Dairy News Australia - October 2020 - With Gippsland Region

OCTOBER 2020 ISSUE 120

GIPPSLAND REGION

VITAL INGREDIENT

Irrigation is key to the success of Andrew Bowman’s Rosedale farm.

More on page 4 and 5.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

2 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Chair’s message

Taking care of our employees THERE JUST doesn’t seem to be enough

hours in the day lately, there is always another job to do.

With more than 86 per cent of farms now employing labour there is a need for Dairy ­Australia/GippsDairy to assist farm owners/ farm managers to develop appropriate employment skills.

One of the reasons farmers have been ­reluctant to tackle their HR problems has been the complicated nature of everything from employment contracts to induction or s­ tandard operating procedures.

I know I’ve been guilty in the past of having a “she’ll be right” attitude in regard to employing labour on our farm.

That casual approach is now not acceptable.

Dairy Passport is a new tool from Dairy ­Australia that should leave everyone in the farm team knowing exactly what is expected of them at any given time in any given situation.

The Pathway for People in Dairy supports new entrants, helps build the skills and knowledge required for on-farm roles, and equips employers with ready-to-use resources to create a safe workplace that supports the induction and ­development of staff.

This free resource is available to all farmers and is ready to be used.

It makes it easier for us to go about the ­process of employing and helps answer any questions we might have.

Ultimately if we want to be an industry of choice for a capable and professional ­workforce, it’s up to those of us employing staff to look after our workers by creating great working environments.

Dairy Passport gives us the tools to make our workplaces the best they can ­possibly be.

For more information and to register for Dairy Passport, visit: bit.ly/DairyPassport Grant Williams GippsDairy chair

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 3

UDV addresses unsettled membership GEOFF ADAMS

THE UDV leadership has launched a membership consultation following some unrest over the body’s stance on the Australian Dairy Plan.

UDV president Paul Mumford has told Dairy News Australia it will not be making any major decisions on the plan until it can engage face-to-face with members when COVID-19 restrictions ease.

He said the online “roadshow” late last month engaging all branches across the state was to bring members up to date on a range of issues, and agreed the dairy plan was one of the hot topics of conversation.

He said work was being carried out on a model for advocacy, but no proposal had been developed.

The UDV was favouring a voting system on the plan, which would give one person one vote, rather than the historic model of tying voting numbers to kilograms of milk solids produced.

Asked if other stakeholders were prepared to wait for the UDV face-to-face consultation, Mr Mumford said at the end of the day, for the plan to be successful, farmers had to have their say.

The consultation comes following a number of resignations in the state’s west.

UDV Wannon branch policy councillor Oonagh Kilpatrick has resigned from Policy Council and vice-president and deputy policy councillor Bernie Free has resigned from the UDV. Branch president Bruce Knowles said he was disappointed by the resignations, but he understood and shared their concerns.

In her letter of resignation, Mrs Kilpatrick said she had struggled with a “lack of accountability and transparency back to members throughout Victoria, especially with the Australian Dairy Plan (ADP)”.

Mrs Kilpatrick said a united dairy farmeronly advocacy body was needed, but would not be achieved by the ADP.

Online course boosts business skills GIPPSDAIRY IS now offering a Farm

Business Fundamentals course online.

The program sets a foundation for farmers interested in becoming more involved in the financial side of their business and is useful for those who want to explore ways to improve their current systems, including farm business records, finances, budgets and tax and legal requirements.

Jarrod Zeimer is one of more than 30 participants who successfully completed the Farm Business Fundamentals course online.

He finished the course while working.

“Everything I learned in the course I was able to do straight away,” he said.

The course is a blended delivery of selfpaced online learning using Dairy Australia’s Enlight online learning platform and weekly Zoom workshops with a consultant and regional extension officer.

“The ability to bounce ideas off people and ask questions was one of the best parts about the course,” Mr Zeimer said.

It is also a perfect starting point for farmers who are looking to build their skills and confidence to manage a dairy farm business in the future.

“It offers a wide range of topics and is good for people who start out in the industry and to get ideas, and develop good habits,” Mr Zeimer said.

The program runs over five weeks and consists of five facilitated online group sessions (each about one to two hours), which are hosted on web-based conferencing software, Zoom.

“I really liked the online format, because we had more time to process and apply the information,” Jade Tout, another participant, said.

UDV president Paul Mumford.

APP HELPS ON-THE-JOB LEARNING Recently hired dairy industry workers will be able to learn the skills and knowledge needed in their new field in an easier way, with the launch of an app supported by the Victorian Government’s Agriculture Workforce Plan.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes launched the updated Dairy Passport app developed by Dairy Australia, which is now available on desktop, iPhone and Android devices.

Dairy Passport provides coaching guides, learning modules and support resources as employees are inducted during their first 90 days on the job.

Victorian dairy farmers will also have access to a capability coach to provide additional training support.

The app provides an easier way for employers looking to quickly and safely develop workers’ skills, while providing the knowledge and capabilities needed for on-farm roles.

Topics covered include farm safety, animal handling and essential tasks such as milking.

“The Victorian Government’s support has enabled us to rapidly develop new induction and training resources for Dairy Passport, designed to help farmers safely employ newcomers to the industry at short notice,” Dairy Australia managing director David Nation said.

Dairy Australia’s development of the Dairy Passport app has been supported by $715,000 from the Victorian Government.

A new online course is giving Gippsland dairy farmers key business skills.

“Having it broken down into smaller chunks was much easier to digest than squeezing the content into two five-hour sessions.

“And people don’t have to spend so much time travelling if it’s online.”

Between sessions participants will put what they have learned into place with the guidance of short online modules that are available on Enlight, which everyone can complete in their own time.

Rebecca Browne, who recently finished the online course, said the content was engaging.

“Everything the presenters did supported me to participate in the discussions,” she said.

“The links for more information were really helpful.”

This course is open to all dairy farmers at no cost.

Expressions of interest are now open.

Call GippsDairy on 5624 3900 or email info@gippsdairy.com.au to register your interest.

Dairy Australia managing director David Nation says a Victorian Government investment has allowed the organisation to rapidly develop new induction and training resources for its app.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

4 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Irrigation is key to success JEANETTE SEVERS

IRRIGATION MAKES the difference for

Andrew Bowman.

The Rosedale dairy farmer took on his parents’ dryland sheep farm and uses flood and spray irrigation to drive pasture and silage production.

Mr Bowman runs up to 300 Friesian and Jersey cows in his milking herd, and 45 Angus breeding cows, along with bulls and self-replacement heifers, across 352 hectares.

He milks off 140 ha, out of a 24-swingover herringbone dairy with manual teat spray, cups on cups off and drafting gates.

The split-calving dairy herd is on a tight breeding program, with AI over four weeks followed by two weeks with bulls.

Mr Bowman is strategic about how many cows he will keep in the herd. Weather conditions are one of his trigger points for decisions.

He prefers to get the milking herd down to 150 to carry through winter.

He tends to dry cows off in February, to relieve grazing pressure and save irrigation water for autumn.

“I join more heifers for spring than autumn calving,” Mr Bowman said.

“That raises the numbers in the herd and takes us up to 300 for spring and summer.

He works alongside a permanent part-time milker, relief milkers and his son, Alex, a university student who balances studying with work on the farm.

The farm has access to 400 Ml of water from Lake Glenmaggie, using flood and spray irrigation, between August 15 and May 15.

Lake Glenmaggie, in the Macalister Irrigation District, is an annual storage with a large catchment, and historically will fill and spill annually.

Southern Rural Water reviews entitlement regularly after the irrigation season begins on August 15, and will declare a spill period whenever the storage fills before December 15.

The spill entitlement is retrospective and takes into account irrigations up to and during a spill period.

In the case of a spill, Mr Bowman and other irrigators who draw their water from Lake Glenmaggie are able to access the same amount of allocation that they have already used from their high-reliability water shares.

This entitlement comes from water Southern Rural Water manages in its bulk entitlement, over and above customers’ entitlements.

It’s a decision that is closely watched by the community, given that in the past two years in particular, drought conditions have reduced winter and spring rainfall. This year there is a bit of interest in the volume of the lake.

“It’s great if the weir spills, because that will get us through the autumn for sure and we may not need to buy additional water,” Mr Bowman said.

He is not averse to buying temporary and permanent water shares. His most recent purchase, a 10 Ml package of permanent high-reliability shares, bought in autumn this year, cost $2600/Ml. In recent years, Mr Bowman has installed two centre pivot sprayers — the first in 2017 and a second in 2019 — to irrigate 24 ha of clover and permanent pasture growing on his previously dryland country.

Andrew Bowman utilises 400 Ml of water, using flood and spray irrigation, to drive pasture and fodder production.

The centre pivots augment his channel irrigation, which flood irrigates 100 ha of pasture.

“I thought if I put pivots on the dry country, it’d be worth it, and I was right,” Mr Bowman said.

“This year we’ve had a good start.”

After good rains in August pushed pasture production along, he began harvesting silage in early September.

“I need to make 1000 rolls of silage and I try and do 150 to 180 bales of pasture hay each year,” Mr Bowman said.

“Irrigation is an important part of growing pasture for the cows to graze and to harvest as silage.

Andrew Bowman harvesting silage in September.

Andrew Bowman harvesting silage in September.

Andrew Bowman installed two centre pivots to increase pasture and fodder production on what was previously 24 ha of dryland country.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 5

“I made 450 silage rolls from Moby barley cereal in September and I’m now making pasture silage (in late September).”

The Moby barley was sown in autumn and grazed once before harvest.

Mr Bowman and Alex harvest, tedder and rake the grass, while a contractor bales and wraps the silage and bales the hay.

“I make everything into rounds and I feed out in the paddock, starting in autumn and continuing to early spring. In winter, every day up to six bales are fed out,” Mr Bowman said.

“The milkers are fed every day. The yearlings and dry cows are fed every second day.

“Last year I made more than 1000 rolls and finished the year with 50 bales.”

This year started well, with good rain and humidity in February helping grow pasture into autumn.

This was followed by more good rain in August as the growing season kicked in.

It also delayed the need for Mr Bowman to begin irrigating until more than a month after the season started. He is looking for rain in October.

“I use 12 Ml/day when I’m irrigating and it takes six days to spread from the channels across 100 ha of flood irrigation country,” he said.

“I use about 50 Ml of water in spring and autumn, and more in summer to keep the grass growing.

“Our soil is very efficient to water, because you’ve only got about an inch of topsoil and then it goes into red clay.

“It grows good grass if you keep the water up to it and fertilise it.”

Andrew Bowman runs up to 300 Friesian and Jersey cows in his milking herd, depending on weather conditions, irrigation allocation and annual pasture production.

Irrigation ensures Andrew Bowman is able to produce 1000 wrapped silage rolls each year.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

6 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Solve the pugging puzzle A WET winter across most of Gippsland’s dairy

region has left many paddocks heavily pugged.

With days getting longer and some warmer weather greeting us, the opportunity to repair these paddocks is available.

Depending on the extent of damage, your options can range from over-sowing paddocks to a full renovation. There are options that will suit most scenarios and it’s important to consider how long you can afford to have renovated paddocks out of your rotation before choosing an option.

Some examples include: ■ Quick feed (six to eight weeks) such as leafy turnip (e.g. Hunter, Pasja II), chicory and clover; ■ Later feed (10-12 weeks) such as turnip (e.g. Barkant, Purple Top), forage rape (e.g. Winfred); and ■ Multi-grazing options such as millet and sorghum varieties, multi-species mixes.

While providing good quality summer feed is important for the current lactation, it’s also worth questioning why the paddock has pugged so severely. Is it especially low-lying country?

A springer paddock with high traffic? Is there a drain running through the paddock? Or is soil fertility lacking?

Soil testing can help identify nutrient imbalances such as high magnesium and high sodium (coupled with low calcium) which can significantly reduce the soil’s ability to store water before reaching saturation point.

Low organic matter levels can also reduce the soil’s water carrying capacity, so a green manure crop before returning to a permanent pasture can help improve organic matter levels over time.

If it is time to renovate, applying soil ameliorants such as lime and gypsum can go a long way to improving soil structure and reducing the proneness to pugging. There are often times when it is best practice to apply both lime and gypsum to help correct these imbalances.

Of course, pugging is sometimes unavoidable but ensuring sound soil fertility and structure will help to reduce the severity of future pugging damage.

If you’re looking to return to a perennial pasture in autumn, the choice of grass you go with can also help reduce future pugging severity — diploid rye-grass varieties generally recover better than tetraploid grasses, and depending on where you’re located, new tall fescue varieties could also be an option.

Graham's Seeds has provided some tips on dealing with pugged paddocks.

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GIPPSLAND REGION // 7

Tips for making good hay MAKING GOOD quality hay in a year where

above average rainfall is predicted for most of Victoria over spring will be a challenge, but if you stick to some key principles it is still feasible.

The quality of hay is directly related to the stage of growth at cutting, the amount of leaf retention, diligent use of the right equipment at the right time and avoiding bad weather.

Cutting as early as possible in the season, weather permitting, will produce the highest quality hay.

It is inevitable that some quality will be lost during the curing and harvesting process.

So what can be done about reducing the losses and improving the hay quality?

Once the decision to cut has been made, increasing the rate of drying of the entire crop, particularly the stems, is the key to reducing losses and avoiding the risk of rain damage.

Growing plants contain about 75 to 80 per cent water at the time of harvest.

When the plant is cut, it continues to respire or breathe until water content is reduced to about 40 per cent, or 60 per cent dry matter (DM).

Some loss of dry matter and quality has occurred.

Below 40 per cent moisture, the leaves dry at a much faster rate than stems because they are very thin and have a large surface area to mass ratio.

However, stem drying occurs slowly due to the cell make up and surface wax layer. By the time the stem reaches appropriate moisture content for baling, the leaves may be too dry and therefore easily shattered.

Wait for any dew to lift before mowing — there could be one to three tonnes of moisture trapped between the plants if mown with dew on them, moisture which must be dried off before the plants start to cure.

Mowing in the rain would have a similar effect.

Use a mower-conditioner or conditioner The most common method of enhancing stem drying is by mechanical conditioning which uses a set of intermeshing, counter-rotating rollers.

These are designed to crush, bend or break stems allowing moisture to escape more easily.

Conditioners also reduce leaf shatter during raking and baling, as the leaves tend to dry at around the same rate as stems.

Proper roller clearance adjustment is important, especially for roller-type conditioners.

Don’t have them set too wide.

The roller spacings used for thick-stemmed crops are often not adequate for finer-stemmed crops.

The flail or tyned-type mower-conditioners are more suited to pastures than the roller type.

They do a better job of the crimping and abrading. and tend to leave the windrows ‘fluffier’, which is more conducive to quicker drying.

In both cases, leaving the swath boards out as wide as possible, to leave wider windrows, will greatly increase the drying rate.

Tedding straight after mowing A technique recommended for silage, tedding (spreading) will also reduce the curing time of hay by about 30 to 40 per cent, if used within a few short hours after mowing.

Some farmers use the tedder the day after mowing, but the curing rate would benefit greatly if done soon after mowing.

Some farmers worry about hay bleaching when using these machines, however tedding will allow far more even and quicker drying, so bleaching should be minimal.

In any case, bleaching does not greatly affect hay quality, but it does reduce the carotene levels.

The reduced risk of rain and its effect on reducing quality is reason enough to consider using a tedder, especially where rain is expected.

Raking Raking is used to enhance uniform drying.

The most common type of rake rolls and fluffs the windrow, bringing the bottom layer to the top.

The rolling action exposes more of the stems while protecting the leafy portion of the plant.

Hay should be raked at moisture content above 30 per cent, to minimise leaf shatter. Leaf loss can be further reduced by raking during early morning or late evening after the leaves absorb moisture from the air.

As much as 15 per cent dry matter can be lost if legumes such as lucerne are raked at the wrong time, however pasture losses tend to be less.

When to bale Optimum moisture content for baling hay for conserved feed depends on bale size and density.

For small rectangular bales, the moisture content should be no higher than 18 per cent.

The upper limit for large round bales should be 14 to 16 per cent and large square bales 12 to 14 per cent.

More than 80 per cent of hay fires have been in large square bales which have often been baled at the correct moisture content, but their high density disallows for breathing, hence there is no room for error with these large, very densely packed bales.

For more information, go to: agriculture. vic.gov.au David Shambrook Dairy extension officer Agriculture Victoria

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With above average rainfall predicted across the state, Agriculture Victoria dairy extension officer David Shambrook offers some tips on making quality hay.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

8 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Hands-on approach works best JEANETTE SEVERS

JOE MEGGETTO is a second generation dairy

farmer at Warragul, milking Friesian cows and keeping steers to diversify into the dairy beef market.

He recently purchased Jersey cows to increase the protein and fat levels in the herd’s overall production.

Joe and Michelle Meggetto own 225 ha of prime dairy country on the outskirts of Warragul in south-eastern Victoria, milking a 250-head, split-calving, crossbred Holstein-Friesian herd.

The 15-a-side herringbone dairy, with stall gates, has a manual set-up, worked by Mr Meggetto and a full-time milker from Monday to Friday.

His father, Mario, has not quite retired from farming, and turns up to work every day. A relief milker works alongside Mr Meggetto on weekends.

“I like being hands-on, with manual cups-on cups-off and teat spray,” Mr Meggetto said.

“I use my experience, stickers and tail paint to identify the cows in heat, and they’re drafted into the holding yards after morning milking. I do the AI myself.”

Empty autumn, calvers are carried over and mop-up bulls are only used for the spring

calving herd. A cow who misses both opportunities is sold.

The herd calves down mid-March to the end of June, and from mid-August. Mr Meggetto has a four-week break from joining and calving duties in January, coinciding with school holidays.

He uses Friesian semen to AI the cows and Wallacedale Jersey bulls to mate over maiden heifers — and keeps the best of the crossbred heifer progeny. With 50 cows still to calve this season, production is currently running at 5500 litres/day.

In autumn this year, Mr Meggetto bought 15 Jersey cows to increase fat and protein components. He will use Jersey semen to breed a few self-replacement Jersey heifers each year.

“Twelve of the Jersey cows have calved, and have already produced five heifers,” he said.

Mr Meggetto is a Burra Foods supplier and decided to include Jersey milk in his production for economic reasons, having elected to be paid on a 1:1 basis for fat and protein.

According to Burra Foods’ milk supply manager Peter Fort, changing trends in the value of milk solids in dairy markets had been reflected in changes to farm gate milk pricing.

“Traditional milk pricing has seen milk protein worth up to 2.5 times the value of milk fat,” Mr Fort said.

“That value gap has been reduced as dairy fat has become worth more in the marketplace.

Joe Meggetto has bought-in Jersey cows this year to raise the fat and protein percentages in his milk production.

“Burra Foods now offers our milk supply partners the choice of a 1:1 payment ratio, so you get paid exactly the same for fat and protein, essentially getting paid on a total milk solids basis.

“As a rule of thumb, it means anyone with dairy herds producing milk with a fat content that is greater than 1.25 times the protein can achieve a higher value for their overall milk solids, compared to the traditional milk pricing.”

Mr Meggetto produces all his own pasture silage and hay on-farm. He fills three silage pits from 61 ha of pasture, and wraps 300 to 350 rolls of silage.

To enable this, he follows a simple but effective pasture management program. Soil tests are done by Gippsland Bulk Spreaders, on a rotational basis each year.

“They come up with a program and I do a full application in autumn and spring,” Mr Meggetto said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 9

Favourable weather conditions mean Joe Meggetto has only fed out wrapped silage and the three pits remain untouched this year.

Joe Meggetto uses experience, tail stickers and paint to manage the heat cycles in his split-calving herd.

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This year’s first progeny of homegrown Jersey heifers, that will eventually join the herd.

Water and effluen t

“I boost pasture growth during winter with urea, as a management tool.”

For the past three years he has sown a 4.5 ha vetch and oat crop, which he fine-chops as silage and wraps.

“It’s good protein to feed out in June during the coldest months, and I do it to maximise milk production,” Mr Meggetto said.

“I’ve always liked putting a bit of a crop in.”

He direct drills a crop into land that needs renovating, followed by a brassica to graze in summer, sowing permanent pasture in autumn.

“If we get summer rain, it means the cows have got a continuous crop to graze.”

He sowed 10 ha of chicory and red clover in September this year.

If he doesn’t get enough rain, he has a 48 Ml dam that he can irrigate from year-round, laying out irrigation pipes and using sprinklers to boost crop and pasture growth. This year has been a good year for rain falling at the right time.

Continued summer rain and a mild winter without too much rain, has meant he hasn’t fed silage out from the pits this year.

They are full as he takes into account a good spring and considers how much harvesting he will undertake this season.

“I’ve got a feed-out wagon that didn’t even have to leave the shed this year,” Mr Meggetto said.

Keeping the herd to a manageable size, also enables him to keep a dozen or more steers each year, which he grows out to 650 kg and sells through the saleyards as dairy beef.

Improve job satisfaction for employees when they feel safe and looked after Meet your legal health and safety obligations Check out the Dairy Australia – Farm Safety Starter Kit for everything you need to start or improve your farm safety system.

For more resources such as the Starter Kit, Safety Manual, Dairy Passport or Workplace policy templates, visit www.thepeopleindairy.org.au/farm-safety or contact GippsDairy on 5624 3900 or info@gippsdairy.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

10 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Wetland project reaps rewards A GIPPSLAND dairy farmer has transformed

West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority project officer Elsa Burnell and Denison dairy farmer John Ryan.

part of his 200 ha property into a wetland as part of a West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority project.

Denison’s John Ryan has had 6700 trees planted and 7 ha of his property fenced off to exclude stock from the area.

“The farm is around 500 acres (200 hectares), has three kilometres of Thomson River frontage and seven lagoons which fill when floods come through,” Mr Ryan said.

“The land wasn’t particularly productive from a grazing point of view. Our approach was how can we add value to the landscape with a goal of improving and creating more space for habitat?”

The work undertaken on the Ryan property follows work done with the West Gippsland CMA in the early 2010s when the property was owned by another family.

“We worked with the previous landholder to remove heavy willow from the river on the eastern half of Mr Ryan’s property, and to fence and rehabilitate the riparian corridor with indigenous plants,” West Gippsland CMA project officer Elsa Burnell said.

“It has been awesome that John has seen great results of this work, including increased productivity when compared to the untreated half of the river flat, and we were delighted to get another opportunity to work on his property.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

GIPPSLAND REGION // 11

Hard working members of the tree planting crew at Ryan property.

“Fencing and revegetating these off-stream lagoons will increase the strength or resilience of the river system, reduce sediment load and nutrient run-off and provide important floodplain habitat for native species, particularly birds.

“The works will also help slow down and spread the water in flood events, reducing potential damage downstream.”

Recent flood events have allowed Mr Ryan to observe how the water enters the property and journeys across the farm until exiting.

“We see a lot of turbidity,” he said.

“Water will come out of the river. It will come out as a fast flow. When it hits these lagoons, it decelerates that turbidity and takes the power and the damage out of that flow.

“When the water leaves this property after a flood it is almost crystal clear.

Some of the lagoon area fenced off and planted at Ryan farm.

“What we’re trying to achieve here is to take the damaging aspects of a flood out of the process.

“Allow that water to do its thing but use these lagoons to act as traps for some of that sediment and organic matter that can cause problems downstream to potable water and later in the Gippsland Lakes where it can contribute to algal blooms and other destructive events.

“When that water leaves our property, it is in better condition than when it arrives. The farm acts as a filter.”

Mr Ryan’s approach of working with occasional flood events and seeing his farm as a part of a larger catchment is different to the historic view that saw some farmers try and keep floodwater off properties by building up river banks and constructing levees to keep a river in its banks.

“I think that approach is putting pressure on our river system to effectively be the drain of our land and contain it all into the river is the wrong way to look at it,” he said.

“A river is not a drain. A river is part of an ecosystem and it shouldn’t be used as such.”

Ms Burnell said there was a tendency to think of rivers as fixed in space and time.

“But in reality, they would have wandered through the floodplain, commonly changing course, and leaving behind old meanders and billabongs,” she said.

“You just have to look at an aerial map of the Macalister Irrigation District to see how our rivers have moved through the landscape over time.

“These movements create wetlands and billabongs that become meccas for native wildlife and provide important refuge in dry conditions.

“Allowing the river to properly interact with its floodplain not only reduces the ferocity of

water flow during flood events but allows the water to regenerate the floodplain with nutrients and sediment that drops out when the flow slows down and encounters vegetation.

“Fresh water is undoubtedly Australia’s most precious resources, so it makes sense to capture this, allowing it to soak in and regenerate the soil and groundwater, rather than working to channel it off our land.”

West Gippsland CMA chief executive officer Martin Fuller said rivers played an important aspect in the region.

“The floodplains and wetlands that have developed over thousands of years are as crucial to the health of a river as the river itself,” he said.

“Over recent years, the CMA has been privileged to work with some inspiring landholders who have seen the importance of wetlands and floodplains and done some amazing work to either protect or reinstate them.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2020

12 // GIPPSLAND REGION

Dream becomes a reality VETERINARY GRADUATE Mitchell Dodds

is on a steep learning curve during his first calving season.

This year marks the beginning of the career Dr Dodds has aspired to since primary school.

He was the inaugural recipient of the Jakob Malmo Gardiner Foundation Tertiary Scholarship in 2014 and after six years’ study is now a practising vet at West Gippsland Vet Care in Warragul.

“Calving is my favourite part of the job; I just find it very rewarding,” he said.

“My days generally consist of going from farm to farm assisting farmers with calvings, sick cows after calving, or lame cows. I’m getting a lot of variation because no two calvings are the same.”

From helping large-scale dairy farmers with complicated cases to supporting hobby farmers inexperienced in calving, Dr Dodds said he enjoyed the variety of cases and clients.

“No amount of prep in vet school can prepare you. You just need to do heaps of calvings,” he said.

In a recent case, Dr Dodds had to call his employer for on-farm assistance when a calf presented with the rare deformity, Schistosoma reflexus (internal organs on the outside).

“The dairy farmer calves 800 cows a year, and has only seen a calf born inside-out twice in 50 years; I’ve seen it in my first eight months as a vet,” Dr Dodds said.

“So, I’ve already seen challenges at each end of the spectrum, from extremely challenging to a hobby farmer calling me out a few weeks too early for a calving.”

Dr Dodds had long aspired to work as a vet.

“In Grade 4, when I was nine or 10 years old, we had to write a paragraph about what we wanted to be,” he said.

“I knew then that I wanted to be a vet, and I’ve never wavered from that.”

Dr Dodds also felt the call early to specialise in the dairy industry.

“I grew up on a mostly beef hobby farm at Boolarra in central Gippsland and spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ 200-head beef ­property at San Remo; but a lot of my mates and the people I played footy with were from dairy farms.

“Growing up in a region where dairy was so important, combined with my desire to be a veterinarian and wanting to work in a mixed practice in regional Victoria, it just made sense to me to become a dairy veterinarian.

“From a financial point of view, the ­G ardiner Dairy Foundation scholarship enabled me to really focus on my degree,” Dr Dodds said.

“It’s difficult to work while studying veterinary medicine when you have 50 contact hours a week in the first two years.

2014 Gardiner Dairy Foundation tertiary scholar Mitchell Dodds is now working as a dairy veterinarian in a mixed practice in Warragul.

“You also have to do placements in an a­ nimal-related industry in university breaks in the first two years, so we didn’t actually get a break.”

The link with Gardiner Dairy Foundation also provided Dr Dodds with valuable ­connections and insights into the dairy industry.

“The scholarship was a great start, giving me the opportunity to integrate into the dairy industry and community,” he said.

“I went to luncheons and conferences, and chatted with like-minded people about the dairy industry.”

Fittingly, Dr Dodds was presented with his scholarship by Jakob Malmo himself, a renowned dairy veterinarian based in East Gippsland, with whom he has kept in contact.

Dr Malmo retired recently after a distinguished 58-year veterinary career. He coauthored the textbook Diseases of Cattle in Australasia (second edition released in 2019).

“I find Jakob inspiring and think he is someone that we as young dairy vets could all aspire to,” Dr Dodds said.

Applications for 2021 Gardiner Tertiary Scholarships close on December 2. For more information, visit: gardinerfoundation.com.au/ts