

90

66

20

103

106

79

103

71

JSPOWERBALL

VIEW-HOME POWERBALL P ET

GAC

276

88

232

241

173

95

139

33

98

102

91

106

92

29HO16888

SEAGULL-BAY MVP-ET

ABS

273

93

187

306

199

99

1,704

203

110

110

96

100

99

29HO17607

BRYCEHOLME SS BOASTFUL

ABS

270

91

227

230

134

98

473

70

98

100

93

109

97

CBSUPERSHOT

COGENT SUPERSHOT

SXT

267

90

236

266

106

98

326

61

104

102

92

107

96

14HO07328

COASTAL-VIEW MOOKIE

WWS

262

90

190

286

189

99

481

57

104

104

89

102

97

MAINSTREET

GLOMAR WALLSTREET

GAC

262

88

230

257

135

96

205

58

105

109

85

105

88

29HO16909

LARCREST COMMANDER-ET

ABS

261

92

189

320

153

99

545

113

110

109

94

100

98

GEEMCEE

RENGAW MANOMAN HUMMER-ET

GAC

256

91

167

184

197

99

590

87

98

98

94

107

94

29HO16887

DE-SU 11620 NIRVANA-ET

ABS

252

88

206

277

136

95

141

41

106

109

89

100

92

FULLTHROTTLE

CURRAJUGLE FULL THROTTLE-IMP-ET

ABS

243

86

184

198

142

94

123

48

98

100

83

108

89

ABS AGR ALT AXB CRV

ABS Australia Agri-Gene Alta Genetics Australia Auzred Xb CRV Australia

ECL GAC GGI IRG LIC

Eclipse Genetics Genetics Australia GGI Australia Ireland Genetics Livestock Improvement

SEM SHG SXT TLG VDG

Semex Australia Shamrock Genetics STgenetics Australia Total Livestock Genetics Van Diemen Genetics

VIK WWS

Viking Genetics WWS Australia

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202HO01805

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250HO14809

RIVERBEND-PP

265

$34

7HO14298

DAYLITE-PP

338

$30

7HO14645

EUSTICE-PP

302

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7HO13647

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276

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A2

7HO14163

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328

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A2

7HO14694

BANJO-P

330

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A2

7HO14913

BLACKGOLD-P

265

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A2

7HO14041

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286

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

24 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Downer, but not always out if you get the management right LUCY COLLINS

DOWNER COWS can be a massive drain of

time, resources and emotional energy.

A down cow is a cow that lays down due to a primary condition such as milk fever, sepsis or calving paralysis.

A downer cow is a cow that remains down after 12 hours regardless of whether the primary cause is known or not but remains bright, alert and without systemic illness.

Downers need to be thought of in terms of two phases — the initial cause (going down) and the secondary damage (from becoming a downer).

Downer cows are best moved to a close, comfortable and protected environment for ongoing care and can be moved short distances using a front-end loader with head secured by a halter or using both a chest strap and pelvic lifter or hip clamps.

Basic rules for providing high quality downer cow care include:

Columnist and Kyabram vet Lucy Collins.

Environment Shelter from wind, rain and extreme heat including easy access to clean water and good quality feed.

Hygienic, dry and non-slip surface with 30–50 cm soft bedding made from straw, rice hulls etc.

An area large enough for a cow to stand but not walk or turn around in to reduce risk of falling over — if left unconfined a cow will often crawl off soft bedding and end up back on a hard surface, putting herself at high risk of further nerve or muscle damage.

Cow Drowsy, depressed and non-responsive cows need checking every two to four hours.

Bright, aware and responsive cows should be reassessed every eight to 10 hours.

If in the milking herd, strip all four quarters to reduce risk of mastitis at least once daily

(can use a calf if cow is able to stand, or while being lifted).

Regular rolling and flexing of hindlimbs to maintain circulation and reduce secondary muscle or nerve damage and pressure sores.

Your local vet clinic may also offer an electrostimulation physiotherapy service.

If a downer cow hasn’t stood eight to 12 hours after initial treatment, lifting should be attempted and pain relief administered.

Lifting does not equal hanging! Lift to a height the cow can stand in a natural posture and take some of her own weight.

If the cow hangs, use chest strap or immediately place down and reattempt in a few hours.

Hip clamps are quick and effective but are not appropriate for long-term use and if used inappropriately can cause significant trauma to the pelvis. Cows should never be left unsupervised during lifting.

You Nursing downer cows can be time consuming and labour intensive. A recent study in south Gippsland found that while good nursing can deliver good results, poor nursing greatly reduces the likelihood of recovery and the occurrence of clinically significant secondary damage further impeding recovery was approaching 75 per cent.

If chances of recovery are low from the outset and response to treatment is unsatisfactory, or there is insufficient labour or expertise to provide optimal nursing care, euthanasia must be considered.

If a cow has neurological signs and fits within a certain set of criteria, she may qualify for a special government testing rebate — your local or district vet service will know more about this.

Avoid nursing a downer in a paddock with direct frontage to a main road. Onlookers have

the potential to misinterpret your best efforts.

A laminated ‘downer cow decision tree’, management guide and treatment protocol can be helpful tools for making timely, practical and sensible decisions.

Downer cows present a significant and ongoing animal welfare challenge for the dairy industry, and their nursing and management needs to be taken seriously.

Dairy Australia has plenty of great online resources available, including videos on assessing, lifting, moving and rolling down cows, setting up a nursing area, and ongoing care.

Lucy is completing her dairy residency with The University of Melbourne. She works as an on-farm veterinarian in Kyabram with Apiam Animal Health and alongside her partner on his 600-cow dairy farm in Dixie.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

ANIMAL HEALTH // 25

Company shines light on dairy reproduction challenges WITH THE global population currently sitting

at 7.8 billion and a further two billion expected by 2050 (Source: UN, 2018); milk production has almost doubled in the past 50 years to help meet demand.

And we will likely see even higher production levels in the future.

But Jefo ruminant product manager Hélène Leclerc said as the production level rises, reproduction in dairy herds remains a significant challenge for producers.

Hélène said conception rates in the average Australian herd are unsatisfactory, with an average first service conception rate of 38 per cent and pregnancy rate as low as 11 per cent.

Moreover, she said days open range from 154 to 127 for lower and higher production level herds respectively (reference).

“This difference of 27 days will have a significant economic impact as each day open will cost approximately $4 to $5, which means an annual cost of $108 per cow or $10 800 yearly for a herd of 100 cows,” Hélène said.

Although reproductive problems may look like they occur suddenly, research demonstrates reproductive challenges are the result of health, nutrition or management issues that may have occurred months earlier.

Several factors will impact the reproductive performance of cows, such as health around calving, cow comfort, heat stress, loss of body condition before calving and in early lactation.

In addition, Hélène said it was essential to properly feed the cow before calving to ensure follicle development and a functional ovarian activity very early in lactation.

She said a delayed ovulation will only result in fewer cows pregnant early.

“In fact, only 45 per cent of cows will be pregnant at 150 days in milk (DIM) when their first ovulation occurs after 50 DIM, compared to 75 per cent pregnant when they ovulate earlier (Butler R., 201),” Hélène added.

There are two major periods impacting the reproductive performance of dairy cows; and they are:

Transition Period During the transition period, the combination of reduced dry matter intake and sudden increase of requirements for milk production, create a negative energy balance (Jorritsma et al., 2003).

Maintaining dry matter intake during the week(s) before calving with an increase after calving is crucial to reduce the extent of negative energy balance (Jorritsma et al., 2003), and to improve the metabolic health of transition cows (Oetzel, 2010).

Early Lactation In early lactation, a loss of body condition due an insufficient DMI to meet the need for energy (glucose) and other important nutrients can create a dysfunctional immune response including cytokine releases (reference).

Hélène said all of these will have a negative effect on reproductive performance including higher early embryonic loss.

She said nutritional composition of feed; including energy, protein (amino acids), minerals, vitamins A, D3 and E, as well as other essential nutrients such as B vitamins, play a key role in the reproductive performance of dairy cows.

■■ Improving energy balance by maintaining DMI before calving and increasing DMI in early lactation (Morrison et al., 2018).

APIAM DISINFECTANT IN FRONTLINE AGAINST CORONAVIRUS Leading veterinary service provider Apiam Animal Health has secured distribution rights to a revolutionary surface sanitiser and protection nanotechnology for use against COVID-19.

Approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration the Z-71 Microbe Shield product kills pathogens by mechanical rather than chemical action making it extremely effective over time.

Apiam managing director Chris Richards said the product after extensive research over 10 years, was effective against a range of pathogens for up to 30 days.

“Laboratory tests are currently progressing to establish the duration of protection the Z-71 Microbe Shield product will have against a COVID-19 surrogate,” Dr Richards said.

“Apiam has demonstrated 30 days pathogen protection in its field studies in commercial piggeries against a similar coronavirus that causes high mortality in young pigs.

“Both mechanical and chemical sanitisers will kill most pathogens pretty much straightaway but the fact that it has been tested to be effective against common pathogens for up to 30 days on surfaces is a major breakthrough.”

The company acquired distribution rights in November last year because of the disinfectant technology initially to sanitise piggeries, poultry sheds and livestock systems and for use in piggery biosecurity programs because it had proven effective against the African Swine Fever virus.

African Swine Fever is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs.

There is no vaccine and it kills more than 80 per cent of the pigs it infects.

On December 11 last year, the Federal Government announced $66.6 million of funding to address the immediate threat of the disease, which has recently been reported as close as Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

Dr Richards said there had been strong demand from both Apiam clients and the greater community, and the company was providing fogging services to assist other essential businesses and workplaces to improve biosecurity and hygiene systems.

He said they currently had plenty of stock and were expecting additional supplies of both Z-71 Microbe Shield and Zoono’s hand sanitiser in the coming weeks, available through Apiam clinics and www.countryvet.com.au

Improving immune function, follicular and early embryo development (Kaur et al., 2019; Richard et al., 2016; Evans et al., “Some specific B vitamins are involved as enzyme cofactors at the cell level for energy (glucose, fat), protein and others important synthesis,” Hélène said.

“More specifically, folic acid plays an important role in the embryo cellular development in cattle (Kwong et al., 2010),” she said.

“Different blends of protected B vitamins (one for the transition period and one for the lactation period ) have been shown to improve reproductive performance. Supplementing a blend of protected B vitamins for the lactation period until cows got confirmed pregnant was shown to increase their first service conception rate by 13 per cent with that same increase maintained at 200 DIM. The culling rate from that same period dropped by 20 per cent (Juchem et al., 2012).

“The supplementation of another blend of protected B vitamins specific for the transition period did increase the percentage of cows pregnant at 100 DIM from 34.1 per cent to 63.4 per cent. “Those cows were also healthier and had a higher DMI before calving (Evans et al., 2006).”

Hélène said many researchers are showing dairy cows are responding positively to the supplementation of protected B vitamins in the diet, meaning those specific protected B vitamins ■■

Héléne Leclerc.

blends promote an enhanced reproduction in dairy cows.

She said since B vitamins are rapidly degraded by the rumen microbes, they must be protected from rumen degradation to reach the intestine where they will be absorbed.

“Jefo Matrix Technology protection keeps active ingredients from ruminal degradation and allows for targeted release in the intestine for high digestibility.”

Contact: Jefo Matric Technology P: (07) 4630 1500 M: 0429 301 500

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

26 // MACHINERY

Faster feeding — and more efficient too MCINTOSH’S MULTI 4 Bale Feeder has been

in the market for more than five years and is proving itself to be a great purchase by many happy farmers.

CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca’s Brendan Caffery said they were receiving great feedback from McIntosh owners in regard to the efficiency they have gained in being able to carry four bales on the machine and another two on the tractor.

This has allowed some to reduce their feeding time by up to 30 per cent, which means less time but also importantly saving hours on tractors which all adds up to less costs.

“The Multi Bale Feeder has a unique twin ram bale loading system and is capable of handling bales weighing up to 1200 kg in weight and allows the operator to hold the bale above the platform to allow easy removal of the net and wrap,” Mr Caffery said.

“This is especially suitable for roto-cut silage bales that can fall apart once the net has been removed and ensures all the material falls into the chamber and not over the back of the machine.”

“The bale transfer system pushes each bale up into the feeding cradle, where specially designed feeder slats allow the easy transfer of the bales but ensuring plenty of aggression for consistent feeding.

“The dual sided cradle allows accurate control of feeding out the fodder either side of the machine, no matter which way the bale is placed into the cradle.

“Also, the new style vertical drop side feeder chains feed well clear of the wheel track preventing of the wheels running over the material.”

The McIntosh Multi Bale Feeder is extremely well built and has features that are designed with durability and ease of use in mind, like heavy duty chassis, walking beam axles with floatation tyres, large storage bins and two remote operation are all designed to make feeding bales quick and easier.

“Feedback from customers has been that they really like the ability to go into a large herd of cows and feed up to three bales out without getting out of the tractor seat,” Mr Caffery said.

“This is a great safety feature as anyone who

CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca’s Brendan Caffery said they were receiving great feedback from McIntosh owners in regard to the efficiency they have gained in being able to carry four bales on the machine and another two on the tractor.

has experienced trying to get the plastic and net off the second bale in a mob of hungry cows when you are only able to feed one bale out at a time would know.”

In 2016 the McIntosh Multi Bale Feeder won the Tractor & Machinery Association Best NonPowered Machine of the Year at Farm World.

Then later in the year at the Elmore Field Days it was also awarded The Weekly Times Best Imported Machine of the Year award.

For more information, contact CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca on 5480 1855.

Industry-leading diagnostics

12 month parts warranty†

John Deere Expert Techs

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK The genuine John Deere difference.

Learn more at JohnDeere.com.au/GotYourBack

†12 month warranty on new agricultural parts installed by an authorised John Deere dealer. See John Deere Repair Service Parts Warranty for details at JohnDeere.com.au/PartsWarranty.

JNDAM62612_AU_DAIRY_DNA

John Deere Connected Support™

You can rely on the experts at your John Deere dealership to put you on track because they are devoted to keeping you up and running. The besttrained technicians in the industry are equipped to ensure your machine is in tip top condition, ready when you need it. And with genuine John Deere parts designed specifically for your tractor that carry a 12 month warranty† including labour when installed by your dealer, you have peace of mind because we back our quality.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

28 // MACHINERY

Two-month window for asset write-off WITH MANY farmers looking to take advantage

of the increased instant asset write-off threshold, O’Connors has implemented some key strategies to ensure maximum availability for every farm, regardless of requirement.

The farm machinery dealer offers close to 20 brands and O’Connors group sales development manager Tom Sheridan was confident they were doing all they could to support customers, in terms of availability and range.

“We have teamed up with our franchises to ensure we’ll have increased machinery available to deliver in the pre-June 30 window,” he said.

“This has meant acquiring more stock and working closely with suppliers to secure more build slots and extra orders.

“We know our customers will be looking to invest and we want to be able to support their ability to maximise this opportunity, by having the right stock in our yards.”

As Australia’s largest Case IH dealer, the company has a broad geographic footprint and caters to a range of specific farming needs.

“We’ve gone far and wide here, with products

in this tax range to suit the various farming types across our dealership network including crop production, hay production, dairy and livestock,” Mr Sheridan said.

“We’re very mindful this incentive could be used to offload stock so instead we’ve worked hard to consider each customer’s individual needs.”

O’Connors’ product availability in the specific tax-range encompasses Case IH’s mid-horsepower range and below, including the Maxxum and Farmall ranges, plus Macdon, Milstack, Samaz and Elho.

“Our customers run highly professional business operations and we know that every purchase decision is a carefully considered one,” Mr Sheridan said.

“So we’re expecting the many solutions we’ll supply are purchase decisions that were originally planned for next financial year.”

For more information contact your local O’Connors branch or visit www.oconnorscaseih.com.au

Polish Made SaMasz Mowers

The Case IH Maxxum range of tractors are just one of the products that qualify for the $150 000 asset write-off.

9.5M RAKING WIDTH V-RAKE – Made in Finland –

TRIPLESET DISC MOWERS MOWING 9.4M

All mowers now available with Steel on Steel conditioning rollers

www.samasz.com.au

Call 0352316999 for your local dealer

elhoaustralia.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

MACHINERY // 29

Speedtiller gives fuel for thought when sowing FOLLOWING THE devastating fires over

summer and a long period of drought many dairy farmers are now working towards pasture improvement or establishment, which starts with better soil health and structure.

Not often can you buy the one machine that serves so many purposes but The Speedtiller,

by K-Line Ag, is your answer to chemical resistant weeds, incorporation of organic matter and soil improvement and seedbed preparation for pastures.

Since its launch, the Speedtiller has enjoyed a strong reputation among tillage equipment buyers for its durability and quality of design — it is a high-performing dual-purpose disc-tilling machine.

“It’s a great machine,” Mildura farmer Thomas Marciano said.

“It’s cut my costs down.

“Usually to work up my property it costs me about $25 000 on diesel, where it’s brought it back to probably say $2 000.

“Time saving, where I’d need a worker to sit on two tractors to rip it all up I can go and do it on my own, one hour I can do, say 30 acres; dry ground, hard ground, doesn’t seem to be a problem for it.

“It just seems to bite in and do its job, you know …very easy to work, maintenance free, at the end of the day it’s what you want.”

The team at K-Line work closely with farmers to develop machines that have options to suit the needs of all farming situations.

Operating widths are available from 1.75 m Of the three options the K-Line Speedtiller comes in, the 3 Point Linkage model is best for dairy farmers. to 15.5 m across and machines are available in 3 Point Linkage, Universal and Trailing configurations, with the 3 Point Linkage option being ideal for dairy farmers.

For more information, call K-Line directly on 1800 194 131, visit www.k-line.net.au or visit your local K-Line dealer.

“Now we have got herd test information every time a cow is being milked”

PERFORMANCE, SIMPLICITY AND RELIABILITY

ENGINEERED TO PERFORM MANUFACTURED TO LAST

Supreme International manufactures single, twin and triple auger processors with sizes ranging from 235-1877 cubic feet. Unlike most other vertical mixers that use smaller single stage planetary drives, Supreme uses the heaviest two-stage planetary drive available. Each Supreme pull The Supreme processor is designed type is builtvertical to order with a large variety of options available, ensuring each to have fewer weargets points and a simplicity that customer a unit that is designed to meet their specific needs. gives hassle free maintenance

Tailor-made management offers perspective Your dairy farm keeps you busy day in, day out. How do you ensure consistent milk quality? How do you keep your cows healthy? And at the same time, meet social requirements? Thanks to Lely’s management system, the life of a dairy farmer has become much easier. Each cow can get individual attention, which automaticlaly makes the entire process more efficient. You have everything under control without having to make an extra effort.

Bright farming is yours by choice.

For more information contact us on 0438 568 155

www.lely.com

Supreme’s mixing tubs have been carefully AR200 WALLS designed for easier loading, better mixing and longer life. The unobstructed opening facilitates loading of whole bales, regardless of type or size.

Supreme International manufactures single, twin and triple auger processors with sizes ranging from 235-1877 cubic feet. Unlike most SYSTEM other verticalSCALE mixers that use smaller single stage planetary drives, Supreme uses the STEEL OIL RESERVIOR(S) heaviest two-stage planetary drive available.

Combined with a heavy duty gearbox, this robustFULL system rotates the auger through the SIZE PLATFORM toughest of materials.

PROFESSIONAL FINISH

RESTRICTOR PLATES

For more information contact Forbes Machinery today!

HD CONVEYOR OIL BATH HUBS

HD TUBULAR FRAME & UNDERCARRIAGE

HIGHWAY TIRES

AUSTRALIAN IMPORTERS

02 6852 02 6852 32113211 2 Parkes Rd, Forbes NSW 2871 2 Parkes Rd, Forbes NSW 2871 www.forbesmachinery.com.au www.aeh1.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

30 // MACHINERY

Farming smarter makes life easier Only 11 years ago this farming family started off with one cow, called ‘Hope’. With no family farm to begin their rural journey, the couple made the move to South West Victoria because they were uncomfortable with water security in Northern Victoria. Fast forward 11 years and they have over 700 head and a milking platform they say is the perfect ‘mum and dad’ system.

Decision for Installing AMS On the home farm in Simpson, Victoria, Phil and Symone Vines milk 280 cows on 120ha. They purchased this farm six years ago with a run-down dairy that had to be replaced. They use Astronaut A4s on this pasture-based farm. They had originally planned to build a conventional herringbone parlour, but some helpful advice from their bank manager and a drive to Gippsland to look into AMS got them thinking about Automatic Milking System. Phil and Symone realised quickly they were considering an option they never really knew was within reach. “The look on Phil’s face just said it all …” says Symone, with Phil adding “these are the type of cows we want; calm, relaxed and in charge.”

Start-up:

Increase in production:

Come 2016, construction was underway on their new greenfield site which would house 4 Lely Astronaut robots, plus 4 Lely Cosmix S concentrate feeders. With design, Phil had a focus on ensuring the shed optimised cow flow and natural cow behaviour.

In May 2016 the Lely team fired up the robots and in Phil’s words, “within 3 days of training the cows, we took away the training gates, it was a very low stress process”. Phil explained they didn’t really have any expectations, but were pleasantly surprised at the start-up.

“The cows are so relaxed in this system — they run the show. It enables good cows the chance to really shine”. The couple admit they could’ve done it smaller but I kept hearing “I’m only going to do this once” says Symone.

Phil was nicely surprised to see a 13 per cent production increase in the first year after the introduction of their red robots, which are aptly named after their 4 children — Abbey (19), Bailey (15), Joshua (6) and Thomas (4). This increase in production has continued each year.

Grazing System: Utilising the Lely ABC grazing system, cows alternate between three grazing sections within a 24-hour period, meaning less pressure on pasture and more recovery time for paddocks between grazing. “The gut feeling is we harvest more grass with this system. Paddocks get a better break rate of around 50 to 80 days between rotations and we can cut 3 weeks ahead of the cows” says Phil.

The couple have just started measuring paddocks so they can confirm this “gut feel”.

IT’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUY

YOU EXPECT STRENGTH, QUALITY AND PERFORM PERFORMANCE ANCE FROM YOUR FARM MACHINERY, AND MCINTOSH MULTI-4 MULTI--4 MULTI 4 BALE FEEDERS DELIVER DELIVER ALL THREE. Every detail has been carefully thought out to reduce breakdowns and provide trouble free operation for years to come.

Now with our LOW finance deal available

1.99% FINANCE RATE OVER 36 MONTHS Available for purchases before June 30th 2020. Conditions apply

COME AND CHECK OUT THE AWARD WINNING RANGE To find your nearest dealer, please contact:

www.tracmac.com.au 03 5625 1522

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA MAY 2020

MACHINERY // 31

Change in Lifestyle: With 1.5 labour units, a general work day for Phil and Symone kicks off around 8 am and consists of sweeping cows from a section, setting up new breaks, feeding out, cleaning, general farm duties and taking care of cows that need attention.

“That’s the beauty of this system, it’s really flexible with no hard or fast rules. It’s great to be able to eat breakfast as a family, then start our day.

When we’re off farm, we can still check-in on our phone to make sure everything is all good. The phone app T4C In-Herd is great”, says Symone.

Symone is so passionate about this system she left her part-time job to work on farm. Saving himself around 6 hours a day in milking time, Phil is now able to better manage the 3 properties and spend his time where it’s needed most — and that’s not in the pit, cupping cows.

With big dreams to make sure they can hand over the dairy business, Phil and Symone aren’t working any less. Instead they’re offering a different dairy experience which is more flexible, and comfortable to work in, saying “to be fair we could run this place together with our eyes closed”. They hope AMS will be more attractive to the next generation.

Looking after three properties and four children this busy couple aren’t working harder — they’re just working smarter; with the help of automation; and loving it.

Robotic miking has changed the life of dairy farmers Phil and Symone Vines.

NOW’S THE TIME ...

To get that Hustler product you’ve always wanted Up to $150k instant asset tax write-off

TRIED & TRUE OR BRAND SPANKING NEW Packed with the latest innovation to save you time and make your life easier, Hustler’s freshly minted range of Combi livestock feeders are available for delivery.

Choose from the COMBI CM Range with 43 years of proof in the field, or the all-new COMBI RX Range taking next generation to the next level.

Ask about our new square bale attachment

CHAINLESS TX205

FROM

$25,190

The New & Improved Round & Square Bale Chainless TX205 feeder comes with a number of improvements for strength and ease of use to future proof your feeding operation.

W/ EURO HITCH FROM

$3,795

CALL FOR PRICING & AVAILABILITY

Compact design. Slim hands. NZ Made.

Australian farmers favourite choice.

WARRANTY

$13,750 CHAINLESS LM104

SOFTHANDS LM100

4 YEAR

FROM

hustlerequipment.com / 1800 750 428 or 0435 371 311 We’re open for buiness. Visit hustlerequipment.com/covid19 for more information.

All prices include GST. Offers valid at participating dealers only. Optional extras shown not included in special deal.

The latest Chainless LM104 bale feeder handles any round or square bale with ease!

The self-loading design will save your valuable time, and the unique teasing action of a Chainless improves feed palatability reducing feed waste.

BE QUICK! LIMITED NUMBERS!

ABN HOLDERS ONLY • FINANCE NOW AVAILABLE

15M x 31.5M x 5.1M | $33,450 INC GST

DON'T MISS OUT ON THESE MASSIVE SAVINGS STORAGE & SECURITY

ONLY

$38,750 INC GST

STORAGE PLUS

ONLY

$19,890

HAY MATE

TOUGH DOUBLE

INC GST

ONLY

$22,950 INC GST

ONLY

15M x 25M x 5M (50’ x 83’ x 16’8”) Industrial grade building. One bay fully lockable with a large industrial roller door plus PA door. Colorbond extra.

XL MULTI PURPOSE

ONLY

$34,390 INC GST

10M x 13.5M x 5M (33’ x 45’ x 16’8”) Heavy duty building with a large industrial roller door and PA door.

Colorbond walls, doors and trim.

$12,650 INC GST

10M x 13.5M x 5.1M (33’ x 45’ x 17’) Open both 10M ends, perfect for hay, machinery or workshop. Add an end wall for $1,780 or an extra bay for $3,320.

SOLID PROTECTION

GREAT OPENINGS

ONLY

$29,150 INC GST

13M x 18M x 5M (43’ x 60’ x 16’8”) Two large 9M bays. Can be extended at any time. Colorbond available at extra cost.

PERFECT STORAGE

ONLY

$18,450 INC GST

ONLY

13M x 31.5M x 5.1M (43’ x 105’ x 17’) Open front with two large 9M openings for wide access, plus three more 4.5M openings.

$17,390 INC GST

15M x 27M x 5.1M (50’ x 90’ x 17’) So popular and such great value.

Add an end wall for $3,260 or an extra bay for $4,320.

10M x 18M x 4.5M (33’ x 60’ x 15’) Open one end for great three sided protection.

BIG OPENINGS

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF

100% TAX DEDUCTION

9M x 13.5M x 4.5M (30’ x 45’ x 15’) Open front shed plus enclosed bay with large industrial roller door and PA door.

Building in Colorbond $19,550.

MAMMOTH OPENINGS

UP TO

$150,000 +GST!*

ONLY

$35,090 INC GST

EVERYDAY FARMER

15M x 27M x 5.1M (50’ x 90’ x 17’) Strong and functional.

Extend to 18M (60’) wide for $7,320.

ONLY

$24,990 INC GST

ONLY PERFECT INDUSTRIAL $42,590 INC GST

ONLY

$62,250 INC GST

36M x 22.5M x 5M (120’ x 75’ x 16’8”) Three sided protection for large machinery or produce storage.

ONLY ROBUST INDUSTRIAL $32,490

HUGE OPEN ENDED

INC GST

ONLY

13M x 22.5M x 5.1M (43’ x 75’ x 17’) Open front farm industrial building.

Perfect for everyday storage.

Add an extra bay for $4,240.

13M x 27M x 5M (43’ x 90’ x 16’8”) Versatile industrial building. Ideal for workshop, storage or manufacturing.

Colorbond included.

TAX SAVING SPECIAL

INC GST

INC GST

AWESOME VALUE PLUS

ONLY

$20,290

$48,450

15M x 18M x 5.1M (50’ x 60’ x 17’) Strong, robust and extendable. Open both ends.

Add an end wall for $3,260 or an extra bay for $4,570.

18M x 36M x 5.7M (60’ x 120’ x 19’) Open both ends. Perfect fodder storage and access for large machinery. Add an end wall for $4,390 or an extra bay for $5,610.

ONLY

$35,150

15M x 18M x 5.1M (50’ x 60’ x 17’) Quality industrial grade building, including a 5M H x 4.2M industrial roller door in the centre, a second 3M x 3M roller door and a PA door. Colorbond walls and trim.

TOUGH TRIPLE

INC GST

18M x 27M x 5.1M (60’ x 90’ x 17’) What a great shed! Industrial rated. Ideal packing or machinery shed. Add an end wall for $3,820 or an extra bay for $5,180. Extra height is available for an additional cost.

ONLY

$13,390 INC GST

9M x 15M x 4.5M (30’ x 50’ x 15’) Open front shed in large 5M bays for better storage.

MANUFACTURING HIGH GRADE SHEDS IN QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, WA & TAS

THE NOW BUILDINGS ADVANTAGE 100% Australian steel, 100% Australian made, 100% Australian family owned High tensile bolts & class 4 fasteners, gutters & downpipes included Site specific engineering, heavy duty connection & footing design High grade industrial strength materials and design

CALL 1300 559 668 OR VISIT WWW.NOWBUILDINGS.COM.AU TREVOR 0431 597 160

JAMES 0413 104 820

JOHN 0437 699 111

Images are from the Now Buildings range and are for illustration purposes only. Imperial measurements are approximate. Extras pricing in bold is applicable at the shed purchase stage only. Extensions for existing sheds POA. WA and NT slightly extra. Delivery extra. Now Buildings will not be responsible to honour these prices once the total allocation has been sold. E&OE. Prices are Region A, Terrain cat. 2. Reg B available at slightly extra. Prices are based on collection from one of our many depots, delivery is available at an extra charge in most areas. *You should consult your own tax and accounting advisors before engaging in any transactions.