PAGE 2 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
A typical day in the offi office ce (Let’s talk)
Tim Cashin is visited on-farm by Nerine Courtney.
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“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010 - PAGE 3
Organic turn pays off By Jane Ross AFTER enduring a serious farm accident, Graeme Trease impressed nurses at the Alfred Hospital with his ability to recover well, with few painkillers. Dust bath: chooks, including this rooster, love to bathe in the dust beside the Trease’s house. “I can’t grow anything there!” lamented Rosemary.
Healthy: cattle are treated with homeopathic drops, which also help when cows are calving.
“What do you eat?” they asked. The organic butter his wife churns, for one. Healthy being that he is, Graeme was on crutches for months. m Treases run an organic The Treas farm. It’s not n certified yet, but hope that isn’t too far they hop away. They run dairy and beef cattle, raise calves and pigs, lambs and chooks for their ch oown meat. Called Seven Streams, the farm lies in glorious hilly country between Mardan and Mirboo North. A tributary of Berrys Creek runs through it. All the willows that bordered the th waterways have been wa removed and the banks remo replanted with vegetation replant keeps cattle away. They that keep up the banks no longer chop c hooves, nor can they with their hoo Graeme said get stuck in the creek. c the willows were choking chok the stream and
now that they have gone, the water flows freely. He cannot imagine how his great grandfather cleared the land for farming. William Trease and his brother Thomas, came out from Cornwall and worked as blacksmiths on the central Victorian goldfields. Both selected land in South Gippsland; Thomas in Dumbalk, William in Mirboo North. William built a shingle roof house on the creek running through Seven Streams so that his family could join him. His son Len took over the land, then his son Vince followed. Graeme has been on the family farm just about all his life. His interest in switching to organic farming practices was piqued by Rosemary and his daughter Carrie. Carrie couldn’t drink milk as a child, but was able to tolerate an organic variety that her mother bought. Then, Rosemary was rearing calves and a vet said that resistance to an antiobiotic was setting in among the young animals and a different strain would be needed. “I thought this is ridiculous!” When someone told her that true raspberry cordial could cure scours in calves, she decided to try it. When it worked, Rosemary thought there had to be a better way to farm. She enrolled in a TAFE diploma in organic agriculture and the die was cast. “A lot of organics relates to the way our forefathers worked,” said Graeme. The farm no longer uses fertilisers, antiobiotics or drugs. Change was difficult at first, but the couple called on the knowledge of Ron and Bev Smith of Fish Creek, who established Victoria’s first organic farm.
“We don’t use antibiotics because they end up in the fat tissue in cattle and that affects the quality of the meat,” said Graeme. Instead, their animals are treated with homeopathics. These are used, for example, to settle the calves when their horns are removed and when cows are ready to calve. Scours and pink eye are treated with homeopathics too. When Graeme was in hospital this time last year, Rosemary had 120 cows in calf. She said thanks to their sturdy health, she only had to pull one calf. Instead of boosting their grass with urea, Graeme and Rosemary use chook and pig manure, fish fertiliser, kelp and molasses. These are sprayed out over the paddocks and there’s no need for a withholding period, as there is with urea. And when there is some spray left over, Rosemary’s biodynamic vegetable patch gains the benefit. She likes to grow all the family’s vegetables and boasts a healthy patch of silver beet. Ragwort is treated with coarse salt. If they have to buy in feed, they make sure it’s organic. In order to gain certification, the soil at Seven Streams will have to be tested and a list of requirements attended to, such as having a separate paddock for the treatment of sick animals. “If you get the soil right, everything falls into place,” said Rosemary. She is flabbergasted that people don’t seem to worry about what animals eat and we consume the meat with nary a thought to its content. “Food has been a non-important issue and we don’t value farmers for some reason. “We should be looking for the most nutritious, healthiest food we can find.”
Book now to advertise in the summer edition of the South Coast Farmer. Phone 5662 2294 or email scfarmer@thestar.com.au
PAGE 4 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
Going up: Leesa Williams inspects the hydraulic arm fitted with a cluster - that slips beneath a cow’s udder.
By Brad Lester WHEN dairy farmers Grant and Leesa Williams decided to expand their business, they knew they wanted to keep the operation within the family and not have to hire external help. They acquired a 63ha property next door that included a herringbone dairy. With a rotary dairy on the 140ha home farm to run and a family of four children, the couple from Hallora, north of Poowong, faced the prospect of having too much to do on their own. But they have managed to survive the transition with some help from a machine that could well be the future of farming. The Williamses removed the
herringbone dairy and installed a robotic dairy featuring three stalls capable of milking cattle 24 hours a day, automatically. The Lely Astronaut system feeds and milks cows simultaneously. “We’re still increasing production but we wanted to keep the operation as a family unit and also keep a standard of life. The robot has enabled us to keep labor down,” Grant said. The Williamses plan to milk 200 cows in the robotic dairy and another 280 in the rotary, with the eventual goal of milking about 500 cows. Cows wear a neck collar containing a transponder and enter the dairy through a pre-selection gate. A scanner reads the transponder and determines if the cow has been milked recently. If so, the cow is diverted into a lane and out of the dairy. If not, she
Minimal stress: a cow is milked while feeding on a grain mix calculated according to her needs.
is allowed to enter a stall. A hopper in the stall fills with a grain mix. The size is determined by computer, usually about 60 grams every 10 seconds, and adjusted to suit the cow’s production and stage of lactation. A pneumatic arm with cluster swings under the udder, lasers detect the position of teats, clean the teats with a brush, and cups are applied one by one. Once milked, teats are sprayed with a disinfectant and the cow is released. “It’s very relaxed. That’s one of the pluses. There’s no stress on the cows as they’re just standing there,” Grant said. Production per cow has proven to be similar to that in the rotary dairy and at times, has been slightly up. “The cows adapted quite quickly. It takes about a week for them to get
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010 - PAGE 5
to know the whole setup and to train them in the complete system, from paddock to shed,” Leesa said. On leaving the stall, cows are diverted into one of three lanes by a gate also fixed with a transponder reader. The lanes lead to separate paddocks titled A, B and C with certain levels of pasture, under the three way grazing system. “Every eight hours the cows are given a new section to graze. Once they run out of grass, they will come back to the dairy to be fed and milked,” Leesa said. The Williamses have had to make some modifications to their paddock layout and laneways to enable the new operation to take place. But the effort has been worth it. “The big plus with using robots is the amount of data that we get, from cows’ weight gain or loss, and the amount of milk they are giving to cell counts,” Grant said. “The software has the ability to look back through the history of the cows’ data and if it finds an anomaly, such as her weight being down, it will tell you.” The computer system also has the ability to recognise if a cow is cycling to assist with the farm’s artificial insemination program. Cows on heat are diverted to a drafting yard for attention. “Heat detection is a big thing and if you are not always watching the
cows, it’s a pretty good tool to help you,” Grant said. The computer can also ensure colostrum or milk from cows treated with antibiotics can be separated and not put into the vat. The couple’s familiarity with computers helped with a smooth transition and they found the system relatively simple to learn. “We’ve had some teething problems but they’ve been more operator problems. The first six months were time consuming because we were trying to teach the cows to come out of the paddock by themselves at least two times in a 24 hour period,” Leesa said. “The trick is to have the electric fence in the right spot so that when the cows run out of grass they come up to the shed to get that extra bit of feed.” The computer at the dairy is checked in the morning and can also be monitored from another computer in the house. The only other robotic dairy in Gippsland is at Rosedale and it was this system that inspired the Williamses. The couple’s eldest son Ryan is now working on the farm, undertaking an apprenticeship. The other children Lauren, Brett and James help on the property where they can.
Game plan: Grant Williams installed new yards and reconfigured laneways to suit the new system.
PAGE 6 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
Passion returns rewards FOSTER dairy farmers Kevin and Helen Jones are ranked with the best in the country. Hard work and a positive approach to their farm business has returned not just in excess of eight per cent on their capital in the difficult 2008-09 season but success in this year’s Dairy Business of the Year awards. Kevin and Helen couldn’t believe it when they won the Gippsland section of the prestigious awards but also picked up the inaugural cow efficiency trophy. That award is based on a combination of dry matter consumed per kilogram of milk solids production, with cow fertility rates and cell counts also factored in. The Joneses virtually work from sun up till sun down, especially now
the calving season is in full swing. But despite his passion for the industry, Kevin did not really expect an award. He was pushed to enter by farm consultant John Mulvany. “It is a buzz but I suppose we just wanted to use the awards as a yard stick to see how we were going,” Kevin said. Born up the back of the Toora hills, Kevin has spent a lifetime on farms, having completed farm apprenticeships and worked on beef and sheep stations in northern New South Wales, before share farming and then leasing a farm at Fish Creek for three years. While still farming at Fish Creek they bit the bullet in the spring of 2002 and purchased their own 256 acre farm between Toora and Foster. “It was the year of the drought up
north and we rushed the sale through that spring,” Kevin said. “It was difficult running both farms but we had an opportunity to get ahead and we wanted to cut as much silage and hay as we could.” On Mr Mulvany’s advice, the Joneses parked 80 cows from up north just after Christmas of that year. Kevin milked those and some of their own heifers through the old shed while Helen remained at Fish Creek with the majority of their own 200 cow herd. “We made more money that way and this allowed us in the February to build a brand new 20 swingover plant. We were pleased to come in under our $200,000 budget,” Kevin said. The Joneses do a lot of their own work to save money. Further improvements have included buying a further 121 acres 18 months ago. In autumn this year they installed a new feed system on the farm, increased the size of the cow yard and have made significant upgrades to pastures, laneways, fences, water and their irrigation system. Kevin always does his homework and seeks professional advice and on-going comparative analysis. “You wouldn’t work the hours you have to put in if you weren’t getting ahead and turning a profit. In the year 2008 to 2009, our milk production tallied some 21,000 litres per hectare for our 330 dairy herd,” he said. Kevin said the first eight months last year were a disaster.
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010 - PAGE 7
in a competitive industry
Winning farmers: winners of the Gippsland section in this year’s Dairy Business of the Year awards, Kevin and Helen Jones of Foster and children Katie,16, and Mitchell, 13, were thrilled when they also picked up the cow efficiency trophy. “Like many dairy farmers, we are all just playing catch up and like most farmers, still have a lot to pay off,” he said. “The dairy industry really needs a good shake up. We just can’t continue to take the prices we are forced to take. We need certainty and reasonable and stable milk prices. “There are a lot of farmers still doing it tough and while the rain augurs well for a good spring, we do still have concerns for milk prices after Christmas. “We need certainty and decent prices, otherwise dairy farming is just not sustainable and the local towns will suffer.”
Family deal: Kevin Jones and daughter Katie.
PAGE 8 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
By Marli Draper WINNING awards is one thing in stud circles, but having repeat clientele who achieve top prices keeps everyone happy.
Ribbon reward: Neralie and Dave Reynolds with an award winner.
Ivydowns Sheep Studs, based at Meeniyan, have just completed their most successful selling season of all time. Their premier stud is Southdown, but they also breed Poll Dorset, Suffolk and White Suffolk. With lifetime interest and passion for sheep, Dave and Neralie Reynolds family’s interests have expanded gradually as their children have become active in the business. They are passionate and participatory breed improvers and keen to provide access to quality flock and stud rams to boost broader flock quality. When sourcing the very best Southdown sheep to start their
stud, the entire flock was purchased from Campania in southern Tasmania. The Southdown breed do very well in cooler climates and are not as apt as other breeds to lose condition as the weather warms. “We would expect a survival rate of between 170-175 per cent if the weather is reasonable but we are very pleased with a traditional South Gippsland winter. Our sheep relish the wet weather and due to the long dry our average was back to 162 per cent last season,” Dave said. The stud is strongly represented at shows around the country including Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and of course Royal Melbourne. In the last selling season more than 200 stud and flock rams and ewes were sold to four states, including two international exports bound for Belgium and France respectively. The calibre of their animals is such that they are well known in the industry and clients approach and purchase privately. The meticulous breeding program is aimed at creating a longer frame, lean but with great muscle development. The shoulder has previously comprised a greater percentage of the body of the sheep but advances in breeding in recent years have extended the loin to the point where it is as long as the shoulder. This is generating significant commercial benefits
and focusing on finished product is driving the change. During local lamb selling season, lambs sired by Ivydowns rams topped the markets on six occasions in three states. Rams are scanned on site analysing fat and muscle development. With their breadth of experience, the Reynolds note a good correlation between their judgement of visual confirmation and how the particular animals fare in the scanning process. During lambing, intensive records are generated to ensure accuracy of data and assess animals for traits they are breeding towards. According to Dave: “It is no use breeding an outstanding ewe or ram and not knowing who the dam or sire is”. Semen is regularly requested from abroad and the Reynolds find it rewarding to see the success of lambs sired by their award-winning sheep. Many have won major awards at top shows in New Zealand and also in Uruguay. They are keen supporters of youth entering the industry they love and believe has a bright future. They have assisted schools and junior breeders embarking on breeding with quality genetics and enabled their introduction into pedigree lamb production.
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“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010 - PAGE 9
By Marli Draper SHANE Harris does not do things by halves. He runs cattle and sheep on several blocks at Dumbalk North and throughout the district, 1100 acres of which the family own as well as substantial leases. He works pragmatically to maximise profit but with a view to the long term. Fast growth and fancy figures cannot necessarily be maintained and Shane is commonsensical in his approach. With the support of his parents, Adrian and Pat, Shane has built up breeding stock that are delivering reliably year after year and others see it. The Harrises believe breeders have followed the wrong path for 25 years by pursuing American genetics that have a grain-fed focus. They are now bringing their herd and flock back to the basic, grass efficient animal. Adrian Harris reckons: “The way some breeders are going (with their breeding figures) we should have an elephant by now”. Their approach has been to emphasise paddock performance and look for cattle that embody the characteristics of efficient conversion. Specifically they are after a deep body, decent rumen, width from behind, with good muscle development and a shorter head. Shane relentlessly culls to refine the exhibition of proven traits including fertility, calving ease and weight gain. The lines of their stock are strengthened by selecting older proven sires and that have built a reputation in the paddock and assessing their value. They breed for reliable traits and this takes years to stabilise but they are becoming renowned for their
proven results. Shane sold 29 Angus bulls this season, some of which will find new homes in Queensland. The bloodlines include some proven New Zealand sires that have worked the hill country well. He also breeds and sells about 40 Southdown rams a year. The late Geoff Baker, a renowned breeder himself, used to take all Shane could produce. They are working extremely well in crossbreed ewe enterprises locally and in the western district. Shane finds Southdown the most grass efficient animal. High stocking rates are achieved within his enterprise by focusing on this feature and this in turn boosts profitability. The family reflect that farming is in crisis and the poor prices paid for livestock deliver a marginal profitability which is not helping hold young farmers in the industry. Rising costs are a “killer” according to Shane and it seems it is his savvy and family support that helps his operation survive. He is happy however
we have had such a wet winter and he is hopeful the rains will hold through the coming season. He sets his stock in spring so they can maximise the flush of new growth. The focus on fertility and productivity in the paddock has served him well and he is forever refining the art of stock selection.
Steady growth: Shane Harris and some of his stock, selected to thrive on grass.
PAGE 10 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010 - PAGE 11
Rain galore buoys confidence By Deb Lucas FARMERS in the Yarram district are rejoicing after substantial winter rainfall set the region up for a bumper spring season. Grass is growing in abundance, cows’ udders are bursting with milk and calving has proceeded with minimal troubles. It’s little wonder that farmers have reason to smile. Yarram farmers Neville and Michelle Staley, and their son Justin and his wife Stacee, milk around 560 cows on their 500 acre property. As the first of their freshly calved dairy cows stroll onto the rotary platform they are dripping milk thanks to an abundance of grass available to them. The Staleys have just started their calving season and already have calved down 330 with little trouble. Justin smiles as he prepares them for milking. The cows are coming in in great condition, which should set them up to produce lots of milk with good components. There is nothing more satisfying for a dairy farmer than to have such a healthy looking herd. “The rain this past week and a half has been very welcome indeed,” Neville said. “I reckon it’s been seven or eight years since we have seen a start to spring like this. The grass is jumping out of the ground. “This area was desperate for rain. On August 10 we had 20mm followed by another 25mm the next day. “Since then we have had another
inch and it is raining again today. If we can keep getting around an inch of rain right up until October, then that will be the icing on the cake and we will have a bumper harvest season in this area.” The Staleys also own 450 acres in the Fish Creek area. “It is very wet down there at the moment but it is all good. It just means more grass in the spring and more grass means we can harvest more,” Neville said. “Everything is falling in place for a great season. The opening price of milk was reasonable and despite a hiccup in the world price recently, the prospects for increases are good. “We have our grain price locked in and there is grass in the paddock. It is all good.” Like many South Gippsland farmers, David Phelan is loving the rain. The Yarram stock agent and beef breeder believes the start to spring would be the best for 15 years. “We can still handle a bit more moisture, especially out Woodside way,” he said. “The dams at Woodside could still do with more rain but mine are all full, as would most of the dams this side of Leongatha be after the recent rain.” Mr Phelan said it is great news for farmers. “You can’t make money out of dust,” he said. “It is the best result in this area in the last 12 months. Not only have we had good rain, farmers haven’t needed to buy in as much feed and last year farmers made a fair bit of silage and hay.”
Mr Phelan said local farmers really need a few more good seasons just to get back in the black. “Costs are continually increasing and a lot of farmers are still playing catch up,” he said. “Our cattle prices have been very good but once they find a few more numbers, this will put the pressure on pricing and we could see a slide, but for now it is looking good.” Mr Phelan said the other problem for beef producers is that fewer abattoirs now means less competition. “The big fellas are getting bigger and the smaller operators are getting out,” he said.
Fresh start: Damian Becker, a milker with the Staley family, welcomes freshly calved cows into the shed for a new season.
Smooth start: calves are on the ground and thriving as dairy farmers head into another season with good pasture in the paddocks, thanks to recent rain.
PAGE 12 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, August 24, 2010
By Isaac McCallum LIFE ON the farm is not always easy, especially when your herd is a group of snails. But Doug and Vincenza Alexander are open to new ideas. And not just any ideas will do; they must be fresh and exciting. That is what brought the couple to snail farming. “We consider ourselves entrepreneurs. We like to try different things. Because we’re on such a small area, it couldn’t be anything too big,” says Doug. Heliciculture, as it is more officially known, is the process of farming or raising land snails for human consumption. Doug and wife Vincenza started their venture 18 months ago, and have not looked back, despite not knowing a great amount about the little gastropods. “We haven’t got it down to a fine
art yet. It’s just trial and error, but we’re starting to get a lot better,” said Vincenza. The couple has searched the internet for ideas, as well as getting hold of papers researched by the CSIRO, all in the hope of breeding success. But of course being snails, they have their constraints. “In the end snails are snails. They have a high mortality rate and they are stressed so easily,” said Doug. Handling the gastropods, as well as waking them from sleep may cause them great distress, enough to see them die. “If they breed too much that can be very stressful as well,” Vincenza said. The snails are a lot of hard work, but during the colder months not as much care is required. “During spring they eat and eat, which is what we want them doing. We have to spend at least an hour a day just cleaning the pens,” Vincenza said.
Once the snails have grown to their full capacity, which is usually about eight grams, they are sent to the restaurants for gourmet dinners. “We currently have five restaurants on the waiting list, but we’re waiting for the snails, so we’re being patient,” said Vincenza. But restaurants are not the only ones interested in the Alexander’s helicicultural exploits; schools and other groups are hoping to gain insight into the idea. “A teacher I know from a horticulture college rang us hoping to have a look, and schools have as well, which gave us a pretty exciting idea,” Doug said. The pair plans to open the snail farming to the public, opening a tasting area, kitchen and a place for tourists to sit down, relax and have a cup of coffee while enjoying the strange and exciting world of heliciculture. “We hope to get that up and running by the end of the year. We’re on the Grand Ridge Road so it would
,” Doug be great for tourists to visit,” said. The two also have plans to evolve the business, and take it from what may be considered a hobby to a full blown investment. They aim to erect 20 hot houses and multiply by 20 the already large number of 20,000 snails that are farmed now. “Obviously we’d need to get employees and work full time, but it’s what we aim to do,” said Doug. A lot of people may think that may use a lot of energy, as most farms do, but Doug says that his farm is definitely healthy. “Our waste water goes onto the vegie garden. It’s not much to look at, but the snails love it so it doesn’t worry us,” he said. “All our water is recycled, so we’re not heavy water users. We use solar energy, so we’re not like the average farm.” They most certainly are not.
Not in a hurry: Doug and Vincenza Alexander keep a close eye on their livestock.
Creamy Garlic C G li Escargot E Vincenza Alexander Ingredients 12 snails (processed with shells removed) 300ml of cream (or light cream cheese for fewer calories) A small handful of spring onion, finely chopped A dash of white wine One red capsicum, finely chopped One garlic clove, cut into four pieces One quarter cup of parmesan cheese Salt, and freshly ground pepper Olive oil Method Fry garlic in olive oil until brown. Remove garlic from pan and discard. Add capsicum to the pan. Stir until lightly browned then add parsley and spring onion. Cook for three minutes, then add all other ingredients (except the garlic) and cook until bubbling. Allow to simmer, stirring constantly for a further 10 minutes. It may be served as entrée over pasta or rice, or simply in the dish with fresh, crusty bread.