Dairy News Australia December 2023

Saputo may sell King Island factory. Page 4 OPTUS OUTAGE CAUSES HAVOC

PAGE 5

DAIRY GROUPS CEMENT SPLIT PAGE 6

DECEMBER, 2023 ISSUE 158 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

MAKING IT BETTER Ella Credlin loves dairy farms and small communities and is determined to play her part in building a strong future for the industry and rural Victoria. PAGE 20

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 3

The year in review

BY ISABEL DANDO

PROVIDING A wrap of the 2022-23 season that was, Dairy Australia’s Australian Dairy In Focus report was released on November 15.

The report provides both an overarching historical record and annual update utilising independent data and information from across the dairy supply chain, based on statistics for the 2022-23 year.

The report highlights that while the 2022-23 season brought its fair share of challenges, the Australian dairy industry again navigated an increasingly volatile market environment both domestically and internationally.

As such, dairy remains the third largest rural industry in Australia, generating close to $6.1 billion in farm gate value over the financial year.

This is a 25 per cent increase from $4.9 billion in the previous season, which was mostly driven by a continuation of historically high farm gate milk prices.

Strong competition for milk among processors led to Australian dairy farmers receiving an average of $9.80/kg MS. As such, the vast majority of farmers reported that they made an operating profit, with profitability at an alltime high in some regions.

Despite this, most dairying regions were disrupted in some way by flooding or prolonged wet weather.

This was a common feature across many parts of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, and resulted in an increased reliance on purchased feed alongside the loss of pastures, laneways and fencing and other resources on farm.

Guernsey sale sets new record PG.4

Bouncing back from disaster PG.14

This increased reliance, and rise in purchased feed costs generally, had significant impacts on the cost of production in these regions, with the increase in both variable and overhead costs somewhat tempering the increase in milk prices received.

The flood events and La Niña conditions brought acute impacts to both the cost, and volume of milk produced throughout the 202223 season.

As such, milk production contracted by five per cent compared to the previous season.

In addition to the significant flood and wet weather events that disrupted dairy farming and reduced feed quality across the country, a higher cost of milk production, labour availability, land use change to beef enterprises, and dairy farmers deciding to exit the industry all contributed to this decline.

As a result, the national milk pool ended the season at 8129 million litres.

The In Focus 2023 report also highlighted that Australia remains a significant exporter of dairy products, despite only accounting for close to one per cent of the world’s estimated milk production.

Over the season, 30 per cent of the milk produced was exported, worth A$3.7 billion.

While Australia currently ranks fifth in

terms of world dairy trade, the share of total production destined for export has gradually fallen over time, from around 50 per cent two decades ago to about one-third in recent years.

The share of milk exported has contracted due to population growth here in Australia and an overall decline in milk production.

Within our own domestic market, dairy remains a ‘staple’ category in almost all Australian households.

Per capita consumption of cheese, butter and yoghurt consumption all increased over 2022-23, while drinking milk fell slightly to 90 litres.

While this has marginally declined over recent years; Australia’s consumption of drinking milk is high compared to other developed countries.

This can be partly attributed to the expansion of the ‘coffee culture’ in Australia and growth in flavoured milk products.

2 For more information about the Australian dairy industry and its positioning in the world, access the full Australian DairyIn Focus 2023 report at: https://www.dairyaustralia. com.au/industry-statistics/industry-reports Isabel Dando is a Dairy Australia industry analyst.

TAKING THE DAIRY STORY TO GOVERNMENTS

Cow whisperer has magic touch PG.18

NEWS ..................................................3–25 ANIMAL HEALTH ...............................26 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS ................................... 27–30

IS

eastAUSmilk’s recent round of meetings with government departments and ministerial offices has seen government better understand the situation of dairy farmers, but no big leaps forward, according to government relations manager Mike Smith.

“Drought is the big issue we’ve talked about with each of the Commonwealth, NSW and Queensland governments, pressing them on the need for more direct assistance than is currently available,” he said.

“While eastAUSmilk supports governments focusing on building farm business

I T T I M E TO

resilience, cutting such programs as freight subsidies doesn’t make sense until resilience is further embedded.

“We’ve also stressed that drought is here already — even the farmers who aren’t yet droughted are planning to follow their neighbours in de-stocking, stockpiling and sourcing fodder from other areas, and generally preparing for the worst.”

There were also discussions around bobby calves.

“We’re proposing to governments a multi-faceted approach to resolving the

bobby calves/dairy beef issue, starting with investigating the extent of the problem — how many are using sexed semen and where, what stops sexed semen uptake or changing to dairy beef breeds, how many bobby calves are there annually, what has been the experience with dairy beef breeds, and more,” Mr Smith said.

The same round of meetings included the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and focused on the status of Dairy Industry Code review.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

4 // NEWS

GUERNSEY SALE SETS NEW RECORD

By SOPHIE BALDWIN A recent Guernsey sale held at the Rochester Showgrounds has resulted in a new breed sale record, with eight-monthold heifer Glamorous Kakadu Barbell selling for $17,000.

This exceptional quality Kakadu daughter, from a Ladysman daughter of the 2019 International Dairy Week Grand Champion Cow Exkwizit Active, Barbell is backed by the famed Brookleigh B family.

The price came as a bit of a surprise for vendors Andrew and Abbey Crawford from Numbaa (near Nowra in NSW), who were nevertheless delighted by the price paid

by Ray Perkins and Shirleen Evans from Laceby.

Other sale lots to sell well included Rockmar Penney Koala, who was the next top priced lot selling for $11,000.

This deep framed 12-month-old daughter of Kearla Latimer Koala 4, EX, the IDW 2023 Reserve Champion Cow, sold on account of M. and R. Shea of Bacchus Marsh to the Sean Tomkins Syndicate of NSW. The same buyers also selected Glamorous Ladysman Fancy, a daughter of Golden Ray Fancy 3, EX, 3E with 496kg fat at $5000.

The Crawfords also sold Glamorous Design Barbell, an eight-month-old daughter of the Active Barbell cow at $6500 to P. and C. Castles of Allansford, Victoria.

Other noted lots included the stylish heifer Rockmar Vengeance Jackie who sold due to sexed Denzel for $5500 to I. Ross of

Kaitlyn Joyce parades lot 16, Glamorous Kakadu Barbell, who set a new Guernsey record price recently of $17,000. Also pictured are DLS agents Ben Minogue and Brian Leslie.

Poowong from M. and R. Shea.

Sale organiser Darby Norris said the sale was all about continuing to grow

recognition and get the Guernsey breed out and into other herds.

“Compared to other breeds, Guernseys

are a docile and easy to manage animal with good milk production. They are not as big as a Holstein, but are bigger than a Jersey, so they fit in well with any herd,” Mr Norris said.

A statement echoed by the Crawford family who chose to place five lots in this sale.

“We wanted to give other people the opportunity to get into some of these great cow families and Kakadu Barbell was our fourth lot, we were amazed when the price kept going up and up,” Mr Crawford said.

“We have spent a fair bit on breeding up our numbers over the years, so it was good to finally get a bit of money back.”

The Crawfords milk 900 cows, 50 of which are now Guernsey.

Initially they went into Guernseys because Mr Crawford had always wanted to milk the breed — over the years they themselves have bought quite a few animals from sales across the country.

Personally they have also invested heavily in IVF to build up stock numbers.

“I would encourage anyone to try a Guernsey. They are a robust animal that suits any system,” he said.

With vendors from Victoria and interstate, the 25 heifers averaged $4390 along with on embryo package selling for $800 per embryo.

Mr Norris said he was delighted by the results of this sale and he wanted to thank everyone who participated and helped make the day such a success.

They are hoping to hold another sale in 2026.

Saputo may sell island plant SAPUTO DAIRY Australia says it is considering selling its King Island Dairy facility while committing an additional $27 million towards improvement projects across its sites in Victoria and Tasmania.

SDA says it intends to keep its King Island Dairy operations running at regular capacity while it assesses possible future scenarios to maximise value for the King Island Dairy business.

With the assistance of its advisers, MA Moelis Australia, the review will consider a range of strategic, commercial and financial alternatives, including a potential sale to a third party so the facility can continue to make its award-winning products for the long term.

About 63 employees that work at the facility have been informed of the strategic review and site management will work closely with them throughout the process.

Alongside this strategic review, SDA will continue a series of investments across its Victorian and Tasmanian sites.

To further enhance the company’s network efficiency and capability, and reduce its operating costs, SDA says it is investing an additional $27 million in new capital projects, including $8 million to improve its climate, water and waste performance.

“In making these investments and strategic decisions, we remain focused on maximising

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our return for every litre of milk to further enhance SDA’s position as a high-quality, lowcost processor in Australia,” Saputo Inc president and chief operating officer (International and Europe) Leanne Cutts said.

“As King Island Dairy’s historic roots are deeply embedded in the region, we hope to find a buyer for the facility to ensure the continued success of its renowned specialty cheese products,” she said.

“We recognise the potential impact any decision may have on the King Island community, especially our employees and dairy farmers, and we are committed to thoughtfully considering all possible scenarios before any

decisions are made.

“This announcement builds on SDA’s previously confirmed consolidation initiatives that aim to align our manufacturing footprint with our current and future expected milk intake, which is already delivering higher utilisation through our facilities, while increasing efficiency and reducing operating costs.

“Once completed, this strategic review of King Island Dairy will conclude our current challenge to strengthen our competitiveness by proactively adapting our manufacturing footprint to align with the changed dairy industry landscape and deliver on our vision for long-term success in Australia.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 5

Optus outage causes havoc

BY JEANETTE SEVERS

THE RECENT Optus connectivity outage on Wednesday, November 8, was a familiar scene for many rural and regional residents, including Australia’s dairy farmers.

Normal business interruption on Australian farms affects payroll and other banking, connectivity to heat collars, receiving alerts for faults in the milk vat or another key asset, and impact workplace safety.

The Optus outage was caused when preset safety levels were triggered and routers disconnected from the Optus IP Core network.

RMIT University’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Mark Gregory said a routine software upgrade was the cause of the outage, which created a cascading failure in the system.

The lack of a disaster recovery plan became self-evident as the day went on.

The Federal Government has committed to an investigation into the outage; but the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s investigation is limited to users’ emergency call access.

Farmers know connectivity challenges in rural Australia are bigger than one carrier.

Optus and Telstra, the two largest national carriers, routinely provide challenging connectivity in rural and regional Australia.

It’s not only the lack of connectivity, it’s also the width of the band of connectivity.

The Commonwealth Government’s Australian Broadband Advisory Council has acknowledged there are localised connectivity gaps on, across and between farms, that hold back online farm-based businesses, force costly work-arounds for farmers, and negatively impact online learning for farm children.

Accessibility issues aren’t prioritised by banks, according to Senator Matt Canavan, Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee chair, in a hearing into bank closures in regional Australia, held on September 20 this year.

Matt noted one farmer discussed how they had to regularly procure a helicopter and fly across their property to a place where they could connect to the internet to do their banking, including paying wages to their employees.

This extreme endeavour was because they couldn’t get an appropriate internet connection in their office.

ABAC’s report states the national carriers’ primary focus is on serving population centres and major transport corridors, which is

Peter Young, from Buffalo in Victoria, says his business operations and profitability are affected by poor connectivity.

Phil Ryan, from Toothdale in NSW, relies on connectivity for animal health and welfare and often experiences failures in the system.

detrimental to farming communities.

Unfortunately, the same report states there are barriers to entry for new providers to help rural communities build local connectivity.

The Australian Farm Institute has estimated an additional 25 per cent value to agriculture production if the necessary communications infrastructure and broadband coverage was in place across our regions.

Researching and interviewing for this article was challenged by poor or lack of connectivity.

It isn’t a surprise for the two dairy farmers interviewed for this article, Peter Young at Buffalo, Victoria, and Phil Ryan at Toothdale, NSW. “When I make a phone call, I need to be careful I don’t move or my phone will drop out,” Phil Ryan said, who farms at Toothdale in the Bega Valley.

“On some parts of the farm, mobile phones don’t work at all.”

For online meetings, he has to turn off the camera to maintain connectivity.

On the day of the Optus outage, Phil was unable to contact one worker whose phone was tied to that national carrier. Phil said it was a similar situation on any given day for Telstra.

“Mobile connectivity is unreliable and very slow,” he said.

To improve it comes at considerable cost.

He has regularly invested in external aerials for internet connection.

“I operate two or three internet connections at once, hoping one of them will work,” Phil said.

“I pay premium prices to get internet connections.

“I’ve had to write off investment in what should be current and perfectly usable technology, that has become redundant and unusable pretty quickly after I’ve bought it.”

As NSW Farmers Dairy Committee chair, Phil knows he’s not the only farmer experiencing these issues.

“Talking to other farmers in the district, I know my experience is a common one,” he said.

“It’s a significant issue within NSW Farmers generally and a focus of regular lobbying.

“My local colleagues have had issues with mobile coverage and internet connection for a long time.

“Telstra is currently doing upgrades in the Bega Valley and that is making mobile connectivity unreliable and very slow.”

The upgrades are widespread across the regions because Telstra initiated upgrades in November and early December in preparation for peak tourism season.

Peter Young, in South Gippsland, is another Telstra customer who is frustrated with connectivity. He has been a Telstra customer since he bought his first mobile phone.

In the same week as the Optus outage, a frustrated sales representative had to travel to Peter’s farm to discuss business — because they couldn’t connect on the phone.

“He tried contacting me by phone three times and each time it went straight to message bank,” Peter said.

“I tried the Telstra app to test speed of connection, but it wouldn’t work because it was too slow.

“I contacted Telstra to complain, and I was offered boosters I could purchase at

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Telstra urged Peter Young to buy products to boost his connectivity. Australians pay more than five per cent of household income to maintain connectivity compared to an international standard of two per cent.

Telstra upgrades in prime tourism locations have created days without connectivity for local residents.

a substantial increase to my bill, but what I ­wanted was the reception we have been told we should have.

“I have no idea how many calls I’ve missed relating to my farm business, but call centres still find their way through.”

Many times, Peter has lost internet connection altogether. It has a negative impact on his agribusiness, and is of concern to the businesses he deals with.

Telstra’s recent response to Peter, by text, was to offer him a range of service boosters he could buy to improve reception.

“Losing all internet means I’ve missed ­getting emails on time for critical decision making,” he said.

Continued on page 12

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

6 // NEWS

UDV names a new president

BY GEOFF ADAMS

WARRNAMBOOL DAIRY farmer Bernie Free has emerged as the new United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president, following a torrid year for the dairy body which has seen an exodus of members to join a breakaway ­representative body.

Mr Free, his wife and daughter, operate a 600cow dairy farm on about 526ha at Winslow, a few minutes drive north of Warrnambool, in south-west Victoria, supplying the Bulla factory.

He has re-engaged with the UDV recently, believing there is a strong need for dairy specific advocacy from the UDV, and broader representation from the Victorian Farmers Federation.

Issues like local government rates and energy are across commodities, but for issues like the dairy code, specific lobbying is required.

“All the legislation being pushed onto dairy farmers, the red tape, we need advocacy to

resist that,” Mr Free said.

“And in northern Victoria, we need strong advocacy on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

“Our first object in agriculture is to either produce food for people or to clothe them.”

Among the chief issues he will be giving attention to include cost of energy, and the requirements to meet carbon reductions while continuing farming.

“Labour comes up all the time in every ­conversation I have.

“Being able to get people to come to Australia and live and work in a rural setting and the opportunity for an education, is a privilege for farmers, while they are providing a service to our industry.

“You hear of a lot of dairy farmers saying ‘I’m not milking any more cows because of the employment issue’.

“I think it’s one of the issues holding down milk production.

“Other factors include the cost of inputs, and the risk of not being profitable in the future.

“We need to get a return for the investment we are putting in.”

Mr Free said he will be talking to farmers in other parts of the state, to hear what other farmers are concerned about.

He said the UDV is reviewing its policy and advocacy plan.

Mr Free was asked about why he decided to stick with the UDV, rather than join an alternative organisation. (See a story below on the new Dairy Farmers Victoria group.)

He said there was a universal agreement that farmers need both dairy and a broad-based advocacy.

“It’s the internal workings of the VFF that is the argument.

“I would prefer to stay and try to get the internal workings of the VFF working properly so we can work as a team on agriculture in ­general and specifically in the dairy space.

“Every organisation has to go through some turmoil to come out the other side a better organisation.

“As much as I don’t like the internal fighting, in some ways it means that ideas are being expressed about what direction the advocacy organisation should go in and hopefully we come out the other end stronger and better able to advocate for dairy farmers.”

Asked if the current VFF leadership had his support, Mr Free said there was agreement in some areas and disagreement in others.

His hope was that once issues were resolved the organisation would emerge stronger.

“There is a need to have a discussion about what direction to take the VFF in the future.”

The VFF has announced the results of ­elections to its VFF-UDV Policy Council.

The members are: Jasmine Kneebone from Gippsland, Robert Campbell from Cobden, Bridge Goulding from Katunga, Greg Brooks from Strathmerton and Harper Kilpatrick from Koroit.

Meanwhile, farm lobby group Farmer Power, formed in Victoria in 2013, has announced it is disbanding.

BY RICK BAYNE

stakeholders and growing our membership base.”

Mr Billing said DFV was aiming to develop a positive culture around dairy.

“We want to have open forums where everyone is able to attend and participate and we want to engage all parts of a dairy business,” he said.

“We’ve had very positive conversations with the new Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence and the ag department and that will continue.

“We’re also on the front foot in discussions with the department around the implications of animal welfare legislation for Victoria’s dairy farmers.”

DFV has adopted a two-tiered membership, with a foundation subscription costing $500 and a $200 associate membership to engage a broader base across the industry, including service providers and staff.

“We want to involve everyone in the dairy industry,” Mr Billing said.

“Those involved so far are very engaged, after all the frustrations we had with the UDV. “Some members have moved across from the UDV but some have never been engaged with a dairy organisation before.

“Only a third of dairy farmers in Victoria are UDV members so there is a wealth of experience for us to tap into among farmers who didn’t see UDV as an opportunity for them.”

DAIRY GROUP PLANS EXPANSION

Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billing is confident of a strong future for the new organisation.

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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.

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Dairy Farmers Victoria expects to employ an executive officer within a year and soon after have staff in the state’s three main dairy regions.

The state’s new farmer representative body is continuing to grow with membership now topping 100, and president Mark Billing said it was already assuming the mantle as the number one farmer group.

“Even though we don’t yet have the critical mass of members, I believe we have the strongest voice for dairy farmers because of the connections we have in the industry and our strong stakeholder engagement,” Mr Billing said.

“I believe we are very well placed to represent dairy farmers in Victoria at all levels with the Victorian Government, Dairy Australia and all other relevant authorities.

“It will depend on numbers and what projects we get to deliver, but I’d like to think in 12 months we’ll have an executive officer.”

DFV became an association in July after a series of resignations from the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria and plans its first AGM and conference in 2024.

Committee members have recently held information sessions in south-west Victoria and northern Victoria and plan meetings in Gippsland in December.

“We’ve had quite a few inquiries and people are interested in being part of what we’re doing,” Mr Billing said.

“The priority at the moment is getting out there and engaging with farmers and

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Continued on page 22

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

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

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

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03/08/2023 09:06:58

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

8 // NEWS

Junior handlers on show

BY ANDY WILSON

THE NEXT generation of cattle handlers made

it, then it will get angry at you and won’t do what it needs to.”

Scott — like many of the handlers — aim to get their own farm one day, and in Scott’s case, he plans to breed Illawarras and beef cattle as well.

“I want to do it for myself.”

Cooper Fisher was another competitor at the event, and despite a reputation that matched his showman skills, the 10-year-old aspires for something different when he gets older.

“I’d like to be a builder, or a tradie,” Cooper said.

“I’m pretty good with my hands.”

Holstein Australia marketing and communications manager Amanda Glossop was full of praise for Cooper.

“He was a junior handler at the International Dairy Show last year,” Amanda said.

“He’s helpful around the family property.

“I really admire his commitment for such a young person, and his passion and excitement for cows has passed on to the rest of his family.

“And his younger brothers and sisters are also showing.

“Cooper Fisher is a superstar.”

Cooper’s philosophy is simple enough.

“You have to make sure that you look at the judge at all times and I do my best to do that,” he said.

“I felt I was in control.”

As for any secret, he was quite laconic.

“I don’t have one.”

Scott Moran hopes to breed his own Illawarras one day, along with Angus beef cattle. His confidence in the ring paid off at this year’s Shepparton Show.

Junior handlers came in all shapes and sizes at the Shepparton Show. Max Fisher shared in the prize pool.

their mark at the Shepparton Show in October in a display that gives confidence to the future of the event and the dairy industry as a whole.

The junior dairy cattle judging had competitions in nine classes for handlers aged from under eight to 25 years and seven competitions for champion and reserve champion handler.

More than 20 young competitors competed in the event held in the evening.

For Scott ‘Happy’ Moran, the Shepparton Show was not his first rodeo and the modest achiever said he had only been showing for four years.

The night was his first success at Shepparton, having only won at the Rochester Show the year before.

Scott’s philosophy involved a systematic approach towards the relationship between handler and cow.

“It’s just about having control over your calf,” Scott said.

“If you’ve got that then you’ve just got to worry about the judge and how you stand your calf up really.

“If you show fear when you’re leading then the calf can sense the fear that you’re showing and get scared.”

“And as my Dad taught me, you get angry at

Jep Ferguson leads under the tutelage of breeder and expert judge Erin Ferguson who holds Dustin van der Drift

Ava Fisher brings a bit of colour to the ring at Shepparton.

Cooper Fisher is considered a ‘superstar’ in dairy circles for his work on the family property and his professionalism with showing dairy calves.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

12 // NEWS

Optus outage causes havoc Continued from page 5

“I’ve missed text messages from businesses I work with, meaning planned jobs didn’t go ahead because they couldn’t organise a time with me.

“Internet banking and filling in electronic vendor declarations have failed because of low internet.

“I was having trouble speaking to my Marinus Link representative as my phone was dropping out and his voice was cutting in and out. When I said how poor the phone reception is at Buffalo, he said that was a concern for Marinus and they would be looking into it.

“I fear when we can no longer access 3G, things will get a lot worse as my connection now shifts mainly between one bar of 4G to one bar of 3G.” The Australian Digital Inclusion Survey 2023 identified that substantial numbers of Australians continue to need to pay more than five per cent of household income to maintain quality and reliable connectivity.

International standards indicate households should not pay more than two per cent of their income for internet access.

Low or lack of connectivity also has a

significant impact on Phil’s farm business, particularly his decision making around animal health and welfare.

“I’m reliant on my internet connection for operating the heat detection collars on my cows,” he said.

“That’s my main limitation on a daily basis for technology that needs mobile or internet connection.”

But there’s also simple things that become time wasters.

“I can’t contact suppliers, and lack of connectivity impacts how I manage biosecurity risks,” Phil said.

“I definitely think there are issues with focusing on high population areas at the expense of rural areas.

“Our network coverage is becoming an increasingly necessary service for operating any sort of business. Farms are reliant on connectivity.

“I’ve spent hours and hours of my time wasted arguing about connectivity with mobile and internet providers.

“The failures of internet networks only become apparent to politicians when bushfires and other disasters occur or when tourists are on holiday and their phones don’t work.”

Demands from the EU that Australian dairy products do not use Europe-originating names, such as feta cheese, is hindering a more ‘fair and equitable’ trade agreement.

DAIRY INDUSTRY BACKS ‘NO DEAL’ Australia’s dairy industry has backed Federal Trade Minister Don Farrell in walking away from a trade deal with the European Union that would have hurt the industry.

Both the Australian Dairy Industry Council and Australian Dairy Farmers say a free trade agreement with the EU was never going to deliver a positive outcome for dairy.

Australian Dairy Farmers was part of an Australian delegation to Europe which in October lobbied the EU for a wider share of the European dairy market.

Northern Victorian dairy farmer Sarah Parker accompanied the delegation and told Dairy News Australia the failure to reach a deal with Europe reflected the paucity of the EU’s offer.

“No deal is better than a dud deal,” Mrs Parker said.

“It would not have been fair because they would have had greater access to our dairy industry, but we would have had no gains and some burdens instead.”

Mrs Parker said what the EU was offering was not a “level playing field”.

“Something like this normally involves a like-for-like deal,” she said.

“Theirs is a highly subsidised dairy industry which sells 70,000 tonnes per year to Australia.

“In contrast, Australia exports only 500 tonnes back; that’s a mere fraction.

“Fair and equitable trade is needed here,

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considering that we have some unique dairy products.”

The EU is demanding that Australia concedes any geographical indicator (GI) naming of products, a requirement that industry experts say will put smaller ­cheesemakers out of business.

Honouring GI constraints would result in the banning of well-known cheese names such as feta, parmesan and haloumi.

Changing packaging would incur an initial cost for the industry but indefinite losses would result from consumers targeting European products still lawfully carrying the more familiar name.

Mrs Parker said the GI needed to consider the international heritage of Australian cheesemakers and other producers.

“Also we need to consider that some local families have secret recipes that go back generations.

“We want our products to be appreciated. We have a right to be proud of what we do.”

ADF president and ADIC chair Rick Gladigau has urged the Federal Government to not make a deal which at present would cost the Australian dairy industry $75 million a year.

Mr Gladigau said the industry had consistently reinforced that a free trade agreement with the EU was never going to deliver a positive outcome for dairy.

“Australian dairy welcomes the minister’s decision not to conclude a deal and walk away,” he said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 13

Dairy research showcased THE ANNUAL two-day Dairy Research

Foundation Symposium, held at the University of Sydney’s Camden campus and Corstorphine Dairy, has now concluded — after a stunning showcase of the industry’s most recent scientific research and developments in carbon, sustainability, business and farming production.

DRF director Professor Yani Garcia said the 2023 theme A lot more than just carbon, generated a myriad of powerful conversations about the reality of carbon in the dairy industry’s future.

“Over 200 people attended the 2023 DRF Symposium, and it was brilliant to be surrounded by industry professionals, farmers and scientists all working together for a united purpose to strengthen the dairy industry in Australia,” Prof Garcia said “We had 23 excellent speakers who were very willing to share their ideas, knowledge and expertise throughout the two-day program which focused on the reality of carbon, and a diversity of issues surrounding this.

“The two international keynote speakers, Dr Tim Mackle from New Zealand and Ad van Velde from the Netherlands, captivated the audience with discussions on biodiversity and innovation amid shifting customer expectations globally.

“Given both keynote speakers also have the practical, hands-on experience of dairy farming themselves, the audience — primarily dairy farmers from across NSW — were engaged and walked away with many new tools and ideas to implement.

PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, Alice Shirley, won the Emerging Scientist competition.

“The Q&A with The University of Melbourne’s Professor Richard Eckard’s and DPI’s Aaron Simmons received great audience engagement — as they talked through carbon, how it can be reduced, biodiversity, and the considerations across beef versus dairy beef.

“An excellent panel of farmers then shared incredibly motivating and inspiring diverse perspectives on how they have grown despite so much adversity over the last few years. Many young farmers in attendance were impacted by their thoughts, resulting in a very positive session overall.

On day two of the DRF Symposium at Corstorphine Dairy, 10 emerging scientists presented their own research to attendees.

“Then today, day two of the DRF Symposium at Corstorphine Dairy, 10 emerging scientists presented their own research as they competed for a unique professional development opportunity.

“Congratulations to second year PhD candidate at the University of Sydney Alice Shirley, who won the Emerging Scientist competition with her presentation: Revealing the diversity in

response to heat for individual cattle fitted with a reticuloruminal sensor, through the development of a threshold model to identify water intake,” Prof Garcia said.

The success of the 2023 Symposium was only possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors DLF Seeds, Dairy Australia, NSW Government, RCI, Lactalis Australia, Scibus, Cows-R-Us, Bega, AM Dairy Solutions and Norco.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

14 // NEWS

Expecting to milk 350 when the herd finishes calving down, Brett Napier is currently milking 315 through a 20-a-side herringbone dairy.

Some of the 800 dry tonnes of silage harvested this year.

Bouncing back from disaster

BY SOPHIE BALDWIN

BRETT NAPIER is hoping 2023 will make up

for the disappointment of the 2022 season and, so far, things are looking pretty promising.

“I get pretty annoyed when I hear it’s a bonanza for dairy farmers right now,” Brett said.

“Some of us got flooded last year and lost significant amounts of ­money — this year is all about making up the ground we lost, well for us it is anyway.

“We are 12 months away from seeing any good results, that’s the forces of nature unfortunately.”

Brett is referring to the 2022 flood which saw him lose around 385 hectares of pasture resulting in what he reckons amounts to about a $300,000 fodder loss on his property at Blighty, in the Riverina region of southern NSW. “One of our properties had floodwater 1.5 metres deep across it and we had to check the house by boat.

“We lost all our hay and dry stock feed and had to buy in a lot of expensive fodder to compensate.”

But having said that, 2023 has certainly turned things around with the business already storing 800 dry tonnes of silage undercover and 500 bales of lucerne and clover hay in the stack.

“I think we will cut 1000 bales of barley straw which combined with our other fodder will give us enough feed for the next 18 months.”

He has just finished sowing 23ha of corn which he will put in the pit next year.

Shoring up water allocation is key to the farm success and Brett still remembers the terrible lessons from the millennium drought.

“We had to sell most of our MIL water to

survive back then and I never want to have to sell an asset to survive ever again, nor should I have to,” he said.

In March 2020 and after the end of the 2019 drought, the business decided to invest in a new bore that has been a massive game changer and given Brett the confidence to keep dairying.

“Putting a new bore in has kept us in the industry and if it ever gets dry like that again, we have a plan in place that will allow us to grow feed and stay away from $500 megalitre water prices — our old bore was useless.”

With the help of a Rural Authority Assistance grant Brett was able to install a 300 horse power pump and 15 inch pipe to run the bore.

“Bore water is cheaper than MIL water and we can pump up to 24Ml/day although I would say the sweet spot is about 15/Ml a day.

“The water quality is about 900 parts per million which makes it good enough water quality to use straight up without shandying in a dry year, although you do have to be careful and wouldn’t want to have to use it year in year out.”

Like all farmers, Brett is worried about Federal Water Minister Tanya Pliberseks Restoring Our Rivers bill and the removal of the socio-economic test to protect the community from the impacts of buybacks.

“Access to affordable irrigation underpins the success of our business and the community that depends on us — buybacks decimate our region and if we lose another 450 gigalitres of water you can say goodbye to at least 20 per cent of the nation’s fresh milk,” he said.

Another key to the success of the business is labour, and with two full-time staff, Brett is keen to get the work/life balance right.

With cups on at 5.30am and milking finished at around 6.30pm, the days are often long and tiring.

Blighty dairy farmer Brett Napier hopes the next few years will be a little kinder and free of crippling droughts and flooding rains.

“We rely heavily on our workers so we always make sure we pay well and look after them by providing plenty of time off.”

Expecting to milk 350 when the herd finishes calving down, Brett is currently milking 315 through a 20-a-side herringbone dairy.

The business has been supplying Riverina Fresh out of Wagga for the last couple of years.

“We are looking to consolidate our business from now on and we are also getting into dairy

beef, selling 150 steers each year to help with our cash flow,” Brett said.

Having been dairying for the last 23 years, Brett reckons he has still got a few years left in him yet.

He is hoping the next few will be a little kinder and free of crippling droughts and flooding rains.

“A couple of good seasons will make all the difference,” he said.

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NEWS // 17

Remove all the guesswork “We have better control, more accurate timing of heats and we can AI accordingly,” Trevor said.

“It gives us greater certainty when using sexed semen and makes it more effective and economical.

“Joining is less stressful. There are no big AI days like there were when we used hormones.

We let them cycle naturally and we can manage our workload better.”

BY COBY BOSCHMA

STOP GUESSING your cows’ cycles and kiss

tail paint and scratchies goodbye. Ear sensors are all you need to never miss a heat.

They measure cows’ rumination, eating, inactivity, activity, high active behaviour and ear temperature.

And those happen to be the perfect parameters to determine heat intensity and heat stage.

For Naringal-based dairy farmer Brett Membrey, who milks over 1000 cows, ear sensors have been a game-changer.

“We used to spend six to seven hours a day heat detecting while milking,” Brett said.

“Now, it’s 10 minutes a day — and we’re getting it right. We’re inseminating cows that are on heat, and at the correct stage of heat.

We aren’t missing those cows with short heats either.

“I liken the accuracy of the system to having new scratchies applied each day.”

As easy as getting a text

CowManager ear sensors will tell you which cow is on heat, sending you an alert to your computer as well as your smartphone.

One look at your phone or PC, and you’ve got all the data about heat intensity, heat stages, heat peaks, possible pregnancies, non-cycling cows and even potential abortions.

The system shares alerts like ‘Potential’, ‘Suspicious’ and ‘In Heat’.

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CowManager ear sensors will tell you which cow is on heat, sending you an alert to your computer as well as your smartphone.

By clicking on the specific alert, you can view the activity graph of an individual cow, helping you determine the optimal time of insemination.

After receiving a heat alert, inseminating 10 to 22 hours after it is most ideal. Of course, the system calculates and refreshes all alerts every hour.

“Joining is less stressful”

Jared King was looking for a system to make joinings easier and more effective in terms of outcome as well as costs.

“When you waste a $25 straw on a mistimed

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insemination, you can live with it. But when the sexed straw costs three times that, you don’t want to get the timing wrong,” Jared said.

He manages a herd of 360 cows in Wattle Flat and since using the ear sensor system, the accuracy and timing of AI has improved, as well as conception rates.

“There’s obviously cost savings in labour, scratchies, tail paint. But I’d say the ease of use and accuracy of heat detection are the major benefits for us.”

Trevor Shanahan, who milks about 300 cows on his family farm in Koroit, mentions less stress as an added benefit.

At Childers Cove, Eugene and his two staff members care for and milk 300 cows. According to Eugene, one of the biggest benefits is being able to rely on the accuracy of the system.

“CowManager has taken any human error out of the process; from heat detection right through to cow identification and drafting,” he said.

“It’s so easy to use and makes the mating period very easy.

“I’ve been able to spend less time in the dairy as I haven’t had to worry about the heat detection or applying heat detection aids, leading to more family time.”

Eugene, his wife and seven children were able to go on a family holiday in the middle of the mating period.

“We’ve never been able to do that before,” he said.

“But having the cow monitoring app on my phone allows me to be able to see what is going on 24/7, even if I’m away.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

18 // NEWS

The cow whisperer has milk m

BY RICK BAYNE

SOME PEOPLE call him a “cow whisperer”

but Paul Finlayson says there’s nothing magical about his long history of exceptional milk quality.

Paul and his wife Karen have again been recognised for their high-quality milk production, receiving a gold plaque from the 2023 Australian Milk Quality Awards.

The award is nothing new — they have received a plaque each year since the Milk Quality Awards were established in 2002 — adding to their collection of awards received over eight years prior to then.

The most recent eight awards have been gold.

Across all 29 years they have received a matching award from their processors. There are now so many awards they’ve had to extend the display board at the gate of their Jancourt East farm in south-west Victoria.

If anyone has a better record of top-level consistency in Australia, Dairy Australia doesn’t know about it.

Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards recognise farms with an annual average Bulk Milk Cell Count in the lowest five per cent based on data collected by processors during the financial year.

“There’s no magic trick, I can’t put it down to one thing,” Paul said.

“I don’t think I do anything special. I milk twice a day so I know all the cows and can recognise if something is wrong.”

However, Karen has a few ideas.

“Paul is such an easy-going person and it comes back to how he is with the animals,” she said.

“There’s no stress on the cows. He just takes everything in his stride. Paul has a good working relationship with everyone and that includes his cows.

“The cows are very quiet; a lot of people say they’re like big lambs,” Paul said.

Childhood sweethearts, Paul and Karen

THE GOLDEN TOUCH Victorian dairy farmers Paul and Karen Finlayson have again been recognised for their high-quality milk production, receiving a gold plaque from the 2023 Australian Milk Quality Awards.

Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards recognise farms across Australia with an annual average Bulk Milk Cell Count in the lowest five per cent. This is from data collected by processors during the financial year.

The top 100 farms in the list with the lowest BMCC each receive a gold plaque for their farm gate.

Paul and Karen have a long history of exceptional milk quality. They have received a plaque each year since the Milk Quality Awards were established in 2002 — adding to their collection of other awards received over eight years prior to then.

The dairy is nothing flash but Paul’s trained eye makes sure any problems are quickly detected.

The Fire Lake Holstein stud does well in classification with 15 Excellent cows and two Excellent bulls.

settled the farm in 1989, leasing for three years before buying the 70 hectare property, which includes nearly 15ha of native bushland.

Paul had previously worked on his parents’ nearby farm and had leased another farm at Camperdown for 12 months before finding the Jancourt East property.

Apart from clearing tussocks and thistles, pasture renovation, fencing, updating the

water supply and upgrading the dairy from a six-a-side double-up to a 12-a-side swingover herringbone, not a lot has changed over that time.

Paul spends a lot of time studying his Fire Lake Holstein stud cows, making sure they’re healthy and that he’s choosing the right bulls for his breeding goals of type and production.

They are classified every year to help

with breeding.

“From when I first started till now, they have improved out of sight,” Paul said.

He had bred about 15 Excellent cows and two Excellent bulls. His current top cow is Excellent 91.

“I get catalogues from most of the companies and pick through what I like for type and production,” Paul said.

“It takes a while but I like it when I see the end result.”

“He studies for hours,” Karen said.

Over the past five to six years, the cows have averaged 7500-8500 litres depending on the season.

They get about 1.5 tonne of grain per season.

“I don’t feed them too much,” Paul said.

“I don’t have crops and don’t do silage; it’s usually just dryland farming. I put in a lot of rye-grasses and direct drill some annuals to bulk it up, but a lot of it is native pasture.

“I have to buy a fair bit of hay which is a downfall, but I’ve been using one supplier for the past 20 years and it’s always good and reasonably priced.”

The first award came after Karen had a prolonged period in hospital, the first of many

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 19

k magic flowing in his vats

The Finlaysons have changed their calving shed and feeding system with great impact.

Paul and Karen Finlayson have again been recognised for their high-quality milk production.

health battles she has endured with Paul’s unwavering support.

“Paul was milking and then driving to hospital in Warrnambool and then going home to milk,” Karen said.

“To this day he says it was a fluke, but once we started getting them, we kept trying to keep the streak going.

“When we hit 20 awards, Fonterra looked around Australia and couldn’t find a lot with diamond awards from DA for low cell count, let alone a plaque every year from the factory for meeting their quality guidelines.

“We’ve got both, every year for 29 years, and we’ve never stopped milking, which is even harder to achieve.”

They have retained their number one status since signing up with Bulla about five years ago.

Paul doesn’t set out to win the awards, but Karen reveals a competitive streak, keeping a monthly cell count record and setting targets along the way.

Last year the average cell count was 38,000.

“It really surprised me because it had been so wet for so long but the cell count was the lowest it had ever been,” Paul said.

“There was mud everywhere and I didn’t have a lot of feed so it didn’t make sense to me.”

For a couple of months, the cell count fell to around 16,000.

“I didn’t think it was possible to get that low,” Paul said.

“I do get cows with mastitis, but not a lot.

I think it gets back to me being the only one

in the dairy.

If there’s stuff in the filter in the morning, I check every cow at night until I find it. Nothing is missed. The dairy is pretty basic — it doesn’t have any bells and whistles — it’s just my eye.”

In recent years, Paul has changed his calf raising routine. He previously fed calves four litres twice a day and put them out on pastures after four to six weeks, but wasn’t happy with how they were growing.

He attended a seminar at Camperdown where he took on advice to feed them once a day with only two to three litres of milk and to keep them in the shed until three months.

The consultant also visited the farm and recommended removing the front of the north-facing calving shed and adding vents at the back.

“We followed his instructions, including fresh water, fresh straw and fresh pellets and only feeding what they need in a day and I loved what I saw.

“We kept them in the shed till they’re three months old and consuming about 4kg of pellets when their rumen is developed enough to eat grass.

“Previously the calves were going out fat, but they had no rumen development or skeletal growth that could utilise the grass.”

He also brought forward calving to April-July to avoid the worst of the winter wet.

Paul, 58, Karen, 55, have no plans to retire.

“If you love what you’re doing, you never work a day in your life,” is one of Paul’s mottos and he continues to live up to it.

The Finlaysons’ Jancourt East farm in south-west Victoria.

We’re gonna need a bigger fence! Paul and Karen Finlayson have had to extend their display board to keep adding their annual plaques.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

20 // NEWS

Jumping feet first into a s

BY RICK BAYNE

ELLA CREDLIN loves dairy farms and small communities and is determined to play her part in making them better.

Despite operating four dairy farms with her husband Jed Boshier, a full-time job at ANZ’s Agribusiness manager and raising two girls, Ella has found time to join both the WestVic Dairy and Food and Fibre Great South Coast boards in Victoria’s south-west.

“It’s very easy to sit back and be critical of organisations. I feel that if you want to see change and/or progression, it’s important to step up as leaders in our communities and industries and be part of the solution,” Ella said.

Neither Ella nor Jed is from a farming background and she hopes their non-traditional pathways and her experience in finance will bring a different perspective to the boards she represents.

“We started our journey on an equity partnership, sharefarming arrangement, lessee and then farm ownership.

“There was no family farm or connection to where we live or farm. It has literally been the initial opportunity, hard work and having the confidence to back ourselves.”

It has been a meteoric rise.

Jed came to Australia from New Zealand 20 years ago for the opportunity to enter the dairy industry as an equity partner for a NZ family that wanted to invest in Australia.

After 12 years in that role, he and Ella lived in China for two years working for AustAsia ­building three mega 10,000-cow dairy farms.

Ella grew up in Wycheproof in the Mallee and moved to near Geelong when school age, but, like Jed, had no family farming connection. None of her four siblings, which includes political commentator Peta, have entered agriculture.

In 2016, Ella and Jed returned to Australia, initially sharefarming near Timboon and since expanding their farming business Boshier Farms Pty Ltd to milk nearly 1500 cows over four farms with 14 employees.

“Jed loved it here and the style of farming it presented. When we arrived back from overseas, we knew the south-west was very reliable dairy country and this would give us the best opportunity,” Ella said.

“We started farming when the milk price crashed with Murray Goulburn — so it was a sink or swim moment.”

Ella Credlin had no family connection to farming but has embraced the dairy industry and rural lifestyle.

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Boshier Farms owns a 400-cow farm at Curdies River, sharefarms with landowners David and Penny Conn on two farms at Ecklin and co-own a recently-purchased fourth farm with the Conns, who originally came from Gippsland and still operate a dairy farm there, but their main operation is beef production on Flinders Island.

“They saw an opportunity to invest in dairy country in the south-west about five years ago and purchased three dairy farms and employed Jed and I as sharefarmers,” Ella said.

“We had our own farm then — but were looking for the scale to grow but didn’t have the capital to purchase a farm of this size.”

Each farm has an individual management structure overseen by Jed and Ella, with trusted advisors being consulted along the way.

“We run a very simple system using as much home-made grass and fodder as we can and try to minimise what we buy in — although seasonal conditions will determine that.”

Although not from farming families, both Ella and Jed have completed degrees in agri business and have a passion for the industry and growth.

Ella originally commenced an Arts/Law Degree but finished with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agribusiness) from the University of Melbourne.

Ella worked for seven years as a rural financial counsellor in the Riverina and then for Cow Bank, two years at Commonwealth Bank before joining ANZ. Ella was recently awarded 2023 ANZ Banker of the Year which is recognition for her passion for not only the agribusiness industry but in supporting her customers reach their short-medium and long- term goals.

“I am so grateful of the opportunity to be a trusted advisor in their businesses and see their goals achieved,” she said.

Ella worked for a few years in Melbourne but admits “it just wasn’t me”.

“I love small communities. Here we can run our own business, which we are very passionate about, and especially during COVID we appreciated the fresh air and space and doing what we enjoy,” she said.

“I’m very big on connections and communities and have always had a desire to be involved in industry.”

Ella recently completed the Australian Rural Leadership Program.

“Once you do that, you understand how important leadership is, and I felt it was my duty, but also my desire, to step up and give back to the industry.”

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NEWS // 21

a stronger farming future She describes south-west Victoria as the backbone of Australia’s dairy industry and said it was important that what is delivered through an organisation like WestVic Dairy is current and relevant to the region.

“As a farmer group, we need to understand that change is not all bad,” she said.

“There are things we need to improve, and as a group, we can take on the many challenges ahead of us — environmental, sustainability, supply and succession.

“We need to continue to maintain milk supply and attract and develop people who will be the succession of our industry.

The challenge is with land values and creating opportunity for people to have skin in the game so that the industry continues to grow and not retract.”

Ella said the dairy industry would need to look outside of the square from employer/ employee relationships.

“Do we need to explore contract milking arrangements, sharefarming arrangements, equity partnerships?” she said.

“Traditionally these have been successful in countries like NZ, but we are seeing less and less of these. We need to keep the skills and knowledge in the industry and encouraging succession is an increasing and critical challenge.

“Farms are becoming more complex in response to market, pricing and variability.

“The challenge I see is keeping on top of regulation and change and part of this will be environmental and ensuring that our industry

“I’m very big on connections and communities and have always had a desire to be involved in industry,” Ella Credlin says.

is sustainable and acceptable to the consumer.

“It’s a tough one and I feel we will need to adapt as we navigate through the next five to 10 years.”

Ella hopes her and Jed’s success will serve as an example of how people from non-farming backgrounds can succeed in the industry.

“Many assume everyone had succession from their parents, but that’s often not the case, so our business can be seen as an example of a pathway of a partnership that gives you skin in the game.

“We’ve always backed ourselves and had faith in what we’re doing.

“As a board member of WestVic Dairy, I hope that we can play a part in addressing the key challenges in a positive way and unite farmers and industry stakeholders to build a stronger and profitable industry for the future.”

The four farms operated by Boshier Farms feature medium-build Holsteins.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

22 // NEWS

Changing the guard at ADF farm at Moy Pocket, Queensland, milking 150 cows with the help of a sharefarmer.

He is also a director of Norco Foods and president of eastAUSmilk.

Mr Gladigau welcomed Mr Trace to the board and noted his long experience in dairying.

“We look forward to benefiting from Mr Trace’s knowledge and insights as we continue to represent Aussie dairy farmers.”

The ADF board now comprises: Rick Gladigau, South Australia; Ben Bennett, Victoria; Matthew Trace, Queensland; and Heath Cook, NSW. There is one vacancy.

At the time Dairy News Australia went to print, ADF had deferred its presidential election by a week to Friday, December 1.

Mr Gladigau said the decision was made to postpone the vote for president in order to allow the Victorian Farmers Federation and United Dairyfarmers of Victoria more time to decide whether to appoint new representatives to ADF’s National Council.

AT THE Australia Dairy Farmers AGM on

November 23, members voted to appoint Queensland dairy farmer Matthew Trace to the board as a business director.

Mr Trace replaced the retiring director, fellow Queensland dairy farmer Brian Tessman.

Independent director Andreas Clark was not returned, creating a casual vacancy the board will fill at a future meeting.

ADF president Rick Gladigau thanked the outgoing directors for their service to the organisation.

“We thank Andreas for his contribution to ADF over the past two years. Andreas’ independent views, business acumen and legal insights have been valuable,” he said.

“Brian Tessman leaves the organisation having made a tireless contribution, advocating on behalf of Australian dairy farmers, for several years. ADF is stronger because of Brian’s time on the board.”

Mr Trace and his wife Michelle, together with their six sons, own and operate a dairy

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“VFF has written to ADF removing previous state representative members on ADF National Council, and we await the nomination of VFF/ UDV’s new representatives,” he said.

“We understand VFF/UDV is going through a time of change having only just appointed a new UDV council themselves, and the ADF Board and National Council thought it appropriate to allow a few extra days to enable these UDV nominations to occur.”

He said it was a decision for the state members of ADF, in this case VFF/UDV, to nominate who represents them on ADF’s National Council.

Mr Gladigau said the nation’s peak dairy representative body continues with the business of advocating for dairy farmers as they move through the process of electing a president.

“Whether VFF/UDV as a member decide to exercise their right to appoint representatives to the National Council to vote is up to VFF/UDV. “ADF, including its Victorian dairy farmer members that sit on board and policy advisory groups, will continue to work in the interests of Australia’s dairy farmers.”

This year’s AGM included five resolutions covering director elections, the adoption of statements and reports, and the alignment of ADF’s member regions with Regional Development Program (RDP) regions.

A resolution asking members whether ADF should consider the realignment of ADF’s dairying regions with the RDP’s production

ADF president Rick Gladigau.

regions, received mixed support but was unsuccessful at this point in time.

Mr Gladigau said the vote on this resolution proved a useful barometer for what members were thinking at a time when ADF was undertaking an organisation review and reform process that was also intended to deliver on Commitment 1 of the Australian Dairy Plan.

DAIRY GROUP PLANS EXPANSION Continued from page 6 Mr Billing said the operation was currently all voluntary.

“We’re all doing this for nothing at the moment, but DFV already has a budget based on membership that is double what the VFF had allocated to the UDV,” he said.

“Long-term we want to build a sustainable funding model that won’t rely solely on membership but will be driven by other income streams including projects and program delivery.

“We’ve got to build the value proposition so dairy farmers say why aren’t I a member rather than why should I be a member.”

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The executive committee will meet in December to set the agenda for the next year, which will include a conference and AGM. The development is based on the South Australian Dairy Association model.

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“Our priority through our extensive stakeholder network is to advocate for dairy farmers, not only our members but all Victorian dairy farmers, but we need more to become members to support our work.”

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Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billing is confident of a strong future for the new organisation.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 23

Build it and they will come

BY DR LES SANDLES

SO KEVIN Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, was instructed from above in the baseball fantasy movie Field of Dreams.

The entire film may have been a prescient metaphor for the looming soil health crisis. If we build soil conditions that perfectly suit soil microbes, they will indeed come.

The question is: what comprises the field of dreams for soil microbes? It is here that we can easily be confused or misled by what we hear and read.

Daily, it seems, my inboxes are inundated with litter-ature about tools and strategies to improve soil structure — composts, cover crops, microbial amendments, lime or gypsum, and even a bunch of ‘new’ mechanical interventions.

Each may genuinely offer some benefit, or even a nice benefit for a while, however, inevitably leads to disappointment. This is simply because the underlying cause of the soil structure problem has not first been addressed.

Soil bugs and plant roots are much like us in the sense that they too wish for a cosy home and some staples in the cupboard. Our job as farmers is to provide them.

This is the nitty gritty of soil restoration — the not-so-sexy stuff — as an ideal environment must be prepared for its inhabitants to thrive.

The balance of calcium and magnesium is the secret to soil structure solutions, and maintaining this balance is particularly challenging on dairy farms.

The ideal environment requires roughly equal volumes of soil solids (mineral and organic particles) and pore space. About half the pore space should contain water and the other half air as in the diagram. About 10 per cent of the solid fraction (five per cent of total) should be organic matter, with 10 per cent of the organic bit humus.

While much is made of humus (and rightly so), the most important bit is the balance between air and water in soil pore-spaces.

Pore size is critical to soil functionality as it controls the surface area at which the air and water interface which determines the rate of oxygen dissolution into soil water — essential

for delivering oxygen while protecting sensitive organisms from toxic O2.

Soil pore size is, in turn, controlled by the ratios of the two dominant exchangeable minerals in the soil — calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg).

Thus, it is with the balance of these to minerals that the secret to soil structure solutions is held, and maintaining this balance is particularly challenging on dairy farms.

Uniquely, dairy farms are constantly pumping a whole heap of calcium out the gate.

Have you worked out how much? Milk contains 400mg of calcium per litre, and cows 25-30kg. Does this routinely get

replaced — year after year?

By contrast, milk contains only 50mg/litre, and the cow herself 2-3kg, of magnesium.

Since the ratio of these two minerals control the way our soils behave we are, through milk and growing and culling cattle, mining Ca relative to Mg and in so doing, constantly compromising the structural chemistry of the farm’s soil.

Pasture pugging, low milk fat, low conception rates, high bloat risk are a few more clues that the soil’s structural chemical balance is not right.

The perfect ratio for exchangeable Ca and Mg is 68:12, with a little latitude given for soils with more clay (less Mg:more Ca) or more sand (more Mg:less Ca).

This makes sense — exchangeable Mg pulls soil colloids together reducing pore size while Ca draws these same colloids apart expanding pore space.

Thus, the importance of regularly correcting this ratio cannot be underestimated as it ultimately determines how water, oxygen, humus, and ultimately, the entire soil ecosystem behaves.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

24 // NEWS

Drought loans on the table

NSW farmers experiencing drought conditions will be able to access low-interest loans.

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LOW-INTEREST LOANS of up to $250,000 will be made available to NSW farmers struggling to cope as drought conditions hit more than half of the state.

The $250 million state government-backed Drought Ready and Resilient Fund will go towards making the agriculture sector more resilient in the face of the worsening climate.

The loans, which can be used to fund a range of operational products, activities and services, can be paid off over five or 10 years and will save farmers an estimated average of $40,000 compared with similar loans.

Farmers will be able to access finance to buy fodder and transport livestock, seek veterinary advice, build fences and shade structures and plant trees.

In regions not yet experiencing drier conditions, loans will be available to incentivise p ­lanning and preparing for the worst and ­ i mproving response and recovery outcomes.

NSW Farmers Association president Xavier Martin said the proactive announcement would help farmers to make business decisions.

“Farmers are always subject to climate variability, and having faced significant drought and disaster impacts in recent years, know that having a plan and some certainty as to how best to prepare for adverse conditions is critical,” he said.

Farmers are always subject to climate variability, and having faced significant drought and disaster impacts in recent years, know that having a plan and some certainty as to how best to prepare for adverse conditions is critical.

“These loans, announced before drought hits hard, help farmers to make proactive decisions.”

The latest seasonal update released at the end of October showed 52 per cent of NSW was in one of the three drought categories: drought-affected, drought or intense drought.

More than 40 per cent of the north coast region is in intense drought and conditions are consistent with the onset of a major drought in many parts of the state.

A separate $120 million Farm Innovation Fund will be repurposed as the Drought Infrastructure Fund and offers loans up to $1 million at 2.5 per cent interest to promote capital investment.

“NSW does not thrive unless our regions and agricultural industries thrive,” Premier Chris Minns said.

“We know disaster preparedness is more important than ever before.

“This is a common sense initiative that allows farmers to get ahead of the dry season and protect their livelihoods.”

Loan applications for the Drought Infrastructure Fund are open now, while applications under the Drought Ready and Resilient Fund can be made from December 1.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

NEWS // 25

Fertiliser to settle in 2024 AFTER EXTREME market volatility and record-high prices in recent years, global fertiliser prices are expected to settle in 2024, despite uncertainty posed by the Israel-Hamas conflict as it currently stands, Rabobank says in a new report.

In its just-released Semi Annual Fertiliser Outlook, titled What is next?, Rabobank says while the Israel-Hamas conflict creates some uncertainty in the outlook for fertiliser markets, the current impact for the food and agri sectors is manageable.

Report co-author and RaboResearch farm inputs analyst Vitor Pistoia said overall, farmers around the world may feel some negative impact due to potentially rising costs of energy and fertilisers, at the margin, as well as slightly lower import demand and prices for grains and oilseeds due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“However, if the conflict spreads to the broader Middle East/North African region, impacts on fertiliser supply — as well as grain, meat, and dairy demand — could be notable,” he said.

The bank’s models indicate a recovery in global fertiliser usage in 2023, up by around three per cent, compared to the seven per cent drop in 2022.

For 2024, Mr Pistoia said, the initial analysis suggests an increase in global fertiliser use close to five per cent, with nitrogen usage growing two per cent, phosphate 3.9 per cent and potash five per cent.

Rabobank analyst Vitor Pistoia.

should bounce back for the 2023 season and especially for the coming 2024 season. As fertilisers should be more affordable and the soil needs it to balance the nutrient extraction of the recent good yields.”

Australian fertiliser outlook

“Across the country, there is a wide variety of crop and pasture conditions,” Mr Pistoia said.

“And while there is still room for improvement, or even deterioration of conditions in the paddocks, some elements are already consolidated and will set the tone for fertiliser demand for the coming season.”

He said the bigger picture is positive for Australian farmers buying fertiliser, with prices coming down “massively” since mid-2022.

“And the past seasons have been good in terms of performance so there has been reasonable cash flow throughout agricultural supply chains.”

However, there are “still major question marks to address before filling up the sheds (with fertiliser) again”.

“Firstly, how will this season end?

Undoubtedly, some regions of the eastern states will reduce application rates due to the current dry seasonal conditions, as well as pockets in Western Australia are also experiencing dryness,” he said.

“Increased fertiliser demand might come from South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW, which have fair to good crop conditions.”

The other major question, Mr Pistoia said, was how much the recent drop in the Australian dollar would offset the reduced cost of fertiliser in farmers’ budgets.

“And when this is combined with the recent crude oil hikes, how much is left in those budgets to increase fertiliser application rates?”

Mr Pistoia said there was a constant challenge for Australian farmers to find the right soil nutrition point, and this had been stretched in the past three seasons after consecutive bumper grain harvests.

“The 2022 season saw a drop of 30 per cent for phosphate fertiliser application, and 31 per cent fall of potash usage in Australia — due to high fertiliser prices and international logistics challenges.

“The application of these two nutrients

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

26 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Fresh water fuels our cows

BY DR ROBERT BONANNO

WATER IS the most important and yet often the most overlooked nutrient on a dairy farm.

Think about this — milk is around 87 per cent water, and a cow needs to consume between four to five litres of water for every litre of milk she produces, and a cow’s body is more than 60 per cent water.

From a veterinary point of view, water quality issues can result in reduced consumption and hence reduced production but in some cases, poor quality water can contain high levels of minerals that can bind or make unavailable other important macro or microminerals causing disease.

When water is contaminated with heavy metals or chemicals, there is a risk of residues in milk or meat.

Bacterial contamination of water sources can significantly impact the health and wellbeing of cattle, especially young stock.

I have seen extreme cases where liquid effluent or run off from yards or laneways is able to contaminate water sources used for drinking or dairy plant cleaning which can cause serious issues.

Nutrient contamination of the water storages can lead to algal blooms that can cause problems ranging from minor irritation to the skin all the way to severely toxic signs causing sudden death.

Water that is highly acidic or alkaline will not only be unpalatable (leading to reduced

As we hit the summer heat, our cows’ water consumption will increase.

intakes), but also can affect the rumen pH stability causing sickness.

Regular water testing from a specialised laboratory with experience in dairy water is a good risk management strategy.

As we hit the summer heat, water consumption will increase, but if there is any restriction to intake due to access to water or water quality, the effect of the hot weather will be multiplied, and significant production losses will occur.

In extreme cases where water access has been restricted for a significant time due to things like extensive transport or failure of the water supply, clinical dehydration may occur affecting animal welfare and even toxicity can occur when the water access is restored.

In the summer heat, access to water becomes a significant potential limiting factor in dairy production.

The size and location of troughs becomes

important as cows should not need to walk excessive distances to access water.

Reducing access to standing water and groundwater also becomes important to prevent cows standing in drains or dams to cool themselves as this can lead to increased mastitis risk.

Water should be available in the laneways and around the dairy exit as cows will often stop for a drink after milking and can consume large volumes at this time.

I encourage farmers to regularly clean out all water troughs, especially the troughs closest to the dairy exit which often become contaminated with grain and saliva, and the water quality can become unpleasant reducing intake at this critical time.

In some cases, high amounts of silt are suspended in the source water (channel or dam) and as it settles out over time, there can be a significant volume of silt that accumulates,

reducing the volume of water the trough can hold.

This will make the water shallower, and the water will be warmer and therefore less attractive to the cows.

Water temperature is also affected by black poly pipes not being buried, causing the water to become extremely warm over long distances.

Keeping the area around troughs well maintained to prevent undermining or sharp or broken stones and ensuring leaks are promptly fixed so that troughs are not surrounded by mud will keep them accessible to stock and minimise lameness problems.

I have seen many troughs turned dry on hot days, thirsty cows standing waiting because the flow rate into the troughs are insufficient due to pump capacity, float valve type or insufficient supply pipe diameter.

If your water system struggles to keep up with demand during hot weather, investing in improved water infrastructure (bigger pipes, pumps or troughs) is an excellent investment.

I also recommend having a sound back up plan for your farm water supply that considers the risk of interruption due to natural disasters and power outages.

In the lead up to summer, I strongly recommend that all dairy farmers, no matter their location, put in place actions to ensure their cows always have unrestricted access to cool, clean and safe water.

2 Dr Robert (Rob) Bonanno is the Regional Veterinary Lead for ProDairy in Gippsland and northern Victoria.

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One of the many consequences of the flood events seen in recent years was the overflow of sewage on to farming land, which occurred in isolated instances.

The primary reason this is a concern is due to the threat of meat contamination with beef measles.

Beef measles is a stage in the lifecycle of a tapeworm of humans. They are seen as small cysts found in muscles of cattle at slaughter.

In other words, people are the cause of infection in cattle even though humans with tapeworm infections show no ill effects. Humans become infected by eating raw or undercooked meat containing a cyst.

Cattle become infected by grazing pasture contaminated with human faeces that contain tapeworm eggs, therefore the concern during flood events.

Once the tapeworm eggs are eaten by cattle the immature tapeworm is released and burrows through the intestinal wall, reaches the blood stream and migrates to a muscle in the animal.

They are mainly found in the muscles of the jaw, tongue, heart, and diaphragm of cattle, and are less commonly found in other muscles of the animal.

Infection with beef measles has no observable effect on the health of cattle. Routine meat inspection in abattoirs enables beef measles cases to be detected. Detection may lead to condemnation of part of the carcass.

Beef measles is a notifiable disease.

Once detected, the cattle’s National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) details are used to trace the property of origin. The owner is then contacted

If cattle graze pasture that has been contaminated by human faeces, they risk being infected with beef measles.

by Agriculture Victoria staff and advised on the nature and control of beef measles.

Beef measles infections commonly originate from paddocks that have been contaminated with septic tank drainage, and from properties that have campsites or properties frequented by people where human faeces have not been properly disposed of.

In the case of the flood event, cattle exposed to the overflow of sewage were assigned a status through the NLIS system.

The control of beef measles relies on reducing the exposure of cattle to tapeworm eggs and preventing the human ingestion of infective cysts.

Medication is very effective in eliminating tapeworms from humans.

For further information, contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer, or in NSW your Local Land Services.

2 Dr Jeff Cave is senior veterinary officer with Agriculture Victoria.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 27

Rural Aid chief executive officer John Warlters; Queensland Farmers’ Federation chief executive officer Jo Sheppard; John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler and Growth and Innovation general manager at RDO Australia Guy Hoffensetz celebrate National AgDay in Brisbane.

AusVeg national marketing manager Nathan McIntyre; National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke and John Deere Australia and New Zealand Ag and turf sales and marketing director Steve Wright enjoy National AgDay celebrations in Melbourne.

Aussie farmers celebrated BRISBANE AND Melbourne residents recognised the importance of Australian farmers and shared messages of appreciation at John Deere’s 2023 National Agriculture Day celebrations.

Reddacliff Place in Brisbane CBD and Queensbridge Square in Melbourne’s Southbank Promenade were transformed into agricultural-themed exhibits, including John Deere farming equipment, digital displays, face painting, games and giveaways.

Attendees enjoyed a free coffee as they took the opportunity to learn more about Australia’s agriculture industry and add a personal message of thanks to a dedicated ‘Thanka-farmer’ wall.

John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said the celebrations shone the spotlight on the hard working and innovative Australian farmers who

produced world-leading food and fibre.

“Holding these events allowed us to show our appreciation for farmers and share information with the community about where our food and fibre comes from, and just how much hard work goes into producing it,” Mr Chandler said.

“We were really impressed with the turnout in Brisbane and Melbourne with plenty of people wanting to learn more about Australia’s $80 billion agriculture industry.

“Importantly, the Thank-a-farmer-walls were full of heart-warming messages which we will be sharing with the National Farmers’ Federation in the coming weeks for further distribution to Australian farmers.”

NFF president David Jochinke attended John Deere’s Melbourne event and said it was heartening to see the support from city residents.

“This is Australian agriculture’s biggest day of the year, when the nation comes together to celebrate the incredible food and fibre our farmers grow,” he said.

“The best thing about the day is it connects people from all walks of life, locations and ages.

“AgDay is a chance for farmers and people in agriculture to showcase what our industry is doing, and for the wider public to learn more and make valuable connections to the ‘ag team’ who is behind food they eat and the clothes they wear.”

The latest National Farmer Wellbeing Report, commissioned by Norco in partnership with the NFF, found many farmers are struggling with their mental wellbeing and feel the role they play is undervalued by the wider public.

Attendees at John Deere’s AgDay exhibits had the chance to learn more about the crucial

services being delivered by Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, including financial assistance, fodder and free counselling.

Rural Aid chief executive officer John Warlters, who attended the Brisbane exhibit, said looming drought conditions, and the declaration of an El Niño weather event, meant many farmers were already under immense pressure.

“Initiatives like AgDay really help increase awareness of the amazing work that farmers do, but also some of the challenges they face every day,” he said.

“It was wonderful to see all the messages of support on the Thank-a-farmer wall, and we were very grateful for the donations we received to help continue delivering crucial assistance to farmers in need.”

National Agriculture Day is an initiative of the NFF held on the third Friday of November each year to celebrate Australia’s farm sector.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

28 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Raking in the hay business

BY SOPHIE BALDWIN

WITH A reputation for versatility, durability

and great service, Berrima Engineering has been providing the country with quality made hay rakes and chaser bins for nearly three decades.

Owner Martin Morona started the company back in 1995.

“I have a background in engineering and farming and at the time I knew there was a gap in the market for quality roller bar rakes — over the decades our business has gone from strength to strength,” Martin said.

The business is run out of Deniliquin in southern NSW, and currently employs nine staff.

During peak season, Berrima has two rakes rolling out of the shopfront every week. They are sold right across the country.

The business is proud to source as many Australian-made components as possible, including steel.

The raking action of the roller bar lifts the hay up rather than dragging it along the ground, which helps to leave the dirt and rocks behind and contribute to creating a better quality hay.

The roller bar also pulls the hay up and out of any regrowth if it has had to stay on the ground for any length of time.

Berrima rakes are capable of raking light hay up to heavy silage.

“The Berrima Engineering roller bar system

Berrima Engineering owner Martin Morona and employee Aaron Litchfield with their hay rake.

allows for easy adjustment to the pitch of the baskets — pitching up prevents roping in silage conditions while pitching down creates tight windrows for windy conditions,” Martin said.

He said their rakes also make perfect windrows with shoulders for filling the bale chamber evenly.

“They increase the capacity of balers and

allow the baler to perform at capacity rather than chasing hay.”

Martin said from the ground-breaking BR1200 Idler system to the latest innovation of the BRX1400 and BRX1600, which are the largest roller bar rakes in production anywhere, the business is always looking to innovate designs to meet customer needs.

The rakes come in a variety of sizes from the smallest raking width of 3.5 metres with the BRS350 (suitable for smaller jobs) up to the BRX 1600 for large, broadacre fodder production.

“Our rakes have a simple and reliable fingertip control system which allows for adjustment for raking width, basket angles, windrow width and basket height without leaving the comfort of the tractor seat,” Martin said.

“The flexibility of our rakes also makes transport very easy for our farmers.”

An opportunity for Berrima to participate in the Australian Fodder Industry Association biennial Fodder Festival at Elmore recently allowed Martin to showcase the V Roller Bay Hay Rake to the large crowd.

He said there was a lot of farmer interest in the demonstrations and he received a great response to his own.

“Participants showed great interest in our rakes which is always pleasing to know.

“We have had a very busy last few years but I do think demand is stabilising. It will be interesting to see how this season pans out — there is a lot of optimism out there after last year’s terrible season.”

Martin said Berrima also manufactures chaser bins, which are sold across the country.

“Demand for the bins has certainly ramped up, driven largely by a lack of chaser bin supply and increased crop plantings over the last years due to strong prices and water availability.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 29

New fast-fill firefighters SILVAN HAS announced the roll out of two

specially designed 400 litre and 800 litre SquatPak — designed fast-fill firefighters timed to coincide with the bushfire season.

With bushfire outbreaks already in southeast Australia amid a spring heatwave this month and the forecast of a return to El Niño and the likelihood of hotter, drier weather ahead, Silvan is urging farmers and people in regional communities to start preparing if they haven’t already done so.

To assist, Silvan’s two new firefighters have been equipped with a specially designed factory-fitted fast filler to make the most of a farm property’s dam and significantly reduce firefighter refilling time to about three minutes for the 400 litre and six minutes for the 800 litre model.

Among the features is a UV stabilised Impact resistant polytuff tank with internal baffle to reduce surge when travelling.

Included is a 255mm screw-type lid and strainer with a drain bung for easy empty and cleaning.

Both firefighters are powered by a four stroke, 5.5hp GX160 Honda engine with a Davey pump that has a manual recoil rope start. The pump has a maximum output of 415 litres a minute at a maximum pressure of 80psi open flow.

The 3.1 litre fuel tank at full load will operate for about two hours.

Other features include a heavy duty, manual wind powder-coated steel, 30 metre long,

19mm ID diameter delivery hose.

The hose has an adjustable nozzle and flow rate of about 20 litre/minute.

A full load of water with the 400 litre model lasts about 20 minutes and the 800 litre version extends to 40 minutes. When directed from the adjustable nozzle the water can be delivered for a distance of up to about 20m.

The factory fitted dam fill kit includes a 6m suction hose and filter with cam-lock for easy connection and storage.

A three-way valve is fitted to the pump that changes the direction of suction from the tank to using the dam fill kit.

A ball valve is fitted to the delivery outlet from the pump that directs water into the tank.

The 400 litre unit is 90cm long, 106cm wide, 98cm high and weighs 80kg. The 800 litre version is 180cm long, 94cm wide, 109cm high and weighs 90kg.

Both come with a 12-month warranty.

“Silvan has a full range of firefighting units on hand,” product manager Greg Everett said.

“Most of the units fit neatly across the back of a one tonne tray and between the arches of popular utilities.”

Greg said having water resources and equipment ready, as a first response or for clean up after a fire front had passed, was important, however, sometimes property managers were not as well prepared as they should be.

“In previous high danger seasons we have seen property owners and managers leave it until a fire is virtually at their boundary before

Silvan has announced the roll out of two specially designed 400 litre and 800 litre SquatPak — designed fast-fill firefighters timed to coincide with the bushfire season.

rushing to their local supplier, only to find that there are no firefighters left in stock,” he said.

“We advise that for a relatively modest investment the appropriate equipment can be held ready to assist in quelling the smallest fire outbreak, or for protection of homes, buildings and fences once a fire alert is raised.

“Our Silvan warehouses are well stocked with attractive product and pricing offers on our extensive range of fully assembled and tested, ready firefighters or individual components for water transfer.”

Greg recommends having two complete Silvan firefighting units and accessory equipment ready to use so one can be filled up while

the other is still operating.

“These units are also great general-purpose aids as they can be employed for transferring water from a dam to the household water storage tank, livestock jetting or wash-down purposes, topping up stock water troughs, or general-purpose water transfer needs, including watering trees.

“When considering the tank size of a firefighter, be mindful of the tank dimensions, maximum load capacity on the vehicle and the maximum flow rate of the adjustable nozzle which is about 20 litres a minute,” Greg said.

2 For more information, phone 1300 SILVAN (1300 745 826) or email info@silvanaust.com

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2023

30 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Get ready for ag revolution AUSTRALIAN HAY and fodder producers

and contractors are encouraged to be ready to embrace the gains in production and profitability that greater precision agriculture technology will deliver to the industry.

John Deere Australia and New Zealand production systems manager Stephanie Gersekowski was speaking at the Australian Fodder Industry Association’s National Fodder Conference in Bendigo.

Ms Gersekowski said John Deere’s 2030 vision to ensure John Deere customers were the most profitable, productive and sustainable in the world, was integral to the company’s hay and fodder strategy.

“And while our commitment will always be to produce the best quality equipment, we understand that hard iron alone will not be enough to help you achieve this vision,” she told conference delegates.

“It’s for this reason that our focus and investment is targeted towards technology solutions such as greater automation of jobs, insights from data and connectivity across the portfolio.

“We believe these strategic focus areas will help deliver ongoing productivity and efficiency gains.”

For the hay and fodder industry specifically, Ms Gersekowski said precision farming included technology such as Bale Doc in John Deere large square balers.

“Bale Doc introduces precision ag technology previously only available in broadacre

applications to hay and forage production, providing near real-time moisture and weight data, in addition to bale count,” she said.

“On board, this information will allow you to monitor and track bale location and baling conditions.

“For remote managers, not only can you track bale location, weight and moisture statistics, you can also leverage this information to more effectively plan workflow and logistics to save time and money.”

When Bale Doc is used with John Deere Operations Center, it can support post-season analysis of yield and productivity via the harvest layer, and fleet management and ­planning through hours and fuel usage via JDLink, to facilitate more informed decisions and optimise performance in future seasons.

“Every bale recorded through Bale Doc is like a mini-income statement for your entire production cycle,” Ms Gersekowski said.

She said precision technology could be crucial to addressing some of the industry’s most pressing challenges.

“What is clear is the challenges we are facing today are not going away.

“We expect to see the continuation of increasing input costs and labour shortages over the next few years, along with greater volatility in farming conditions.

“It is our job to ensure we not only provide you with industry-best products and technology for your operations, but that we also

John Deere Australia and New Zealand production systems manager Stephanie Gersekowski spoke at the AFIA conference in Bendigo.

partner with industry bodies like AFIA so that, as a sector, we can continue the meaningful

collaboration and innovation opportunities like this conference offer.”

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