Dairy Focus October

dairy FOCUS

An Ashburton Guardian Advertising Supplement

Issue 29. October 19, 2010. $2.00

Ted takes a punt on Acton scheme P4 Ashburton A&P Show 2010

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3

Contents Page 4

Taking a punt on Acton scheme

Page 10

Building the right dairy shed

Page 6

No lame excuses here

Page 15

Pasture assessment plan

Page 5 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9

World Dairy summit NZ bound It’s all go for irrigation

AHB and MAF share knowledge Taking the next step

Page 14 Page 16 Page 19 Page 20

A big thank-you to all Breeding feature

Grandmother a mother again

Hydraulic force can be deadly

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dairy FOCUS

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Ashburton Guardian

Publication date: Next issue:

October 19, 2010 November 16, 2010

We welcome any correspondence to either: Amanda Niblett, phone 307-7927 email: amanda.n@theguardian.co.nz or Lance Isbister, phone 307-7953 email: lance.i@theguardian.co.nz

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4

Taking a punt on Acton scheme Lance Isbister Rural Reporter, Ashburton Guardian

Buying shares in the Acton Irrigation Scheme was a gamble for Dorie dairy farmer Ted Rollinson, who is hoping his investment will pay off.

Mr Rollinson is one of a handful of dairy farmers who will eventually take water from the Acton Scheme, which he will use to irrigate his 92 hectare run-off block.

He faced a difficult decision to join the scheme knowing it would only be 61 per cent reliable, but was also pressured by the fact that if he did not take the water while it was on offer, he may not have such an opportunity again.

Although his 732 hectare farm is already 100 percent irrigated, Mr Rollinson saw potential for increased production from the scheme, although the costs involved also posed a big risk if the Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation Scheme was not further developed to produce a more reliable source of water for the Acton.

Mr Rollinson initially didn’t think he would become a member of the Acton Irrigation Scheme until a neighbour convinced him.

He plans to be irrigating from the Acton Scheme

by September next year, but will only be able to run another roto-rainer irrigator half the time using 20 litres of water a second, which in the meantime hardly justifies the $6000 he pays towards the annual use of the water on top of capital costs.

Mr Rollinson said the price he will pay for the water he uses will increase over the next few years.

However in the end he came to the conclusion that in Canterbury any water was better than no water so became involved as a member in the Acton scheme.

He intends to build his own storage pond after Christmas to hold 20,000 cubic metres of water, which equates to a three week reserve to irrigate from.

“I’m a big believer of water in Canterbury, that’s the reason why I’ve taken up the shares in the Acton scheme.”

Photo LANCE isbistEr 131010-Li-001

Ted Rollinson is keen to see the BCI scheme developed to deliver a more reliable source of water through the Acton scheme so he can increase production on his dairy run-off block and add value to his land.

He made the investment to increase the reliability of water to his intensively farmed run-off block, which is used for wintering dairy stock, growing grain and oats.

Mr Rollinson said the Acton Irrigation Scheme would only be efficient when Lake Coleridge was developed for water storage.

He has high expectations of that development, which he believes farmers on the Acton scheme need to drive in order for the scheme to reach its potential of being at least 80 per cent reliable.

Mr Rollinson said the increased reliability of water also created better value for the land.

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5

IDF World Dairy Summit returns Willy Leferink Vice president Fed Farm Dairy

Looking to nature for solutions An important annual global dairy event is returning to New Zealand in November for the second time in a decade.

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit, when global dairying experts will learn about the industry’s current status and latest innovations, is being held in Auckland at the Skycity Conference Centre, November 8-11.

The theme of the 2010 conference is called Natural Inspiration, with the idea to provide �solutions� to problems by looking at nature, rather than keep on talking about problems.

This event will attract more than 1400 delegates from New Zealand and overseas. It incorporates 12 separate dairy-related conferences, including dairy farming, dairy policies and economics, environment, cheese science, microbiology and marketing, along with a key forum for dairy leaders.

The summit oers all participants a unique opportunity to network with international experts and like-minded peers. I am involved by co-chairing the Dairy Farming Conference . A wide range of technical and social tours will also complement the overall programme. These will include visits to producers and processors in the North and South Islands.

The International Dairy Federation is the global organisation which represents the dairy sector worldwide and aims to promote best practice and scienti�ic advances in all aspects of the dairy supply chain and particular promotes dairy consumption. You can see it as the WTO of the dairy industry DairyNZ chairman Hon John Luxton is the summit’s patron, while the New Zealand organising committee includes representatives from across the dairy sector, including producers, processors, industry good organisations and government agencies.

Dairy Farming ConferenceNew Zealand dairy farmers will be particularly interested in conference three of the programme, a two-day focus on dairy farming, which will look at the solutions to problems in

the sustainability of dairying ‘Sustainability: threats to opportunities’..

Sustainability issues were discussed at the World Dairy Summit in Edinburgh in 2008, now DairyNZ and DeLaval combine to host a range of international and national speakers, who will report, discuss and debate solutions in four key areas – water and ef�luent management, greenhouse gas emissions, soil sciences and carbon losses, along with farm energy.

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6

Focusing on lameness How many lame cows have you got? Do you have a problem or do you not have any lame cows at all?

Often we go to farms to trim cows where there are cows walking back to the paddock, having just been milked, who are lame but have not been selected to be trimmed by us. Many times you can see a herd of cows walking to the cow shed and notice a number of lame or tender walking cows.

Zinpro is a company which developed a chart that helps farmers identify lame cows. It calls it “locomotion scoring chart”. It looks at how a cow is walking and evaluates it accordingly. A cow needs to walk and stand with a straight back. The more a leg is sore the more a cow shows an arched back.

As professional farmers I think we need to be more focused on lameness and other animal health issues. We are not the only ones. It seems to be a global problem.

I have just spent some time with my family in Holland. Even on the smaller scale farms here there seems to be a lack of awareness and therefore treatment of lame cows in many cases. Animal welfare issues feature a lot in the media in Europe at the moment. It is being said that 70% of the cows are lame and 40% of the cows have mastitis.

Whether the numbers are right or not is not the point. The main thing that town people here attribute these welfare issues to is the fact that many farmers keep their cows inside 24-7, and yet the high incidences of lameness on many New Zealand farms would challenge that assumption. Nevertheless the consumers’ perceptions are important. They can in�luence farming development with their buying habits. They already do on a smaller scale with organic products.

Lame cows are very expensive. If you had 4-5 cows in your lameness mob at any given time during the milking season then that would work out to about 60 cows for that season. If you worked on a cost of $500 per lame cow you have a cost of $30,000. This cost is

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The more a cow’s back is arched, the more likely it is to be suffering from lameness. nothing compared to the farms who have 50 or even happening on our own farms is crucial to managing and 100 lame cows in their lameness mob. But even that minimising animal welfare issues. And as professional cost is nothing compared to the cost that could occur if farmers should that not be one of our goals? the consumer puts their demands on farmers.

We need to be more proactive in ensuring that I believe that the best way to safeguard ourselves is the consumer is getting a more factual picture of to stay ahead of the consumer. The best way to show the farming issues rather than just having a kneethe consumer that we don’t have animal welfare issues jerk reaction to the sometimes ill-informed and yet is by not having them. Being more aware of what is damaging assumptions that they often make.

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7

Irrigation - it is all go!

It is truly amazing how much difference a month makes in Canterbury. Last month we had mud glorious mud, wind damage to irrigators and of course an earthquake! Now we are in the thick of an exceptionally busy irrigation start-up period.

The start-up period is much busier this year simply because most areas require irrigation at pretty much the same time. Normally we would have a gradual lead in time which enables many “bugs” to get sorted out before things get really cranked up.

Last month we were tired of all of the mud. Our Southland friends were having one of their worst springs in recent years, with many lamb and calf losses due to very heavy snow, wind and rain.

Here in Canterbury, as many people have been saying recently, we are only ever two weeks away from

a drought! Water levels appear to be very good; most pumps appear to be working well and efficiently.

There doesn’t appear to be too many problems because of the September earthquake, however, I will quantify that by reminding everyone to not get too optimistic as we won’t really know, for some time, the full extent of any problems that may arise in the future.

One of our recent Reinke pivots has been fitted with VRI – Variable Rate Irrigation. It has been interesting getting to grips with this technology. The potential for this technology is immense. What this particular application does is enables the user to apply varying amounts of water to various crops depending on the crops individual need and/or varying ground conditions.

The watering pattern can be fine-tuned very accurately to ensure correct application rates to be

Water is an expensive commodity and therefore application rates need to be accurate.

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applied. This is achieved by individual sprinklers turning on and off via a “latching” solenoid valve on each sprinkler. This can be used in many applications – perfect in a dairying situation where the farmer is putting effluent through his pivot. With the VRI system installed, we can ensure that effluent is not being discharged on farm tracks or on top of stock water troughs, but ensures it is being applied precisely where it needs to be applied – on the grass!

VRI can also ensure that where water needs to pumped, at a continuos given flow eg. the BCI scheme, then, by fitting VRI to swing arm corner pivots, this will ensure a uniform flow will be passed through the pivot at any point on the farm as the travel speed of the machine will alter depending on the extent of the angle of the swing arm corner.

When the swing arm corner is tucked in, the travel speed of the machine will increase, conversely, when the swing arm corner is being extended, the travel speed of the machine will decrease. When the cost of the water remains at a given rate and is not dependent on the flow being pumped; as is the case in the BCI scheme, then it is much more advantageous to have a VRI system installed.

We, as a company, strongly believe in having the most efficient systems in place and we certainly believe in the VRI system – yes it is quite costly, but depending on the situation, costs could be recouped quickly.

It is coming close to A&P show times again. Ellesmere A&P Association had its show on October 16, Ashburton A&P show is to be held on October 29 and 30 and finally the Canterbury Show is to be held between November 10-12. A busy time for us, but also an enjoyable time.

We will be in attendance at these three shows this year. For our local show here in Ashburton, I believe it is important that local companies show their support to our local A&P association and at the same time take that opportunity to thank our customers for their support over the years. See you all there!

8

AHB, MAF to share information Some farm and herd owner information held by the Animal Health Board (AHB) will shortly be added to the Ministry of Agriculture’s (MAF) national rural property register, following consultation with cattle and deer farmers.

FarmsOnLine is being established to ensure up-to-date information on New Zealand farms is available should there be a serious biosecurity outbreak or natural disaster.

AHB Chief Executive, William McCook, says approximately 80,000 herd owners will shortly receive a letter inviting them to share some elements of their farm information with FarmsOnLine.

“The intention is to share our up-todate and accurate farmer information

with the new MAF initiative. The details we aim to pass on are AHB farm identi�ication number, herd identi�ication number, species – whether cattle or deer, map co-ordinates of the farm, as well as the name and contact details of those in charge of livestock,” said Mr McCook.

While farmers can opt out of having their AHB details included on FarmsOnLine, he believed farmers would appreciate the register will allow faster response times and recovery in the event of a major biosecurity incident or natural disaster.

Mr McCook said a biosecurity outbreak could �inancially devastate farmers, undermine New Zealand’s economy and signi�icantly affect our reputation in international trading Information sharing will be a big help in coping with disasters. markets.

“Farmers can be assured strict rules govern the use of their information and no disease-related information will be shared - that will remain with the AHB,” said Mr McCook. Unless speci�ic legislation was introduced, personal information on FarmsOnLine could only be used for biosecurity and emergency management purposes.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) Post Border Director, Peter Thomson, said protecting the use of personal information was fundamental to

Up to date information is essential in case of disease outbreaks.

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9

Taking the next step

By Virginia Serra – DairyNZ Senior Consulting Of�icer (Canterbury)

Biz Grow the next logical step A new Progression in Dairy Group aimed at enhancing the skills and career options of farmers in sharemilker, equity partner or new farm owner positions, has kicked o in Canterbury.

The group, called Biz Grow, follows on from the success of Biz Start, developed for those in the early stages of their career in the dairy industry.

On October 6 close to 50 participants joined the �irst Biz Grow meeting in Ashburton.

The mix and calibre of the farmers participating in this group was great and will no doubt lead to lively discussions and the sharing of quality information.

At the meeting Alistair Rayne, a farm owner from Dar�ield, talked to the group about his strategies for a successful career in the dairy industry; emphasising the importance of having clear and written goals, the power of networking and the ability to generate as much cash as possible from the business.

He also warned participants of the risks of losing control of the cost of production, especially dangerous in years of good milk price.

Biz Grow has been designed to meet the needs of farmers that are looking to speed up their progression in the dairy industry.

Sessions will focus on strategic, �inancial and performance management skills and the provision of resources that will prepare participants for greater equity holding or for owning their own farm business.

Some examples of the topics that will be discussed include: • Goal setting and business planning • Business structures and succession planning • Budgets and benchmarking • Managing multiple and large herd sharemilking jobs • O farm investment options • People management • Positioning yourself • Developing proposals/policies These Biz Grow Groups will run for about 18 months and are a closed group with the commitment of participants to contribute to discussion

Biz Grow, follows on from the success of Biz Start, developed for those in the early stages of their career in the dairy industry. and be open to information sharing DairyNZ is oering these groups throughout the country.

In the 2010/2011 season there are two groups running in Canterbury, one in Ashburton and one in Temuka.

As demand for these groups increase we will be running more groups in other areas.

To register your interest for the 2011/12 DairyNZ Progression Groups, or for more information on Biz Start and Biz Grow groups visit www. dairynz.co.nz/progressiongroups

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Planning your new milking shed

By Lance Isbister When it comes to dairy shed design it’s important for farmers to know where they stand when it comes to design options.

While there are two basic shed designs, the herring bone and rotary dairy shed, farmers need to consider which will best suit their operation.

Herring Bone or Rotary?

Herring bone sheds can seem like an attractive option because they have a lower capital cost compared to rotary sheds and are easier to maintain as they do not incorporate major moving parts unlike a rotary dairy shed.

The trade-o is that all cows standing in the herring bone bails must be milked out before they are moved on for the next line to be milked.

A rotary shed gives the farmer �lexibility in cow �low as the cows which take longer to milk can remain milking in the bail, while those which have milked out are free to leave.

In a herring bone situation it’s important for farmers to keep in mind that some of their employees may not be as patient as them.

They may be tempted to remove the cups from a cow which has not completely milked out when the rest of the cows have been milked and are ready to return to their pasture.

A new milking shed requires a lot of planning, forethought and significant input by experts.

Decision making Farmers may have a host of options available to them when building a dairy shed, but it is important they take the time to consult with other

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farmers and shed builders to better understand what is on oer and what will work for their operation before making any �inal decisions.

Ideally you should take the time to visit a range of sheds and discuss the pros and cons of each with their respective owner to gain a better understanding of the range of sheds and possible options which you can incorporate into your own.

Farmers should have a full and thorough understanding of the extent of the work contractors and builders will be undertaking so each party knows exactly what is required.

Quotes should be straightforward and be clearly interpreted by both parties so the farmer is not left with any surprises in cost and the builders and contractors know speci�ically what is required of them.

Constant communication with builders and contractors is important in keeping the project on track and should ensure a result which is more in line with what the farmer envisioned.

The farmer must consider how much space they need around the outside of the platform, and take note that dierent platform makes have varying dimensions which will have �low-on costs for the materials used in shed construction.

It is important to keep in mind veterinary visits, herd testing and seasonal regimes such as arti�icial breeding in terms of the space needed to eectively carry out these duties.

An underpass could be seen as another extra capital cost, but could pay dividends when it comes to maintenance and enabling easier access around the shed.

Concrete platforms have become more popular over steel ones for their durability and because they are less noisy and more slip resistant.

Platforms should be set at an optimal height for most operators, 900mm is about the average and should be level with the yard bridge and yard itself.

Concrete your farm NOW to save you money later Concrete pathways will reduce mud and dust in your sheds and on your vehicles, and will reduce the possibility of lame stock.

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11

Planning your new milking shed Yard options When considering the design for the yard between a round or rectangular option it’s important to take into account herd flow and the available space the yard will take up especially if the shed is close in proximity to others.

Either yard option can be used with a rotary or herringbone.

The rectangular yard could be seen as the more flexible option in offering a more favourable environment for drafting and holding pens to be set up.

The rectangular yard also arguably sets a precedent for better flow with the cows facing the cow shed, which can effectively lead to a quicker milking.

On the other hand the round yard is a more compressed shape, however the operator must focus on operating the three backing gates.

It is important to have the right surface for the yard so there is a balance between a rough and smooth finish.

For example a yard which is too smooth can lead to cows slipping and subsequently contribute to lameness and mastitis.

Drainage With so much water used throughout the dairy shed to maintain hygiene, plant drainage is another important factor to consider.

Larger pipes are preferable to cope with the debris and effluent.

When designing a milking shed take into account any future uses you may want to put the shed to.

There should be almost no level surfaces throughout the dairy shed so the water runs freely into drains.

When looking at other dairy sheds it would be prudent to take note what areas, if any, may be more susceptible to puddling after they have been hosed down and discuss with builders how to stop the same scenario happening with your prospective shed.

Lighting is another key factor to having a good milking environment and a good effluent system backed by good management is vital for maintaining industry standards.

Future proofing The discerning farmer should also think how they will use the shed outside regular milking and decide what auxiliary rooms they may require.

You may want to include anything from an office to a shower within the shed design, although these options ought to be justified in their day-to-day use.

Your current sharemilkers/managers may not have children, but it’s prudent to consider the needs of future staff who could find a crèche a valuable feature, giving them greater flexibility in their lifestyle.

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12

Planning your new milking shed Building a shed to last The natural disasters which have challenged farmers throughout September are a timely reminder of the forces their farm structures face.

It is suggested that the more reinforcing in concrete, the better to ensure uncontrolled cracking does not occur.

There should be one saw cut for every three bails and concrete should not be less than 100mm thick.

Because dairy sheds and their supporting structures are one of farmer’s most expensive and important investments it’s reassuring to know they will stand up to heavy snow fall, high winds and of course earthquakes.

Shed Designer Gary Littler said Canterbury dairy sheds were typically built in the middle of a paddock with little natural shelter so were designed and built for strong winds.

Farm Shed Solutions’ Ferg Blakiston has been in the shed building business for 10 years.

The last dairy shed he built faced the ultimate test in strength being only 400 metres from the Canterbury earthquake’s epicentre.

Mr Blakiston said the dairy shed’s reinforced concrete foundations and yard stood up to the violent shaking without suffering any structural cracks.

Although Mr Blakiston’s shed construction is mainly built to withstand the strong winds in

Silo pads need to be specially designed to carry all that weight.

Canterbury, he was pleasantly surprised to discover the shed’s resilience to such a powerful earthquake.

Although the rotary shed’s 30 tonne turntable was dislodged from its rollers and some of the pedestals had been broken off by the force, Mr Blakiston said it was just a case of replacing the pedestals and rollers and patching them up with concrete, which mostly came down to cosmetic work.

“It was very encouraging to see the shed hold up so well to the earthquake.”

The gale force winds, which swept through much of Canterbury the day following the earthquake was also a test for dairy shed roofs.

Mr Blakiston said he used a tek screw in every second rib of the colour steel roo�ing to hold it down and preferred using steel purlins, which were just as strong as timber ones, but were easier to install and required less treatment.

Geoff Read Ltd manager Robert Read said they were not pleased with the standard design of silo pads, therefore they designed their own, which were easier to integrate into their own shed designs.

These were calculated to support a 30,000 litre silo in the worst earthquake zone in the South Island.

The way their dairy sheds are designed means that the �loor of the shed moves independently to the foundations.

This innovation is one the business has been using for the past decade and it has revolutionised its construction methods with the advantage of making the �loor independent of the rest of the structure allowing the concrete to shrink as it cures.

Mr Read said when it came to building dairy sheds to milk large herds of more than 1000 cows it was important for farmers to consider two sources of water and two sources of power to deal with adverse natural events.

“When you’re milking 1000 cows and something goes wrong small problems can become big disasters very quickly.”

He said during the 2006 snow one of the biggest problems on dairy farms was a lack of water - not only shed water but stock water as well as most dairies were not milking because the snow occurred during the off-season.

He said incorporating a two pond ef�luent storage design was also an excellent feature during snow conditions, as this saved farmers from having to irrigate brown water on the snow.

“We are constantly evolving our design to be built with greater strength and increased ef�iciency”.

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13

Planning your new milking shed Grieve Construction manager Ben Grieve said they built their dairy sheds to be between 16 metres square to 28 metres square depending on the requirements of their clients.

He said there was a limit to dairy shed size as there was a certain point where they would be too large to milk cows ef�iciently, in which case some farmers opted to milk from two dairy sheds to retain ef�iciency.

Mr Grieve said in Mid Canterbury, sheds built 250 metres above sea level required larger timber purlins and thicker steel to deal with snow loading.

After the September 4 earthquake Mr Grieve was impressed by the resilience of the concrete platforms which had come off their rollers and caused negligible damage to the shed �loor or concrete platforms themselves.

Thanks to Mid Canterbury Building Removals and a house jacking system, it was a relatively straight forward task to raise the platform so engineers could replace the roller stands and rollers.

“The turntable went back on with no problems.”

Mr Grieve said while all of their sheds stood up to the 2006 big snow, anecdotal evidence indicated some older sheds were more susceptible to the weight of the snow and subsequently collapsed.

He said because farm structures had performed so well throughout the earthquake, he expected legislation around construction would not change.

When choosing a location to build a farm structure like a dairy shed Mr Grieve said they communicate with ECan to make sure it will not end up being built in a �lood zone area.

“It’s good to keep an eye on those sorts of things in terms of �looding.”

Soil compaction tests were also another means to ensure the site was up to spec before landscaping is done and foundations are laid.

Mr Grieve said another important aspect in dairy shed building was making certain everything was earthed

A rotary platform is put back on its rollers using a house moving jacking system after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake which dislodged several platforms in Canterbury. correctly.

Stray voltages can be very uncomfortable for cows, which are much more sensitive to contact with voltage than humans.

While a farmer may not feel voltage coming through the metalwork of their dairy shed, their cows may exhibit

signs of discomfort such as leaning away from the rump rail, an increased somatic cell count or not milking out in an adequate time.

Consulting with an electrician is the farmer’s best bet in addressing this particular issue which can hamper production after the shed has been built.

Give Allan Breakwell a call today, 027-230-2000, for the best farm shed solutions.

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14

A big thank-you to all helpers I would like to say a big thank-you to all those who have helped others during the past few weeks of adverse events. The help has ranged from milking other people’s cows and organising feed or generators, to the simple act of contacting a neighbour to see if they were okay.

Federated Farmers’ local leaders and sta have also rolled up their sleeves to help, often when they had issues of their own that needed attending to, too.

Irrespective of all the activities happening on farm during the busy spring period, there have been a few important reports released.

The �irst was the commissioners’ decision on Horizons One Plan. The commissioners suggested some signi�icant changes, but there are still issues to be resolved.

Federated Farmers held several successful meetings discussing the results and is now working on points of appeal. Yes, unfortunately Federated Farmers will have to appeal on farmers’ behalves to ensure that we continue to have the ability to produce top quality food through our pasture based dairy systems.

The second report was from the Land and Water Forum. This report was the result of much talking and explanations over 12 months by a dedicated group of 21 people picked from a plenary representing 58 dierent organisations. Government

‘

Lachlan McKenzie Chairman Federated Farmers Dairy section

Farmers understand about growing things and understand that clover grows very well without nitrogen but not at all without phosphate.

commissioned this report and is now looking at the recommendations, working on which of them it will adopt or act upon.

Do take the time to read at least the executive summary of the report from the Land and Water Forum and the 52 recommendations of the report.

Please take time to try and understand how the recommendations will aect farming going forward and then attend one of the 15 consultation meetings that are being held around the country.

Federated Farmers needs your feedback on the report, so let us know what you think as we want

’

to represent your viewpoints to Government.

There is recognition that the current system of adversarial litigation within an Environment Court is not the most productive way to progress issues. Federated Farmers, the dairy industry and many individuals are right in the forefront of this process.

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All too often I see single issues (like reducing nitrogen) being portrayed as the solution to complex dynamic biological processes that lead to excess algae growth.

Farmers understand about growing things and understand that clover grows very well without nitrogen but not at all without phosphate. This is because the nitrogen �ixing bacteria associated with clover can �ix nitrogen from the atmosphere.

The same situation happens in many of our waterways which are not nitrogen limiting. It is the amount of phosphate, light, temperature, oxygen that often limits nuisance algal growth.

So why bother to reduce nitrogen when it will have no eect?

But the biggest concern I have is that in many waterways, if nitrogen is reduced and there is plenty of phosphate, then the nasty blue-green algae (that can �ix its own nitrogen like clover) will thrive. They are the ones that often cause the blue green slimes and associated problems.

Talk to scientists, understand the issues, and question all statements from regional councils for accuracy to ensure we do not continue down the path some regional councils have been leading us.

If you have any concerns, get hold of your local Federated Farmers representative All the best for the rest of the season.

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15

Time to reassess your pasture

Act now to ensure production is not compromised A DairyNZ-led industry group is urging dairy farmers to assess their farm’s need for pasture renewal now.

DairyNZ Development Team Leader for Productivity Rob Brazendale said Many Waikato and BOP farmers are managing pastures that have less than desired density of ryegrass and clover as a result of insect and drought conditions incurred during the previous summer or treading damage this spring.

“Action is required now to ensure that summer pasture growth and milk production is not compromised.”

Dairy Research Corporation research carried out in Taranaki during the 1980s found that oversowing and undersowing ryegrass seed into damaged pastures increased dry matter production by 1-2t/ha in year one and year two following sowing.

“Dry matter increases of this magnitude easily justify the cost of sowing the seed,” Mr Brazendale said. The DairyNZ-led industry group, comprising researchers, seed industry and contractors, have agreed

on an approach for farmers faced with this situation and have developed a Pasture Condition Score Tool to help them with this assessment. They recommend farmers carry out a paddock by paddock assessment of the pasture damage on their farm and score paddocks 1 to 5 based on the extent of damage. They should then use the Pasture Condition Score Tool’s suggested actions to establish a plan for each paddock.

South Waikato farmer Andrew Tucker did just this at a recent local discussion group held on the Kihikihi farm he manages.

“DairyNZ farm specialist Chris Glassey spoke at our group and introduced us to the tool. We used it across the farm and found a real mixture of paddock rankings. The DairyNZ Paddock Condition Score tool is a useful and simple one to use – and it was surprising to �ind the paddocks generally ranked better than I thought they would.”

Farmers who would like to access the tool and �ind out more about pasture renewal can visit www.dairynz.co.nz/ pasturerenewal

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’Tis the season to be in season It’s that time of the year again when the only thing brighter than the spring days is the tail paint on the cows ready to mate.

A tight in-calf programme is key to ensuring fewer empties and late calvers by giving cows more of an opportunity to recover between calving and mating.

With plenty of rain and the sun making a late appearance this spring, grass growth has been slow around Mid Canterbury which may leave some farmers slightly shorter on feed than what they would prefer.

This could impact on mating performance, which is why farmers need a strategy to reduce stress among their herd and identify those skinnier cows which may need a bit more feed to get them cycling.

If a farmer does not see a good number of his cows bulling on a fine spring day that could mean there is a problem in the feed quality or quantity they

are receiving. When it comes to heat detection DairyNZ identifies a cow is on heat when she will stand to be ridden by other cows in the herd or a bull.

This will happen every 18 to 24 days in non pregnant cows and lasts 14 to 15 hours on average, but can vary from 2 to 30 hours.

DairyNZ suggests that cows seen in season at the evening milking should be inseminated the following day.

Cows first seen in season at the morning milking should be inseminated that same day and cows that are just starting to stand but have been in season for at least three hours should be inseminated the following day.

This season will once again see further advances in breeding technologies such as sexed semen, which is being developed to deliver a higher conception rate.

Sexed semen the answer to many prayers The introduction of Long Last Liquid (LLL) sexed semen technology to New Zealand could be the answer to many a farmer’s prayers, allowing them to predetermine the gender of about 90 per cent of their calves. Trials now underway in New Zealand could help farmers capitalise on the dairy boom by providing more daughters for replacement stock and herd growth.

This month farm improvement company, LIC, is trialling LLL* sexed semen on a limited number of herds in the Waikato.

LIC Genetics Consultant Jack Hooper said Long Last Liquid sexed semen is expected to deliver higher conception rates than those achieved with frozen sexed semen.

“This is in part due to avoiding the damage occurring during the freezing and thawing process.”

Mr Hooper said the primary purpose of the trial is to establish conception rates but also to identify potential logistic issues such as delivery and risk management.

“Since last year LIC has marketed frozen straws of sexed semen in New Zealand, however, experience worldwide has shown frozen sexed semen delivers a

conception rate that is approximately 15 percent less than conventional frozen semen.

“LIC is working with Sexing Technologies of Texas to produce a liquid semen product that meets the requirements of New Zealand farmers.”

Mr Hooper said between October 6, and October 24, 4000 inseminations on 75 Waikato dairy farms will be carried out using sexed semen using LIC’s top 10 Premier Sires .

LIC Genetics General Manager Peter Gatley said there was no doubt the technology works.

“The sex selection efficiency is well established but we need to improve the conception rate to make it more useful in New Zealand’s seasonal calving system”.

The process, developed in the USA is called flow cytometry. It uses lasers to determine the mass of DNA in each individual cell and then electro-magnetic charges to physically separate the X and Y sperm.

Mr Gatley said “The complexity of the operation is extraordinary, but we’ve seen the data and we know it works.

“The limitation is the flow rate so the number of

cells per frozen straw is much lower than we would normally use. This has implications for conception rate but we are excited about the potential to combine the sorted product with our own fresh semen technology which demands fewer cells per insemination.”

Several factors make sexed semen more viable than it has been in the past and the key, Mr Gatley said, is the relative value of heifer calves.

“Farmers can increase the number of replacements (heifers) from their highest Breeding Worth cows; more heifers means easier calving, and there is even potential benefit to the beef industry as the rest of the dairy herd could, for example, be freed up to produce beef-cross animals.” * LLL is a dilutent which keeps sperm alive longer without the need for freezing and therefore reduces the number of sperm needed per insemination from 15 million to 1-2 million, without the loss of fertility. LLL semen allows LIC to obtain more straws of semen per elite bull sire collected than any other breeding company in the world, and so it is crucial to maintaining New Zealand’s high rate of genetic gain.

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17

’Tis the season to be in season If you’re a dairy farmer MilkHub knows what is on your mind right now, breeding.

Who is cycling, cow condition, heat spotting and the list goes on.

With all those things on your mind, plus the usual everyday dairy farming issues it’s easy for mistakes to creep in through lost information or not having information at your �ingertips.

Dealing with the busy breeding season is tough and looking back and saying “If I’d only….” would be a heart breaker!

You don’t want to be breeding with inaccurate information, subjective ideas or worse, guessing.

Let’s face it no-one wants to be kicking themselves for mistakes or guess work that leads to wasted inseminations and empty cows when it comes to the end of calving in 2011.

MilkHub believes your decisions should be based on knowledge: • MilkHub sensors allow you to pick out cows who are in poor health due to sudden changes in their yield. Also automatic weight scales record and trends your early season cows’ weight.

From this you can alert on sick or poor conditioned cows to take action before it is too late.

• The MilkHub in-shed keypad is a great way to add data like non-cyclers, heats and inseminations that you can use to create alerts, draft cows and create customised views of data on the large in-shed display. This takes the guess work out of what cow is in which bail, her condition, her status and even how

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she is doing against her herd mates.

• MilkHub also allows you to quickly identify and record cow information from your visual checks. This shows you when she calved, previous heats, insemination data and her health now as well as over the season on your computer from which you can get convenient reports anywhere there is an internet connection.

What next? We all know breeding doesn’t have a 100 percent hit rate the �irst time but no worries, MilkHub is able to help you here too.

With the data in MilkHub you can track and manage your breeding programme.

You can get your industry standard measures such as three week submission rate and six week non-return rate so you can take care of any issues to improve your breeding programme on the �ly.

Later in the breeding season you can use MilkHub to draft cows for PD and record the scan results in-shed. This eliminates the need for pen and paper and possible lost information for next season.

From the PD information MilkHub automatically calculates your calving dates and empties. This together with sensor information giving whole of season and current production, likely mastitis and cow condition based on weight gives you a powerful set of tools to use at drying off.

With all these features MilkHub lets you make informed decisions on herd future, the future of your herd and the future of your livelihood.

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18

LIC teams up with FarmWizard New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest animal genetics company, Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) has teamed up with FarmWizard, a UK (Northern Irish) software company, to provide an eďŹ&#x20AC;ective herd recording and management tool for international dairy farmers using a pasture based system.

LICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International General Manager, Jock Richardson, said LIC started promoting FarmWizard in the UK just over 12 months ago.

He said the software has been well received and FarmWizard is now developing a version for LICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s USA client base and exploring opportunities in South America , Australia and South Africa.

LIC already has a world-renown herd recording system in New Zealand, MINDA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;MINDA was designed and built speciďż˝ically for the New Zealand dairy industry,â&#x20AC;? said Jock Richardson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has the highest levels of integrity and validation, governed by legislation, and therefore the strictest regulations for data-entry. The MINDA database is one of the biggest animal databases in the world and holds the records of more than 93% of New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dairy herd. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In contrast to New Zealand, however, international dairy industries have multiple animal databases which donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tend to be governed by legislation so you have varying levels of data-

entry governance and this calls for software packages like FarmWizard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this stage with international dairy farmers often using multiple diďŹ&#x20AC;erent data bases they would be unable to meet MINDA requirements.

We also wanted to separate the international herds from the domestic herds to avoid any merging of information and consequent loss of data integrity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;LICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genetics are in demand around the world but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not interested in just â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selling semenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, we want to help overseas farmers begin to realise the productivity improvement possible in New Zealand is also achieved through animal/herd recording. And that means providing them with an eďŹ&#x20AC;ective herd recording tool which can be utilised by individual farmers in countries around the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;FarmWizard is ideal for this because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hosted system. Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; data is held on the FarmWizard site and can only be accessed online. This means changes to the software and software support are easy to deliver to the user. The software is also designed to be ďż˝lexible and adaptable for diďŹ&#x20AC;erent market requirements.â&#x20AC;?

Jock Richardson said LIC teamed up with FarmWizard and worked with them to make some changes to their existing product to meet the needs of pasture based farmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ďż˝irst step was to develop inbreeding controls within the

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software and to create a BW (Breeding Worth) type calculation that would assist farmers to rank their animals.

LIC UK then started selling a branded version of the software, LIC FarmWizard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The LIC FarmWizard operates in very much the same way as MINDA does in New Zealand â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is a farmer pays herd recording tool. The major diďŹ&#x20AC;erence is that FarmWizard is web based, therefore accessing and updating herd data can be done wherever a computer with internet access is available.â&#x20AC;?

Jock Richardson said that though it was still, â&#x20AC;&#x153;early stages for our partnership with FarmWizard,â&#x20AC;? he

is conďż˝ident it will help LIC deliver a more complete herd improvement solution for international dairy farmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In countries like Ireland, where a very good animal database already exists, we work closely with those providers to promote the solution already in use. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For LIC International the primary focus isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t additional revenue from herd recording, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about supporting international dairy farmers to get more value out of the LIC genetics that they are using on farm.â&#x20AC;? *FarmWizard Ltd is a Northern Irish Agri-IT web based software company founded in February 2004.

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19

Grandma is a mum - again Last year, Grandma, aka cow 140, proved it was never to late to �ind romance when she surprised her owner, Te Awamutu dairy farmer Gordon Kirkham, by quietly giving birth to her 19th calf in February.

Well sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done it again â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Grandma, the name sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registered on in the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MINDA herd records â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has calved again, taking her oďŹ&#x20AC;spring tally to a staggering 20 calves.

The average New Zealand cow has around �ive or six lactations (calvings) in her lifetime and Gordon Kikham said, Grandma, was de�initely the oldest cow he has ever milked.

According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (US), one year of bovine chronological age is the equivalent to four human years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that makes the 22-year-old Grandma, in cow terms, an amazing, 88 years old.

In 2009, unbeknown to Mr Kikham and Farm Manager Darius Culpan, the retired reliable milker had had a brief â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and secret - romance in 2008 with a much younger, albeit injured, Hereford bull. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until she calved that the pair realised that her healthy looks were not, as they had believed, due to her retirement and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;extra meal sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been eating since being put out to pastureâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but due to pregnancy.

Mr Kirkham said another calf this year was somewhat less of a surprise, as when she began to blossom, he realised sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d done it again, and that the daughter of LIC sire Maniapoto AB Mustang, had indeed been successful at getting in calf again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the end of AB we noticed a young Jersey bull was showing a lot of interest in Grandma, who was in with the penicillin cows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had retired her (for the second time), or thought we had â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she earned a good retirement, she has always been a reliable, good natured, fertile cow, maintaining a high PW of (production worth) of 198,

even as she got older. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thought she was past it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it was this young Jersey bull who tried his best to interest her that let us know she was in oestrous (cycling), however, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get her in calf, the daddy is deďż˝initely a Hereford - we really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect it to be possible for her to get in calf.â&#x20AC;?

Gordon says Grandma is â&#x20AC;&#x153;deďż˝initely notâ&#x20AC;? going back into the milking herd, but is being left in a paddock close to the farm dairy to mother her white faced bull calf until weaning, at which time they will try, once again, to retire the old girl. She has also adopted a calf, which she is also rearing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calf is a miracle really,â&#x20AC;? Mr Kikham said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because I knew she was in calf (this time) I kept a close eye on her and dosed her up with magnesium bullets and ensured all her mineral levels were good (to ensure a healthy calving). On September (Thursday) 16, I saw her sitting in the paddock away from the other cows, so I decided to go over and see her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I got there I could see she was in the early stages of calving. Nothing had started happening and she was quite comfortable, but I decided to check everything was okay.â&#x20AC;?

As it turned out, the calf was breach and it was fortunate, for both dam and son that Mr Kikham was on hand to deliver the calf for Grandma. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not missed a year - she has had 20 lactations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and will remain here on the farm and out to pasture until the end of her days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she deserves that.â&#x20AC;?

Mr Kikham who milks 850 cows on his 220ha dairy farm near Te Awamutu says provided Grandma is prepared to give up on romance, this calf will be her last.

RIGHT: Proud mum Grandma with her 20th calf at foot

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20

Hydraulics - deadly forces INCIDENT A farm equipment service technician was killed when his head was pinched in a silage grab that was fitted to the front-end loader of a tractor.

at the time of the event. The company had fulfilled their duties by ensuring that a competent and experienced organisation was engaged to service their equipment.

The service technician breached section 19 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 by placing himself in an unsafe position when servicing the farm equipment.

The farmer, as an employee of the farm company, also breached section 19 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 by failing to ensure that the service technical was clear of the silage grab before he released the joystick. It was determined that this inaction was neither grossly negligent nor reckless.

There was an apparent stiffness with the hydraulic Because of the circumstances of this accident, it control joystick which delayed the control returning was recommended that no action be taken by the to its neutral position. This stiffness and subsequent Department of Labour against any of the parties delay was intermittent, and it could not be determined involved in the event. if this fault occurred at the time of the event. It was DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR ADVICE unlikely that regular users of the equipment would Tractor implements such as front-end loaders and have noticed this stiffness in the control action. silage grabs use hydraulic rams to provide linear The service technician’s employer had duties to: • Ensure the health and safety of the employee while motion when activating the implements. Many nip and trapping points are present in such attachments, at work; and as a person who controlled the place of work to ensure that no person in that place was especially around hydraulic rams and where components pivot or come in close proximity to one harmed. another. During normal use, these nip and trapping • The employer had fulfilled this duty by sending a points do not present a hazard, as the machine competent trained person to the farm. In this inoperators sit at a safe distance in the seat of the stance, the area around the tractor and its attachtractor. ments were considered to be under the control of Service technicians and operators should be aware the service technician’s employer.

The company that owned the farm and equipment of these nip and trap danger points, and use the following as a means of controlling the hazards: had duties: • Turn the hydraulic power source off.

• As a principal to ensure the safety of the service • Use blocks to prevent the equipment closing or technician; and as a person who controlled the opening, even when the power is turned off. place of work to ensure that no person in that • Use hydraulic ram stops to prevent cylinders from place was harmed. closing.

• The whole of the farm, including the area around • Service the equipment from safe locations. the tractor was under the control of the company

CIRCUMSTANCES The service technician was employed by a farm equipment supplier/service company. The company had been engaged by the farmer to service a crop feeder.

After completing work on the crop feeder, the service technician and famer decided to attend to a hydraulic leak on the tractor’s silage grab.

In order to tighten a loose hydraulic connection, the service technician stood between the pivoting arms of the front-end loader/silage grab assembly.

He tightened the hydraulic fitting on the front-end loader/silage grab while the farmer, at the service technician’s request, operated the controls from the cab steps of the tractor. The farmer could not see the service technician from this location; however on the service technician’s instructions, he released the front-end loader/silage controls.

The farmer did not know that the controls were not returning immediately to their neutral position.

The silage grab rapidly closed and pinched the service technician’s head.

INVESTIGATION The Department of Labour’s investigation report into the event was submitted to the Coroners office and concluded: The deceased was considered to be a very reliable and experienced service technician.

The equipment had been serviced regularly, and there were no apparent defects with the hydraulic system or controls. There was a bolt missing from the control mount; however it was unlikely that this would have affected its operation.

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