Dairy News Australia - September 2018

Nation’s vision for Dairy Australia PAGE 8 WORKING CLOTHES

Jaylor mixers in action. PAGE 42

HERD BOOST

Fine-tuning at Blyth, SA. PAGE 28

SEPTEMBER, 2018 ISSUE 95 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

ON THE FRONT FOOT East Gippsland drought recognised. PAGES 4–5

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

NEWS // 3

Bega claims Koroit

Nation’s plans for DA. PG.08

Bega Cheese CEO Paul van Heerwaarden and executive chairman Barry Irvin with South West Coast MP and dairy farmer Roma Britnell at the renaming of the Koroit factory. Bega officially took control of the former Murray Goulburn Koroit factory in Western Victoria last month.

Spring pastures. Get the balance right.

PG. 32–29

DA committed to GM rye-grass STEPHEN COOKE

THE DELAYED introduction of geneti-

New rotary dairy. PG. 44–45

NEWS .....................................................3–15 OPINION .............................................16–18 MARKETS .........................................19–20 MANAGEMENT .............................. 25–31 SPRING PASTURES................... 32–39 ANIMAL HEALTH ......................... 40–41 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS .....................................42–46

cally modified rye-grass continues to frustrate dairy farmers, and the new Managing Director of Dairy Australia, David Nation, is uniquely placed to share these frustrations.

Mr Nation was CEO of the industry research program, Dairy Futures CRC, and was CoDirector of its successor, DairyBio, before being appointed to his new role in July.

He has been intimately involved with the rye-grass research.

“I think I can do a reasonable job of representing the excitement and frustration of farmers on this one,” Dr Nation said.

“I have a long background in this space, and it’s progressing. All things GM have to progress slowly.

“It’s a highly regulated technology and it’s regulated for all the right reasons, and that means every step of progress has to occur in a highly controlled environment, which means

everything happens much more slowly than regular plant breeding you see out in the field.

“For many years now I’ve been seeing these plants first hand and it’s always a challenge to go from seeing them first hand and thinking surely it can’t be far to seeing a commercial variety.”

Mr Nation said he wanted to assure farmers that DA remained “absolutely committed” to the technology.

“We have a substantial budget to continue to develop both the original GM varieties that continue to progress, as well as brand new technologies which are much more efficient and potentially even higher impact.”

Mr Nation said there was “layer upon layer” of challenge developing the technology.

“All the work until six months ago was done in secure glass houses. There’s a logistical challenge in that you can only grow so many plants in each glasshouse.

“We’re at the point now where you can never get a paddock full of grass if you just grow it in a glasshouse. The challenge was

to seek permission for the first time to take plants out of a secure glass house and put them in an appropriate field-contained environment.”

Mr Nation said this was required to grow enough seed to show farmers firsthand what it looks like and the agronomy of it in a paddock, as well as how it performs when fed to animals.

Every step of the process requires permission.

“No one in Australia has ever created that environment and got permission from regulators to work with something like a ryegrassbefore.

“Every time we do something it’s breaking new ground.”

Mr Nation said DA was still actively working on the technology in Victoria and with partners in South America.

“The next layer after this is what is the market acceptance of this product? That is still an open question for industry, about the acceptability of these plants.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

4 // NEWS

Drought response started with a tweet JEANETTE SEVERS

WHILE THE spotlight has been on the drought covering 100 per cent of NSW and a significant portion of Queensland, other areas have been ignored.

In July 2016, eastern Gippsland was flooding, so the expectation was for a good season. Dams filled, rivers and creeks flowed and the soil moisture profile was full.

After a hot summer with strong winds and little rainfall, by autumn 2017, it was obvious a drought had taken shape in the districts of East Gippsland and Wellington Shires.

The autumn season failed. It was a hard winter, with an unprecedented 13 days of hard frost in succession that killed pasture. Dams began to look dry.

Farmers made infrastructure decisions to offset drought — buying silos, building haysheds, cleaning out and building dams and installing bores and reticulated irrigation systems.

There was a failed 2017 spring for many across the region, with no runoff rain and very little opportunity to grow hay or silage without irrigation.

As drought took hold, many farmers made further management decisions.

Some farmers sought agistment in other regions and pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) heifers and cows were sent away to take pressure off pastures.

Others began lightening their livestock numbers. Expansion and development plans went on hold.

Rainfall in the past couple of years has been between 33–72 per cent less than average. Some areas have had their lowest rainfall recorded — less than Toowoomba, Tamworth and St George, drought-declared a long time ago.

The length of the dry conditions, with drought in NSW and Queensland, has created a unique shortage and dramatically increased price of available fodder and grain.

Entering spring 2018, it is clear a significant rainfall event is needed to recover soil moisture — with its own management issues.

Soil moisture is at an unprecedented decile one. The next six to eight weeks are critical for pasture and crop growth.

On August 10, local farmer, Trevor Caithness, and I met to discuss drought in our region. We wanted the chance for farmers to discuss drought effects and solutions for helping ongoing management.

We were worried about a forecast late Spring and extension of this drought. We were worried about recovery.

I sent a direct message on twitter, inviting Victoria’s agricultural minister, Jaala Pulford, and Gippsland federal minister, Darren Chester, to meet with local farmers.

I devised a survey to determine what local farmers’ concerns were, how they managed the drought and future recommendations.

Within a day I heard from Minister Pulford, confirming her interest. A few days later, Mr Chester invited me to a telephone meeting with agricultural leaders. The survey was eliciting responses from farmers, with common themes.

Mr Chester sent a letter to and lobbied then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. I sent a missive directly to Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack.

Within a couple of days, the Federal government announced Wellington and East Gippsland were included in the drought package, with $1 million grants to each shire council.

Victoria’s senior agricultural beaurocrats visited local farmers, Anthony and Sarah Snow. Minister Pulford’s office confirmed a local visit and my phone and email ran hot as I was included in the discussions about where she would visit and who to talk to.

I was still gathering survey results and framing a submission on behalf of local farmers.

The day arrived and Minister Pulford along with the Secretary and other key staff of the Agriculture department met with a large number of district farmers.

Mr Chester and local Victorian parliamentary representative, Tim Bull, were part of the discussions. The national and local media arrived en masse.

Where are we now? We have the spotlight of

With soil moisture at decile one, many dry-sown crops have failed to germinate well and pasture has stalled, with no biomass, in East Gippsland and Wellington shires, in Victoria. The region was recently officially declared in drought but farmers have been managing the conditions for two years. All pictures: Jeanette Severs

Dairy farmer Ricky Blackshaw (blue hat) speaks with Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford, Federal Gippsland MP Darren Chester and Victorian MP for East Gippsland Tim Bull, while dairy farmer Brody Kennedy and Tracey Blackshaw listen.

politicians on East Gippsland and Wellington shires. Minister Pulford’s door is open, Mr Chester has organised a second teleconference and on his invitation, Minister David Littleproud, will visit the region soon.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

NEWS // 5

Offloading beef herd to save dairy cows JEANETTE SEVERS

WITH FEED costs almost doubling, one East

Gippsland dairy farmer has been making regular decisions to sell livestock. He would like the government to provide rate relief for farmers affected by drought.

Chris and Helen Nixon, with farms in the Orbost district and Cann River, own an Angus beef and two dairy herds. As well as hay, he has fed out 5000 tonnes of silage. But fodder has increased in price from $350 to $660/t.

In late August, they sold most of their remaining Angus cows, steers and heifers, retaining a core breeding herd. Mr Nixon expects to sell dairy cows in September.

“We have a plan we instigate early. When it comes in dry we start earmarking cattle to sell,” Mr Nixon said.

Weaning began before Christmas and 200 cows were sold in June this year. In August, 11mo Angus steers and heifers were sold. The steers average $780, weighing under 300 kg; the

heifers returned an average $630.

“I prefer the Angus cattle gone, even though we’d normally retain the steers to grow out. We weaned early with the idea that if it rains we’ll have pasture,” Mr Nixon said.

“If it rains we can grow a heap of silage and feed the 500 cows in the milking herd at Orbost.

“But we don’t have the pasture and we’ve fed out 5000 tonnes of dry matter. We put the silage away in a bunker for conditions like this but it’s all gone.

“We’re well into our second year of trying to build a feed wedge and it’s not happening. The next decision will be to sell 150 dairy cows. We need to gear up production.”

The notable Angus herd now numbers 100 cows and 110 of the best heifers.

The farm’s rate bill is expected to be $45 000.

“Give us rate relief, that’s a substantial amount of money,” Mr Nixon said.

“Some farmers in the Orbost district would have rate bills above $100 000.”

He called on State and Federal governments to develop drought and water policies that work

for farmers.

“Farmers are expected to look after the triple bottom line, but it’s got to be a two-way conversation,” Mr Nixon said.

“The problem with drought policy in this country is no one focuses on drought until it happens.”

Chris Nixon is normally well set up with silage and hay produced on his own property. He has fed out his total storage of 5000 tonnes of dry matter and continues to buy hay and grain, while selling mobs of cattle.

Chris and Hugh Nixon at a Bairnsdale store cattle sale. In the past two months, Chris and Helen Nixon have sold most of their beef cattle herd to lighten the load on the dairy business.

Farmers want practical help, not freight subsidies A GROUP of farmers from across the East

Gippsland and Wellington shires have made a list of the actions they believe will make a difference if the 2018 Spring fails and the region remains dry.

Their suggestions are based on freeing up working capital and recognising and valuing the infrastructure they have already installed to manage the drought over the past 18 months.

Also on the list is rate relief and reimbursement for fodder and freight costs already paid.

“It’s no use asking for subsidies to buy fodder and freight going forward, that will only push prices up,” said Ensay beef breeder, Barry Newcomen.

Victoria’s Agriculture Minister, Jaala Pulford,

agreed. “The economic analysis we’ve done has shown subsidising freight and fodder pushes costs up,” she said.

Accountability and transparency was also important to the farming group.

“Everyone will have receipts to prove what they have spent,” Mr Newcomen said.

The suggestion to reimburse some portion of infrastructure costs was viewed favourably. As was lobbying for additional extension services for farmer–led groups and recognising the value of education.

“In our first year of government, farmers in northern Victoria asked for assistance in paying for infrastructure and we thought that wasn’t a feasible option. But we were proved wrong,”

Minister Pulford said.

“Containment yards, silos and water can make a difference. We saw that infrastructure investment made a difference during the dairy crisis.”

She said farmers needed to be given credit for the way they had managed their businesses in the past two years.

“These are highly capable business men and women, running complex businesses, who have very capably managed difficult conditions for quite some time now,” Minister Pulford said.

“We also found in northern Victoria and during the dairy crisis that paying people’s kindergarten fees was welcomed by the broader community.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

6 // NEWS

Hay delivered to drought-hit farmers ALANA CHRISTENSEN

VICTORIAN FARMERS are lending a hand

to their northern counterparts, stepping up to cart hay to drought-ravaged farmers in NSW. The donations come as farmers across NSW and Queensland battle one of the driest seasons on record, with 99 per cent of NSW declared drought-striken, forcing farmers to reduce stock numbers, cart in feed and, in some ex-treme instances, resort to feeding stock onions to get through.

Run through Need for Feed Disaster Relief, the July 27 to July 29 hay run saw a total of 621 round and large square bales transported from Harrow (80 km south-west of Horsham) to the NSW region by a host of volunteers.

Wunghnu farmer Don Sofra, who helped drive one of the trucks to the upper Hunter Valley, said he was shocked at the state of the region.

“You’ve probably got more feed on your kitchen table than these blokes have,” he said.

“A lot of them said they haven’t had any significant rain since November … they were pretty grateful, there’s a few farmers that are a bit down and out at the moment.”

Covering thousands of kilometres, the event saw everything from hay, trucks, diesel and time donated to give a leg-up to those doing it tough.

Delivering to a drop-off point in Denman (135 km north-west of Newcastle), Invergordon farmers Leanne and Eddy Rovers said it was not just farmers, but the whole community who were appreciative.

“It was unbelievable, it was a different world … I don’t know how they get out of bed in the morning,” she said.

“We heard people have been very appreciative.

“It was a really good trip up. People see you and they know what you’re doing and everyone toots at you. It was very humbling.”

Ms Rovers said a total of 68 farmers had registered for fodder, while more than 80 families had received donated hampers with everything

from groceries and dog food to personal items donated to lend a helping hand.

Driving more than 2500 km across the weekend, Ms Rovers said more than 1000 litres of diesel was used in just one truck, leading to a generous do-nation to help the cause.

Needing to return a truck to a trucking company in Melbourne full of diesel, she said it took just one call to ACT Petroleum owner Col Richardson, who offered to donated 500 litres of diesel to finish the truck’s journey down the Hume.

With more hay runs plan-ned in the future, including one at the end of this month, Ms Rovers and Mr Sofra said they hoped more peo-ple could throw their sup-port behind NSW and Queensland farmers.

The worsening crisis has seen the NSW Government double its drought-relief support to $1 billion as Federal Defence Minister Marise Payne offered up the assistance of the Australian Defence Force to assist with delivering fodder by truck or plane to farmers.

A total of 621 bales were donated to farms in the Upper Hunter Valley region.

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From the hay collection point in Harrow in Victoria’s west, to the Upper Hunter Valley, more than 1000 km was driven to deliver the feed.

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NEWS // 7

Pressure forces banks to relent BANKS HAVE ďŹ nally “stumped upâ€? to help farmers in drought, according to Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.

Westpac and ANZ have become the last of the major banks to agree to let farmers oset money put away in good times against money they’ve borrowed.

It comes after Mr Littleproud piled pressure on the banks to let farmers oset Farm Management Deposits against their loans.

Westpac and ANZ were the last two banks to hold out, but on Thursday they joined Commonwealth Bank, Rabobank, NAB and Rural Bank in falling in line with the minister’s demands. “Today Westpac and the ANZ ďŹ nally showed

up for our farmers,â€? Mr Littleproud said. “Two years ago this government made changes to the law to allow farmers to use their FMD as an oset against their loans and for two years I’ve been a broken record calling for the banks to stump up. “The banks make billions out of agriculture and for too long the relationship has been take, take take.â€?

Westpac will now oer an interest adjustment for customers with farm management deposits to eectively oset balances against eligible business loans.

The $100 million fund will provide loans of up to $1 million to existing Westpac agribusiness cus-

Feed running low

are suering from the drought,â€? Mr Ford said. “The current stocks of hay are almost exhausted.â€?

Australian Fodder Industry Association chief executive oďŹƒcer John McKew said the price of hay was the least of the problems for farmers looking to purchase fodder for their livestock. “If there is no more product or very limited supply, it doesn’t matter what the price is, to a point,â€? Mr McKew said. “The price is less important than supply (at present). They are not mutually exclusive

RODNEY WOODS

CURRENT STOCKS of hay are almost exhausted, according to Feed Central managing director Tim Ford, due in large part to the drought in NSW. “People who have hay in a bale now can basically nominate a price but we are encouraging people to not get greedy because farmers

tomers at discounted variable interest.

Drought-aected farmers with Westpac will also be able to defer principal and interest repayments for up to 12 months on existing loans.

ANZ is oering $130 million in discounted loans, and is waiving fees for restructuring business loans.

Labor has also promised to hire 100 extra Centrelink workers to help drought-stricken farmers if it wins the next election.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said a Labor government would fund extra community response oďŹƒcers. “Farmers don’t have time to deal with complicated bureaucratic processes when they’re

and it’s increasingly important to ďŹ nd supply for cereals and oat and hay. “It’s a very dierent situation from six months ago.â€?

Proof of the high demand for hay is the fact that Jerilderie farmer Louis Kelly has sold his entire stock of 7000 large bales of hay since May, but he is worried about how he is going to supply feed during the next few months. “We want to be a part of the solution, but if we don’t get water soon we will become part of the problem,� Mr Kelly said.

National Irrigators Council chief executive

concentrating on getting through the drought,�

Mr Shorten said. “So Labor wants to ensure that assistance is getting to farmers as quickly as possible with support on hand from Centrelink oďŹƒcers when they need it.â€?

The government has invested in rural ďŹ nancial counsellors to help farmers access drought support.

But the application process for the Farm Household Allowance has come under ďŹ re, with many farmers not seeking help because of the paperwork associated with the payment.

Labor blames government cuts to Centrelink for up to 19 000 eligible farmers not applying for the allowance.

oďŹƒcer Steve Whan said low water allocations will hinder any potential for relief. “Irrigators right across the Murray-Darling Basin are key suppliers of the fodder that helps to keep core breeding stock alive during these awful conditions,â€? he said. “Often irrigators will have stockpiled fodder over a number of years, in readiness for this period, but those supplies are getting very low and if the conditions do not allow an allocation of water, we will see farmers unable to ďŹ nish winter grain crops or unable to grow hay.â€?

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

8 // NEWS

Familiar face outlines agenda STEPHEN COOKE

NEW DAIRY Australia Managing Director David Nation is a familiar face to dairy farmers.

Unlike his predecessor, Ian Halliday, who was appointed to the top role from the food manufacturing sector, Mr Nation was CEO of the industry research program, Dairy Futures CRC, was Co-Director of its successor, DairyBio, and has been heavily involved with the Dairy Feedbase project.

He had been in his new role for a month when he spoke to Dairy News Australia. In that time he had been learning about other aspects of the business.

“That’s been one of the joys of the first month, to understand the whole of the business,” he said, citing trade and consumer marketing as vital areas of both Dairy Australia and the industry.

“Dairy Australia is a well-established organisation and one of the challenges it has is there are lots of different components to it. The challenge is how to respect and reflect on all those roles and make sure they are as good as they can be, while also taking a bigger look and saying for the industry to be really confident about its future, and to be as strong as it can be, what are the most important things we need to do over

the next 3–5 years.

“For me that’s the big starting challenge in this role.”

It’s little surprise that the short-term goal for Mr Nation and Dairy Australia is the current feed shortage.

“We see it as being of such significance that every part of our organisation is responding to it and that includes all eight RDPs,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter what part of Australia you’re in, we see this feed shortage playing out for the next 12–18 months and seeing it affecting everybody.”

Mr Nation said DA would use “the strength of the eight RDPs, because this is playing out quite differently in each region”. He said there were three areas of focus: Q Those in drought, including NSW, Queensland and East Gippsland in particular.

Q “These areas are short of soil moisture and options. Farmers have organised their own intensive support in many ways but if they haven’t, we ask what can we do to help?

What opportunities are out there and what intensive support can we offer?”

Q The broader Murray Irrigation area, which also has soil moisture issues, as well as availability and cost issues of irrigation water.

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“We are looking at how we can help. It almost requires a drought like response now.”

Areas not in drought and with reasonable levels of soil moisture.

“If you have soil moisture, what can you do to set yourself up to have as much of a pasture wedge ahead of you for the next 12 months? How do you make spring count?”

The current strategic plan has 12 months to run and Mr Nation said preparation for the new plan will help DA prioritise its long-term goals.

“There are two parallel conversations going on — how do we do the best job we can in the short term, given where the industry is at, and where does DA need to set itself up to have a big role in industry so the industry can continue to be a big success in future.

“I’m really careful not to pre-empt what this is. This will be as inclusive a process as possible to find out what farmers collectively think are the most important things we can do.”

Mr Nation said he is currently configuring the best way to give farmers a voice.

“My expectation is we’ll be really active in the new year; spring is not the time to ask farmers where we need to go.

“Hopefully we’ll create an environment where farmers can give really well informed feedback on the most important things we need to do. We want to gain consensus of 3–5 important things we need to.”

Mr Nation said one of the most important areas of focus, and also one of which he had less understanding before taking on the role, is the ongoing requirement for support in trade.

“I didn’t fully comprehend how exposed dairy is as a commodity on a world market,” he said.

“Processors have to work really hard, and the trade group has to work really hard, to stay on top of global trends and global opportunities in trade.

“As an anecdote, one of the ways it was described to me, was dairy is one of the last things discussed in a trade agreement because it is often one of the hardest. That speaks loudly.

International trade doesn’t just happen, it happens because a lot of dedicated people put effort into excelling in that space.”

Mr Nation said he has inherited a strong R&D portfolio and work will continue to ensure research in feed, animal improvement and genet-

David Nation.

ics is correctly targeted. DA will also continue to invest in regionally targeted research, with programs in Queensland, Tasmania and WA. The Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation used the change of CEO to call on DA for more research targeted for northern farmers.

“I’ve met with QDO recently,” Mr Nation said, “and we need to acknowledge the important work with Gatton (research facility owned

by State Government).

“There’s substantial research happening within Queenlsand and it is absolutely attuned with the highest priority in Queensland, which is how do you increase forage quality.

“So there’ some really neat work already happening in Queensland and to be fair, it has a substantial national role as well. The size of the project in Queensland is very substantial if you contrast it to the size of Queensland as a dairy industry.

“It’s something all Queenslanders should be really proud of.”

Mr Nation said there are other areas that research can focus on in Queensland but these are similar to what the Subtropical Dairy has on its work program.

“To get that strategic input from both Subtropical Dairy and the QDO is a really important thing,” he said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

NEWS // 9

Paringa dispersal A STRONG result has been registered for Paringa Holsteins’ third stage dispersal sale, with a top price of $8000 achieved.

The total clearance sale at Shepparton Saleyards saw 99 heifers sold for an average price of $2810, with the top-selling heifer Paringa Archrival Brook-Imp-Et sold to Les and Louise Calder in Meeniyan in South Gippsland.

With plenty of local and Victorian buyers represented, bidders also came from as far north as

Tamworth in NSW and as far south as Tasmania.

Auctioneer Brian Leslie said he was thrilled with the results.

“It was a very strong sale with strong bidding throughout,” he said.

“Paringa has got so much history and a long reputation. The lots were presented beautifully in outstanding conditions.”

A total of 16 heifers will now call Tamworth home, while several will be transported to the

With bidders from northern Victoria, Gippsland, NSW and Tasmania, there was strong competition throughout the sale.

Gippsland region.

A large number will stay in the local area.

Paringa Holsteins’ owner Pam Malcolm made the decision to hang up the milking apron in September 2017.

Founded by her father in 1943, the Invergordon stud achieved a number of accolades including winning IDW Grand Champion Holstein for its cow Paringa Fever Opa at the 2016 Inter-national Dairy Week.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

10 // NEWS

Dairy Australia names 2018 board nominees JAMES MANN, David Lord and Roseanne

Healy will stand for election to fill the three board vacancies at the Dairy Australia AGM in November.

James Mann, David Lord and Roseanne Healy have been selected to fill the director vacancies, each of the three roles requiring unique skills and expertise.

Mr Mann was nominated to fill a milk producer position. DA Chair, Jeff Odgers, said Mr Mann was instrumental in developing one of Australia’s leading dairy businesses, Dono-

van’s dairying.

With over 30 years’ experience in the dairy industry, Mr Mann has fulfilled an initial term on the Board of Dairy Australia, and was also Chair of the DairySA Board for ten years.

Mr Lord has been nominated for the director role with a dairy processing background, demonstrating extensive experience in fastmoving consumer goods and industrial food products.

“Well-versed in marketing dairy food and ingredient products, David previously served

as CEO and Managing Director of Parmalat Australia, Warrnambool Cheese & Butter and most recently, Saputo Dairy Australia,” Mr Odgers said.

Ms Healy was selected for the agribusiness, innovation and adoption vacancy. Her current board roles include Deputy Chair of the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Chair of Dairysafe and Chair of VineHealth Australia.

“Combined with this strong experience in the agricultural sector, Roseanne has in depth understanding of the importance of increasing

adoption, and the need to provide solutions that are valuable to farmers and growers and tailored to a range of adoption profiles,” Mr Odgers said.

To be successfully elected into the vacant director roles, each of the three nominees will require more than 50 per cent of the votes cast at the AGM. For applicants who wish to nominate separately from the Board Selection Committee process, they must submit a written nomination, supported by signatures from at least 100 Group A members of Dairy Australia.

GOVERNMENT BACKS WA RESEARCH HUB The Western Australian State Government has extended funding for Western Dairy’s research and extension hub project in Bunbury, WA. The government will provide funding of $200 000 over the next two years.

The RD&E hub was formed in 2015 following the government’s decision to exit on-farm dairy R&D. Backed by Dairy Australia, Western Dairy and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) negotiated an initiative that

resulted in dairy scientists working for industry rather than government.

Western Dairy chairman Grant Evans said the funding was vital.

“It was really important to all of us to retain our dairy science capability so that WA dairy farmers had access to regionally relevant feedbase R&D,” he said “We are incredibly fortunate that we have significant levy investment in WA from Dairy Australia — proportionally more per farmer than other regions because of our isolation and size.

“That level of contribution gave us excellent leverage with the state Government and capacity to provide the business case for state investment in the work carried out by Western Dairy.”

Mr Evans said the extension of the industry-government partnership was critical.

“WA is the smallest dairying state producing only 4 per cent of the national milk production, but it plays a critical role in providing the drinking milk requirements of this state,” Mr Evans said.

“However, as with all industries, we must continue to innovate and grow in order to remain viable and relevant in the global market place.

“We must have robust businesses and have access to the very latest technical support to enable them.

“The Western Dairy hub plays a key role in delivering that support and to have the confidence of an extension of funding means we can now focus on extracting maximum value for our dairy farmers.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

NEWS // 11

Prevention the best medicine RICK BAYNE

FORMER NURSE and current south-east Queensland dairy farmer Sara Bucher has seen first-hand how accidents destroy lives.

Now she’s determined to make sure every farmer and farm worker goes home safely at the end of the day.

Mrs Bucher is supporting a new Dairy Australia safety program that gives farmers the tools they need to create a safe work environment.

She learned the hard way that every farm needs a dedicated farm safety plan after she and husband Markus went into dairy farming four years ago near Kenilworth on the Sunshine Coast.

Several significant accidents involving farm vehicles made Sara and Markus realise the importance of preventing accidents, particularly on high-risk quad bikes.

“Farmers are the safest operators in many ways but we needed a formal systematic approach that made our expectations crystal clear,” Mrs Bucher said.

“By doing that we’ve improved quality, farmer confidence and staff retention and we’ve stopped the major incidents repeating themselves.”

Mrs Bucher said injury prevention needs to be the cornerstone of every farm.

The Buchers were already well connected to the dairy industry when they took over the farm in 2014. Mr Bucher grew up on a farm in Switzerland and trained as a cheese maker. Fourteen years ago, they opened cheese and yoghurt factory Maleny Cheese.

“With the farm we saw a genuine business opportunity to shore-up milk supply for the cheese and yoghurt business and to supply fresh milk to other small dairy processors in southeast Queensland,” Mrs Bucher said.

They run the farm with a team of seven staff and a school-based trainee. Mrs Bucher, who manages people and culture on the farm, said safety was a vital part of its success.

“My background as a nurse and our success with the other business highlighted the importance of managing risk through proper farm safety systems,” she said.

They accessed every available course and opportunity for assistance to develop a farm safety system.

“It opened up a whole understanding of how important it is to employ professionally-minded people and to support them in doing their job safely,” she said.

“If farmers need a quad bike for a job they need it to be well maintained and they need to be trained and understand their safety.”

Wearing a helmet on all mobile vehicles became a major symbol of the farm’s culture

Markus and Sara Bucher.

change.

The Buchers continue to work closely with staff to hear any concerns and to keep safety front-of-mind, including monthly meetings and using the WhatsApp to spread safety messages.

She recommends all farms use Dairy Australia’s new program.

“We’ve taken on the tools and are developing it to our program. It’s a great gift that this pro-

gram is available at no cost so it makes sense to tailor it to your own farm.

“Having seen terrible injuries to people in my past career has made me extremely determined that every person go home safe and well.

“Farmers sacrifice so much of themselves. It’s their passion and determination that feeds our country, why should they risk their lives doing it?”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

12 // NEWS

Irish backpacker flourishes in Australian dairy industry RICK BAYNE

FIVE YEARS ago, the idea of working in the Australian dairy industry was the last thing on the mind of Ireland’s Rosemary Corcoran — today, she couldn’t think of anything better.

Rosemary came to Australia at the end of August 2013 on a backpacking holiday and found work on a dairy farm at Finley. The new lifestyle was a game changer for the former corner store assistant from County Cork.

“I just loved milking cows — it’s so diverse and everyone is willing to give you different roles so you’re not just a milker, even though I love that!” Rosemary said.

Although not from a farming background in Ireland, Rosemary’s contribution to Australian agriculture is progressing in leaps and bounds with a Certificate III and IV in Agriculture completed and a diploma on the way.

Most recently, Australia’s Legendairy Women’s Network (ALWN) supported Rosemary to attend the Australian Women in Agriculture Conference 2018 in Shepparton, which gave her

a new perspective about the important role of women on farms.

The Australia’s Legendairy Women’s Network was established to connect and support Australian dairy women. It is an active on-line community and can be joined at: www.facebook.com/groups/legendairywomensnetwork According to Dairy Australia Community Relations Manager and ALWN Co-ordinator, Natasha Busbridge, helping dairy women attend the conference provides positive development and networking opportunities.

“Anyone who attended the conference would have taken something away with them to help their professional development as farmers while enjoying the opportunity to connect with other women in the industry,” she said.

Rosemary was encouraged by stories of how the Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA) network started.

“I met so many inspiring women. My favourite quote on the day was from a woman who said she went to an AWiA meeting as a farmer’s wife and came out as a farmer,” she said.

“I felt a bit that way myself. The dairy industry in Australia is very forward-looking in all

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aspects, like succession planning, technology and diversity.”

“Everything is done for a reason and it’s very scientific and that’s why I wanted to study and move up the ranks, plus I met my partner Tim Snowden and decided to stay.”

Until last year Rosemary was milking full time but has now moved into hay production on Tim’s family’s Lucerne hay farm near Tocumwal in NSW. She maintains her connection to dairy farming by milking on weekends and helping with other jobs on a neighbouring dairy farm.

“I get my cow-fix on the weekends,” she joked.

Rosemary, 30, is also part of Dairy Australia’s Young Dairy Network steering committee and a leader of the Riverina Young Discussion Group.

At the moment Rosemary is enjoying a different aspect of Australian agriculture but hopes to return full-time to dairy.

“My heart is in the dairy industry,” she said.

“Before I came to Australia I could never imagine myself working in agriculture, let alone milking cows. Now I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”

Rosemary Corcoran.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

14 // WORLD NEWS

Fonterra may build plants in China SUDESH KISSUN

FONTERRA IS considering building plants in

China for processing milk from its farms there.

Fonterra Greater China president Christina Zhu said third-party manufacturers now process fresh milk from the 28 000 cows on its two farming hubs; a third hub is being built with global food company Abbott.

"We have farms, we have a big downstream business and we need manufacturing capability.

“Right now, it’s done at a few carefully audited third-party sites and we have Fonterra people working on these sites fulltime to make sure the products are safe," she said.

"There is a natural cap on how much you can do through third parties, so we’re assessing all the options, but we’re not in a position to say a definite timeline or make a commitment at this point."

Fonterra’s greater-China sales are at least $5 billion; foodservice and ingredients make the most.

Fonterra’s Anchor milk is now the numberone consumer milk brand in China.

Anchor milk is now sold in 13 000 stores in 220 Chinese cities. Anchor UHT milk is also the online bestseller in China with 55 per cent of total sales made online.

Ms Zhu said the 45 per cent vs 55 per cent offline/online sales mix is working well.

“A lot of fast moving consumer goods

(FMCG) companies would kill for this mix in China,” she says.

She said fighting for market share isn’t easy with 64 imported milk brands, but Anchor is proud to be retaining the number-one spot.

Anchor sales have grown 40 per cent year-toyear.

She said many FMCG companies are not growing in China.

“Some of the global FMCG brands are declining in China; the 40 per cent plus growth is huge; in fact it makes a lot of people very jealous of us in China.”

From day one e-commerce has been part of Anchor milk’s strategy and ‘genetics’ in China.

Fonterra works with China’s two giant e-commerce retailers Alibaba and JD.com.

China’s internet usage is astounding -770 million internet users. Online sales last year topped US$812 billion, versus US$821b in the US, UK, Japan, Germany, Korea and France combined.

Christina Zhu.

NZ EMISSIONS A BALANCING ACT PAM TIPA New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture have increased by 20 per cent since 1990, according to Professor Mark Howden, director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National Institute.

However, as a percentage of the total emissions, agriculture has actually shrunk, and greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) per unit of food have reduced in New Zealand by about 30 per cent since 1990.

Professor Howden addressed the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management (NZIPIM) conference in Hamilton last month.

“That is simply because you are becoming much smarter, much more efficient and more effective in how you use your resources — increased per animal activity, improved animal husbandry etc,” he said.

He said there is further room for improvement.

Most of the developed world would show a similar drop in greenhouse gases per unit of production, he said.

“Particular in countries like Australia and New Zealand where there is not much in terms of government subsidy we are forced to be really market responsive, we are very tight in terms of our management, in terms of inputs versus

profits, so we do tend to be really careful and efficient in terms of our inputs,” he said.

“So we do tend to squeeze down on those GHG per unit of production. But countries like US and the Netherlands, where they are highly supported by the Government, have also become more efficient per unit because they have got cows that are producing 8000 litres a day where they used to produce 4000.

“As they push their system they end up being that much more efficient.”

The proportion of agricultural emissions in NZ has shrunk in terms of emissions as a proportion of total emissions. Even though agricultural emissions have grown the rest of the economy has grown faster.

Prof Howden said there were ways to offset emissions from agriculture.

“In addition to planting there are also things like enhanced weathering so you get rocks like basalt, crush them up and spread them over the soil.

“They absorb carbon dioxide and lock that into the structure. They can increase the fertility and water holding capacity in poor farm soils.

“There is also renewable energy.

Particularly in Australia lots of farmers have realised by having wind or solar farms they can earn a stable income and it doesn’t impact significantly on their agricultural production in most cases.

Use of genomics plays a direct role in advancing “Holstein breeding programs and can contribute substantially to on-farm profitability. ” Trevor Henry Chairman Genetics Australia Masterbreeder – Wilara Holsteins Holstein Australia member since 1986

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

WORLD NEWS // 15

Drought hits dairy farmers in UK, Ireland FARMERS IN Northern

Europe — especially the UK and Ireland — are facing a crisis as drought forces them to sell stock early while they struggle to adequately feed animals remaining.

Irish and English farmers are running out of supplementary feed as the heat wave that swept Europe has triggered crop failures and knocked pasture growth.

The National Farmers Union (NFU), representing farmers in England and Wales, says everything from livestock to lettuces have been affected. NFU president Minette Batters says the situation is hugely challenging for all.

NFU’s dairy chairman, Michael Oakes, says following an incredibly wet start to spring the weather went to the opposite extreme with a huge dry in July.

“I am now feeding full winter rations to my cows and am extremely concerned about the availability of fodder if we don’t get rainfall soon and the impact this will have on already depleted stocks for winter 2019,” he says.

Irish dairy farmers are facing a 50 per cent cut in their incomes — down from 80 000 euros last year to just 40 000 this year. Milk production is predicted to be down by as much as 20 per cent.

The Irish Farmers Association president, Joe Healy, said Irish dairy farmers are in crisis: the drought has followed storms a year earlier and the two have collided to cause the crisis.

Healy, a dairy farmer at Athenry, near Galway in the west of Ireland, says during the storms last year the farmers had to feed out their reserves of silage.

“We were hoping to replenish these stocks during the good summer so we got our first good cut late in May. But with only about 4 mm of rain, farmers had zero growth and fed out their first cut of silage and grazed their second cut.

“So in the south east, at this stage, they only have about 40 per cent of their fodder requirements for the winter.”

Also, the weather has caused tillage crops to nearly fail and the yields on grain and straw are a mere 30 per cent, which Healy says is serious.

The feed supplement shortage in Ireland is compounded by English farmers’ similar plight. Normally Ireland looks to England for such feed, but now that cupboard is also near empty, so Ireland is about 10 million bales short of silage.

The Irish government has given an incentive to tillage farmers to plant some sort of cash crop in the 10–12 week window between harvesting their main crop and planting their next one. Healy says this could yield up to one million bales, but a big deficit would remain.

Irish dairy farmers, like beef farmers, have been culling stock early, but the resultant drop in prices has added to their woes.

The bad weather comes at a bad time for Irish dairy farmers. With milk quotas abolished in 2015 farmers saw opportunity to increase their herd numbers, and many beef farmers converted to dairying. Some farmers went from 80

out of fodder and some have run out of grass and they have had a bad 12 months between the rain, the drought and labour.”

to 150 cows and are now struggling.

“We are back to full employment so they are finding it difficult to get labour,” he said.

“With the late spring many dairy farmers ran

Joe Healey.

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0.76 2.36 1.78 2.41 1.74 2.59 2.20 1.30 1.74 2.14 1.59 2.17 1.54 1.70 1.23 2.34 1.84 3.08 1.81 2.46 1.25 1.89 1.20 3.11 1.74 1.90 1.95 0.21

1.33 1.92 2.68 2.86 1.67 2.92 2.51 1.46 1.83 2.25 2.02 3.11 1.77 1.76 2.52 1.77 1.66 2.58 2.07 2.41 1.56 2.40 0.91 2.99 1.75 1.94 1.80 1.04

5.0 7.2 8.4 7.1 5.4 5.8 5.4 6.9 6.6 6.9 5.7 7.7 6.3 6.8 5.9 7.2 6.6 6.5 7.0 7.3 5.3 4.1 6.7 4.9 6.7 6.0 6.8 7.8

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

16 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

Going about it the right way

MILKING IT...

Parma for a farmer We always knew Australians can be a generous lot and they’ve proved it (again) by selflessly eating as many parmigianas as possible.

With many pubs across the country donating $1 for every parma sold, it’s given everybody free reign to hit the pub and knock off as many as possible.

We’ve heard more than one story of blokes ‘doing the right’ thing and hitting the pub for lunch ‘to help others’.

We love it. Anything that brings people together to catch up during these tough times should be commended.

Not ‘appy

Not milking it

The Australian Dairy Conference has asked for tech savvy farmers to help them find the best farm apps, with the top 5 to be showcased at the conference in Canberra next February.

We asked northern Vic farmer Paul ‘Bud’ Stammers whether he’d have time to knock up an app.

Stammers stole the show at this year’s conference in Melbourne with the calf feeder he produced in 2 minutes from recycled chemical drums. So will he try make it two from two?

“Sorry guys, I’m too busy milking my beef cows,” he said. “We will have plenty of time soon, if the price of fodder and wheat remains high!”

It seems our friends across the ditch, Fonterra, are well behind extracting value from milk.

The International Farm Comparison Network research ranks Fonterra 17th of the top 20 companies in value extraction.

While Fonterra collects the second-largest amount of milk, it accounts for only 2.8 per cent of world production and has estimated turnover per kilograms of milk solids of only US60c By comparison, the French company Danone is the 11th-largest milk processor, but it turns over US$2.40/ kg, making it the best performer; Nestle is next at US$1.90/kg.

Fonterra’s product mix remains dominated by lower returning commodities.

With processors telling farmers to farm smarter, shouldn’t they be doing the same?

Advertising James MacGibbon

Sack that worker!

US dairy company HP Hood is voluntarily recalling 145,000 halfgallon cartons of its Vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk because a batch was tainted with cow milk.

“Employee error” was blamed for spoiling the non-dairy drink, says the company, which issued the recall last month.

Critics have seized on the news, claiming the mix-up spilled the bitter truth about the almon beverage’s production – processing in the same plant as cow milk.

Will this revelation leave a sour taste on some palates?

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james.macgibbon@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Production Editor Stephen Cooke Dairy News Australia is published by Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the staff, management or directors of Shepparton Newspapers Pty Ltd.

East Gippsland farmers have been slightly bemused by the attention focussed on the drought in NSW. They can certainly emphasise with the farmers in NSW, having also been in drought for the best part of two years.

However, they seemed to have been forgotten as state and Federal Governments rolled out programs to help those further north.

So they took things into their own hands, inviting State Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford to inspect the situation for herself and hear from farmers.

Further invitations have been sent to Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader, Michael McCormack.

Making the most of their opportunity, a group of farmers from across East Gippsland and Wellington shires made a list of the actions they believe will make a difference if the 2018 Spring fails and the region remains dry.

Their suggestions are based on freeing up working capital and recognising and valuing the infrastructure they have already installed to manage the drought over the past 18 months.

Also on the list is rate relief and reimbursement for fodder and freight costs already paid.

Their approach struck a chord with Minister Pulford who admitted the Government didn’t have all the answers and was happy to take advice.

Minister Pulford said farmers in northern Victoria asked for help to fund infrastructure three years ago and were knocked back. The Victorian Government now realises it is an effective approach.

Containment yards, silos and water can make a difference.

It was good to see farmers gain credit for the way they manage their businesses during drought.

National media coverage often likes to focus on the desperate and use images of dead animals.

It’s good to see farmers recognised for how they prepare for inevitabilities like drought.

It is now up to the Government to come through with practical assistance that will help free up cash flow.

Stacey Taylor

0427 124 437

editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Regional editor Geoff Adams

news@dairynewsaustralia.com.au

WWW.DAIRYNEWSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

Head Office 7940 Goulburn Valley Highway Shepparton, VIC 3630 Phone (03) 5831 2312 Postal address PO Box 204 Shepparton, Victoria 3632 Australia

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

OPINION // 17

Crowdfunding is not going to save farmers MATTHEW TRACE

IT IS a particularly frustrating not having a pool of money to raid to assist individual QDO members as they struggle with the financial burdens caused by this drought.

Every week QDO staff are on the phone to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and QRIDA to see whether more assistance can be given. Every week the answer is the same, so we understand why some farmers are just simply giving up.

The new Regional Investment Loans for Drought and Farm Investments launched on 1 July by the Federal Government will provide more low interest loan options. But given current conditions and increased costs for feed and fuel, a lot of dairy farmers can’t afford to even pay the interest on a loan.

So, it’s not surprising that some more social media minded farmers are looking for other ways to raise capital.

A farmer in Albion Park, NSW has gone on to social media to raise funds to help get him through the drought. Using the crowd funding platform gofundme.com, he has managed to raise over $250K in one week.

He’s is looking to raise $300 000 but intends to keep only a portion of this for himself. It’s a modest amount just to keep his cows fed and not unreasonable. This follows on from another NSW farmer who took to the media asking members of the public to ‘Adopt a Cow’ a few months ago.

There are well over 100 crowd funding pleas on that platform alone that relate to the plight of Australian farmers doing it tough due to drought conditions. While these two crowd funding campaigns have been modestly successful, there is no a guarantee it will work for every farmer in need.

The sentiment from the people who have got behind the crowd funded farmer demonstrates what QDO’s recent market research into consumer buying behavior is telling us — Australians want to help support our farmers but they don’t really know how. One supporter wrote, “if you can’t get decent gates prices because of greedy retailers, this is one way we can support you.”

While crowd funding can provide a quick injection of cash to a farm, it is not a long-term solution. The only way we can have a sustainable dairy industry is by getting a fair farm gate price.

The facts are clear. We have 386 registered dairies in Queensland and per farm we have an average milk production of around 1.1 million litres annually.

If our farmers got 10 cents more per litre that would give them on average $100 000 back per annum. Not just a one off, but a sustained cash flow.

QDO worked with the Office of Small Business on a campaign to ask customers to support local dairy brands. This campaign was launched at the EKKA. However, it is the fair farm gate price logo project that can really have a long-term impact on the Queensland dairy industry.

This logo will be displayed on all dairy products that can demonstrate that they are truly supporting our industry by giving their farmers a fair farm gate price.

On pack it will provide Queensland consumers with a very simple way of determining which brands are doing the right thing.

• Matthew Trace is the Queensland Dairyfarmers’

Organisation Vice President.

If farmers got 10 cents more per litre that would give them on average $100 000 back per annum.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

Maximum profit, Minimum waste!

18 // OPINION

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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THE MILK price is not OK and if this is what you call ‘competition hotting up for milk’ not much will change Milk pricing needs to lift before October.

Milk processors are saying things like ‘the current milk price is aligned with world markets’; ‘it’s a prudent price’; ‘a reasonable and responsible price’.

This fails to take into account the risk in producing milk at the moment. That risk is not being shared equally between farmers and processors. Right now all the risk lies with the farmer.

If nothing changes the processors are paying a milk price that they know they will make a profit from with the product mix they produce and sell.

The same cannot be said for farmers who will be losing money all the way through.

So farmers are fully underwriting the profitability and strength of the processors at their own expense On-farm inputs and cost of production are going through the roof.

At $5.80 farmers will be just breaking even through spring at best.

The reality is the majority of farmers will be receiving a milk price below the headline $5.80.

When you have no cash flow or profit, you have no ability to make any choices with regards to the current crises in the dairy industry, no matter what programs you dust of for farmers.

Milk production will fall off a cliff without a price increase right now of 25 cents per kilogram of milk solids and farm exits will accelerate.

It would be prudent for Dairy Australia, the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria and Australian Dairy Farmers to tell processors to start sharing the risk of the raw product that drives their businesses.

Are we really going to have a true partnership between farmers and processors?

If so, it needs to start with fairer milk pricing. Start with that before telling farmers what they are well and truly aware of.

Bernhard Lubitz Leongatha

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MARKETS // 19

FRESH AGENDA STEVE SPENCER

Is a $9 milk price possible in 2030?

AS YOU read this, the factors affecting the outlook for global commodity markets are finely balanced, with much swinging on weather — so nothing new.

Europe has been baking — heat has clipped milk output, crops wither and silage reserves for winter appear depleted in several regions.

On the flipside, things across the ditch in NZ look great for a cracking season … so far … as an El Nino builds.

Commodity markets are positive but cautious — for starters, there is pressure for continued release of the SMP mountain from European government sheds, butter markets are fragile as buyers pushback on high prices, while the trade dispute between Trump and the Chinese government is worsening.

With all this in play along with our tough production conditions, it is easy to stay glued to the short term. Who even has the bandwidth to think past 2020?

Besides, whenever there’s a discussion about the “positive dairy story in the long-term”, a lot of people disengage. The short-term is so complex, there is little point, right?

Well, that won’t work for long. Investors, customers, your next generation and a lot of others with large stakes in your milk game want to know.

Firstly, reflect on how we got here — what happened to the value of milk over the past 15 years?

While the rollercoaster of milk prices was extreme at times, the trendline over that time has lifted at nearly 3 per cent per annum over that period — more than CPI. It is fact that farm input and overhead costs rose faster, which has made productivity a necessity for protecting margins and building wealth.

Some profound things changed over 15 years to support that trendline, despite the EU, US and NZ pumping out a combined extra 3 billion litres of milk each year.

China emerged as a large (risky) dairy import market, and a large population across South East Asia became committed dairy consumers.

Trade relations became more liberal through both multilateral and bilateral deals, improv-

Looking “big and long”, there are many things in play, but most are quite different to the influencers in the past.

What will the world look like by 2030? ing access and affordability for new consumers.

Very importantly, the EU and US all but stopped export subsidies.

Standing in today, looking “big and long”, there are many things in play, but most are quite different to the influencers in the past. What will the world look like by 2030?

We decided to have a crack at answering that question. Let’s beam out there to find out.

Imagine 2030: Q Growing milk output got much harder in the past two decades, as the community pushed back against the impact of dairy farming on the environment.

Q New Zealand ran into barriers to the expansion of dairy, farmland values stayed flat for a decade to 2020 before the industry remade its future, intensifying and digging deeper for productivity as the land area under dairy shrank. That made it even more exposed to volatility but output has grown slowly.

Q European governments cracked down on the impact on the environment using some novel devices. Well-reported pressures on the Dutch industry in the previous decade took years of adjustment, but governments in other regions face ongoing vigilance by their communities to reduce dairy’s footprint. The CAP remains but is purely about innovative environmental management.

Q Large-scale, highly productive US farms steadily grew in the face of similar pressures to run strictly closed systems. Smaller family units continued to exit dairy at more than 2000 per year. The US has become the biggest exporter of milk solids, but delays in innovating and the damage to relationships in the turbulent Trump era (before he spectacularly flamed out and was jailed) took time to fix.

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600 million middle-class consumers across the ASEAN-6 now drive strong import demand, while household incomes in China are still growing 8 per cent per annum as a result of the drift to cities and to better jobs.

Large supermarkets and fast food chains continue to roll out, putting a wider range of dairy foods in front of a larger number of people.

Russia came back to the global market after Putin’s protracted demise and a more accommodating approach ensued.

Dairy drinks and foods have weathered tougher competition from synthetic alternatives and substitutes as flexitarian consumers seek diversity in their delivered, dial-up diets but a small segment remain highly sensitive to the use of any animals in food production.

GMOs and synthetic dairy lookalikes are mainstream for a growing segment of the

market after the nut-juice fad was seen off by a well-managed campaign funded by the dairy sector highlighting the ludicrous amounts of water used in growing almonds, peas, macadamias and other nuts.

Q The trajectory for the value of milk continued to climb, despite each new niche and product differentiation quickly becoming “commodity”. The commodity value of milk trended past $9/kg milk solids this year, but the wild gyrations in annual milk prices haven’t gone away as weather continued to cause fluctuations in milk supply.

Q As a result, more than half of dairy farmers in Australia use milk price hedging tools linked to downstream customers to protect and smooth out the effects on their top line incomes.

Q The Australian dairy sector remains a niche player — importing commodities but exporting high-value solutions and consumer goods into small high-end markets.

Sounds fun? Who’s up for it?

• Steve Spencer is a director at www.freshagenda.com.au

By 2030, large-scale, highly productive US farms are predicted to grow at the expense of smaller family units, with the US to become the biggest exporter of milk solids.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

20 // MARKETS

Local demand for dairy keeps growing largely at the expense of modified skim or lowfat varieties.

Over the same period modified milk varieties contracted 4.8 per cent in volume and 6.4 per cent in value, indicating a drop in average price in addition to total volume.

While sales of fresh white milk continue to grow at a conservative rate, supermarket sales of non-dairy ‘milks’ have increased.

In 2007–08 sales of these beverages represented 5.6 per cent of total milk sales, with soy beverages making up close to 85 per cent of these sales.

Consumers who drink non-dairy alternatives seem open to substituting between varieties and since 2007–08 sales of soy beverages have decreased while those made from almonds have grown in popularity.

In 2017–18 sales of non-dairy alternatives represented 7.6 per cent of total milk sales in supermarkets by volume, and 12 per cent of total value.

These substitutes are substantially more expensive than milk and purchase data suggests customers are more likely to purchase when they are offered as part of a promotion.

Supermarket sales of butter declined in 2017– 18 due to a sharp spike in sales price. After a prolonged period of higher global butter prices,

Australian consumers are not only buying more milk but preferences have shifted in favour of full cream milk.

Australian prices eventually followed and in 2017–18 the average per-kilo price of butter reached $12.08, up 35 per cent compared to last year.

Despite this large spike, sale volumes only fell 6.3 per cent while sale values increased 26.9 per cent. The largest drop in volume came from large pack sizes, while sales of smaller pack sizes increased.

Supermarkets tended to increase the price on larger pack sizes while keeping the price constant on smaller ones and consumers proved willing to opt for a smaller pack in response to

% share of total fresh white milk sales 8.0

60

7.0

50

6.0

40

5.0

30

4.0

20

3.0

10

2.0

-

2017/18

1.0

Total Non Dairy Almond

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09 /

2014/15

20

2013/14

08 /0 9

2012/13

08

2011/12

the higher price.

Total blends sale volumes grew 3.8 per cent as some customers chose to substitute butter for blends.

While many farmers in drought-affected regions continue to battle with the ongoing challenges of this season, it’s worth noting that domestic demand for dairy remains strong.

Australia may be a land of volatility in weather, feed prices, politics and Prime Ministers, but Australians continue to love dairy products.

• Sofia Omstedt is an industry analyst with Dairy Australia.

% share of total milk sales

70

12

steadily across Australia, as evidenced by the numbers from the 2017–18 season currently rolling in.

Australians are buying more milk and over the past ten years milk sold in supermarkets has increased close to 24 per cent.

This results from population growth and our large appetite for milk. Australians consume more milk per capita than most other comparable developed countries; this can partly be attributed to our love of coffees.

Fresh white milk is considered Australia’s largest and most mature dairy segment and represents 78 per cent of total liquid milk sales.

Supermarket milk sales increased 1.1 per cent in volume in 2017–18 which is in line with a conservative long-term growth rate.

In 2011–12 close to half (47 per cent) of all milk sold in supermarkets was modified skim or low-fat. Today two thirds of milk sold in supermarkets is full cream milk.

Consumer preferences have shifted significantly over this time in favour of full cream milk, as consumers want ‘natural products’ and have a greater appreciation of the benefits of dairy fats.

In 2017–18 full cream milk sales increased 4.4 per cent by volume and 3.7 per cent by value,

20 11/

DEMAND FOR dairy products has increased

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Welcome to the South Gippsland Dairy Expo, you can become $3,000’s richer!

Be sure not to miss the South Gippsland Dairy Expo this year for your chance to win $3,000 in the Udder Truth Show bag competition, which is proudly bought to you

by South East Organic Fertiliser.

So come along to the Korumburra Showgrounds on the 26th & September 27, 2018.

The rules are simple, buy a $2.00 show bag at the gate, answer 10 out of the 15 questions and request your card to be stamped by the corresponding exhibitor. The first card drawn with 10 correct answers, with the stamps, will win the $3,000. Participants must be farmers and over 18 years of age. The winner will be announced at 3.30 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2018.

Let’s work out the odds, there will be 200 show bags available during the two days of the Expo. So how many farmers will actually complete the card? Your guess is as good as ours, there is an old saying that you have to be in it to win it!

Participating companies include; Coopers Animal Health, Lely Center Gippsland, Fonterra, Easy Dairy Automation Systems, Gendore Tractors & Machinery Pty Ltd, GippsDairy, MaxCare, ProviCo, De Wit Trading/The Wrangler New Zealand, Rabobank, Reid Stockfeeds, Rural Bank, Federation Training, Victorian Hoofcare Services and Browns Stockfeeds.

The Strzelecki Lions Club are pleased once again to be hosting the South Gippsland Dairy Expo in Korumburra.

This year they will be celebrating 19 years of providing the local dairying community with an event that showcases the latest in innovation, products and services available to the dairy industry. A one stop shop for all who attend …

The funds raised from the South Gippsland Dairy Expo make a big contribution towards the Strzelecki Lions Club distributing over $540 000 back into the community over the last twenty one years. The planning for the Dairy Expo starts in February each year and the committee meet monthly up until the last week before the Expo.

This contribution is not possible without many loyal companies who support the Lions and their activities and events each year.

In 2018 the South Gippsland Dairy Expo takes this opportunity to

acknowledge our Major Sponsor: Fonterra for their fantastic support and making a commitment to our local dairy community.

Thank you to our Gold Sponsors: Federation Training, Rabobank, Reid Stockfeeds, GippsDairy, Burra Foods, South Gippsland Shire Council and Dairy News Australia. Please make sure you call in and show your appreciation for their contribution to our Dairy Expo.

Back by popular demand is Matt Harms from OnFarm Consulting. Matt will be hosting a session on Wednesday, September 26 at 11.00 am titled: “Love makes the world go round, what makes dairy go round” PEACE — LOVE — RYEGRASS Following is a snapshot of what will be covered. What makes for a harmonious relationship in the dairy industry? Why is it that some business relationships work so well, to mutual benefit, and others fall apart? Are all successful business arrangements harmonious and easy, or does it take hard work, mutual respect and give and take to make it work? We learn how a range of relationships, being employee/employer, sharefarming and farm manager arrangements work so well, for an extended period and how they reach harmony.

The panel members include: Mark Wilms and Andrew Balfour (Wilfour Farms) and sharefarmer Michael O’Brien from Nambrok, Paul and Lisa Mumford and employee Aaron Thomas from Won Wron, Gordon and Sylvia Vagg and farm manager Paul Cocksedge from Leongatha South and

Matt Long from Rabobank.

This session is proudly sponsored

by South Gippsland Shire Council & Rabobank.

There is something for everyone at the 2018 Dairy Expo. The Korumburra Rotary Club will be in charge of the Kids Activity Pavilion. This year the Kids Activity Pavilion will include some Farm Animals pens, cow moulds for painting, a dress-up corner and lots more, so be sure to bring the children along to enjoy these free activities.

A special thanks to the Poowong Dairy & Hardware and Westfalia Warragul for supporting the activities in the kid’s pavilion.

To encourage some competitive banter amongst our exhibitors and patrons the Expo has invited Gippsland Jersey to present: The Big Gippsland Jersey Dunk Off — A Daily Milk Dunking Competition. The rules are very simple: ONE throw, ONE dollar, AIM well. Star guests: Matt Harms, John Hutchison, Allan Cameron, Scott Price, Simon Hood & Nick Reid and more.

All proceeds raised to be donated to Beyond Blue.

S O U T H

In an Expo first, Cows Create Careers students from Gippsland schools will go head-to-head in a ‘Race About Dairy’ — a game of speed, accuracy and knowledge. Students will complete activities and answer questions about the Australian dairy industry. First school over the line, wins. An initiative of Federation Training and Dairy Australia.

The choice of days is up to you, but make sure you visit the South Gippsland Dairy Expo either on Wednesday 26th or Thursday, September 27, 2018, Korumburra Showgrounds, Korumburra.

Opening hours are 9.00 am to 3.30 pm daily, cost is $12.00 per person children under 16 years old are free. Inquires please phone Deanne Kennedy on 03 5659 4219 or email deanne@jaydee.net.au

MEDIA CONTACT For media and photo opportunities: Deanne Kennedy, 0419 878 055 or deanne@jaydee.net.au

G I P P S L A N D

Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27th September 2018 from 9am-3.30pm Korumburra Showgrounds, Corner South Gippsland Highway & Charles Street, Korumburra

S O U T H

G I P P S L A N D

w w w.dair ye x p o.or g.au

Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27th September 2018 from 9am-3.30pm Korumburra Showgrounds, Corner South Gippsland Highway & Charles Street, Korumburra

This is a Race about Dairy A game of speed, accuracy and knowledge...

Cows Create Careers students from Gippsland schools will go Head-to-Head in a Race about Dairy on Thursday 27th September 2018 at 1pm.

The first team across the finish line will take out the trophy and the accolade of being the 2018 Dairy Expo Cows Create Careers Champions!

Proudly sponsored by Federation Training & Dairy Australia

A RACE ABOUT DAIRY

The Big Gippsland Jersey DUNK OFF Daily milk dunking competition

* One throw * One dollar * Aim well

Matt Harms ONFARM CONSULTING Wednesday 26th September at 11am

Love makes the world go round, what makes dairy go round...

PEACE - LOVE RYEGRASS

Sanders Kids Farm Animal Pavilion Proudly sponsored by:

Star guests: Matt Harms, John Hutchison, Allan Cameron, Scott Price, Simon Hood & Nick Reid

All money raised will be donated to Beyond Blue

What makes for a harmonious relationship in the dairy industry?

Why is it that some business relationships work so well, to mutual benefit, and others fall apart?

Are all successful business arrangements harmonious and easy, or does it take hard work, mutual respect and give and take to make it work?

We learn how a range of relationships, being employee/employer, sharefarming and farm manager arrangements work so well, for an extended period and how they reach harmony.

The panel members include: Mark Wilms and Andrew Balfour (Wilfour Farms) and sharefarmer Michael O’Brien from Nambrok, Paul and Lisa Mumford and employee Aaron Thomas from Won Wron, Gordon and Sylvia Vagg and farm manager Paul Cocksedge from Leongatha South and Matt Long from Rabobank.

Plenty of fun to keep the kids entertained in the Sanders Pavilion

Proudly sponsored by South Gippsland Shire Council & Rabobank

Thank you to the following exhibitors who are the Dairy Expo’s proud sponsors of the ‘The Udder Truth’ showbag initiative…

• Fonterra • Federation Training • De Wit Trading/the Wrangler New Zealand • Browns Stockfeed Pty Ltd • Coopers Animal Health • Lely Center Gippsland • Easy Dairy Automation Systems • Gendore Tractors & Machinery Pty Ltd

• GippsDairy • Victorian Hoofcare Services • MaxCare • ProviCo • Rabobank • Reid Stockfeeds • Rural Bank

WIN $3,000 CASH!

The Udder Truth!

S H OWBAG

GOLD SPONSORS

South Gippsland Shire Counci l

Come and see the Latest Products & Services Support those who support the Industry!

Fonterra Farm Source

Your local TAFE

• Farm Source is a connected package of tools and services to assist farmers in running their businesses, offered in a consistent way across Victoria and Tasmania.

• It gives farmers greater levels of service, instant and better information, professional support, financial options and access to deals.

It’s about making the most of the dairy know-how and strength of Fonterra and putting it to work for the benefit of our farmers.

• Come visit our stand to meet the team and learn more about how Fonterra Farm Source can make your life a little bit better, every day.

• 9 campuses across Gippsland and South Eastern Victoria from Warragul to Lakes Entrance.

GippsDairy

• Discuss market information, new season grain prices and expected trends.

Come and see how the GippsDairy extension team can improve your farm operation through: • Pasture improvement programs.

• Herd health workshops.

• Farm business management.

• Looking after people on farm.

Rabobank

• Courses range from pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships and traineeships, to certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas.

• Courses are developed to meet the requirements of the workplace.

Reid Stockfeeds • Information and ideas on feeding efficiency.

• Ration evaluations.

• Silo financing.

• Meet local superstar Kim Price, PhD in Ag Science graduate Daniel Espinosa, Sales Manager Sander Nijskens and family member Nick Reid for all your specialised, custom feeding requirements.

• Rabobank is a major rural lender in Gippsland.

• Highly regarded and experienced rural manager team.

• The whole team will be available, so please call in for a chat.

Burra Foods • Burra Foods processes more than 350 megalitres of fresh farm milk per year from over 200 milk supply partners.

• Significant international market experience. Supplies to China, Japan and other Asian markets • Burra Foods strives to live by its values and core purpose which includes adding value to the world’s best raw material, innovative technology and respect for the individual, the community and the environment.

• Are you interested in supplying Burra Foods? Please visit our stand and meet the Burra Foods Milk Supply Team at the Dairy Expo.

South Gippsland Shire Council • Recognise that the dairy industry makes a significant contribution to the regional community.

South Gippsland Shire Counci l

• Council is committed to supporting the agricultural industry and its essential support businesses and services.

• Come along to the Matt Harms from ONFARM Consulting session-

Love makes the world go round, what makes dairy go round...

PEACE - LOVE - RYEGRASS

S O U T H

G I P P S L A N D

Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27th September 2018 - 9am to 3.30pm

w w w.dair ye x p o.or g.au

Korumburra Showgrounds, Cnr Sth Gippsland Hwy & Charles St. Korumburra

SOUTH GIPPSLAND HIGHWAY

GOLD Sponsors

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EQUESTRIAN ARENA MENAGE

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• Fonterra • Federation Training • De Wit Trading/the Wrangler New Zealand • Browns Stockfeed Pty Ltd • Coopers Animal Health • Lely Center Gippsland • Easy Dairy Automation Systems • Gendore Tractors & Machinery Pty Ltd • GippsDairy • MaxCare • ProviCo • Rabobank • Reid Stockfeeds • Rural Bank • Victorian Hoofcare Services

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Proudly sponsored by:

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SOUTH GIPPSLAND DAIRY EXPO Project Secretary: Deanne Kennedy Address: PO Box 18, LOCH VIC 3945 Mobile: 0419 878 055 Email: deanne@jaydee.net.au

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EXHIBITOR ENTRANCE PUBLIC PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCE DISABLED ENTRANCE

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Melbourne Water

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Amenities Room

Stephen Pasture Seeds

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Cervus Equipment

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Environment Protection Authority

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44

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50

Victorian Hoofcare Services

Riverina Jerky

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Viking Genetics

Rotary Farm Animals & Kids Activity Pavilion - Poowong Dairy Hardware & Westfalia Warragul Rural Bank Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria - Gippsland

Sanders Pavilion 85 77b

Vikon Precast

15

‘Waste-Not’ Stockfeeders Pty Ltd

49

Welshpool Outdoors

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The exhibition space is now open for interested companies who have products and services which you would like to showcase to Gippsland dairy farmers.

Bookings: Deanne Kennedy Email: deanne@jaydee.net.au Mobile: 0419 878 055

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MANAGEMENT // 25

Adding corn to boost fat RICK BAYNE

HILLGROVE FARM at Leongatha South is tri-

alling a new feeding regime this winter and early results are looking good.

Russ White, who is in partnership with father Les, said the new feed system was introduced to address plummeting fat content tests.

They have moved from feeding 7.5 kg of wheat and 2.5 kg of concentrate mix to 3.5 kg of wheat, 1 kg of barley and 3 kg of corn, along with the same 2.5 kg of concentrate.

They’ve also added 2 kg of oaten hay each day.

“We’ve had trouble with our fat test dropping over winter so we worked with a nutritionist to develop different ideas,” Russ said.

Fat levels had dropped to 3 per cent, well below their ideal 3.5–3.6.

At the moment it’s back up to 3.8 percent.

“So far so good,” Russ said. “We’re up there at the moment but the next two months will be the real test if our theory works or not.”

The new feed regime is based on the understanding that corn ferments slower than wheat.

“Wheat has a fair spike on it when it ferments in the cow’s rumen,” Russ said. “Eating a lot of corn has a slower fermentation so the spike shouldn’t get as high so the liver isn’t working as hard.

“It should give them a lot more energy.”

The new menu is designed to keeps up the sugar levels on colder days. “There’s more moisture in the grass over winter which means sugar levels are low and not much daylight so they lose a lot of their sugars. We’re trying to overcome that and get some more sugars into the system.

“Normally we use our own hay but this year we’re trialling northern hay because it has no potassium and that helps too.”

The new feeding system was introduced at the start of June and the cows have been happy with the change in diet. “They’re eating everything exactly the same,” Russ said. “It hasn’t altered the cows’ feed intake but the butter fat test is better so that’s good. If we can keep it somewhere around where it is now we’ll be happy,” he added.

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MANAGEMENT // 27

Passing on tips for quality milk CONTROLLING MASTITIS using Dairy Australia’s Cups On Cups Off principles has paid dividends for Gippsland dairy farmers Matt and Rosalie Coleman are ensuring the next generation has the techniques to produce the quality milk they have become renowned for.

Matt and Rosalie, who farm with their children Maya, Billy and Lilia at Maffra in Gippsland, have been recognised for producing milk with cell counts in the lowest five per cent of Australian dairies.

The Colemans milk 200 cows on 56 hectares in the Macalister Irrigation District.Their cows average 520 kilograms of milk solids each, with the herd producing more than 100 000 kg/MS each year.

The Australian Milk Quality Awards recognise farms that have consistently achieved the best milk quality based on annual average bulk milk cell count across Australia’s milk processing companies.

The Colemans show a commitment to good habits — both in the dairy and on the farm — that help reduce incidences of clinical mastitis.

While Mr Coleman leads the way in ensuring milk quality remains high, fifteen-year-old Maya recently attended a Cups On Cups Off workshop to help her better understand the steps involved in producing low cell count milk.

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“It was fantastic for Maya,” Mr Coleman said.

“It really fast-tracked her knowledge of what happens in the dairy and what happens with the cows.”

For Mr Coleman, who accompanied Maya to the workshop, it was a refresher in best practice helping to reinforce good habits and opening his eyes to a few new procedures.

“It reinforces what you need to do. Things like teat washing the cows and using paper towels. You can never say you know it all, you can always, improve and change,” he said.

His meticulous approach to herd health can be shown in his long list of ‘dos and don’ts’ that contribute to keeping his cows healthy.

“It’s just doing the best you can, whether that’s dry cow therapy, hygiene in the dairy or making sure you are changing your rubber-wear at the right time,” he said.

“Around calving time, I always make sure there is somewhere clean for them to sit down at night time. I also tend to be pretty ruthless on culling cows that have three clinical cases of mastitis.

“We use green filter socks as one of our tools — it just means you can see any prevalence of mastitis that little bit more easily.

“All the little recommendations you will see in the COCO course, we try and tick all those boxes to the best of our ability.”

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28 // MANAGEMENT

A close eye on WHO:

Gary, Ros and Justin Zweck WHERE:

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Blyth

WHAT:

Genomic testing

WITH A 700 ha broadacre cropping farm in

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a 350 mm annual rainfall zone 155 km north of Adelaide, you might forgive the Zweck family for not scrutinising the performance of their Holstein herd.

However, Gary and Ros Zweck, and their son Justin, have embraced genomics to help them benchmark their herd, and gain further improvements in production.

About 30 dairy farmers visited South Australia’s northern most dairy farm at Blyth, just west of Clare, through DairySA last month.

The Zweck family has farmed in the Blyth area for more than 120 years with Gary’s parents Don and Elva farming on the current block from 1962 and establishing their Donava Holstein prefix in 1970.

The Zwecks milk 230 registered Holstein cows in a split-calving herd at Blyth. The herd is fed a total mixed ration (TMR) on a feed pad.

They grow mainly wheat and barley and cut oaten and vetch hay and silage.

“We grow all our own grain for the cows and keep about 600t of grain stored on farm,” Mr Zweck said.

“Our milking herd gets 3 kg/cow/day of grain in the dairy at milking and is fed a TMR, while we graze our heifers on stubble from November to January.”

They milk up to 230 cows a year with 60 per cent of the herd calving between February and May, and 40 per cent calving between August and October. They employ two full-time staff.

“Not farming in a typical dairy area can create a few challenges because it’s not as easy to chat to people about new technology and ideas in dairying,” Mr Zweck said.

The Zwecks’ farm was one of 27 dairy farms across Australia that recently underwent

Gary Zweck with heifers.

detailed analysis by the ImProving Herds project to investigate the contribution of genetics to dairy businesses.

Mr Zweck said it was particularly appealing to be involved because of the opportunity to gain access to a wider dairy community.

“Having the opportunity to take part in the ImProving Herds project was a great opportunity to learn.”

Under the ImProving Herds program, the top and bottom 25 per cent of each participating herd was ranked based on the Balanced Performance Index (BPI), the genetic index for profit used by the Australian dairy industry.

Ten years of historical performance data, plus recent farm financial data from the Zwecks’ herd records were also analysed.

The Zwecks have maintained good records on their herd, herd test every five weeks and began genomically testing their heifer calves in 2014.

The study found the top 25 per cent of the Zwecks’ herd produced 876 more litres of milk per cow per year, 57 more kilograms of fat and 42 more kilograms of protein than the bottom 25 per cent.

The extra milk production from the top 25 per cent of cows ranked on BPI resulted in $532 more income per cow per year, after feed and herd costs, compared with the bottom 25 per cent of the herd.

On average, the top 25 per cent of the Zwecks’ cows also lasted in the herd eight months longer than the bottom 25 per cent.

Gary, Justin and Gary’s father before him, undertook AI courses so they could run their own AI programs as their location means they do not have access to AI technicians.

“Our bull selection has always looked at production and for cows that will last in our environment,” Mr Zweck said.

“We’ve been genomically testing our replacement heifers since 2014, which has given us a much broader understanding of our herd and its genetic merit.

“As a result, we are now looking for bulls which are strong for kilograms of protein, fertility and teat placement, which is a trait we want to include so we can have the option of robotic milking in the future.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MANAGEMENT // 29

performance in northern outpost “One of the other advantages of genomic testing is the parent verification of the calves.

In our experience it shows we were not as good as picking the dams of calves as we thought we were!”

All cows in the herd are Metrichecked after calving then undergo two rounds of AI with conventional semen followed by mop-up bulls which have been genomically tested so they have a known BPI.

The top 80 per cent based on BPI and type are joined to sexed semen and the next 10 per cent are joined to Wagyu or beef semen so their progeny don’t go into the herd.

Mr Zweck said they had seen significant changes since they started genomically testing replacement heifers and using sexed semen on the top heifers.

“Last year, we had 61 per cent female calves and 39 per cent male calves, which included AI and mop-up sires.

“Having more female calves to choose

from, combined with genomic testing to identify the better heifers, is certainly allowing us to improve the rate of genetic progress in the herd.

“We are seeing increased production as more of these genomically tested heifers come into the herd, and in turn have their own calves; the performance of the next generation of heifers keeps going up year after year.

“As more of these heifers come through the herd, the more selection pressure we can put on BPI in the future.”

“Not farming in a typical dairy area can create a few challenges because it’s not as easy to chat to people about new technology and ideas in dairying.”

“We’ve been using conventional semen in the cows but will be looking to use sexed semen in the cows in the future as conception rates are improving.”

All heifer calves are genomically tested using ear punch samples at 10 weeks of age; last Year 110 samples were sent for testing.

When the results come back the heifers are ranked on BPI and type with the bottom 10 per cent sold for export when they reach the required export weights.

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Gary and Ros Zweck.

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30 // MANAGEMENT

Target pre-weaning growth RUAIRI MCDONNELL

PRE-WEANING GROWTH of calves is the most expensive period of growth an animal will undergo in its lifetime. However, it is also the time at which feed conversion efficiency is greatest.

Traditionally, it is recommended to provide calves with about 10 per cent of bodyweight

(4 – 4.5 litres/day) in milk or milk replacer during the pre-weaning period.

Importantly, this is less than a calf would naturally receive if left suckling with its mother, where it would generally consume 8–10 litres/ day in the first 3–4 weeks of life.

The theory behind this strategy is that restricted feeding of milk will accelerate rumen development and function, intake of solid feed and thus allow for early weaning at about six

weeks to reduce costs.

Successful calf rearing should target an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.7 kg/day, which equates to a target weight of about 100 kg at 12 weeks of age (for a 40 kg calf at birth). However, recent data suggests it is very difficult to achieve this under conventional feeding practices described above. Restricted milk provision, especially in the first 3 weeks of life, generally results in lower growth rates, increased susceptibility to stress

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and disease and higher mortality levels.

This is why concentrate provision is critical in early life.

Calves should have access to concentrates within 3–5 days of age, to assist rumen development and function. It should contain about 17 per cent crude protein, have a high energy density (>13.0 MJ/kg DM) and be somewhat coarse in nature, to maintain rumen papillae in optimum condition.

Unlimited access to clean drinking water is essential, and a limited amount of good quality fibre is also important as concentrate intake increases.

However, large amounts of poor quality hay or straw will reduce the energy density of the overall diet, slow down growth rates and can often result in an undesirable “pot belly” condition.

Weaning is a very stressful period for calves and the age of calves should NOT be the sole criteria determining weaning date.

Instead a solid feed intake of about 1.4 per cent of bodyweight (minimum of 1 kg DM/day solid feed) should be targeted before gradual removal of liquid feed over a seven day period.

Poorly functioning rumens at weaning will stunt the growth rate of the calf post-weaning regardless of how they performed pre-weaning; hence adequate intake of solid feed pre-weaning will help reduce this effect and improve health and wellbeing of the calf.

Accelerated feeding is an alternative feeding strategy that has received significant research interest in recent years.

This involves providing higher amounts of milk or milk replacer in the first 4 weeks of life, (15–20 per cent of bodyweight or 8–10 litres/day for an average calf ), before stepping down to conventional levels from about 5 weeks of age until weaning.

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• Ensure every calf gets good quality colostrum (greater than 22 per cent Brix) — 2 litres within 2 hours of birth and another 2l in the next 10 hours.

• If using milk replacer, ensure consistent mixing of powder and delivery. For fresh milk and milk replacer, feed it at a consistent temperature every day.

• If using fresh milk, try and avoid feeding mastitic or antibiotic residue milk. Never feed this milk to sale calves or calves destined to become replacement heifers.

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• It might sound boring, but HYGIENE is a critical factor. Clean, fresh drinking water, clean teat buckets and equipment, clean milk (free from contaminants and organic matter), clean sheds with sufficient bedding.

• Monitor growth rates — measure weight & height of a sample of calves so as to keep a close eye on whether weight targets are being met.

• Refer to Dairy Australia’s Rearing Healthy Calves manual for a full overview on best practice management.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MANAGEMENT // 31

Farmers can take pain relief by the horns PAIN RELIEF solution Tri-Solfen has been

registered for use for dehorning and disbudding cattle.

It was previously registered for use following mulesing and tail docking in lambs, and castration of lambs and calves.

However, the label extension allows dairy farmers to use it for pain relief when disbudding calves.

Previously, Tri-Solfen has been available for use for dehorning only under veterinary supervision.

Dairy farmers and beef cattle producers can now take charge of pain relief themselves and incorporate the use of Tri-Solfen into their animal husbandry procedures on farm.

Tri-Solfen, available in Australia from Bayer Animal Health, is a gel spray formulation containing a combination of local anaesthetics, adrenaline and an antiseptic.

It is applied as a one-o treatment to wound sites following disbudding and dehorning. Bayer says the formulation of Tri-Solfen oers quick and long lasting pain relief, reduces bleeding and facilitates wound healing, and is easy to apply.

Developed by Medical Ethics and ďŹ rst registered in 2012, Bayer said Tri-Solfen has since been used to successfully treat over 80 million animals undergoing routine surgeries in the Australian livestock industries. “The widespread adoption of pain relief measures across all areas of livestock production has been remarkable,â€? Medical Ethics managing director Allan Giard said. “Australian producers have shown a serious commitment to animal welfare and are very willing to minimise pain and enhance wound healing.â€?

Peter Windsor, Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney, played a key role in the research that was conducted to achieve the label extension. “The development and use of Tri-Solfen is crucial in advancing animal welfare in Australia and potentially globally,â€? he said. “The recent broadening of the Tri-Solfen registration is an important step in diminishing concerns of consumers on the adverse welfare outcomes of pain inicted during interventions

performed routinely in livestock husbandry,� said Professor Windsor.

The registration for the use of Tri-Solfen following disbudding and dehorning has also been welcomed by peak industry body, Dairy Australia.

Dairy Australia’s Kathryn Davis described it as “great news for dairy calf welfareâ€?. “It is now easy for farmers and disbudding contractors to provide cheap and eective pain relief for calves after disbudding by heat cautery,â€? she said.

Farmers can now use Tri-Solfen for pain relief when disbudding calves.

Australia

< Continued from page 30

This results in a higher ADG, but slower rumen development in the ďŹ rst 4 weeks due to reduced solid feed intake during this period.

However research has shown if this strategy is managed correctly through weaning and post weaning, calves will have a higher bodyweight at 12 weeks of age (115â&#x20AC;&#x201C;120 kg).

The beneďŹ ts of this strategy include calves being able to express more natural feeding behaviour, reduced signs of hunger, improved growth and improved health and welfare.

Longer term beneďŹ ts of higher growth rates in heifers pre-weaning include a reduced age to ďŹ rst calving, and greater lifetime milk yields.

A recent review of 12 experiments in the Journal of Dairy Science showed that ďŹ rst lactation milk yield increased by 155 kg of milk for every additional 100 g of pre-weaning ADG as heifers.

It has also been estimated that 22 per cent of the variation in ďŹ rst lactation milk yield can be traced back to the average daily gain of heifers.

To place this in context, this is a far larger eďŹ&#x20AC;ect on milk production than the heiferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genetics which often receives much more attention on many farms.

Accelerated growth rate feeding results in increased costs in terms of extra milk consumed, but so far, data indicates that the long term beneďŹ ts to the animal more than compensate this, although it is a topic of ongoing research. â&#x20AC;˘ Ruairi McDonnell is a GippsDairy regional extension oďŹ&#x192;cer. â&#x20AC;˘ This article ďŹ rst appeared in GippsDairyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s How Now Gippy Cow.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

32 //

SPRING PASTURES

Test the fertility of your soil now ASHLEY BURGESS

EARLY SPRING is a good time to reassess the

fertility of your soil and prepare silage paddocks, crop paddocks and determine how to maximise milker feed.

The best place to start is with a soil test, ideally in August to October or before soil moisture becomes limiting.

However, if you have historical soil tests, look to test at the same time of year as previously to ensure they are comparable.

Nutrient availability fluctuates throughout the year, therefore it is important to be consistent with timing of soil testing. Instead of testing every paddock, consider testing areas with similar soil type, topography and fertiliser/grazing history.

A soil test will indicate the most limiting nutrient of your soil with the key nutrients being phosphorus, potassium and sulphur.

It is difficult to accurately test for soil nitrogen as it is highly dependent on temperature and time between sampling and testing.

Instead, look for deficiencies in the plant such as yellowing on the tips of older leaves.

Phosphorus is vital for the establishment of new plants, root development, movement of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and photosynthesis.

In Victoria, Olsen P is the test used to determine plant available phosphorus in the soil.

Research has shown that there is minimal response to phosphorus fertiliser when the Olsen P is above 27, therefore the ideal level is 20–27 for dairy farms.

Levels above pose a risk of losing nutrients into water systems and are unlikely to have a return on investment.

If your levels are considerably elevated, consider reducing phosphorus application levels for 6–12 months and continue to monitor levels with soil tests.

Potassium is one of the most important nutrients heading into spring, particularly for hay/silage paddocks.

On average hay and silage remove between 17 to 27 kg (more for silage, less for hay) of potassium per tonne of dry matter harvested.

Ensure potassium levels are adequate for silage growth and replenished after cutting, on top of maintenance application, to avoid a deficiency in the soil.

Be aware when feeding high potassium silage/ hay to transitioning cows as this can impact calcium mobilisation and result in metabolic issues at calving.

If you are planning on feeding high potassium hay to transitioning cows, ensure you have other options available to balance the diet or apply potassium after cutting.

Ideally, look to top up your hay/silage paddocks with potassium throughout the year so a deficiency does not occur.

High levels of potassium can also interfere with

the absorption of magnesium in the rumen leading to grass tetany.

This can be counteracted with the feeding out or application of additional magnesium.

When soil temperature drops below 8–10°C, it is often advisable to apply sulphate of ammonia (SOA) in conjunction with urea as a nitrogen source.

The two different forms of nitrogen increase the likelihood of uptake into the plant. SOA also applies sulphur which can become limiting over winter due to leaching and locking up in the soil.

Heading into spring, consider the soil temperature and if an SOA blend would be beneficial. As it warms up, urea will likely become the most economical option for nitrogen and the pasture will be in higher demand.

Economic rates of nitrogen are between 0 kg

N/ha and 50 kg N/ha, and application beyond this will be less efficient.

Match your pasture growth rates to rate of nitrogen. In early spring, nitrogen response rates of perennial rye-grass are likely to be around 15–20 kg DM/kg of N applied.

Moisture must be available with application ideally being before a heavy rain event to reduce losses.

Pasture will only grow to the most limiting factor, so before increasing the nitrogen application rate, consider if there could be any other nutrients or soil components, including trace elements, pH and calcium to magnesium balance, reducing production.

• Ashley Burgess is a GippsDairy regional extension officer. This article was first published in GippsDairy’s How Now Gippy Cow.

Soil testing before spreading fertiliser will save money and potentially boost pasture growth.

Putting theory into practice WEST GIPPSLAND dairy farmer Chris Drew, Nyora, had a simple answer when asked why he enrolled in the Feeding Pastures for Profit (FPFP) program.

“I believe that for dairy farms to be profitable you need home-grown fodder — that’s what drives profit,” he said.

The 31-year-old started the FPFP course last year, but didn’t wait until it was finished before he started implementing what he’d been taught.

After two sessions, Mr Drew had a ‘block’ system up and running, which now keeps his paddocks rotating at whatever pace the season dictates.

Combined with the Rotation Right tool, the 31-year-old believes he is maximising the benefits of home-grown feed.

“I started using blocks straight away, splitting the farm up into 25 areas and rating all my paddocks. I’m out to a 45 day rotation at the current point,” he said.

“I also use the Rotation Right tool every day.

We have staff who float in and out but I am here all the time. It’s great for them to see what I am doing, and where we are up to. If you are trying to teach someone the system, it is a really easy way to do it.”

FPFP is a Dairy Australia/GippsDairy pro-

WHEN

QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE

IS PARAMOUNT

gram involving two days ‘up-front’ classroom style delivery plus five on-farm group days over the next 10–12 months.

Each participant is entitled to a one-off farm visit to support pasture rotation decisions.

“I aim for two-and-a-half to three leaf, that’s when I try to get it off,” Mr Drew said. “ I’ve been able to manage that most of the time, although a few paddocks got away from me in the spring,” he said. “We’ve always had feed in front of us — so it works.”

Mr Drew believes FPFP can be a gamechanger for farmers of all experience levels.

GippsDairy regional manager Allan Cameron

said FPFP not only helps farmers grow more and better grass but to also take advantage of that quality pasture to improve profitability.

“Past participants have come away with improved confidence in managing rotations, more effective use of annual crops and better utilization of nitrogen and feed supplements,” he said.

To register your interest in the next round, please contact GippsDairy on 5624 3900 or info@ gippsdairy.com.au • This article was first published in GippsDairy’s How Now Gippy Cow.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

SPRING PASTURES // 33

High- yielding forage oat boosts early grazing FARMERS FROM central Queensland to central New South Wales can look forward to earlier grazing and higher feed yields following the launch of the new Warlock forage oat variety.

Over four years of trials, Warlock was 19 per cent higher yielding than the industry’s benchmark forage oat variety, Genie, and 7 per cent above Wizard, producing dry matter yields topping 10 000 kilograms per hectare.

Bred by Bruce Winter from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries forage oat breeding program, based at the Leslie Research Centre in Toowoomba, Warlock was launched last month by Queensland’s Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister, Mark Furner, in conjunction with Heritage Seeds, which jointly funds the program.

Steve Amery, the company’s Portfolio Manager for Forage Cereals, said Heritage Seeds’ investment in the program was reaching 15 years and aimed to help bring new and improved varieties to the industry for producers. It has contributed to the previous release of Wizard, Aladdin and Genie varieties.

“Our focus is to help build the productiv-

ity and profitability of northern livestock enterprises,” Mr Amery said.

The program aims to develop improved forage oat cultivars with high forage yield, resistance to leaf rust, late maturity and high regrowth potential.

Similar to most other varieties, Warlock is susceptible to one race of leaf rust that may require effective management, however its vigorous early growth, speed to first grazing, recovery after grazing and high forage yields will be the big winner for producers.

Arthur Salisbury, South East Queensland Territory Manager with Heritage Seeds, said the quick growth of Warlock was a major benefit, allowing valuable early grazing, and, together with outstanding yields, it offered potential for improved stocking rates and animal performance.

Suitable for grazing by dairy cattle, as well as beef cattle, sheep and horses in dryland and irrigated areas, Warlock has an erect early growth habit, tall plant height, high tillering and medium thickness leaves and stems.

Forage oats are grown over about 500 000

hectares in Queensland alone and the new variety already is attracting strong interest for 2019 plantings.

Mr Amery said good seed stocks of Warlock would be available and producers could contact their local seed retailer or Heritage Seeds representative to express their interest in the new variety.

• Article supplied by Heritage Seeds.

Don Sharp, Mount Walker, Queensland, inspecting a demonstration crop of the new Warlock forage oat variety.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

34 // SPRING PASTURES

Fill summer feed gap ITALIAN RYE-GRASS Concord II could suit

dairy farmers looking to fill a potential feed gap over summer, according to PGG Wrightson Seeds.

PGG Wrightson Seeds pasture agronomist Matt Carracher said more farmers are planting cereals to fill winter feed needs.

“Their early finish creates a feed gap,” he said.

“Spring sowing with an Italian rye-grass can help

to fill that gap.

“It’s not only the planting of winter crops that can create sparse spring paddocks.

“Everything from increased pugging and insect pressure to the spraying of weeds can lead to reduced plant numbers.”

Mr Carracher said the introduction of an Italian rye-grass like Concord II can help.

“Spring-sown grasses tend to perform very

well, because the days are getting longer, soil temperatures are rising and weeds and insects are easier to control, which leads to much better establishment,” he said.

“With many previous Italian rye-grasses generally offering good seedling vigour, but inferior persistence, Concord II is much more resilient and flexible, allowing it to be used in many more situations.

Chico – the drought buster

“For a summer-safe, multi-graze summer crop, providing flexible grazing management, there is nothing better than Chico chicory.”

For summer feed, there is nothing better than Chico chicory – the perfect summer feed.

Chico’s metre long tap root is able to mine soil moisture and minerals from deep within the soil profile, providing insurance against summer drought. Its leaf is succulent, high in energy and minerals, and is very palatable.

Chico won’t cause grass staggers or facial eczema, and is tolerant of diamond back moth and white butterfly.

Chico – rocket fuel for livestock CHICO IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark agronomist.

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PGG Wrightson Seeds pasture agronomist Matt Carracher.

“Concord II is bred for its speed of establishment. It’s very fast out of the ground, which means farmers can have the paddock back in rotation very quickly.

“It’s also able to persist into the second year, unlike some other Italian rye-grass. And being a diploid rye-grass, it’s very hardy, and will stand up to challenging conditions.”

Concord II is a late-heading variety and remains vegetative quite late in the season, retaining high levels of energy and protein.

Dairy farmer Jed Boshier, Timboon, Victoria, has already experienced the benefits of springsowing Concord II. “Concord II has given us top quality silage and hay to fill the summer feed gap,” Mr Boshier said. “Plant growth was certainly better than we expected during last spring. It has proved great for milk production and growth rates in our younger stock”.

Mr Boshier planted Concord II for dryland dairy pastures in late August, which yielded 10 tonnes per hectare over the season.

“I like the Italian rye-grass because of its fast establishment, high regrowth rates and its ability to persist under moderate heat stress,” he said.

“It has made great quality silage, some of the best we’ve ever cut.

“We were also able to take a second cut of hay before Christmas and fed young stock on returned regrowth later in the summer.

“Harvesting good quality silage is one thing we can control, and if we do this right, then we know we’ve got guaranteed milk production in unfavourable conditions.”

Mr Carracher said Concord II’s vigorous establishment means that farmers can springsow with greater confidence, knowing that the grass will establish early, before it gets too dry over the summer.

However, he said hot, dry conditions can prove challenging for the persistence of Italian rye-grass through summer.

“In some more unforgiving environments, it may be more beneficial to consider planting a perennial rye-grass or summer crop. Your local PGG Wrightson Seeds sales agronomist can help you determine the best approach for your needs.”

Mr Carracher said because early grazing management has a large bearing on increased yield and productivity, a light grazing across the establishing pasture, ideally at the early tillering stage, is recommended.

• Article supplied by PGG Wrightson Seeds.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

SPRING PASTURES // 35

GM rye-grass trialled in US A NEW Zealand-developed genetically modified

rye-grass has reached an important milestone, entering a full growing trial in the US. With funding from the NZ Government and industry partners including DairyNZ, the High Metabolisable Energy (HME) rye-grass has been shown in AgResearch laboratories to grow up to 50 per cent faster than conventional rye-grass.

And it can store more energy for better animal growth, to be more resistant to drought, and to produce up to 23 per cent less methane from livestock.

Modelling also predicts less nitrogen excreted into the environment by animals feeding on the rye-grass, and consequently less nitrate leaching and lower emissions of another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide.

Development of the HME rye-grass is now progressing in the mid-west of the US where genetically modified organisms can be field tested outside the lab.

After a growing trial last year confirmed the conditions were suitable, AgResearch principal scientist Dr Greg Bryan says the full growing trial began in the US last month and will continue for five months.

“The preliminary trial was only two months, so it’s not over a timeframe that has any statistical merit; however we saw the increased photosynthesis that we saw with the plants in the greenhouses in NZ,” Dr Bryan said.

“In this full trial now underway, we will be measuring the photosynthesis, plant growth and the markers that lead to increased growth rates.

“While the growth has previously been studied in glasshouses in pots and as plants spaced out in the field, this will be the first opportunity to assess the growth in a pasture-like situation where plants compete with each other.

“The five-month timeframe will allow us to determine if increased growth is consistent across the summer and autumn, and we will simulate grazing by cutting plants back every 3–4 weeks.

“Animal feeding trials are planned to take place in two years, which we will need regulatory approvals for, and the information we get over the next two years will help us with our application for those feeding trials.”

DairyNZ spokesman Dr Bruce Thorrold said the HME rye-grass is a science breakthrough and holds great potential.

While NZ has not yet approved the release of genetically modified crops, Dr Bryan said it is important that the science keeps options open, and for there to be strong scientific evidence on any benefits or risks for policy makers to draw on.

“We think the advantages here could be very significant, with modelling to date showing the HME rye-grass could boost farm revenues by as much as $900/ha, while providing a tool for farmers to manage nitrogen run-off and greenhouse gas emissions.”

AgResearch scientist Dr Greg Bryan discusses the development of a genetically-modified ryegrass, during a farmer workshop last year.

WHAT’S HME? The development of high metabolisable energy (HME) ryegrass is based on increasing foliar lipids or fat content in the leaves.

The researchers initially produced plants which synthesised extra lipids, but then metabolised it away.

They then looked at how plants stored oil in seeds by surrounding lipid bodies

in a protective protein. Incorporating that protein produced plants able to successfully accumulate the lipids.

The enzyme producing the increased lipids has come from nasturtium and the protein that protects the fat bodies in the leaf is from sesame.

Both have been modified slightly to make them more stable.

The method could be used in any plant species using what is known as a C3 photosynthesis type, which includes many common crops.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

36 // SPRING PASTURES

Getting the balance right in South Gippsland SOUTH GIPPSLAND dairy farmer Paul Kent

has mastered the art of establishing a mixed perennial pasture sward utilising Pasture Genetics varieties.

The key component to this custom blend is Balance Chicory. Mr Kent wasn’t satisfied with the persistence from pure perennial rye-grass stands, particularly on his undulating country, so he developed his own pasture renovation program.

Beginning in autumn, old pastures are sprayed out and sown to an Outback Forage Oats and forage brassica crop.

This supplies valuable winter feed helps create a feed wedge across the remainder of the farm and prepares the paddock for a summer crop.

The paddock is then sown in early spring to a custom blend of Balance Chicory and Renegade Red Clover.

Mr Kent has tried several chicory varieties but keeps returning to Balance Chicory for its upright growth habit because “it’s just so palatable to the cows”.

This high-quality summer crop is also the basis for the perennial pasture. Early the follow-

ing autumn, the crop is over-sown with Jackpot Italian Rye-grass and Jumbo White Clover to provide explosive winter feed.

Twelve months later, the paddock is oversown a final time to 24Seven Perennial Ryegrass where it persists well in the tougher dairy country.

Having so much variety in his pastures not only grows Mr Kent more feed, but it saves him money.

The deep taproot of Balance Chicory means it can produce high-quality green feed at a time when most pastures in the district have long since dried off.

This reduces supplementary feeding and saves him from having to agist his dry stock. The high clover content fixes atmospheric nitrogen, which also reduces his reliance on synthetic fertilisers.

As a self-confessed “passionate grass grower”, he recognises that it’s all about the results.

“When the cows go into these paddocks the litres don’t change, but their components go through the roof, and that’s what we’re paid on,” he said.

• Article supplied by Pasture Genetics

Paul Kent of Woolamai, Victoria, admiring his Pasture Genetics custom blend.

A dense sward of Balance Chicory, oversown with Jackpot Italian Ryegrass and Jumbo White Clover.

Paul Kent’s custom pasture blend, in the foreground, hanging on late in the summer.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

SPRING PASTURES // 37

Add value with certified seed KNOWING THAT you’re planting certi-

fied seed that will perform on farm is critical, according to Rob Mathieson, the new Northern Victorian Sales Agronomist with PGG Wrightson Seeds.

Mr Mathieson has been a member of the PGG Wrightson Seeds production team for six years and was Operations Manager for Assure Quality Australia, was the seed certification agency reporting to the Australian Seeds Authority, before this.

“Certification in the Australian seed industry is very important, mainly to keep the purity and integrity of seed varieties that farmers purchase,” Mr Mathieson said.

“It means farmers can guarantee the seed they’re purchasing has come from a reputable source, and that it’s going to add value to their on-farm operations.”

The importance of certified seed, and the associated research and development, is high on Mr Mathieson’s agenda as he works with growers in northern Victoria.

“PGG Wrightson Seeds invest a large sum of money annually to research and develop the best seed genetics that will add value for farmers.

“It gives that peace of mind to a farmer that what they’re purchasing can help them achieve the desired outcome,” he said.

Rob says there are specific PGG Wrightson products that he will be particularly focussing on in his work in northern Victoria.

“A couple of the varieties that would be very beneficial to the farmers in this region are our Ascend annual rye-grass and our perennial grass called Base AR37,” he said.

“These varieties will drive long-term hay and forage production, and will help farmers with their feed requirements.”

With dry conditions impacting many areas of Australia in 2018, using good varieties and quality seed has been highlighted as a really important way to increase resilience in a pasture system, and increase the odds of maintaining production in good times or bad.

“It all helps to make sure the seed that growers put in the ground is going to produce a good establishment, whether they’re relying on the heavens to open up with rain or they've got water rights,” he said.

“It helps bring that peace of mind that they're going to have enough feed on farm to meet their requirements.”

• Article supplied by PGG Wrightson Seeds.

Marco – the faster establishing summer turnip

Marco has large bulbs with a high bulb to leaf ratio. Marco retains its quality well in the paddock for as long as 90 days after sowing.

And Marco has good clubroot resistance.

Rob Mathieson, the new PGG Wrightson Seeds Northern Victorian Sales Agronomist, Rob Mathieson, says Ascend annual ryegrass would prove beneficial for northern Victorian dairy farmers.

For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark agronomist.

Eastern Victoria, Northern NSW, QLD: Adam Sheedy – 0428 132 096 Western Districts, SA, Tasmania: Bruce Hume – 0427 607 375 Northern Victoria, Southern NSW: Sven Koljo – 0429 375 452

Flexible sowing date Only 55-75 days from sowing to grazing – Marco tetraploid turnip is the earliest maturing turnip available.

Advantages of this are: Less time out of production Two Marco crops in one season are possible Can be used for late sowing, or where crop failure occurs MARCO IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

For further information please contact Cropmark Seeds Australia Freephone: 1800 889 039 Freefax: 1800 889 037 www.cropmark.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

38 // SPRING PASTURES

Timing the key to optimising home-grown feed WITH CLIMATE conditions causing the price

of grain and hay to soar, maximising homegrown feed is one way for farmers to reduce their reliance on external sources of feed.

But choosing the right feed to sow in spring shouldn’t be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, and farmers should seek advice to ensure that they maximise the growing opportunities in their region.

“There are many options to fill feed gaps, depending on your location, the condition of your existing pastures, and the needs of your animals,” said research agronomist Damien Adcock of Heritage Seeds.

Mr Adcock suggests that the best approach to choosing what to sow is for farmers to first identify when they will need the feed, and to work backwards to determine the timing and suitability of specific varieties within their farming system.

“Farmers should consider if the feed will be grazed or cut and conserved as hay or silage for later use. They also need to consider the energy needs of their animals through the season and choose fodder species that will meet those requirements at the right time.”

In southern parts of Australia where conditions are milder through summer farmers might consider sowing chicory or Lucerne or oversowing pastures in September with Italian or hybrid rye-grasses for fast silage.

Likewise, spring oats, oats and vetch or peas and oats are considerations for specialty silage and hay crops that offer a variety of grazing or conservation potential.

Farmers looking for crops high in energy and protein can sow forage brassicas such as turnips and forage rape in late September and October.

Meanwhile, northern farmers might look at sowing sorghums, millets and maize to boost their fodder supplies.

Whatever their circumstances, Mr Adcock said growers should seek advice on options to meet their specific needs.

“Farmers should consult with their agronomist to determine the optimal solution for their particular situation.

“There are plenty of great varieties available that will ensure that farmers can grow with confidence and maximise their home-grown feed supplies,” he said.

• Article supplied by Heritage Seeds.

Choosing the right feed to sow in spring shouldn’t be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Higher yielding multi-graze forage rape PILLAR MULTI-GRAZE FORAGE RAPE – 4TH GRAZING For a high yielding, multi-graze forage rape, it is hard to go past Pillar forage rape.

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For technical enquiries contact your local Cropmark agronomist.

Eastern Victoria, Northern NSW, QLD: Adam Sheedy – 0428 132 096 Western Districts, SA, Tasmania: Bruce Hume – 0427 607 375 Northern Victoria, Southern NSW: Sven Koljo – 0429 375 452

PILLAR IS AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL SEED MERCHANT OR FARM MERCHANDISE OUTLET

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

40 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Teat vs tube feeders?

CALVES LEFT to suckle the dam for colostrum intake are at a greater risk of low antibody absorption and increased morbidity and mortality.

Research has shown that dairy calves should be actively fed good quality colostrum as soon as possible after birth in order to benefit in the short and long term.

Active feeding involves providing colostrum to the calf by teat or tube feeder but the method

of active feeding can affect colostral antibody absorption.

Which method should you use?

The anatomy of the calf Adult cows have four functional stomachs: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum.

In the pre-weaned calf, liquid milk and colos-

APIAM ANIMAL HEALTH GEMMA CHUCK

trum are digested in the fourth stomach, the abomasum.

In order for this to happen efficiently calves are born with a muscular fold of tissue which when closed, forms a channel between the bottom of the oesophagus and the abomasum.

This is called the oesophageal groove. When the groove is closed, milk can bypass the first three stomachs, enabling liquid feed to be deposited directly into the abomasum.

I reckon if they could talk, they’d ask for it by name.

The closure of the groove relies on a reflex which is triggered by the sights, sounds and smells of milk or colostrum feeding.

Drinking water is unlikely to stimulate this reflex. The action of sucking is a strong stimulus for closure of the oesophageal groove.

Teat vs. Tube feeding Teat feeding stimulates the natural reflex closure of the oesophageal groove, depositing colostrum and milk directly into the abomasum. This is the major benefit of teat feeding.

Fluid delivered by a tube feeder does not stimulate this reflex closure and fluid is deposited into the first three stomachs.

This results in a time delay for absorption of colostral antibodies in calves fed colostrum with a tube feeder.

Colostrum needs to pass from the first three stomachs to the abomasum and then to the small intestine for antibody absorption.

Studies have shown that the volume of colostrum fed by a tube feeder has an effect on the level of absorption of antibodies from colostrum.

Only 42% calves fed a small volume of colostrum (1.5L) by tube feeder had acceptable passive transfer of immunity, compared to 100% calves fed the same volume by a teat feeder.

However, calves fed a larger volume (3L) of colostrum with either a tube feeder or a teat feeder had no difference in passive transfer of immunity.

This shows that when calves are tube fed larger volumes of colostrum, there is overflow from the first three stomachs and rapid passage to the abomasum. See table right >

Which tube feeder?

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And asking for Champagne with breakfast.

Surprisingly, most commercially available tube feeders have a volume less than 2 litres.

Calves fed less than 2 litres of colostrum by tube are at a greater risk of failure of passive transfer of immunity compared to calves fed 2 litres of colostrum by teat.

Higher volumes need to be tube fed to overcome this.

It is recommended to measure the actual capacity of your tube feeder to check the maximum volume that can be fed in one instance.

Tube feeding the same calf multiple times in succession to achieve a higher overall volume is not only time consuming but increases the risk of aspiration and damage to the oesophagus.

Thus, it is worth investing in a larger capacity tube feeder so that only one procedure is necessary.

One such product is the increasingly popular Antahi Trusti Tuber. This relatively new, multiaward winning tube feeder has a 4 litre capacity.

It has been designed by veterinarians with calf comfort and efficiency in mind. The combination of mouthpiece, soft flexible tube, specially designed safety tip and calf size markers ensure maximum calf wellbeing and safety, and usability during tube feeding.

A small trial showed that the Trusti Tuber had an 88 per cent reduction in stress to calves compared to traditional rigid-tube feeders.

The procedure time was almost halved because the tube feeding was smoother and easier.

Speak with your veterinarian about higher volume tube feeders and how they should be used to feed colostrum to your calves.

• Gemma Chuck is an adviser with Apiam Animal Health.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

ANIMAL HEALTH // 41

“Just the person I wanted to talk to” ROD DYSON

COFFEE AND a slice on a Saturday morning is

a bit of ritual for us these days, and my coffee had just arrived when John entered the café.

I have never been to John’s farm, but I had met him a few times over the years at various industry seminars and meetings.

“Just the person I wanted to talk to! You’ll be able to tell me what to do,” John announced.

As I stood up to greet John, our chocolate brownie slice arrived at the table and my wife started to cut it in half (way too much sugar in a whole brownie!), whilst John’s wife made her way to a vacant table.

“I’ve been using [Product X] for years to treat my mastitis, and it’s not working any more — what should I be using?”

I began to tell John that I didn’t know anything about his situation, and that it would be most inappropriate for me to attempt to give him any advice, but he quickly interrupted.

“But you know all about that stuff!”

I explained that whilst I do know some stuff, I didn’t know anything about his stuff! Had he spoken to his vet about this?

“Yeah, I got Gwen to ask Dave when she was in the clinic last week and he gave her some [Product Y], but that isn’t working either!”

Gwen is John’s wife — she works off the farm at a business in town, and probably has very little

to do with the cows. So I immediately felt some empathy for Dave, who would have been unable to get any extra information to guide his advice!

Any professional advice — solicitor, accountant, banker, nutritionist, agronomist, etc. — is only as good as the information on which the advice is based.

One of the first considerations for a vet giving mastitis treatment advice will be whether there are any recent milk cultures available. Knowing which bacteria might be causing the infections is an important starting point to developing a treatment recommendation.

Hence if there are not any recent cultures available, it will often be a recommendation to obtain some!

Equally as important is that milk cultures will help define how the mastitis infections are spreading — it never ceases to amaze us how often it has been assumed that mastitis infections are environmental, especially after wet or very hot weather, only to find from milk cultures that this was simply not the case.

Your vet will want to know about the severity of the clinical cases. Treatment advice and protocols for cows that are severely ill are likely to be different to those for relatively minor cases — in fact, it is usually a good idea to have an established protocol for both.

Of particular interest will be recent treatment history — not only individual cows, but also the herd overall. Understanding which treatments

Method

Pros

Cons

Teat

• More natural

• Time-consuming

• Less invasive • Optimal antibody absorption even when fed at low volumes (<2 L) Tuber feeder

• Quick and efficient • No suck reflex required

Comments

• Ideal when time permits and when • Frustrating smaller volumes of • Colostrum wastage colostrum are fed, • Requires calves to for example to lower have a suck reflex birth weight calves • Specific training required

• Sub-optimal • Optimal antibody antibody absorpabsorption when fed tion when fed at low at higher volumes volumes (<2 L) (2.5-3L) • More invasive; less natural

• Useful in seasonal calving herds where there are a lot of newborn calves over a short time period.

• Ideal when larger volumes of colostrum can be fed in a single feed

appear to have been effective and especially those that have not, will help frame treatment advice.

How many cases have failed to respond to the first course of treatment?

If more than 20 per cent of cases require either extended treatment or a change of treatment, Countdown suggests this is a “trigger” point at which you should review your treatment protocols.

There could be any number of little clues that will assist your vet. For example, are most cases occurring in freshly calved cows? Is there a significant number of first calf heifers affected?

How many cases are repeat cases? What is your definition of a repeat case?

Also under consideration will be when and how you like to treat cows.

Some farms prefer to only treat once a day, usually because there are extra staff and more time is available — naturally this means a treatment recommendation that uses products designed for once a day treatment.

There are also farms which prefer to use only intra-mammary products, whilst other farms like to use only injectables, and many farms are happy to use a combination of both.

How will the different withholding periods of various products affect your herd management and milking protocols?

Also, whilst cost can also come into consideration, in my opinion that the most expensive

treatment is the one that doesn’t work!

Dave already has a working knowledge of John’s farm, so I told John that the more questions that Dave asked, and the more he could accurately answer those questions, the better the advice and treatment outcomes would be. More effective and better targeted use of less antibiotics will also help our industry move forward in today’s evolving world.

By the time I had explained this to John, and he headed off to join his wife at the other table, I’m pretty sure his coffee would have been cold, and I know that all that was left of my half a slice of chocolate brownie was the wry smile on my wife’s face!

• Rod Dyson is a veterinary surgeon and mastitis adviser at www.dairyfocus.com.au

One of the first considerations for a vet giving mastitis treatment advice will be whether there are any recent milk cultures available.

colostrum first building farm colostrum awareness Managing colostrum successfully is fundamental to improving both the health of young calves and the long term productivity of the dairy herd.

The Colostrum First program includes: • Review of current colostrum management • Assessment of passive transfer and colostrum cleanliness • Establishment of benchmarks • Monitoring progress

Book your Colostrum First consult in-clinic today!

(03) 5456 2709

When fed at low volumes (<2.5L) colostrum enters the forestoma and there is delayed absorption of antibodies.

When fed at high volumes (>2.5L) colostrum overflows the forestomachs, passes to the abomasum and there is no delay in absorption of antibodies

Copyright© Apiam Animal Health

Deniliquin (03) 5881 5488 Echuca (03) 5482 3202 Finley (03) 5883 3833

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

42 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Mixers viewed in action A SHARED field day head-ed by William Adams Ag’s Shepparton staff has al-lowed current and potential owners of Jaylor mixers to see the machine in action.

Held on August 17 at a property on Midland Hwy between Mooroopna and Byrneside, farmers were able to discuss the pros and cons of the Jaylor mixer with each other over a sausage sizzle.

“It’s a fantastic day for dealers and clients to come out and have a look at Jaylor and the mixing prod-ucts that we supply in the Goulburn Valley,” William Adams Ag Shepparton branch manager Christian Barnett said.

“It is a bit of a shared field day with Cobram and Echu-ca Rural and (John) Sander-son Machinery.

“We’ve all chipped in and brought a couple of clients along and it’s just a good opportunity to see the machine work in the pad-dock and in the field.”

Mr Barnett said seeing the machine in the paddock rather than in the show-room was the biggest ben-efit of holding such an event.

“You get to touch and feel it,” he said.

“Obviously we have got the Canadians here from the factory to talk about the actual

machine and then our requirements, because they are different.

“The best thing is. . . there are a handful of clients here that own differ-ent branded mixers and a handful of clients here that own Jaylor and some that are looking,” Mr Barnett said.

“It is a really good oppor-tunity for guys with other mixers to chat with the farmers that have already got this product.

“It is really good for us and a good networking day for the farmers,” Mr Bar-nett said.

He said a client who at-tended the field day was onto his third Jaylor mixer.

“We find that the Jaylor mixer seems to be the most efficient mixer on the mar-ket,” he said.

“It’s very unique with its square cut auger and it doesn’t need as much power.

“The mixing time is prob-ably one of the best on the market, too.

“So you are saving fuel, saving wear and saving time — which is the most important thing, we feel.

“It’s a really good solid-built Canadian product and we’re rapt to have it under our portfolio.”

Jaylor ruminant nutritionist Dr Alan Vaage and international business development manager Marty Philippi attended the field day event from Canada.

A hay bale (left) is dropped into the mixer (above).

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 43

Three new Massey Ferguson tractors for Australia MARK DANIEL

MASSEY FERGUSON has announced the introduction of three new tractors in the new MF 6700 Global Series, soon to arrive in Australia.

Delivering up to 132 horse power, they represent the largest, most powerful models in MF ‘s Global Series of sturdy, straight-forward, all-purpose tractors, which now covers three ranges in the 70 — 130 hp sector.

The MF 6700 Series offers a 2.5 m wheelbase and 5.2t linkage capacity, making them ideal loader tractors, capable of handling heavy loads, suited to both livestock and mixed farming enterprises, or even as a second or third main tractor on arable units.

Powered by a AGCO Power 4.4 litre, four-cylinder Tier 2 mechanical injection engine, which provides low cost operation and maintenance said to deliver excellent power and torque delivery, with low maintenance and operational costs, all models are equipped with a 12 x 12 synchronised mechanical transmission, offering six synchronised gears in two ranges and a top speed of 40 km/h.

Direction changes are made simply using the standard Power Shuttle, providing fingertip forward/reverse shifts without using the clutch as well as a button on the gear lever for clutch-less shifting on the go.

In the paddock the gearbox provides seven gears in the important 4–12 km/h field working range, alongside a practical overlap of speeds to ensure it is possible to pull away with a laden trailer without the need to change ranges.

A high-pressure gear pump supplies 57 l/min hydraulic flow for the rear linkage, with a second 41 l/min pump dedicated to the auxiliary spool valves.

A separate pump delivers 27 l/min for auxiliary circuits including the steering, four-wheel drive, diff-lock engagement, as well as PTO control.

When extra flow is required, perhaps when using a front-end loader, the primary and secondary pumps can combine their flows to provide 98 l/min to the auxiliary system.

Two double acting spool valves with float are fitted as standard and a third spool with flow divider is optional.

The three-point linkage offers a maximum lift

capacity of 5,200 kg utilising linkage arm sensors to provide accurate draft and position control through Massey Ferguson’s electronic hitch control (ELC) system.

A choice of three PTO speeds (540/540E/1000 rpm) is offered as standard, with engagement via independent PTO (IPTO) multidisc clutch, that is engaged electro-hydraulically to ‘ease’ driveline stresses by taking up the drive gradually.

In the cabin, controls are grouped logically, with the right-hand console housing the throttle and spool valve controls, while a small ‘mouselike’ control, fits into the operator’s hand to control the electronic linkage, while at the rear, a range of sockets are provided to power auxiliary control boxes and equipment.

Ahead of the operator, the dashboard presents a mix of analogue and digital displays, showing all essential information, including a performance monitor to provide information on work rates and area worked, as well as advanced diagnostic capabilities.

A degree of automation to make life easier includes electro-hydraulic activation of the differential lock and four-wheel drive.

To complete the package, a range of frontend loaders, including the MF 900X and MF Professional series loader ranges, are standard with mechanical self-levelling, while a range of non-self-levelling loaders will also be available, all offering a choice of lift capacities and reach, as well as control via the integrated Massey Ferguson joystick.

The MF 6700 Series offers a 2.5m wheelbase and 5.2t linkage capacity, making them ideal loader tractors.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

44 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

First two weeks in new rotary ‘best in 21 years’ WARRNAMBOOL DAIRY farmer

Brad Sheen says the first two weeks milking in his new 44 bail rotary are the “best weeks ever” since he went dairying 21 years ago.

Mr Sheen and his partner Justine currently milk 300 cows on 200 hectares five minutes from Warrnambool, Victoria. They are split calving in spring and autumn, irrigation

Visit us at

enabling them to milk all year round.

“I’m third generation on the farm, my father bought this property off his father 24 years ago, I joined him 21 years ago. Dad’s still heav-

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ily involved but wanted to back away from the daily milkings so we decided on a rotary to make the handling of the cows more efficient,” Mr Sheen said.

“We’ve increased the size of the farm, buying neighbouring properties, and this has enabled us to grow the size of the herd. We hope to milk around 400 cows by the end of 2018.

“The original shed was a 25 swing-over; a very basic, very workable dairy for its time but milking 300 cows was taking two people around three hours, twice a day.”

Mr Sheen said keeping up with the industry and future-proofing the farm was one of the drivers for a new shed.

“We had to go bigger and milk another 100 cows to support everything we’re doing here and that wasn’t practical in the old shed,” he said.

“We looked at refurbishing the swing-over but it would have taken around $250,000 – $300 000 to fit it out with everything we needed and, in the end, it was easier to move to a rotary. That would enable us to milk more cows, easily and efficiently.

“Overall we wanted to shorten milking time and make it easy for one person to efficiently milk 400 cows.”

The realisation that a rotary was “the way to go” saw Mr Sheen consider a range of options.

“We always had a preference for a Waikato Milking Systems’ shed so I milked in a mate’s shed which had Waikato gear and that confirmed it was the right way to go.

“We sat down with Damien Loomans of South West Dairy Services and Waikato Milking Systems’ Australian Sales Manager, Rob Spencer, and drew up a wish list of everything we wanted — a dairy which would make milking simple, efficient and productive.

The ability to purchase standard granular urea and dissolve into a liquid in cold water very quickly, can ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ Ă ŵĂũŽƌ Ğĸ ĐŝĞŶĐLJ ŐĂŝŶ ŽĨ ŶŝƚƌŽŐĞŶ ƵƟ ůŝƐĂƟ ŽŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ ŝŶ ĂŶ ĂƉƉƌŽǀĞĚ ďŽƩ Žŵ ůŝŶĞ ĨƌŽŵ ĚĂLJ ŽŶĞ͘ The Tow and Fert is a unique machine that is ‘not just another sprayer’. It has the ability to dissolve urea in cold water and apply it combined with growth ƐƟ ŵƵůĂŶƚƐ ůŝŬĞ ŐŝďďĞƌĞůůŝĐ ĂĐŝĚ Žƌ ĐĂƉŝƚĂů ĨĞƌƟ ůŝƐĞƌ ǁŚŝĐŚ results in 2 immediate savings; 1. ZĞĚƵĐĞ LJŽƵƌ E ŝŶƉƵƚ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ŝŵƉĂĐƟ ŶŐ ĚƌLJ ŵĂƩ Ğƌ response 2. ZĞĚƵĐĞ ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ƉĂƐƐĞƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ĨĂƌŵ ďLJ ĐŽŵďŝŶŝŶŐ ĨĞƌƟ ůŝƐĞƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ To get it on with your own Tow and Fert, ĐĂůů ƵƐ ŽŶ ϭϯϬϬ ϲϯϬ Ϯϳϵ ĂŶĚ ǁĞ͛ůů ŚŽŽŬ LJŽƵ ƵƉ͘

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Warrnambool dairy farmer Brad Sheen in his new 44 bail rotary dairy.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 45 “The ability to easily add upgrades like milk meters, auto wash and smart spray technology in the future was the icing on the cake.”

The new 44 bail Orbit concrete rotary was commissioned in late June.

“I’m milking 300 cows by myself and it’s so much easier. In the old dairy I was having to push cows on and off, now they’re happy to walk on, get fed and walk off. I can’t believe how it’s transformed the entire milking process.”

The new rotary is located 10 metres from the original dairy enabling Brad to utilise the old yards.

“We anticipated a few issues getting cows, unused to a rotary, onto the platform so in the weeks leading up to the commissioning of the new shed we gave them a dry run, milking them in the old shed and then running them through the new.

“When we changed over on the last day they knew what they were doing and that made the transition a lot easier.”

Mr Sheen said per cow production has improved since moving to the new dairy.

“There’s a massive difference in how relaxed they are in the new dairy compared to the old.

The amount of effluent generated during milking is one example.

“In the old shed every third tail would go up during milking, now there’d only be two or three during an entire milking. I put that difference down to the fact they are so relaxed in their own bails with their own allocation of feed.

“Our heifers are booming because they’ve

The new 44 bail Orbit concrete rotary was commissioned in late June.

got their own space on the platform and don’t have to compete with bigger, older cows. It’s

made a tremendous difference to cow behaviour and production.”

• Article supplied by Waikato Milking Systems.

“We traded in the 4000 and purchased the new Chainless X5000, that was about 18 months ago and we’ve had an awesome run with it ever since.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2018

46 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Claas sets world record for mowing LUNA BACK TO SCRATCH

A CLAAS Disco 1100 RC, billed as the larg-

est tractor-mounted mower-conditioner on the market, has shattered the world record for mowing, knocking over 141 ha of lucerne in just eight hours.

Mounted on a Claas Axion 870 tractor (295 hp) with a continuously variable transmission, the triple mower-roller conditioner unit achieved an average work rate of 17.6 ha/hour.

This was an impressive result given the average yield of 5.24 t/ha DM and the fact the crop was spread across four different fields.

The new record eclipsed the previous benchmark by 40.5 ha set in grass — without conditioners and therefore a much easier task.

The record, yet to be verified by Guinness World Records, was set by Tate Mesbergen from Mesbergen Farms, Greely, Colorado, helped by his support team and CLAAS staff.

The start was delayed several hours by 12.7 mm of rain that had fallen the previous day; and there were two unplanned stops in the paddock, one when the rig hit a piece of concrete that luckily caused no damage.

The 1100 incorporates the maker’s Max Cut cutter-bar, which has a wave-shaped mower bed press-formed from a single piece of metal.

The machine is the flagship in a range that includes 28 new front-mounted, rear-mounted and trailed models with operating widths from 2.6 m to 10.7 m.

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The Disco 1100 RC has a conditioner with two V-shaped interlocking polyurethane rollers which compress the hard stems while simultaneously preserving the precious leaves. This helps reduce the wilting time and preserves maximum feed value, because the leaves are preserved. But it increases the mower’s power consumption.

electric motor with a higher IP rating for better protection against water and dust, and a new stand-alone electronic control box.

The company also notes that a new gearbox drive consumes 40 per cent less energy than previous versions, while generating lower levels of heat.

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BECAUSE YOUR COWS

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY specialist Lely Dairy has introduced the latest version of its Luna Cow brush. Launched a decade ago, the original and enduring concept was that good animal welfare leads to happier, healthier, more productive cows. The Luna brush serves to remove dust and dirt from the animal’s coat and skin, while also stimulating good blood circulation.

In operation, a cow pushes against the brush, that starts rotating in the opposite direction. Offering the ability to revolve in either direction, the dual action is said to protect the bristles and deliver a longer working life. The latest model is said to have updated features that include an even more durable brush element, a new

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