Issuu

NSW/Queensland flood coverage – the long road to recovery and calls for support. PAGES 14 TO 27

CARING FOR COWS AND PEOPLE

LEANNE’S LEADERSHIP LAUDED PAGE 9

PAGE 4

APRIL 2022 ISSUE 138 // www.dairynewsaustralia.com.au

PAINTING A POSITIVE PICTURE

Gippsland dairy farmer Joe Meggetto - recognised as an advocate for mental health and wellbeing - is being painted by Kerrie Anne Rawson for the prestigious Archibald Prize. PAGE 6

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

NEWS // 3

World events impact dairy BY SOFIA OMSTEDT

Leanne’s leadership lauded. PG 9

Flood coverage. PGS 14-27

Feed ban must be obeyed. PG 30

NEWS ..................................................... 3-27 ANIMAL HEALTH ........................... 28-31 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS ...................................... 32-34

“IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While more than 160 years have passed since Charles Dickens first published his book, A Tale of Two Cities, these words still ring true. It has been a tumultuous start to the 2020s with bushfires, a pandemic, floods and war. For Australia’s dairy farmers, this period has coincided with some of the most profitable years in recent times. While Australia’s dairy industry has managed to navigate past the worse shocks so far, increasingly volatile global markets are starting to take effect with rising cost pressures through the supply chain. All across the commercial world, costs are going up, due to a combination of pandemicrelated disruption and geopolitical tensions. Increasing prices of some inputs are starting to chip away at margins, while their access remains difficult due to supply challenges. Dairy manufacturers and exporters have seen container rates skyrocket, along with port charges and all manner of ancillaries, while farmers are facing surging fertiliser, diesel and grain prices. At the same time, global unrest has added a new level of volatility to commodity markets. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has so far seen fuel prices rise further and additional impacts are predicted as the war unfolds. Market volatility is the premier one, with grain, energy and fertiliser especially likely to get swept up in this conflict. Despite these challenges, Australia’s dairy industry remains profitable as commodity values continue to soar. A shrinking global milk pool has been a major driver behind these price leaps. Due to weather challenges, New Zealand’s production has taken a dive this summer, with local analysts predicting at least a three per cent drop in production this season. In Europe, milk flows remain sluggish, despite rising farm gate milk prices. Declining cow numbers, poor quality feed, higher input costs and shortages of workers and fertiliser continue to weigh on growth opportunities. The war in Ukraine has further dampened growth aspirations, as feed

and fertilisers are tipped to get even harder and more expensive to source. In the United States, high input costs and supply chain struggles are also affecting supply. Here in Australia, while higher farm gate milk prices help to mitigate margin impacts, rising input costs are expected to weigh on production plans. At the same time, labour shortages, farm exits and ongoing culling continue to affect the national milk pool. In January, milk flows slowed by 6.3 per cent, and year-to-date volumes were down by 2.6 per cent. Overall, a smaller national herd and subdued per-cow yields, due to weather challenges and poorer quality feed, are projected to result in a reduction in Australia’s national milk pool this season. As such, Dairy Australia has revised its forecast to indicate a one to three per cent drop in the national milk pool this season. This would equate to a 2021–22 full-year range of between 8.59 and 8.77 billion litres. In light of decreasing production, competition for milk remains strong among Australian processors. This has seen several farm gate milk price step-ups in southern export-focused regions this summer as commodity prices have continued to rise. Due to limited supply, many processors have already sold out for the season and are,

“In light of decreasing production, competition for milk remains strong among Australian processors. This has seen several farmgate milk price step ups in southern export-focused regions this summer as commodity prices have continued to rise.” therefore, unable to fully capitalise on attractive values. Nonetheless, as we look ahead, continued market strength is a welcome sign — especially over the next few months, when new season budgets are prepared and opening prices are worked through. Inflationary pressures are unlikely to ease any time soon. Australia’s dairy industry is feeling the impact, with mounting cost and margin pressures across the supply chain. While strong dairy commodity values and firm farm gate prices will help to cushion the impact, times are set to remain volatile for the foreseeable future.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

4 // NEWS

Caring for cows and people THE WORDS ‘health and welfare’ return as

a common theme throughout Lucy Collins’ involvement in the dairy industry. Whether it’s in her role as a vet, on her family farm, in her research or in her industry building capacity, Lucy’s interest not only applies to the cows, it applies to the people and the industry itself. Lucy grew up in South Gippsland on a small acreage subdivided from a dairy farm, where her parents still run an agricultural contracting business. Lucy developed her interest in dairy from working on the main farm, helping with milking and rearing calves. Her first exposure to veterinary science came through high school placements with vet clinics. “I was interested in animals and conscious that I didn’t have a family farm to go back to so was looking for alternate pathways to work with and alongside farmers,” she said. Lucy had initially planned to pursue agriculture but was discouraged at high school due to “long-standing misconceptions” about the industry, something that still rankles today. Instead, she was encouraged into a more high-profile professional degree but ironically narrowly missed the score for veterinary science and instead completed a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Agriculture, at the University of Melbourne before moving on to the veterinary course, where she had a strong focus on dairy. After graduating at the end of 2015, Lucy was offered a job in Kyabram in northern Victoria — which reinforced her choice of dairy. While working in an irrigation region was vastly different to Gippsland, another move

was in store after she met Matt Glennen, a dairy farmer from Dixie in south-west Victoria. They married in January and Lucy was able to remain with the same veterinary company, Apiam Animal Health, and transition into their local Timboon ProDairy team. “ProDairy is very animal health and welfare focused, with strong strategic herd heath planning and preventative care,” she said. It fits well with her outlook on farming. While not involved in the day-to-day operation of the farm, a 700-cow operation at Dixie, Lucy’s animal health skills are called upon whenever possible and she contributes to planning. Dixie Park is moving away from bobby calves. “If we’re not bobby calf free this year, we’ll be bloody close to it,” Lucy said. “It’s a good news story for the industry that a number of farmers are on the front foot and making changes now.” To make the change they have used a raft of strategies, including sexed semen, heifer exports using genomic testing to help make decisions, and dairy beef — with Matt’s parents John and Helen taking the lead in managing the dairy beef herd. The home farm is 300 hectares with a 180 ha outblock, and the family has been using strategic crossbreeding with Holsteins to manage pasture damage by reducing cow size. Any non-beef bull calves born last year were kept until five days, fed colostrum and then onsold to other calf rearers once drinking well. “Matt and his parents are very progressive and we can have discussions around the dinner table about things we’ve seen on other farms,” Lucy said.

Lucy is completing her master’s degree through research looking at opportunities for welfare enhancement beyond minimum standards for dairy in Australia.

More recently, the farm has introduced Allflex collars in the rotary dairy to monitor herd health. “We try to use the strengths of everybody in the business — for me that’s animal health and welfare,” Lucy said. She is determined to make a difference in dairy beyond the farm gate. Lucy is completing her master’s degree through research at the University of Melbourne, has been appointed an associate director of WestVic Dairy, is undertaking a Nuffield Scholarship, was one of the organisers of the Cream of the Crop event for women in dairy and writes a monthly vet column for Dairy News Australia (See page xxx). Her master’s is based on a survey distributed on social media looking at opportunities for welfare enhancement beyond minimum standards for dairy in Australia. “Part of that is around public perceptions,” Lucy said. “It’s important that we continue to work to understand and meet community values and maintain our social licence to operate.” She is now analysing the data from 1500 responses.

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Her Nuffield Scholarship, supported by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation, is focusing on animal welfare auditing and benchmarking programs. “At Kyabram, I noticed some milk processors were requesting third party animal welfare audits, on top of their dairy audit,” Lucy said. “An external person would come in and assess different parameters around animal welfare, such as pain relief and body condition, and build an overall picture of what is happening on the farm. “The problem farmers were having was that the auditing system is based on an overseas system and not always entirely applicable to Australian pasture-based dairy systems. “Some things that should have been measured weren’t on there and some things that were measured weren’t relevant, such as pressure sores. “Farmers were frustrated they weren’t performing as well as they thought they should, but it was because the audits didn’t reflect Australian conditions.” There is an existing program in Australia called Welfare Quality, developed by the Australian Cattle Vets Association, but it’s not widely used and Lucy believes there is always room for improvement.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

NEWS // 5

Dixie Park’s home farm is 300 ha with a 180 ha outblock, and the family has been using strategic crossbreeding with Holsteins to manage pasture damage by reducing cow size.

Lucy’s partner Matt Glennen is a dairy farmer from Dixie in south-west Victoria.

“This is an opportunity for farmers to control the narrative. Most other countries already have their own auditing programs.” Lucy left for the United Kingdom on March 2 to investigate different animal welfare programs, only her second major overseas trip after a dairy placement in California during vet school. “The public will continue to look for increased transparency around animal welfare and farmers need to be on the front foot; our consumers and markets will demand that,” she said. “I’m excited to see how these programs play out overseas, particularly from a farmer perspective. “I want to make sure the story consumers are hearing is in line with their values and the dairy industry is being as progressive as it can be.” Lucy was recently appointed associate director at WestVic Dairy, following Matt who had a three-year stint on the board. “I recognised there is a demographic gap I could help fill and tell a different story of someone who has come to this region from a nondairy background, and works both on-farm and as a service provider.” She was also one of the organisers of the recent successful Cream of the Crop conference

While not involved in the day-to-day operation of the farm at Dixie, Lucy’s animal health skills are called upon whenever possible and she contributes to planning.

for women in dairy, alongside Renata Cumming and Chloe Brown. “Every woman in that room had an amazing story and it was humbling to be part of it,” Lucy said. The two-day conference was born out of frustration that COVID-19 had restricted access to similar events and highlighted the roles women play in the industry. “We were three tickets away from selling out; there’s definitely an appetite to do it again next year,” Lucy said. “It was incredibly challenging but rewarding. Hopefully it will be back bigger and better and our blue-sky thinking is that it will eventually move to other dairy areas and we can support other women to host the event and showcase their own regions.” Lucy also writes a monthly animal health column for Dairy News Australia. “I enjoy that,” she said. “I often take requests from farmers and try to cover topics relevant to the time of year. “Everything I do is complementary; themes flow into each other and I am definitely pursuing my passions.”

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

6 // NEWS

Painting a positive picture A GIPPSLAND dairy farmer recognised as an

advocate for mental health and wellbeing is the subject of an Archibald Prize entry. Joe Meggetto, of Warragul, is being painted by Kerrie Anne Rawson for the prestigious portrait competition. Kerrie became interested in Joe after she learned about his history of speaking openly about his own mental health challenges and assisting other people. Joe has been recognised for his advocacy about wellbeing and looking after your mental health by his local council with a 2020 Australia Day Medal, has spoken publicly at events organised by Burra Foods, Beyond Blue, South Gippsland Dairy Expo, Gippsland Jersey, Dairy Australia and Tobin Bros Funerals. He has also helped individuals in the dairy industry and his local community. His own journey to recognising how his struggles with mental health impacted on his life, and that of his loved ones, was fraught and long. These days he is on regular medication and conscious of what creates mental health challenges for him. “I talk about mental health for my own and others’ wellbeing,” Joe said. The most important parts of his life remain his own wellbeing, his family — Michelle and their three sons — and his farm, in that order. Rather than overload himself with responsibility, Joe has put down his hand when it comes to community events and activities. These days his only off-farm focus is the junior football club, where his three sons play. “Talking with people is good for your marriage, your workplace and other relationships you have with people,” Joe said. “We all need to continue the conversation about mental health and the importance of reaching out to and supporting each other, being strong enough to take that step to reach out. “The conversation is out there and more people are becoming comfortable about reaching out. “At the moment, I’m just happy to be at home — being responsible on my farm and in my home is really important.” In the past two years of the pandemic, Joe realised how much he enjoyed having Michelle working at home and their sons homeschooling. “The kids were doing a lot of ag classes during school lockdown,” he said. As part of his wellbeing journey, last year Joe took stock of why he was farming and what he wanted to achieve. It led him to upgrade the milking shed to be a better place to work. “Building a new calf shed a couple of years ago has really helped my work,” Joe said.

Joe Meggetto says if he wasn’t a dairy farmer he would work as a support person in the mental health and wellbeing area focused on farmers.

Warragul dairy farmer and mental health advocate, Joe Meggetto, is being painted as an entry for the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious art portraiture award.

Joe Meggetto has harvested 900 tonnes of pit silage, plus 350 rolls of silage and 400 rolls of hay this season.

“I decided the dairy shed needed upgrading, I wanted to get cup removers from Gippsland Dairy Centre — I’ve always liked their cup removers.” The discussion led to him thinking about other upgrades for his milking plant. It now has new stall gates, new automatic cup removers, a new vacuum pump, a new hot water service and the capacity has increased from 15-aside to 30 double-up. The shed was also rewired. These improvements have made milking easier.

Joe’s also had an excellent harvest season. He harvested 900 tonnes of pit silage, plus 350 rolls of silage and 400 rolls of hay. It’s all been put aside for future needs. In January, Joe opened up a pit of silage harvested in spring 2019. “We’ve had two good years, and I hadn’t used the 2019 silage because I didn’t need it. “The season’s worked out well for us. I could be milking more cows, but I prefer to be under-

Advertising Max Hyde 0408 558 938 max.hyde@dairynewsaustralia.com.au Editor Fiona Lloyd (03) 5820 3254 editor@dairynewsaustralia.com.au 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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stocked and harvest the extra fodder.” He’s milking 180 cows, with 30 fresh cows coming into the herd, and 70 cows still to calve. This year, between autumn and spring, he’ll have 52 heifers come into the herd. If this story has raised issues for you, 24-hour help is available. Please call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Anyone aged under 25 can also call Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

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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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

NEWS // 9

Leanne’s leadership lauded IT WAS just after her parents bought a dairy

farm and moved to Tasmania that Leanne Dobson’s love affair with dairy cows began. She was 10 years old. By the time she was 12, Leanne had started taking photos of cows and registering animals through the appendix system. These cows were to become the early foundation of the juggernaut of Fairvale Holsteins. “What can I say, I just love cows and I always have from the very first moment I saw one,” Leanne said. Leanne was named the winner of the Bette Hall Power Of Women in Dairy Award for Excellence at International Dairy Week in January, something she is extremely honoured to have received. Torrumbarry dairy farmer Jade Sieben is part of the POW committee and she said Leanne was a great role model for the next generation and an astoundingly successful breeder of cattle. “The Fairvale legacy will take some time to be surpassed, if ever,” Jade said. “Leanne has bred and reared six champion Holstein cows and Fairvale genetics have dominated on-farm challenges in Tasmania for years. “Leanne also bred the first ever EX97–5E classified cow Fairvale Morty Lady — nobody could ever doubt Leanne’s love of cows and the industry.” Leanne was astounded she was even nominated.

“It is very humbling to stand amongst the other greats who have received this award, ” she said. “The dairy industry is full of women doing great things and I am not really sure I was one of them.” Leanne and Ross currently run a 400 ha dairy farm near Launceston in Tasmania. They milk just over 500 split-calving cows on a milking platform of around 120 ha under centre pivot irrigation. They produce 1500 bales of silage annually including sorghum silage. About 800 bales of oat and pasture hay is also grown on-farm and they purchase an additional 800 bales of oat/wheat hay to ensure supply. Leanne is in charge of the animal side of things and does all of the husbandry work, including milking, breeding decisions and AI, while Ross grows the grass and looks after the farm. “The herd average is 10,000 litres per cow,” Leanne said. “We are fairly diligent and quality is important to us, so we spend quite a large amount of time each day in the dairy. “Our dairy is our biggest downfall; we built a 30 swing-over with cup removers back in 1994 but with a high production herd over 500, it certainly takes a long time to milk.” Leanne is pretty humble about her industry achievements and it did take a bit of prodding to

learn she is no slouch when it comes to breeding quality cows. Fairvale Jed Bonnie was International Dairy Week champion in 2005 and 2007, Fairvale Leader Josie 5 in 2006, Fairvale Morty Lady 51 in 2011 and 2014, and Fairvale Goldchip Melody 770 in 2019. “We have been fortunate the people who purchased these cows have been extremely good at developing them and bringing out their best,” Leanne said. In another feather to Leanne’s cap, Jed Bonnie embryos were the first in Australia to be exported overseas and her descendants can now be found in milking herds and some of the biggest dairy shows right across North America. Leanne assesses every cow in the herd and corrective mates each and every one. She likes her cows to have capacity starting at the muzzle and follows through the whole animal, although she also likes refinement as well. “The winters get a bit chilly here in Tasmania so our cows have to have strength and good feet and legs to walk the kilometres they do, and of course a great udder.” Breeding quality cows has never been a chore to Leanne, and she was about 20 years old when she first started showing cattle. “It was after I went to Dookie and completed an AI course that Dad gave me free rein with the herd,” she said.

Leanne Dobson says she is honoured and humbled to have been awarded the Bette Hall Power Of Women in Dairy Award for Excellence at International Dairy Week.

“I started showing cows and calves which led to meeting Ross and where we are today.” Leanne said the Tasmanian dairy industry, along with the rest of Australia, was currently booming. “Things are very stable at the moment with dairy in demand but the industry will reverse again when supply outstrips demand.” Leanne said there was a point in time a few years ago where they did consider selling up and exiting the industry, however, their son Liam is very interested in taking over the running of the farm in the future. “I just love breeding cattle and I couldn’t think of doing anything else and I think I still have a few good years left yet.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

10 // NEWS

Ear sensors a game changer JASON BURLEIGH is a fourth-generation

dairy farmer who has been full-time in the job since he was 16. He spent his teen years working on his parents’ farm at Nullawarre, in southwest Victoria. The farm has been his since July 2011. Along with wife Abby, and their nine-yearold daughter, they run 250 cows. “It’s a family-run operation,” Jason said. “We do all tasks ourselves, except for the artificial insemination of the cows.” That’s where technology comes in. All 250 cows have ear sensors, monitoring their activity, behaviour, eating time, resting time and rumination 24/7. “We started working with CowManager in 2015,” Jason said. “We chose the system because of the simplicity of installing and replacing an ear tag, and for monitoring heat detection and health.” He said it had improved their way of working. “The system has enabled us to increase our in-calf rates by not missing any heats. Due to this, it has enabled us to tighten our seasonal calving pattern.”

Better calving, better care Jason and Abby used to monitor fertility visually with scratchies on the cows’ backs.

Any health or nutrition issues were also gauged visually. “We know, going off previous years, that by running CowManager we are now calving down a much greater number of cows in the first three weeks of calving,” Jason said. “We are now not missing heats in the cows, and we are ensuring they get in-calf quicker.” Whenever a cow is on heat the system will send a notification in real-time, indicating the intensity of the heat and the best window of opportunity to inseminate. The same goes for health; whenever a cow is under performing, a notification pops up on the farmer’s phone and desktop. Jason said the attention and care for their cows hadn’t changed since using technology, however, monitoring their cows 24/7 had been a great help in catching sick or at-risk cows early. “It is integral to any herd that operators are still constantly keeping a visual eye on their animals. “But we are now able to quickly pick up on any health issues, therefore treating cows before they become gravely ill or sometimes before they even show signs of illness.”

Making life easier The biggest personal advantage for Jason is he can check on their cows wherever and whenever he wants to.

“It has been very handy when called away from the farm, to be able to just text through the on-heat cows to our relief milker, so they can catch those cows that are ready for AI. “I’m able to check cows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The system has a mobile app which has made such a difference as we can check our herd whenever and wherever we need to.” Aside from the tech enabling Jason to have better control and even better care for his herd, whenever something does require an extra set of eyes, he says the support has been amazing. “CowManager’s local representative Chris Kendall has offered us exceptional service and support “” at any hour of the day or night. “I would recommend CowManager to other dairy producers because the easy-toattach ear tags are user friendly and animal friendly. “The ability to detect a heat in cows that would not normally have had their scratchy scratched, indicating a heat, has been such a game changer for us. No more missed heats” For more information, and to get in touch with a local representative, go to: www.cowmanager.com/Australia

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NEWS // 13

Century of dairy innovation RIVERINA FRESH is celebrating its centenary

this year. During 100 years of operations, the Wagga Wagga-based company has endured the Murrumbidgee’s floods, the Riverina’s droughts, summer bushfires and, most recently, COVID-19 to establish itself as an iconic part of the Riverina community. Riverina Fresh CEO Rob Collier said achieving this milestone was testament to everyone associated with the company always bringing their best — whether facing obstacle or opportunity — to make Riverina Fresh the award-winning dairy producer and regional standout it is today. “Since our foundation in 1922, the company has developed a reputation for innovation and resilience, and we’ll carry those strengths into our next 100 years in the Riverina,” Mr Collier said. “We are exceptionally proud of our past, and we are focused on the challenges and opportunities of growing a more sustainable business into the future.” Riverina Fresh will celebrate its centenary at a series of events, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo and the Wagga Wagga Show. “We’re delighted to be marking a century delivering the best from our backyard — and this reference to our backyard is a nod to every-

one who has made this milestone possible and supported us,” Mr Collier said. “To our founders, our generations of farming families, our employees, our partners and our customers — thank you — together we have secured this rare achievement and established a legacy we can all be proud of.” Starting out as the Murrumbidgee Co‑Operative Dairy Co Ltd in 1922, the company still operates from its original site in Wagga’s Hammond Ave. During the past decade the company has expanded to include operations in Sydney and Melbourne and the introduction of a food services business, strengthening its regional and metro connectivity and links to the specialty coffee and hospitality sectors. Riverina Fresh is a major employer in the Riverina and its milk is sourced from about 20 dairy farmers across the local region — some of whom have been producing milk for multiple generations. Their milk is transformed into award-winning milks, creams and yoghurts that are supplied to leading retailers and cafés across NSW, Victoria and ACT. “We look forward to a year of recognition and celebration with our employees, farmers, local community, customers and business partners and will have more to share shortly,” Mr Collier said.

Starting out as the Murrumbidgee Co‑Operative Dairy in 1922, Riverina Fresh still operates from its original site in Wagga Wagga’s Hammond Ave.

One of the earliest fresh milk distributors for the company was Jack Macklan, when Riverina Fresh was still Murrumbidgee Co‑Operative Dairy.

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Burra Foods Burra Foods announced an increase in its farm gate milk price of 20¢/kg of milk solids for the full season from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. This follows a 10¢/kg MS increase in January. A global imbalance in the supply and demand of dairy products had driven commodity prices higher in recent months, Burra Foods chief executive officer Stewart Carson said.

Fonterra Australia Fonterra Australia has increased its average farm gate milk price for the 2021–22 season by 20¢/kg, comprising 17¢/kg of butterfat and 24¢/kg of protein. This takes Fonterra’s average farm gate milk price to $7.30/kg MS,

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

14 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

Working behind the scenes TERRY TOOHEY has been helping farmers access support to recover from the NSW floods. He wants Richmond Valley Council to consult with farmers about flood overlays and planning. Richmond Valley Council was already undertaking a review of its flood overlays and planning for climate change, before the floods hit the NSW Northern Rivers region this year. The council recognised that modelling from 2010 incorporated a plus-900 mm sea level rise and 10 per cent increase in rainfall intensity. It was one of three recent flood modelling strategies developed — in 1999, 2010 and 2014 — that council wanted to review for relevance to planning for climate change. Consultants were brought on board last year to conduct a review, capture more up-to-date data and make recommendations for council to consider in developing planning rules. Farmers have so far been left out of the consultation phase, according to Terry Toohey, a dairy farmer near Casino and, until recently, a board member of Dairy Connect (recently merged into eastAUS milk). Terry has been working hard behind the scenes in the past month to get help for his fellow dairy farmers affected by the NSW floods. That help included liaising directly with Federal Emergency Planning Minister Bridget McKenzie, to organise helicopters to provide an urgent delivery of generators and pumps, along

with electricians, to dairy farmers who were left without power in the late February storm event. With rain and muddy conditions continuing, Terry is now lobbying for veterinary help as he and his neighbours and industry contemporaries manage lameness and mastitis in their herds. He also lists pugging and waterlogged paddocks as major issues that will take time to recover for every dairy business. “The generators were needed so people could keep milking their cows after grid power became unavailable and their own generators were flooded,” Terry said. “They also needed to use the generators to be able to keep their milk. “Our main problems now are treating mastitis and lameness in our cows.” Terry is also dealing with mastitis and lameness in his own herd. “They don’t want to leave the dairy, where they’re standing on rubber mats,” he said. “The problem is the rain is still happening every day, and the land is waterlogged. “The cows don’t even want to be on our ridge country, because it’s waterlogged too.” Terry is concerned about the lack of consultation about flood planning undertaken by Richmond Valley Council and its consultants with dairy farmers. Going forward, he would like to see that situation change.

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“Any changes will affect a lot of dairy farmers, because most dairies are along the river,” Terry said. “Potentially, there’ll be some new governing rules about where infrastructure is built on farms. We want to be part of those discussions.

“It’ll cost us a lot more money in bedding materials and earthworks to raise the floor level of new sheds and dairies. “I hope some consultation will take place between farmers and town planners before the rules are settled.”

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16 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

Two floods double the pain JEANETTE SEVERS

TWO FLOODS within four months have forced

Deirdre and Brad Smith to make changes to the herd and pasture management on their property in south-east NSW. They have implemented a footbath at the dairy for their cows and have employed an additional labour unit to help with the extra workload in the wake of the two floods that hit their farm at Brogo, north of Bega. Apart from dealing with lame cows, they are also trying to work out how to grow winter feed — given the waterlogged paddocks are where they would normally sow that pasture. Deirdre and Brad milk a 150-head, year-round calving herd supplying Bega Cheese. In the 2019–20 bushfires, some of their cows died because of smoke inhalation. In November last year and again in February this year, the Brogo River rose and flooded the low country of their farm. Now 20 of their cows are lame, so the herd is being pushed through the footbath on their way to milking. It has extended milking by an hour at each end of the day, and means an extra person has to be on hand to push the cows through the yards. Deirdre and Brad were still recovering from the nearby Brogo River flood in November, when

in late February, another 361 mm saw the Brogo River rise across their lower country again. It washed away the seed sown in early February, which was going to be their winter feed. “That 10-hectare paddock is waterlogged and because it’s been so wet, we’ve been unable to sow other paddocks, so we have no winter feed sown for this year,” Deirdre told Dairy News in mid-March. They were able to harvest extra silage in spring and summer, before and after the November flood. They had cut one harvest of silage before the November flood. After the flood, they mowed and recovered an extra 75 bales, although of much lower quality because of the floodwater and rain. But they definitely don’t have enough hay to carry the cows through winter. “We only have about 20 bales of hay, but we should have enough silage to get through to spring,” Deirdre said. “Our safety barrier is 300 bales of pasture silage for winter feeding. We harvested 410 last year, and that should get us through winter and spring.” In November, Deirdre submitted the paperwork for a $75,000 disaster recovery grant, which will be spent on restoring a key laneway and replacing their foot valve.

The Smith family’s herd is currently grazing high country, because the summer grazing paddocks are waterlogged after the Brogo River flooded twice.

The grant is paid initially as an emergency $15,000, with the remaining $60,000 paid on presentation of receipts. In mid-March, they were still waiting to hear when they would receive the initial payment. “The rivers haven’t gone down from last year. We lost a foot valve in November and we haven’t

been able to get down to check the condition of pumps,” Deirdre said. “The access road cops a lot of run-off and gets washed out, so the truck drivers have had difficulty because access has been too boggy and slippery.” Brad had 38 tonnes of blue metal rolled along the laneway, which is their access road into

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 17 the farm. That laneway has since been washed away again. Because the milk truck was unable to get in to the farm, they have had to dump milk. The muddy paddocks have also increased mastitis. “We’re trying to just treat three cows at a time with antibiotics. We have to dump that milk. It’s a loss of production we just have to bear,” Deirdre said. “We’ve been using the footbath now for seven days, and we’ve only had to treat one cow with antibiotics. But we’ve had the vets here four times to clean out abscesses and trim hoofs. “Brad also did a foot trimming course and is able to help. “We’re trying to keep the cows on higher paddocks to keep them out of the mud.” Unfortunately the waterlogged paddocks are where they would normally graze the milking herd at this time of year, when they rest the hill paddocks. “The paddocks we’re putting our cows in now are the ones we sacrifice and use for feeding out winter silage. We’re lucky at the moment, we have so much grass,” Deirdre said. “Those paddocks are getting puggy and we’ll struggle in six weeks with feeding silage in those paddocks, because they’re already chopped up. “It means a lot more renovation work for the spring that we were not really planning on.” In May, the cows are normally fed three bales of silage a day in the paddock. Brad and Deirdre plan to feed this silage beside fencelines along the route the cows come out of the dairy after milking.

Brad Smith completed a foot trimming course, and this expertise has helped in the current circumstances.

Deirdre Smith said an extra person was needed at milking time, which has been extended by an hour with the addition of the footbath for each cow.

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 19

Processor keeps milk moving JEANETTE SEVERS

THE FARMERS, drivers and processing staff

connected to Maleny Dairies have been working hard to keep the milk supply chain working, despite the cyclones and floods in Queensland. “We’ve had a few tough weeks,” Stephen Tait, CEO of Maleny Dairies at Gympie, said. “All the farmers around us, around Gympie and the Hinterland, have lost cows, fodder, infrastructure, and their businesses have been hit hard,” he said. “The weather affects cows’ production and welfare. “We’re doing everything we can to help these farmers get back on their feet and keep producing milk. “Our responsibility is to collect their milk and get it out to customers, so our farmers have an income.” Decision making has included liaising with Queensland Police and State Emergency Services about the logistics of which roads are open and usable, watching the weather forecasts, and relying on a cohort of local drivers who know the region well. “Sometimes it’s meant finding new ways to collect milk, while keeping our staff safe,“ Mr Tait said. “That may mean taking a route that’s up to three times longer and changing our production schedules.

Maleny Dairies CEO Stephen Tait donated milk products to aged care homes when floods and storms had made their normal supply lines vulnerable.

“We have a very experienced and knowledgeable team of drivers. They alleviated the stress of farmers who were assured their milk would be picked up.” When the owners of Maleny Dairies realised there was a shortfall of processed milk products coming from northern NSW, the company donated the products to aged care homes.

“Particularly in aged care homes, dairy products are a staple for people to get their calcium and protein. You cannot not deliver dairy to aged care homes,” Mr Tait said. “Our concern was they were the most vulnerable in our community. We made an arbitrary decision that the aged care sector was one we needed to support.”

He said it was a short-lived but necessary gesture, until the usual suppliers were able to provide milk and other dairy products. Maleny Dairies, owned by Ross and Sally Harper, is supplied by 10 farms and supports the employment of a large number of people in the Gympie region — on dairy farms, in the processing facility and in supporting roles.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

20 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

Preparing for the bad days JEANETTE SEVERS

REGULAR STORMS have forced Katrina and Chris

Heathwood to have a generator permanently connected to their dairy. It means when the electricity supply fails, they can milk their cows and keep their milk cold. It also provides hot water for cleaning. So they were able to keep milking their cows when grid power was disconnected during storms caused by Tropical Cyclone Seth and the floods in February. It was one less thing to worry about as they coped with recovering and tried to access Special Disaster payments. Katrina and Chris Heathwood and his parents, Colin and Jean, run a dairy farm at Goomeri, west of Gympie, in Queensland. They milk 350 to 380 cows in a 24-bay herringbone rapid exit dairy, and the herd calves year-round. There are four full-time and two casual employees. Natural waterways intersect the farm, causing the main laneway between the two houses to cut Chris and Katrina off from his parents’ house and the dairy. So when Tropical Cyclone Seth impacted their farm in early January, Chris and Katrina had already moved into his parent’ home. “The February flood started about 2 am and we heard it starting, but we didn’t realise we wouldn’t be able to get over the creek,” Katrina said.

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 21 During the February flood, the silage pit walls collapsed. Chris and Katrina have looked at the disaster grants for opportunities to fund repair, but she feels there is no funding to help them. “After the 2013 floods, we put in bigger contour banks around the pit,” Katrina said. “But the January rain was still too much. Moving forward we’re again going to try and improve the durability of our silage pits. “There’s limits to what the grants cover. We’ve cleaned out the silage pit and we have to wait to do the remedial works.”

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Neighbours milked the cows in the morning, and Katrina and Chris moved into his parents’ home, which is closer to the dairy, before afternoon milking. “We often run the dairy on the generator because we have regular storms,” Katrina said. “It runs the milking platform, the vat and the hot water system. I think every dairy farmer should have a generator because it means we can look after the girls.” During the February flood, road access was affected — they were isolated and had to dump 15,500 litres of milk. “We were close to dumping another 8000 litres of milk when the truck came in,” Katrina said. “Norco stood by us and have covered us for the loss of milk. “It was reassuring to know we were part of a co‑op that cares and stands by its farmers. The Norco field officers were checking in with us all the time. “The dairy industry was great — people were ringing us to check on how we were and what help we needed. It was reassuring to know we were not doing it alone.” Rain has kept the creek level up and their land waterlogged, affecting animal health, silage harvest and soil condition. “Continual rain means the ground hasn’t dried out and the cows get sick with mastitis and sore feet,” Katrina said. “They drop production because they’re not comfortable. “Every day we wash and dry their teats and we strip every quarter before we put the cups on, so we can pick up pretty quickly on any mastitis. We’ve had to give antibiotics to some of them. “Each morning we catch any cows with sore feet, and Chris puts a shoe on them and trims their feet. “It’s adding extra time onto milking because we have to be more vigilant and check each cow. “Then we ensure our antibiotic milk is separated from the 50,500-litre vat, using a secondary vat.” They are using their feeding pad for the 180 replacement heifers and currently discussing plans to better protect their cows from extreme weather. “We’re looking to build a shed for the cows to protect them from these type of weather events,” Katrina said. Unfortunately, the continual summer storms interfered with silage harvest and caused their silage pit to cave in. “This time of year is when we’re trying to harvest silage,” Katrina said. “We use a sorghum-mix pasture. We need about 7000 tonnes of chopped pit silage each year. “When Seth hit us in January, we had 300 mm of rain in a few hours. The soil became so saturated and we were about to start harvesting. We were just about out of silage.” When Dairy News spoke to Katrina in midMarch, she said the silage was “now past its best potential”. They hoped they could get onto their cultivated country the following week. “We’ll still take it off, and just keep testing it to measure the quality,” Katrina said. “We’re going to have to buy fodder to provide that extra protein. “We’ll have to sow a rye-grass for winter feed, making the most of the full moisture profile, and try and get as many cuttings off that as we can.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

22 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

The long road to recovery JEANETTE SEVERS

PAUL, SHARON and Matthew Weir have faced

floods before. But nothing like the one that devastated their northern NSW farm in late February. When they spoke to Dairy News in mid-March, they were desperate to get power reconnected so they can use their high pressure firefighting equipment to clean the mud out of their herringbone dairy and get their remaining cows home for milking. The family experienced a record-breaking flood that rose above levy banks and swept across their farm at Tuncester, 10 km out of Lismore. “These floodwaters were two metres higher than the previous record,” Paul said. “We are on a floodplain, but our infrastructure is above the (previous record) flood level by half a metre.” The Weir farm had water across it in 1954, 1974, 1989 and 2017. Leycester Creek becomes a major tributary in their valley, where the catchments of five valleys merge. A dairy farmer well experienced with flood mitigation, Paul and his son, Matthew, kept a rolling check on the expected flood, moving irrigation equipment, tractors and their herd of

Holstein and hybrid cows up to the house and dairy where they thought it would all be safe. “We finished milking 300 cows on Sunday afternoon (February 27) and put them in their night paddock,” Paul said. “At that time, Leycester Creek was four metres high, less than halfway up the bank. “At midnight we brought the cows up to the feedpad. Matthew mixed up some feed in the silage wagon — enough to feed them on the pad for a couple of days. The Weir family is nursing 30 cows on their farm, keeping them around the dairy platform. They are “They [authorities] were talking about a peak milking and grazing their surviving 170 milking cows on a friend’s farm, 15 km away at Goolmangar. at 6 am.” The Weirs’ remaining herd (170 cows) was The family left lights on around the house, rain into each of those valleys. The Wilson River being fed and milked at the farm of Greg, Sue and Leycester Creek peaked at the same time.” sheds and dairy, so they could see what the and Todd McNamara, of Goolmangar, 15 km away. At daybreak, pumps, irrigation and almost all water was doing. The McNamaras were off-grid for two days, “About 3.30 am the water was racing through machinery were gone. The dairy, sheds and the using a generator to run their dairy. Paul said first storey of the family home were inundated. the dairy,” Paul said. because the processor’s truck couldn’t access “Matthew and I went to check the cows in “The water was 30 cm from the ceiling,” Paul the farm for a few days, the milk from both herds the dairy yards and on the feedpad and they said. were okay. Walking the 50 metres back to the Some of their milking herd drowned in the was dumped for five days. “As of today (mid-March), there are 38 cows house, I nearly got swept away in the strength dairy yard, some when they were swept downstill missing and we’ve found 62 dead,” Paul of the water.” stream in the water. Some of them swam to their said. He said his decision making was based on herd mates on the feed pad. “Our milking plant went under and I still previous flood experience. In previous floods, Thirty cows have cuts and abrasions and are don’t have power. once the levy banks at Lismore were breached, being nursed by Paul, Sharon and Matthew. The “The McNamara family offered to take the the floodwater tended to run away. Paul noted family is still milking 170 cows. milkers. Two of us are helping milk their herd with this flood that didn’t happen. When they talked to Dairy News in mid-March, and then we milk our herd. We’re feeding them “The floodwater kept rising,” he said. the family was living with Paul’s sister and, with hay and grain every day. “By 6 am, it was obviously a record flood. “Hopefully our herd can stay there until we “Above me, there’s five valleys that merge into grid electricity still offline, the two families had a one creek, and we were getting over 700 mm of fridge, freezer and lamp plugged into a generator. get our dairy ready.”

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 23

Federal Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie was in Lismore early in March looking at the flood damage. Joined by local MP Kevin Hogan and Joe Buffone, the Emergency Management Australia co-ordinator general, Senator McKenzie spoke with Paul Weir (centre) about the kind of assistance needed by farmers, to help shape government direction.

Donations of hay and silage have been welcomed by the Weir family, to feed the cows they are nursing, and BlazeAid has been in touch. “All our fences are gone,” Paul said. “We had a very good harvest season and chopped 550 tonne of sorghum. That and all the pasture silage we made was washed away. The grain in our silos got wet, so that’s ruined too. “We weren’t ready for a flood two metres higher than previous.” Paul is sending his heifers and dry cows to agistment he has been offered at the Tablelands. Rain kept falling across the district, so the paddocks remain waterlogged and put at risk the opportunity to grow winter feed. “Usually within a couple of days of other floods, we’re able to get machinery onto the paddocks and mow and mulch, so fresh grass can grow,” Paul said. “We can’t get on and do that yet.” The cattle yards at the dairy are still standing, and were put to use for pregnancy testing on the day of our interview.

In the herringbone dairy, apart from cleaning, Paul and Matthew will also need to install some new components. They have to find out where they can get those components, given the district’s businesses are closed. The electricity transformer was inundated and two power poles are lying on the ground, knocked over by debris in the floodwater. “We’ve done the best clean out we can considering we’ve got no power,” Paul said. “My generator got water in it, so I haven’t been able to use it.” Paul and Sharon have a fertiliser spreading business in the industrial zone of Lismore, which they haven’t been able to access yet, but they don’t expect to recover much in the way of assets. “We’ve got five spreader trucks and other machinery and 300 tonnes of fertiliser in the shed. That industrial estate is normally above flood level,” Paul said.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

24 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

Donations feed hungry herd JEANETTE SEVERS

PETER AND Suzanne Graham, of Codrington,

downstream of Lismore, welcomed muchneeded hay and silage donations from farmers around Dorrigo and Gloucester in mid-March to feed their milking herd. Since then, they’ve also received an initial $15,000 grant from the Special Disaster grants. On Sunday afternoon, February 27, Peter milked his herd of 250 cows as usual in the herringbone dairy, then let them into the night paddock. His property is on the Richmond River, downstream from Lismore and just out of Coraki. He was alerted before daybreak on Monday, February 28, that the flood level upstream of Lismore was above record levels. Peter drove his tractor to bring his herd up to the dairy for safety. While more than half the herd followed him, 100 cows were reluctant. “They followed me 200 metres, then they ran back to the gully,” Peter said. “I had to leave them there.” He was gutted and didn’t know whether these cows would survive the flood, but he had to keep the rest of the herd moving.

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He hoped to be able to milk the herd, but the water rose rapidly around the dairy yard and filled the herringbone dairy’s pit. The cows missed milking from the Monday morning inclusive to Tuesday night, and the back-up generator failed with storm damage on the following Sunday. At 7.30 on Monday evening, Suzanne and their daughter, Ella, were evacuated by helicopter, while Peter and their son, Brady, slept in a car parked near the dairy. By this time, the family’s house had four inches of water inside it. “We’d normally have 24 hours’ notice about a flood,” Peter said. But three catchments filled at once, and a flood that started above Kyogle moved rapidly downstream, spilling out of Richmond and Wilson rivers around Coraki. “We saw this wall of water 1200 mm high coming over the farm,” Peter said. “I’ll never forget the force of it. It had force moving all the way to Swan Bay.” Sheds, equipment, the foot valve in the river and pumps were all in the way. Silage, hay and grain were destroyed. Paddocks are obviously still waterlogged and, with the entire farm flooded, Peter will have to renovate and resow 100 per cent of his farm.

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 25 Key will be rebuilding the soil fertility and structure — floodwaters will have robbed his soil of much-needed natural nutrients like phosphorous. “It was an excessive amount of water, creating a catastrophic amount of damage. Whoever you talk to along this catchment, they’ve been hit hard,” Peter said. He has lost 20 heifers, five of them close to calving, but is hoping he’ll hear they’re safe, somewhere downstream. The 100 cows that refused to come out of the gully survived the flood, standing in water up to their loins. Some of them walked out late on the Monday, but 60 stayed there for four days. They are now close to the dairy, with lameness, sore legs and mastitis. That’s where they’re staying, and Peter uses his tractor to take feed to them every day. He’s relying on corn and vetch hay he purchased and was delivered after the floodwater started subsiding, and silage and hay donated by other farmers, to feed his cows. After the flood, three storms helped destroy barley stored in a silo and his remaining silage and hay. “I’ve never had to accept donated hay before. And I am this time and it’s hard,” Peter said. “By Tuesday last week I’d received four loads of silage and a load of hay. “Three loads were out of Dorrigo and delivered by Lions Need for Feed. One load was donated out of Gloucester, organised by a local farmer. I also bought a load of hay from my own normal trader.” He was able to connect the house and dairy to a generator, so he can turn on lights and milk

cows. But the generator hasn’t been connected to hot water, so he’s unable to wash the dairy plant. At the river, with the foot valve gone, he’s resorted to using his firefighting pump to reticulate water to drinking troughs for his cows. Peter had to dump milk for a fortnight. Fortunately his supplier, Lactalis, has promised to respect and look after the dairy herd’s production. “The power not coming on at a timely rate has a huge impact on what we can do,” Peter said. “We were off grid power for nine days. Anything more than two or three days is unheard of.” He’s now turning his mind to long-term damage control and is keen to have the local conversation about preparation. Key to preparation is planning, because infrastructure like concrete pads and levy banks are constructed for generations. “There’s always going to be flood that’s bigger, but that big flood we can’t prepare for,” Peter said. “If they want us to prepare for this size of an event, they need to provide us with funding to renovate our properties, such as with a levy as they have in Lismore, to store feed in sheds at a higher level. “We’re prepared for a normal flood. We’re not prepared for the cyclones and floods that break the normal levies. Then we might need a hand for a catastrophic event. “We need the actual data to tell us how to plan long term — 50 years and more — when you put a concrete dairy platform down or build a shed on concrete, you need that to be adequate for generations to come.

Peter Graham, of Codrington, was one of the dairy farmers who benefited from silage donated and delivered by farmers from Dorrigo.

“And we need accurate data so we can protect our livestock, keep them out of the water and safe. There are people downstream who’ve lost all their cattle.” Peter said mobile communication from emergency services was inadequate. He was expected to use his computer to find information about flood heights, when it should have been provided through the emergency app on his phone. Unfortunately, the computer wasn’t working because of flood damage, nor could he access the internet. Then telephone connection failed on the Wednesday and Thursday. Because of ongoing NBN failure, as of midMarch he still couldn’t access online forms to apply for emergency funding.

“At the end of the day, I wasn’t prepared for a flood that high,” Peter said. “We live in a digital world, but we don’t get the service and systems in place to support our needs. [In rural zones] we need a system that handles a large volume of communication.” Suzanne’s parents are helping the family to clear out their house — finding furniture, shelving and cabinets have expanded from the moisture — and removing mud-soaked carpets. “Everything smells of mud. It’s in the walls and floors,” Peter said. Helping is a multi-generational family affair. Peter’s parents are involved with the local Rural Fire Services and are helping other people.

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26 // NSW/QLD FLOODS

Farmers need ‘immediate’ aid

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IMMEDIATE CASH and the recognition of digital technology to help assess cyclone and flood damage should be top-of-mind for insurers, according to National Farmers’ Federation CEO Tony Mahar. Mr Mahar is part of the Agricultural National Coordination Mechanism, one of a range of NCMs or ‘round table’ representing key industry and business groups that meet weekly with Federal Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie. Other NCMs include Supply Chain (freight, business groups, supermarkets and others), Finance (including banking and insurance companies), Trades (including builders and electricians industry representative bodies) and Community Support (including not-for-profit and mental health delivery organisations). The round tables have been critical to identifying where disaster response and relief funding needs to be spent and how it should be allocated. “We need immediate cash injections for people to recover, because cash flow will be affected by assets and infrastructure lost in the cyclone and floods,” Mr Mahar said. The federal and state governments have announced a raft of funded grants available to farmers, business owners and residents in Queensland affected by Tropical Cyclone Seth and floods, and in flood-affected NSW. Grants of up to $50,000 are available for affected primary producers following Tropical Cyclone Seth, which hit Queensland in early January, to hire or purchase equipment and materials, clean up damage and remove debris, replace fencing and other costs associated with the recovery process. The maximum grant amount is $50,000 and is available through two applications. An initial amount of $10,000 requires evidence of the direct damage. That evidence can be produced with photographs, video, quotations, tax invoices and official receipts. The subsequent $40,000 is available to support further claims, and is payable after receipt of payment. Applications close July 29. Special Disaster Grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers and up to $50,000 for small businesses and not-for-profit organisations have

been available through NSW Government agencies since late February. Another Special Disaster Grant of $50,000 emergency funding was available from November last year, in recognition of flooding and severe weather. An initial $15,000 is available for farmers, with further grants available on proof of payment. “Farmers need to remove carcases and repair pumps, fences, sheds, irrigation equipment,” eastAUS milk CEO Shaughn Morgan said. “The $15,000 payment will help with those initial costs. “Road damage needs to be repaired as quickly as possible, given that milk tankers and fodder relief needs access, and farmers need to move around in their own tractors and trucks. They need as much support as we can offer. “We want to be able to retain farmers in the industry and that includes prioritising assistance to restore farms to operating as normal.” eastAUS milk is also a member of the Agriculture NCM. Mr Mahar said the NCM was lobbying for cooperation from all levels of government. “We don’t want local, state and Federal Government to be sniping about whose responsibility road and rail repairs are. We want them to cooperate and work together,” he said. “There also needs to be urgent assessment processes from insurers, using technology to assess damage — using photos, videos and drone footage to assess damage, rather than waiting on roads to be repaired to send out assessors. “The clear advice from the Insurance Council is that technology can be used.” Mr Mahar said the Agriculture NCM was also seeking cooperation from the banking sector to continue to provide flexibility to farmers around meeting loan commitments, given many primary producers have lost their immediate income source. The Federal Government has extended funding into the Resilient Kids program, with an additional $10 million committed to programs for school-aged children in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Mr Morgan said eastAUS Milk was assisting dairy farmers to fill in the paperwork to apply for funding assistance.

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NSW/QLD FLOODS // 27

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Among the crew of people deployed from Tasmania to assist in NSW, was a flood engineer to assist in decision making in the NSW Incident Control Centre. The ADF initially arrived in Queensland in February, with Taipan helicopters and personnel, after a request from Queensland Police for assistance. Since then, more than 6000 enlisted and reservist ADF personnel were deployed into NSW and Queensland, with more than 3000 in northern NSW, for a range of rescue, clean up and recovery tasks. HMAS Shepparton, HMAS Yarra and clearance diving teams worked on clearing sub-surface obstructions in the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay, including ferry terminals. This will enable safer access to water transport. In NSW, ADF personnel were tasked to remove debris at a range of locations, including Lismore Public School and Richmond River High School. Other duties have included aerial mapping of the floods and damage, distribution of food and fodder, and welfare checks. The National Resource Centre and NSW and Queensland’s incident control response managers continue to liaise to identify how interstate assistance can continue to help in the immediate and longer term.

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their neighbours in Queensland and NSW as storms and floodwater destroyed thousands of homes and roads, waterlogged paddocks and drowned livestock. Hundreds of NSW Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service and Surf Life Saving volunteers worked daily in late February and early March to help evacuate thousands of people from flash floods that inundated homes and farms in the Sydney, Hunter Valley, Illawarra and South Coast districts. After evacuations, these crews have also worked hard to resupply communities by helicopter and boat, and clear fallen trees and other debris from roads and bridges to enable access. In that work, they have been supported by Australian Defence Force reservists and enlisted personnel. The interstate and intrastate help comes at a time when many emergency services volunteers and personnel in NSW and Queensland are working hard in their own communities and, with their families, are also affected by flooding. Fifteen Victorian swift water rescue specialists and support staff were deployed in late February to support Queensland, following record-breaking floods in the south-east of the state. The team included three four-person swift water rescue crews. Their mobilisation into Queensland followed flood boat operators deployed earlier in the month to NSW from Queensland State Emergency Services, from Burdekin and Townsville crews. Swift water rescue teams are trained to perform complex rescues, including pulling people from fast-moving water, conducting evacuations and delivering needed supplies by boat. Victorian CFA and SES teams were also deployed to NSW. On the back of flooding in their own state, dozens of swift water specialists and logistics personnel from South Australia’s SES were deployed to NSW throughout March. Incident management team members from Western Australia’s emergency services flew into NSW in response to the national call for assistance. WA emergency services personnel will also be part of a 60-strong community liaison group staffed from all Australian states, to work alongside the NSW SES.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

28 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Liver vital for cow health THE LIVER of a dairy cow performs so many

essential functions that we cannot overemphasise its importance in maintaining a healthy and high-performing cow. Liver health problems are often caused by metabolic imbalance resulting from dietary inadequacy, or other nutritional and environmental factors. Most common is the accumulation of fat in the liver during transition period, when cows mobilise excessive body fat. Research has shown there is a link between high accumulation of fat in the liver, ketosis (high NEFA and BHBA) and low milk production (Figure 1). So, if we can keep the liver healthy by preventing excessive fat accumulation, there is a very good chance the cow will stay healthy, productive, fertile and profitable. Let’s look at the key functions of the liver and how nutritional solutions like B vitamins can support a healthy and functioning liver.

Energy metabolism Glucose is the main energy source for a dairy cow, and most of her glucose requirement is derived from a process called gluconeogenesis — a metabolic process of producing glucose from non-carbohydrate sources like fatty acids and proteins (amino acids). Early research suggests up to 90 per cent of glucose requirement of ruminants may be

derived from gluconeogenesis, occurring mostly in the liver. Gluconeogenesis also occurs in the kidney. The liver is also a major storage organ for excess glucose as glycogen, which is drawn upon when there is low blood sugar due to low dietary carbohydrate or low dry matter intake. The process of converting glycogen back to glucose is called glycogenolysis. Given the importance of energy in dairy cows, it is important to maintain a healthy liver for it to continue to function properly and produce the energy the cow needs.

Fat metabolism Dairy cows continuously metabolise fat, but during transition period — four weeks before and four weeks after calving — intake is depressed, and cows will mobilise more body fat (as NEFA, non-esterified fatty acids) for energy. A healthy liver will convert the NEFA to a usable energy for the cow and/or to a non-toxic form of fat. These two processes will prevent or minimise fat accumulation in the liver and improve glucose (energy) production.

Protein metabolism Many essential protein-based compounds like hormones are produced in the liver.

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For example, an essential hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which plays a key role in follicle development and resumption of a regular oestrous cycle, is produced in the liver. Many other hormones that regulate reproductive functions are produced in the liver.

Detoxification The liver functions in breaking down toxic compounds such as ammonia (from rumen fermentation) into non-toxic urea. Excess amino acids in the system are not stored, instead they are converted to urea in the liver. Urea formed in the liver is excreted in the urine or recycled through the digestive tract. Some toxins from dietary source can also be detoxified by the liver.

Immune defence The liver produces antibodies against infections and other molecules to respond to challenges of infections, inflammations and stress. Dairy cows are always challenged throughout their production cycle, so the liver must be healthy to be able to respond adequately to these various challenges.

B vitamins and a healthy liver The B vitamins are involved in the metabolism of fatty acids to prevent or reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver and maximise glucose production (gluconeogenesis). They are essential in the process of converting NEFA to energy and/or non-toxic fat that is easily transported out of the liver for use in other tissues or secreted into milk. Although B vitamins are naturally present in the diet and produced in the rumen, research has shown they are significantly broken down in the rumen (up to 99 per cent degraded, depending on the vitamin), therefore, dairy cows need supplementation to optimise their health, production and reproduction.

Jefo Australia’s Dr Razaq Balogun.

Several studies have shown that supplementing transition cows with rumen-protected B vitamins reduced liver fat and subsequently improved production and reproduction (Figures 2 and 3). It is important to note that for supplementation to be effective, B vitamins must be in the diet and in a rumen-protected form.

Conclusion The liver, in addition to being an organ that produces essential molecules such as glucose, also acts as a filtering system. If it is clogged due to accumulation of fat, its capacity to function will reduce and many important metabolic processes will be hampered. A healthy liver is critical to a healthy cow, as this will ensure your dairy cows are healthy and perform to their genetic potential. Nutritional solutions like rumen-protected B vitamins can support liver health and contribute to the resilience, health and performance of your cows. By Dr Razaq Balogun Ruminant technical sales manager Jefo Australia

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Figure 1. Average milk yield, liver fat content, blood beta hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) and blood nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) in healthy and ketotic cows. Adapted from Xiliang et al., 2017.

Figure 2. Supplementation with rumen protected B vitamins (RPBV) reduced liver triglyceride (TAG, fat) in transition dairy cows (Morrison et al., 2019).

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Figure 3. Supplementation with rumen protected B vitamins (RPBV) increased milk yield in transition dairy cows (Morrison et al., 2019).

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

30 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Feed ban must be obeyed THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA, the feeding

of any material taken from a vertebrate animal (with a handful of exceptions, such as milk) to ruminants is banned. This is because our country has the enviable global recognition of being free from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease. This is a reputation of immense value for our beef industry, and one that relies on all of us doing the right thing on-farm to protect and maintain. Although still poorly understood, BSE is an irreversible and progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from ingestion of an abnormal protein called a prion, which is not destroyed by heat or cooking. Infected cattle appear unbalanced, are prone to falling and can show signs of aggression or frenzy before inevitable death (hence the colloquial name mad cow disease). There is also a similar disease in sheep known as scrapie. With cases suspected in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and peaking in the 1990s, BSE is highly suspected to have originated as a result of feeding cattle meat and bone meal containing prions. It is not known how prions first emerged, however it’s generally agreed that the outbreak was then amplified and spread throughout the

UK by the continued feeding of rendered, prioninfected animal meals to young calves. Subsequently, a strong association was discovered between humans eating suspected infected animal material (such as beef or lamb) and the development of similarly progressive and fatal neurological signs over time. The human prion disease is known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). There has never been a case of vCJD that did not have a history of exposure within a country where BSE was occurring. This association had huge implications for the British beef industry that are still being felt today, resulting in the culling of 4.4 million cattle in the UK and global export bans. Thankfully, after the introduction of culling, feed bans, surveillance and public health measures, annual human and animal case numbers dropped sharply and remain extremely low today. Introduced in 1996 by our livestock and stock feed industries, the Australian Ruminant Feed Ban provides assurance to our international markets that beef and beef products from Australia continue to meet the highest standards for safe human consumption. Each state and territory has legislation surrounding Restricted Animal Material (RAM), which describes animal-based meals and materials that must not be fed to ruminants.

Importantly for dairy farmers, RAM includes eggs (which, alarmingly, numerous Facebook discussion groups indicate is still a commonly suggested colostrum replacer or ‘treatment’ for scouring calves), and unaccredited used cooking oil (a seemingly cheap and available fix for dusty crushed grain). Recycled cooking oils should only be sourced from establishments that are accredited to the National Standard for Recycling of Used Cooking Fats and Oils Intended for Animal Feeds by the Australian Renderers Association (ARA). These can be found on the AUSMEAT website. If selling animals, your National Vendor Declaration (a legal document) includes questions about whether they have been fed animal products or RAM, and must always be answered honestly. Compliance may be checked during your dairy audit, and if caught feeding RAM, a marker is placed on your Property Identity Code (PIC). Exposed animals cannot be slaughtered in most abattoirs. Some states also have hefty fines for Ruminant Feed Ban non-compliance. Given many farmers I know also tend to keep an animal for the freezer themselves, the health and safety of your family should also provide additional motivation to ensure RAM is not being fed to any of your cattle. Lucy Collins is completing her Dairy Residency with University of Melbourne. She

Lucy Collins.

works as an on-farm veterinarian for Apiam Animal Health, and alongside her husband on his family’s dairy farm in south-west Victoria. She is a 2021 Nuﬃeld Scholar supported by Gardiner Dairy Foundation. Comments, feedback and suggestions can be sent to: lucy.collins@apiam.com.au

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

ANIMAL HEALTH // 31

Collars keep track MONITORING A dairy herd is a 24-hour job but an agri-tech company is automating critical functions to ease the pressure, reduce labour and give back more time to farmers. Waikato Milking Systems introduced its CowTRAQ™ Collars and its TracHQ™ software to the Australian market in May 2021, in partnership with dairy management technology company Nedap. CowTRAQ™ Collars identify each cow in a herd and keep track of their signs of heat, position, eating, rumination, standing, lying, walking and inactive behavior 24/7. The collars provide a precise and complete picture about the fertility, health, wellbeing and nutritional status of each cow in each herd. Waikato Milking Systems regional manager for Australia Rob Spencer said the functionality of the collars offered farmers a chance to improve in several areas. “We’re talking about a herd’s reproduction results, increased labor efficiency as well as farm management to get a more productive and sustainable herd. “Better cow health and condition is also an important area where the collars can make a difference, by detecting health issues earlier. “That means treatment and recovery can be more effective, fertility can improve and longterm it can reduce mortality rates.” Rob said the data collected by the collars could save on costs and gave cows the individual attention they needed. “Farmers can focus resources on the cows that really need attention, at the right time, with the correct treatment.” The data from each collar is continuously collected by an antenna which has a range of at least 75 meters around the parlor and 250 meters when placed outside for grazing cows. TracHQ™ is the software driving the CowTRAQ™ collars. It translates the data into information the operator can understand and easily view on a PC, tablet or smartphone. Everyone working on the farm with a connected device can have access to real-time information and insights. TracHQ™ can generate real-time and relevant alerts, to-do lists, reports and maps to help manage and control the herd. “TracHQ™ also integrates with our range of milking point controls, milk indicators, milk meters and milk analytical sensors,” Rob said. “It can also connect with our automated systems to sort animals that are either on heat or have an alert that has been raised against their number.” TracHQ™ is a modular solution so upgrading to include auto sorting and integration to milking solutions and feeding is simple. With a three-year, 100 per cent replacement warranty, and graded warranty thereafter, CowTRAQ™ and TracHQ™ is a technology package farmers can trust and rely on. Typically the operating life is eight to 10 years so it outperforms and goes the distance. Rob said the new technology would help farmers improve their bottom line by making datadriven decisions. “Together, CowTRAQ™ and TracHQ™ give farmers an all-in-one, 24/7 cow management system to help them meet the challenges of operating a modern dairy farm.”

CowTRAQ™ Collars provide a precise and complete picture about the fertility, health, wellbeing and nutritional status of each cow in each herd.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

32 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Make stubble loads a breeze THIS SEASON’S wet, sticky and heavy trash condi-

tions will prove a challenge, but it’s a challenge RFM Ag is ready for. Director and sales manager Bruce Hutcheon said sales of the company’s press harrows, retrofit double discs, spring coil press wheels and tynes had been particularly strong over the past two years off the back of grower demand for quality Australian-made products and good seasonal conditions. “There is plenty of subsoil moisture and the seasonal outlook is good but growers will no doubt be having issues with their stubble loads,” Mr Hutcheon said. “All our machines are now fully made in Australia for Australian conditions with design modifications made in conjunction with customer feedback. “With the RFM Ag press harrows, we have made some durability and maintenance upgrades by redesigning the hinge-point on the main arm and the clamps where the coils bolt onto.” The RFM Ag press harrows are a levelling harrow and coil packer in one product using three spring coils to eliminate mud and trash build-up. They feature a quick-change angle and level position and have a low maintenance bearing design. “We also have the new RFM Ag parallelogram tynemounted press wheel, a dual purpose design which can be bolted onto the back of a tyne or disc unit, has adjustable spring tensions and with the ability to fit the majority of machines on the market,” Mr Hutcheon said. “The action of the parallelogram allows for a constant seeding depth. The press wheel has the RFM Ag patented

Building farm equipment for 60 years, Hustler Equipment has been dedicated to improving the lives and work of Australian dairy farmers since the very beginning.

coil wheel which brings soft soil back over the top of the seed, leaving a firm tilth without smearing or crusting. “Growers can also choose our standard coil press wheel which mounts across the back of any bar and comes in the narrow two coil press wheel. “The press wheels have a self-cleaning action avoiding the use of a chain and self-close the furrows.” With RFM Ag’s popular retrofit double discs, growers have been achieving faster sowing speed, better fuel consumption and better germination. The company has constantly developed the retrofit conversions for more than 14 years to adapt to more than 50 planters worldwide, with the double discs allowing growers to convert their existing planting tyne tip to a dual-purpose machine also suitable for pasture. The disc has a 15-degree angle giving it the ability to cut through the toughest stubble load — a serrated lead disc is 25 mm in front of the following plain disc for easier penetration. The large 450 mm x 4 mm plates are recessed to handle the roughest of conditions and are fitted with a newly designed axle-free hub with a non-greaseable sealed bearing reducing maintenance. Mr Hutcheon said the new hubs could be retrofitted to the existing older style machines. “The reduced draft and drag of the discs mean less fuel usage, better seed placement, moisture retention and faster seeding rate,” he said. “The fact you can retrofit your old machine and quickly adapt from disc back to tyne gives flexibility in busy seeding periods.

The RFM Ag press harrows are a levelling harrow and coil packer in one product using three spring coils to eliminate mud and trash build up.

“Optional double plain discs are available and give a reduced soil throw for pasture seeding. “In light conditions, growers can start seeding earlier with the discs over a tyne machine and at the end of the day, the disc angle is not minimising soil disturbance.” RFM Ag continues to stock the standard tyne with a universal clamp to fit most tool bars. It has adjustable pressure making them ideal for no-till farming. “Over the years we have improved the tyne with a brass bush, solid tapered bolt and nut, and a grease point, and it

comes with a single or double bolt hole tyne leg,” Mr Hutcheon said. “Our in-house design team has come up with another tyne design which is adaptable simply by moving one pin to place the tension spring in different spots to run from 350lb to 700lb pressure. “This tyne can also be converted to a hydraulic tyne.” RFM Ag will display its full range of tillage equipment at major field days in 2022 or visit www.rfmag.com.au for more details.

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS // 33

NEWS IN BRIEF New products released MaxCare released three new products on April 1. Since launching in September 2014 the brand, whose core business is milk replacers for infant animals, particularly calves, has developed national distribution in Australia and New Zealand as well as servicing an increased export demand. “We are really excited about this next phase in our business,” Maxcare’s Tom Newton said. “This will allow us to offer our existing customers a wider range of product solutions and open up new opportunities with farms who traditionally haven’t used milk replacers.”

The new product range includes: MaxCare Electrolyte Premium — a scientifically formulated electrolyte with comprehensive hydration properties and buffering capacity. MaxCare Probiotic Paste Premium — a supplement for calves. A scientifically formulated probiotic containing a source of viable, naturally occurring microorganisms to support gut health. MaxCare Whole Milk Additive Premium — a comprehensive blend of vitamins, minerals, probiotics and in-feed solutions to bolster the performance of animals fed with whole milk. Mr Newton said the products were designed and sourced by Maxcare’s growing technical support team who find the best possible products to suit the market requirements.

Cartons get greener

MaxCare’s new products.

Brownes Dairy’s fresh white milk will now come in environmentally-friendly craft board. The Western Australian company’s eye-catching packaging is a natural brown colour, which requires less processing. These cartons are also lighter than previous cartons, meaning less material is used to pack the same amount of milk. “We were the first to make the switch to materials derived from sugar cane several

WA’s Brownes Dairy has announced its latest step to lead sustainability in the dairy industry with the change to more environmentally-friendly cartons.

years ago, but now our consumers can actually see that the carton is made from a renewable source that has a lower carbon impact to climate change,” Brownes CEO Natalie Sarich-Dayton said. By switching to plant-based polyethylene material in the cartons, the carbon footprint of this packaging is reduced by 16 per cent compared to regular milk cartons. The plant-based cartons also remove reliance on fossil-based polyethylene in the packages. Studies suggest 90 per cent of

Australian consumers are concerned about sustainability, with all age segments having the view that businesses and brands should be most responsible for the impact on the environment. Since 2016, Brownes has also been an active signatory of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), which is a packaging value chain that collaborates to keep packaging materials out of landfill and retains the maximum value of the materials, energy and labour within the local economy.

DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022

34 // MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS

Call for robust construction CEMENT, CONCRETE & Aggregates

Australia, the peak body for Australia’s heavy construction materials industry, is calling on all levels of government to protect local communities by ensuring critical infrastructure is built from the most resilient materials possible. The recent heavy rain and floods in Queensland and NSW have wreaked havoc on older-style bridges, while roads are marred by potholes that are damaging vehicles and leaving drivers with expensive repair bills. CCAA chief executive officer Ken Slattery said transport infrastructure was the lifeline communities depended on, especially in times of crisis. “Given that scientists are increasingly warning that climate change will bring more frequent and extreme weather events — such as floods and bushfires — governments must insist that roads, bridges and related transport infrastructure are designed to withstand these events, and this means that they must be built from the most resilient materials possible,” he said. “Focusing on resilience will help future-proof that infrastructure, allowing it to continue to operate during times of crisis, as well as reduce the cost of repairs and the amount of rebuilding required after major natural events. “The 2019 bushfires and the recent floods in NSW and Queensland are just the latest examples of the havoc extreme weather events can play on the infrastructure that local communities rely on.

More thought needs to go into building infrastructure that can withstand weather extremes such as flooding, says a construction materials organisation.

“That’s why governments need to step up and ensure that when we’re building roads and bridges for the future, that they are made from materials that are the most robust and resilient so that they can withstand whatever nature throws at them.” Mr Slattery said before local councils, state and federal governments signed off on infrastructure projects, they must satisfy themselves that they were designed with resilience in mind

and constructed with the most robust and resilient materials available. “They should be asking, ‘how can we make this road resilient, so it doesn’t end up potholed or even washed away after days of heavy rain’,” he said. “Similarly, when it comes to building bridges, they must be built from materials that will ensure the bridge is still standing even if it ends up being completely submerged by floodwaters.”

Mr Slattery said resilient infrastructure meant better access for emergency service workers, food supplies and medical care to local communities hit by natural disasters or extreme weather events. “These intense fires and floods are going to keep happening; the evidence for that is becoming clear. “Anything we can do to help communities better withstand these intense weather events of the future will help save lives and allow our communities to bounce back faster.”

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