Dairy direct april 2015 murray (low res)

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Country News PUBLICATION

MURRAY Issue 17, April 2015

Confidence drives change » page 12

Maize makes cents » page 27 New farmers love the life » page 18 Aussie Reds rule » page 22

Editor Geoff Adams editor@countrynews.com.au Writers Sharon Wright, Geoff Adams, Sophie Bruns, Cathy Walker, Alexandra Bathman Photographers Ray Sizer, Julie Mercer

Cover: Andrew and Julie Newnham have taken their Kyabram farm to the next level.

Story page 12

Graphic design Brendan Cain, Alysha Bathman, Bella Considine, Riverine Herald production team Advertising James MacGibbon james.macgibbon@countrynews.com.au Published by Country News PO Box 204, Shepparton, Victoria 3632 (03) 5831 2312 www.countrynews.com.au

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Country News Reaching Australia’s richest agricultural region

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APRIL 2015

The recent debate over the contamination of imported frozen cherries holds a number of issues for anyone involved in producing or processing food in Australia, as well as for consumers.

The reaction from consumers, bordering on revulsion, and commentary in the media reflects modern attitudes to food safety.

Although the packaging clearly identified the overseas country of origin, it’s interesting to see the public debate devolve into arguments over labelling.

Most imported food products can already be identified by current labelling; the real issue is whether Australian consumers care enough about where their food comes from, and how good Australian companies are at separating themselves from the crowd.

Much to the frustration of Australian food marketers, the public can be very fickle about food choices. They want quality, safe food as cheaply as

possible — never mind that a large percentage of their budgets is blown on the latest technology and video games.

But they will quickly be turned off by any hint of contaminated food.

And while the actual processing of food is out of the hands of farmers, primary producers are the first link in the chain, and must take responsibility for managing what they control.

‘Clean and green’ starts in the paddock, with pasture inputs and animal welfare; and it starts in the shed, with hygiene, disease control and cell count management.

Australian farmers have a good record on these issues, but to remain a sought-after brand we must heed the experience of others and stay on top of the game.

— Geoff Adams Dairy Direct

contents

Forum a success Latest information shared about successfully managing a farm business.

The Murray Dairy Business Forum held in early February was a great success with a number of great sessions throughout the course of the day.

Our service providers’ breakfast was well attended with Dairy Australia’s commercial research and analysis manager Norman Repacholi giving us the latest information from the newly released Situation and Outlook report from Dairy Australia.

There was a positive outlook for the Murray Dairy region as it continues to perform strongly in the national context. The conference itself included speakers covering a range of topics that are essential to successfully managing a farm business. RMCG’s Daryl Poole and Rob Rendell’s ‘Where has all the water gone?’ session generated a large amount of interest and discussion from the audience.

The evening also saw the graduation of many students who had completed courses through the National Centre of Dairy Education in 2014. It is important to recognise and celebrate the academic achievements of people within the dairy industry and our region. Former premier Jeff Kennett concluded the evening with a brilliant presentation touching on some important topics within the dairy industry.

In this edition you will have the chance to read through articles covering the Business Forum (for those who need a recap or were unable to attend), the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme’s Herd 15’ Conference and the appointment of the new chief executive officer for Murray Dairy.

As I indicated in the previous edition, Leanne Mulcahy has resigned as the chief executive offer for Murray Dairy. We were pleased to announce recently that Jenny Wilson from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) had been recruited to replace Leanne. The board is pleased about Jenny joining our team as we continue to refine the way Murray Dairy does business. Jenny has worked closely with Murray Dairy in her role at DEDJTR (formally DEPI) and has an excellent understanding of the organisation, the opportunities that exist and the challenges we face.

Jenny will start with Murray Dairy on Monday, April 20.

Tony Tranter has temporarily filled the role as the interim chief executive officer for Murray Dairy while the recruitment process occurred. On behalf of Murray Dairy I would like to thank Tony for his support and hard work at Murray Dairy throughout this time.

— Malcolm Holm Chairman, Murray Dairy

Keeping it clean and green

2

Forum a success

3

Stop the press, our heifer secret is out

4

Murray Dairy appoints new chief

4

April ABV changes

5

Gazing into dairy’s crystal ball

5

Water buyback cap welcomed

6

Opportunity for young farmers

7

Are you ready to mate?

8

Dookie Dairy Report

10

Investments take family farm to next level

12

Milka-ware 15 Cool new tool to boost water productivity

16

Learning curve to a positive future

18

New weapons in liver fluke battle

21

A fine dairy ‘red’igree

22

Agriculture attracting more students

25

Maize silage integral to feed regime

26

Figures prove upgrade is a success

29

The future face of dairy industry leadership 31 Kit offers guide to discussion groups

32

Breed for feed savings

33

Staffing the modern dairy farm

35

Plant to reap best returns

36

Contract heifer rearing brings peace of mind 38 Symposium to tour robotic rotary

41

Something to shout about

42

From grapes to cows

44

Profit is main aim

47

Use genetics to lift performance

48

Calendar of events

50

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Doing Dairy

with SOPHIE BRUNS

Sophie Bruns is a dairy farmer from Gunbower with a husband, two daughters and a mortgage.

Stop the press, our heifer secret is out Autumn is here and with it comes calves.

Well the madness of autumn is certainly upon us — the dust is flying, the pump is in overdrive and calves are starting to hit the ground at an alarming rate. Don’t you just love dairying!

Rob and I have officially taken over as the new owners of the block next door, so that has added to the madness with the installation of stock troughs and a new laneway. Hopefully when I get the cows up when the sub grows they won’t be able to run all over the whole block and will now proceed in an orderly fashion straight to the dairy.

Our worker decided to head back to the world of teaching at the start of the school year and I think we have only just finished crying about that now. There are never enough hours in the day and that is even more true now he has gone. Come back, Westy, we miss you!

Like most of us, autumn is the busiest time of the year and no matter how organised

we try to be it always seems to catch us up. Every calving season I vow I will clean the calf sheds out earlier and every season I end up doing them with a line-up of calves waiting to come in.

I don’t want to sound like a bragger, but so far: eight heifers out of eight cows. Now I am fairly sure this golden run will end pretty soon but I am certainly going to lap it up while I can. Of the eight heifer calves we have, two have been our embryos so I can definitely say our one and only foray into the world of IVF has been very successful — now all they have to do is make it into the herd in two years’ time.

Every year we treat our spring calves for pink eye with Piliguard and every year it is a success but for some reason this year something has gone really wrong and we have had quite a few cases.

Now of course, treating these animals is relatively easy. Just some penicillin in the eye and a patch to keep the dust out, but

as it goes, a simple job soon turns into a long one and I have been kicked, stamped on and knocked into steel bars every time I treat these cute little animals. For a fivemonth-old animal they certainly have a bit of go about them, that’s for sure — and a surprisingly good memory. They seem to know what I have in my hand when it is time for back-up treatment and they are not so willing patients.

By the time this goes to print I will have hopefully (injury permitting of course) competed in this year’s 15.5 km Royal Children’s Hospital Run for the Kids. My eldest daughter Annie has spent a fair bit of time there with her arthritis so I decided to give something back and enter this year.

Although I am the only one in my family running I have decked everyone out in tops because it really is a fantastic cause and one well worth supporting. I urge you all to remember the great work this hospital does for children and support it whenever you can.

dairy news Murray Dairy appoints new chief Jenny Wilson brings a wealth of dairy experience to her new role.

Victorian dairy professional Jenny Wilson help influence the future of the dairy industry in northern Victoria and southern NSW. has been appointed Murray Dairy’s new chief executive officer.

“In my current role, I work closely with Murray Dairy and have strong working Ms Wilson has worked in the agricultural relationships with many of the organisation’s sector for a number of years with the stakeholders at both a regional and state level,” Victorian Government. She will wind up Ms Wilson said. her job with the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources “I am really looking forward to working with Jenny Wilson (formerly DEPI) as program manager for dairy dairy farmers and the Murray Dairy team to and irrigation services in the Hume region to continue to build productive relationships move to Murray Dairy on April 20. across the industry.” the dairy industry and how this would Throughout Ms Wilson’s career she has led complement the strategic direction of Murray Ms Wilson is a graduate of Charles Sturt Dairy. several state-based, cross-industry extension University where she completed a Bachelor of programs and started her career at Kyabram Environmental Science, holds an Advanced “Jenny brings a broad range of skills, in-depth Dairy Centre supporting dairy research before Certificate in Sustainability along with a agricultural sector knowledge and a vast moving into the role of nutrient extension Diploma of Project Management and a array of well-formed networks that will be officer.

Diploma of Applied Science (Laboratory important to Murray Dairy over the next few Management). years,” Mr Holm said.

With a passion for agriculture in the region, combined with a desire to achieve quality Murray Dairy chairman Malcolm Holm Former Murray Dairy chief executive officer Leanne Mulcahy has taken up a position with outcomes for the dairy industry, Ms Wilson welcomed Ms Wilson’s agricultural experience Moira Shire Council. as well as her insights into the needs of can see a fantastic opportunity in this role to 4

APRIL 2015

dairy news April ABV changes Major changes allow more detailed selection of bulls.

The April ABV release by the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme heralds some major changes.

The key points are: The Feed Saved ABV allows farmers to identify bulls that can save at least 100 kg of dry feed matter per cow, per year. It forms part of ADHIS’ three new indices, so farmers who make bull selections using one of the indices will be including feed saved in their breeding decisions.

A Residual Survival ABV has been added to all three indices.

Residual survival includes all the reasons why cows last in the herd that aren’t related to production, fertility and cell count but have their own economic values in the indices.

Type ABVs are now standardised to make it easier to see if an animal is average, a bit above

average or extreme for a trait.

One standard deviation will be set to five. For example, a bull with an ABV of 105 for overall type is one standard deviation above average for overall type. An extreme bull for overall type, that is three standard deviations above the average, will have an ABV of 115.

Three new indices will be introduced: 1. Balanced Performance Index (BPI): maximises net profit 2. Type Weighted Index (TWI): fast-tracks type 3. Health Weighted Index (HWI): fast-tracks health traits and feed saved For more information on the changes or to arrange a presentation to your organisation, phone Michelle Axford at ADHIS on 0427 573 330 or email maxford@adhis.com.au

Gazing into dairy’s crystal ball Imagining a future of ‘wired’ cows and robots.

Working out where the dairy industry will be in 10 years’ time could be as difficult as predicting who will win the footy in 2025, Dairy Futures CRC chief executive David Nation has told farmers.

In a speculative look into the future, Mr Nation, created a picture of ‘wired’ cows reporting back on their body temperatures, rumen activity and physical state, while robots rounded up the cows.

He was speaking to the Herd15 conference in Bendigo recently about what might be happening in 10 years’ time. But some things may not change that much.

“For the foreseeable future, the most cost-effective way to get a cow pregnant is with AI. “There is unlikely to be anything

new in the market which is not now in the labs, in 10 years’ time.

That’s how long research and development takes to work.

“Is it about getting bigger? Wrong.

Working harder? Good luck telling anybody that.

“It’s about doing it better. Making better decisions on-farm, with cows, pastures and equipment.”

Future farmers will be trying to make sense of reams of data and making good decisions. Data will have to be more accurate and there will be more data points.

“Cows may have a rumen bolus assessing digestion and temperature. Or there may be a sentinel cow in every herd with one.”

But, Mr Nation said, a computer can only do so much.

“There is still space for good cow people to question: is this a problem?”

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dairy news Water buyback cap welcomed Murray-Darling Basin farmers can look ahead with more certainty regarding water availability thanks to government move.

The Australian Dairy Industry Council has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it will introduce legislation to cap water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan at 1500 Gl. The 1500 Gl cap provides dairy farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin with much-needed certainty about future water availability to sustain their businesses.

At the same time, environmental water can continue to be recovered through water-saving infrastructure projects.

ADIC chairman Noel Campbell said the government’s announcement gave farmers and processors in the basin, where more than 25 per cent of Australia’s milk is produced, the confidence to continue dairying.

“Almost 2000 dairy farms and 16 major milk processing factories are located in the basin, with more than 12 000 people in the region who rely on the industry for their livelihood,” Mr Campbell said.

“With 97 per cent of those farms relying on irrigation for pasture and feed production, capping buybacks at 1500 Gl gives farmers assurance that they will be able to continue adapting their practices to produce more milk with less water.”

Dairy farmers in the basin have proved flexible and responsible users of water in the past, steadily adapting their practices during the past 20 years to meet their limited access to water. At the same time, they have actively participated in programs to return more water to the environment and increase water infrastructure efficiency on and off-farm.

Mr Campbell said a clear plan was now required to legislate the cap, confirm the extended period for buybacks, and the delivery of 600 Gl in infrastructure works and 650 Gl in environmental works.

“This is the triple-bottom line approach we have sought from the beginning, and we urge all parties to support this outcome.”

Flexible, responsible water use.

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• Well laid 210 acres situated on Reynoldsons Road, Strathmerton.

• Very good 34 bale rotary dairy with in bale feeding, auto cup removers, auto teat spray, auto wash, 15,000 litre vat capacity, ample grain storage and 220 cow yard.

• Large hay shed along with another large shed complex which is half machinery shed and the other half a calving barn which leads to a specialist livestock area.

• Three bedroom family home that has been renovated with lovely rose gardens and lawns accompanied by outdoor entertaining area and double garage.

• 386 megs on deep lead bore powered by diesel motor delivery up to 5 megs per day. GMW delivery share in place and on the backbone.

• With exceptional soils and facilities this is a real milk producer that would be perfect for your herd.

• 300 acre property situated on Parnell Road just south of Cobram that is in one title and well set up for high production.

• Good 20 bale double-up dairy with cup removers, in bail feeding, 20,000 ltr vat.

• Four bedroom weatherboard family home in average condition that is currently being painted and is situated handy to the dairy.

• Currently sown to Italians, Shaftal and Rye with some annuals this farm has a history of high pasture production and has produced over 16 tonne of fodder per Ha that has under pined production.

• 100% lasered with very good irrigation set up that waters well.

• This farm has milked 350 cows and produced in excess of 3.4 million litres of milk. Now is your chance to cash in on the dairy industry.

• 356 acres in five Titles with top quality soils, 95% lasered and situated on Chapmans Lane, Katunga • 30 aside swingover dairy with cup removers, 11,600 litre vat, in bale feeding, 300 cow yard & feed pads • Very good shedding for calves, hay and machinery • There are two family homes, a three-bedroom brick veneer with rumpus room, spilt system, wood heater and three-car garage. Second is a three-bedroom also with spilt systems and wood heater. Detached four-car garage and sleepout • Three spearpoint systems with 536 meg of licence all pumping well. GMW delivery share and connected to the backbone • Fantastic producer, 240,000kg/ms from 450 cows • For genuine sale as vendors have purchased.

Sallan Realty Pty Ltd 6

APRIL 2015

Asking $1,595,000

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dairy news O pportunity for young farmers Joint venture offers dairy properties at low rates, while gaining broader milk supply base.

Young dairy farmers are being given a leg up into the industry

by Kyabram-based Australian Consolidated Milk. The company is supporting young farmers and broadening its milk supply base through a unique joint venture with Thailand’s leading dairy company Dutch Mill.

ACM and Dutch Mill will lease dairy properties at a low rate to young farmers who have a solid history in dairy farming but may not have the capital or the opportunity to fully realise their skills. An added advantage is that young farmers will have the ability to acquire equity in the farms over time.

“We are excited to announce this joint venture, which will inject valuable capital into the Victorian dairy industry and open up real opportunities for dairy farmers,” Dutch Mill’s corporate general manager Manoj Kumar Ranjit said.

“We recently completed the purchase of a property near Waaia in northern Victoria and are now looking to add more properties to the group,” ACM chairman Michael Auld said.

“We would like to see young dairy farmers build their management experience and skills in the industry. We are putting the call out to young dairy farmers to contact us to discuss how we can work together.

“The joint venture means ACM can guarantee supply and our partner Dutch Mill can demonstrate that the milk it sources from us comes from fully accredited farms that produce safe, high quality and nutritious Australian dairy milk.

“ACM has a UHT plant in Shepparton which means we are well positioned through this joint venture to grow our business and supply milk and other dairy ingredients to our export customers in South-east Asia and other markets.

“Demand for high quality Victorian milk from customers in Asia, combined with Victoria’s lower cost of production, provide a solid foundation for a long and successful partnership,” Mr Auld said.

For more information phone contact John Hommes at ACM on 0427 512 363.

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APRIL 2015

7

animal health

A regular column from Rochester Vet Practice

Are you ready to mate?

How to maximise your joining success before you begin.

Autumn calving has just started and like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge (once you get to one end you start back on the other) that means cows will need to be joined again. So it is worthwhile thinking about what is going to maximise your joining success before you start.

Nutrition Nutrition has probably the biggest impact on reproductive performance from year to year.

Heifers need to be raised so that they have sufficient body size and condition at joining to allow them to carry a calf. Cows need to be fed to meet both the needs of lactation and to maintain body condition for cycling.

Cows with low body condition are less likely to start cycling after calving. While cows will normally lose condition after calving, excessive loss (more than one condition score) will affect reproductive performance.

In order for cows to calve down in reasonable condition, they must be fed correctly in the dry period. Obviously there are many different ways of achieving optimal levels of nutrition, and circumstances and requirements will be different for every farm. So it is important to consult with your nutritionist to ensure you are getting the best results possible.

Health It is vital that cows are healthy both from a reproductive point of view and overall.

Ensure the cow does not have to cope with a parasite burden by strategic worm and fluke drenches. This will most likely have been done at drying-off but a further dose, about one month after calving, with Ivomec Plus will take care of any build-up of worm numbers post-calving, especially where cows are grazing close to ground and densely stocked.

Any cow that has had problems calving, retained afterbirth or is showing any sign of vaginal discharge should be checked by your vet and if necessary given the appropriate treatment. There is a Coopers product, Metricure, for flushing cows that has a nil milk withhold which takes a lot of the hassle out of treating this condition. These cows should be examined two to four weeks postcalving to allow them time to clean up before your mating start date (MSD).

In-Calf data and studies in New Zealand and Australia have demonstrated a close correlation between having retained foetal membranes and/or metritis and having poor submission and in-calf rates. Time spent cleaning these cows up early will maximise your chances of getting them in-calf early to AI. 8

APRIL 2015

Pre-Mating Heat Detection It is well worthwhile heat detecting at least three weeks before your planned MSD and recording these heats. This will identify those cows that are not cycling visibly. Some of these may be in true anoestrous and will require treatment to start cycling.

Once you have recorded your pre-heats, you will be able to generate a short-list of animals that need a reproductive exam by your vet. By treating these animals early, you have more chance of increasing your early submission rate and increasing the number of service chances for each cow. Non-cycling cows can be treated with a program of injections and vaginal inserts (CIDRs or Ov-Synch program) and cows that have cystic ovaries can be treated with gonadotrophin injections.

Heat detection aids include: • Tailpaint.

• Heat mount detectors (Kamars or Estrus Alerts).

• Telemetric heat mount detectors (expensive).

Good submission rates are a vital part of getting cows in calf early as a cow can’t get pregnant unless it actually gets served.

Therefore it is worthwhile thinking about how and when you are heat detecting and whether your chosen method is effective enough.

Synchronisation This is the process whereby cows’ cycles are manipulated by the use of drugs, in order to concentrate the heats into a short period.

This can improve the efficiency of heat detection and enable planning and better utilisation of AI services and ultimately reduces the spread of calving, giving a tighter calving pattern and allowing better management of labour at that time.

There are many different programs available using injections, vaginal inserts or a combination of both. As each herd has a

Health of bulls is important too.

unique situation, it is best to discuss your objectives with your vet to determine which program best suits your needs.

The programs should be compared according to the following key features: • Labour and time available (consider the number of injections required; placement and removal of inserts; number of yardings required).

• Degree of complication (will cows need to be grouped separately).

• Need for heat detection.

• Tightness of synchrony required.

• Cost of treatment.

Bulls Once AI has finished, most people will use bulls to ‘mop-up’ the non-pregnant cows. For this to be effective, the bulls must be healthy and in good body condition and there needs to be enough of them to do the job.

The number of bulls required will vary according to how high the AI conception rate was. When calculating the number of bulls required it is best to assume the worst and over estimate the number of empty cows after AI. The In-Calf recommendation would be to have three bulls for every 100 cows at the MSD. Generally bulls become more fertile with age, up to four years old. Beyond four years, sperm quality remains high but overall fertility reduces due to diminishing libido (desire to serve). Bulls should not be used after eight years old.

When using multiple bulls it is best to group them into similar size and age groups to avoid bullying of younger bulls. Studies have shown that bulls do work better when they are with their mates and the dominant bull will serve more cows when there is competition than when he is on his own. All bulls should be vaccinated for 7 in 1 (Leptospirosis), Vibriosis and Pestigard (BVDV).

Connections Project

“

To have yields sustained year in year out, you have to have irrigation

“

Speed and efficiency are the big benefits for Numurkah farmer Stuart Hodge, after he upgraded his irrigation system through Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) Connections Project.

More than 350km on a motorbike, two weeks spent getting up at night to open and close irrigation bays and 160ML of water was a usual watering for Mr Hodge. Now the Numurkah farmer can water the same 200ha parcel of land in about three days, the system is entirely automatic and uses half the water.

The new system is making a difference to Mr Hodge’s cropping operations. “For us irrigation guarantees a good crop yield,” he said. “My grandfather knew that when he purchased the land in 1942.” “It also means I can stay in bed every night,” Mr Hodge joked.

For more information, please go to the Connections website www.gmwconnectionsproject.com.au

Dookie Dairy Report The University of Melbourne’s Dookie dairy re-opened in May 2014 following installation of three Lely Astronaut robotic milking units. The farm was also redesigned to allow milking three times per day.

A herd of 117 Holstein-Friesian cows is currently being milked at Dookie with herd size to increase to 160 later this year.

The farm consists of three grazing areas on 43 ha of border-check flood irrigated pasture.

Cows move voluntarily from pasture through the robots, to achieve milking up to three times per day.

Automated data collection from individual cows includes: milk yield, fat and protein percentage, somatic cell count estimate, liveweight, activity and rumination. The number

January 1, 2015

March 1, 2015

Cow Numbers

118

118

117

kg milk solids/cow/day

1.8

1.8

1.6

kg concentrate/cow/day

6.7

7.0

6.4

kg fodder/cow/day

4.7

2.2

5.6

Pasture (kgDM)/cow

8.7

9.5

6.1

Area in rotation

31

43

43

Average milkings/cow/day

2.6

2.5

2.4

2

3

4

Number of failures/day Number of cows got/day Litres/machine/day Rumination minutes/cow/day

10

February 1, 2015

of failures per day is the robot not being able to connect to the udder in five minutes. The cow is then let out and retried three times.

The number of cows got per day is those manually fetched up from the paddock.

Production data is presented for the past three months. The number of milkings per cow has declined from 2.6 to 2.4 per day since the start of the year. This is due to lower motivation of cows to be milked in late lactation.

Future articles will describe in more detail how the data collected in this system is being used.

APRIL 2015

8

10

15

1020

1010

860

395

385

450

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Investments take family farm to next level Confidence in the dairy industry’s future helps drive change.

Kyabram dairy farmer Andrew Newnham has spent the past 15 years building up the infrastructure on his 750-cow dairy farm to include a loafing barn and 50-unit rotary dairy with cup removers and activity, conductivity and milk meters.

Kyabram dairy farmers Andrew and Julie Newnham haven’t been afraid to take the farm that has been in their family for three generations to the next level by investing in strategic capital works and increasing herd numbers during their years of ownership.

Fifteen years ago the farm milked 300 cows, today numbers are up around 750 and through land purchases and leasing, they manage a total of about 700 ha (384 owned, 323 leased). Capital improvements include a 50-unit rotary which has recently been upgraded to include cup removers and activity, conductivity and milk meters, and construction of a 9500 sq m loafing barn.

Mr Newnham is the first to say you don’t have to milk large herd numbers to be sustainable but he is certainly a firm believer in creating a system that gives your business options to cope with seasonal conditions.

One of the key investments the Newnhams have made to ensure the future of their operation is the construction of a loafing barn.

Built three years ago, the 230 m long and 37 m wide barn has a concrete feed alley running up the middle with dirt loafing areas on either side.

The cows are fed their total mixed ration in the barn every day and, dependent on weather conditions, they will either stay or 12

APRIL 2015

head off down the paddock. Through the long hot summer months the cows stay in the barn all day. Fans help with air flow and fly control and for the really hot days, misters are activated.

“

Doing everything yourself takes the risk out of waiting for contractors and if I can see something will pay its own way I am happy to purchase it for myself.

Andrew Newnham

”

The barn is flood washed twice daily and the loafing areas are also graded daily with a tractor to ‘fluff ’ up the dirt. Mastitis has not been an issue.

The installation of a couple of ‘scratchers’ for the cows has been one of the more surprising successes of the barn. Andrew said there was always a cow enjoying the services offered by the big wire brushes and the cows were more than happy to shove their heads right into the

middle and enjoy a scratch on their heads too.

The barn was a significant financial investment at around $700 000, but Mr Newnham is confident it will pay itself off over the coming years.

“We don’t operate a pasture-based system.

Our cows are fed a mixed ration every day so initially we needed somewhere to do that. The loafing barn has created options for us to cope with any scenario the weather can throw at us while enabling us to keep our milk production losses to a minimum.”

The mixed ration includes home-grown vetch, lucerne and wheat. Purchased additives used have included citrus pulp, tomato paste, chocolate and cotton seed oil.

The Newnhams have been Tatura Milk suppliers for seven years. They used the company’s recent incentive program of an extra 5 cents a litre in exchange for a threeyear supply contract to upgrade the 50-unit rotary.

“This incentive enabled us to upgrade the dairy and install cup removers and activity, conductivity and milk meters,” Mr Newnham said.

“The activity meters went in six months ago and they have been great at picking up silent heats. We have had a lot more of them then we first thought and I can certainly see real

value in this system. The conductivity and milk meters have only recently gone in.”

To ensure the business is sustainable heading into the future, over the years the Newnhams have purchased laser gear, cartage trucks and their own forage harvester.

“Doing everything yourself takes the risk out of waiting for contractors and if I can see something will pay its own way I am happy to purchase it for myself,” he said.

With a farm of this size the Newnhams are reliant on external labour and Mr Newnham’s current workforce consists of six full-time employees and a couple of parttimers. While finding good labour has been an issue in the past, he is more than happy with his current workforce.

The Newnhams have two daughters: Jessica, 17, and Chloe, 13. Jessica is interested in farming and is currently doing a school-based apprenticeship on the farm.

While Mr Newnham tackles the day-to-day operation, Mrs Newnham has her hands full running the books, looking after cash flow and feeding calves.

The calves are fed using four automatic DeLaval feeders and in the near future an additional four will be purchased to increase capacity and improve the system.

Like all farmers the Newnhams have certainly ridden the high and lows of the industry, but they remain confident about their future.

“There is always going to be good and bad days but we like what we do and we remain confident about our future,” Mr Newnham said. >> Continued on page 14

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Built three years ago, the loafing barn is 230 m long x 37 m wide. It is capable of comfortably servicing 800 cows and includes fans and misters for hot weather. The barn is used every day to feed the mixed ration the cows consume after milking.

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A new tool based on plant water requirements has been developed to boost water and pasture productivity.

Cool new tool to boost water productivity

Rob O’Connor, senior irrigation officer at DEDJTR Echuca

Irrigators can now match irrigation applications with plant water requirements.

At a time when water is a key issue in the dairy industry, and many irrigators are now better positioned to improve irrigation efficiency, a new tool has been developed to boost water and pasture productivity.

The tool gauges plant water requirements and can be used in decision making about when to irrigate for maximum plant growth. The good news for most dairy farmers is the tool relates directly to irrigated pastures.

Weather variables — including sunshine, temperature, wind speed and humidity — are factored in to the tool to quantify the water requirement of dense, actively growing, 12 cmhigh grass. The calculated water requirement is expressed in millimetres and is known as evapotranspiration or ETo. Unlike rainfall which can vary from one side of the farm to the other, ETo is a lot less variable and is usually fairly consistent over a 30 km distance, particularly on the plains.

ETo data is likely to be of particular value in autumn and spring because of the more variable weather conditions in these seasons, which typically make it more difficult to know when to irrigate.

Daily ETo information can be obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology home page by clicking successively on the ‘Agriculture’ and ‘Evapotranspiration’ icons and hovering the mouse over the relevant location on the map (or go to http://www.bom.gov.au/watl/eto/).

By adding up the daily ETo figures following the last irrigation, irrigators will be better informed about plant water use and when to 16

APRIL 2015

apply the next irrigation.

Alternatively, if you are interested in participating in a weekly pilot service, where daily ETo data for the past week and the forecast week are emailed to you, then phone Rob O’Connor at DEDJTR Echuca on 0408 515 652 or email robert.oconnor@ecodev. vic.gov.au Ideally, ETo data is used in conjunction with other irrigation scheduling tools and methods already used on-farm such as the electric fence post (used as a penetrometer) and general observations of the weather conditions. ETo provides a more objective estimate of plant water use and is another handy tool in the toolbox.

The knowledge gained from using ETo can be used to sharpen up the tools and skills that most irrigators have already developed over time and use regularly.

Small improvements in irrigation scheduling over a total irrigated farm area can make a big difference in the amount and quality of homegrown feed produced. This reduces feed costs and increases farm profit.

Research and farmer experience has clearly shown pasture production and quality is significantly improved with more timely surface irrigations. Matching irrigations with plant water requirements not only boosts plant growth, but optimises water productivity.

The challenge is to keep in the zone of optimum soil moisture and avoid stretching out irrigations causing plant moisture stress, or

irrigating too frequently causing unnecessary waterlogging (and work). Stretching out irrigations beyond rye-grass requirements favours deeper-rooted species like paspalum, while quality rye-grass and clover growth is reduced.

For most irrigated dairy pastures, the available water held in the soil water bank account is around 40 mm. Using the BOM’s daily ETo figures, an irrigator can now work out how much of the available water has been debited from the soil water bank account each day.

Cumulative water use can be calculated by adding up each daily ETo figure since excess water has drained off the bay following the last irrigation. Effective rainfall occurring during this time (in millimetres), on the other hand, is deducted. This method of irrigation scheduling enables irrigators to optimise pasture growth by timing surface irrigations when the 40 mm of readily available water has been used up.

These days many irrigators are better placed to boost water productivity by using improved irrigation scheduling tools and better matching irrigation applications with plant water requirements.

This has been achieved by utilising a range of relatively recent developments, including irrigation supply system modernisation, shorter water ordering periods, improved farm irrigation layouts and new farm irrigation technology.

—Rob O’Connor, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources

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It may have taken Sheree Wyatt a few years (14 to be exact) to come around to her husband Jamie’s idea of becoming a dairy farmer, but in December 2013 they purchased their first farm near Cohuna and began their dairying journey.

Mrs Wyatt is not afraid to admit she underestimated what was required to be a dairy farmer, and for the first three months she doubted their decision.

“I would come back from the dairy covered in poo. It was taking a long time to milk because the cows wouldn’t come into the dairy and all I could think was, ‘Oh my god, what have we done?’ But now I love it and I am really chuffed,” Mrs Wyatt said.

“I love working outside, I love the life cycle and I love the cows. The days are ever changing and so are the seasons and the biggest thing I have learned so far is you can’t do everything at once — you have to concentrate and prioritise.”

The Wyatts felt they got good value with the Cohuna farm they purchased.

Moving down to Cohuna was a pretty big deal for the family that used to call Queensland home, but when they decided to seriously look for a farm they felt they got the best value for their money in northern Victoria, purchasing a 97 ha farm with a 20-a-side swing-over dairy, good house and pool.

The couple started out milking 50 cows and have been sourcing extras where they can, and

now they are milking around 90. They are looking forward to their first lot of heifers being joined this year.

“We are taking things a day at a time. We started out with just two rows in the dairy and now we are looking at our fifth row. We have set up a better wash-down facility and milking is quite quick now.”

The couple found through the help of Graeme >> Continued on page 20

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>> Continued from page 19 Smith Riverland Trading that their electric fence unit was shorting out and creating a current in the dairy which was upsetting the cows and stopping them from entering the platform.

The Riverland team also fixed and electrified the backing gate which has made cows entering the dairy a breeze.

The Wyatts run a predominately autumncalving herd because it suits their farm and their pastures which include 8 ha of lucerne, 6 ha of permanent pasture and the balance shaftal and rye.

“We originally planned on a spring calving herd but the expense of temporary water has made us realise autumn is the only way for us to go, given our size.”

Mrs Wyatt said learning the water market had proven to be one of their biggest hurdles.

“We completely underestimated and underbudgeted our water requirements. It has been complicated and we have misunderstood things and also been led down the garden path a few times. We found there was a lot of conflicting information on water and a lot of people in the industry were confused too.”

She said attending industry events had helped to build their knowledge base.“We completed a calf-rearing course, the Cups-on Cups-off course and Waterpool’s ‘the water mystery explained’, and we found each of them really helpful. It was also a good way to meet

other people. We found the farm visits to be fantastic and a great way to learn.”

The Wyatts are converting to organic farming because they don’t like to use chemicals and want to produce milk as clean and as green as they possibly can.

“We are new to all this and are currently trialling different products on different paddocks to see what works best, but we have always been organically minded,” Mrs Wyatt said.

“When you water your pasture and you see all the birds come in I feel like we are really doing something positive for the land. Before I was a dairy farmer I used to think all farmers were bad but now I can see that is simply not true.

The seasons change and I haven’t met a farmer yet that doesn’t care about their land.”

One thing that has surprised Mrs Wyatt is how much their children Joel Holden, Luke Monaro and Zoe Caprice (Mrs Wyatt admits they are also big car enthusiasts) have taken to farming and how much they love their new life on the land.

“We didn’t come into the industry to make a million dollars, for us it has always been about the lifestyle and the kids. Of course we need to make money and for the past 12 months everything we have made has gone back into the farm, improving things to make a better profit down the track. I am really positive and optimistic about the future.”

Former Queensland resident Sheree Wyatt has moved from the sunshine state to begin a career in dairy farming at Cohuna.

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New weapons in liver fluke battle Two new tests aim to help control parasites in dairy cows.

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources and La Trobe University scientists have applied two new tests to help identify and control liver fluke parasites in Victorian dairy cattle at Agribio, the centre for AgriBioscience in Bundoora.

AgriBio’s Biosciences Research Division’s veterinary pathobiologist Grant Rawlin said one test identified the threshold at which liver fluke was likely to cause significant production losses and the other test would detect the parasite in water and potentially on pasture.

“Liver flukes are flatworm parasites that most commonly live in wet grass near streams or ponds,” Dr Rawlin said.

“They infect cattle grazing on contaminated grass resulting in liver damage which has subsequent effects on milk production.

“One of the new tests analyses cattle faecal samples to identify the relative intensity of infection, allowing an estimate of the approximate number of adult fluke in the animal, something which could only previously be done during post-mortem examinations.

“These faecal samples can be analysed and then compared to cattle milk production: previous studies have shown that just 40 adult liver

fluke can result in a decrease in overall milk production of up to 10 per cent.”

La Trobe University Professor Terry Spithill said AgriBio and La Trobe scientists created a second test to detect the presence of metacercaria, the infective stage of liver fluke in water and on pasture.

“This new test is set to be deployed to the field in 2015 to help define the ecology of fluke infections in the environment where farms have been infected,” Prof Spithill said.

“Results from both tests will be used to develop effective parasite management plans that aim to decrease adult fluke numbers below the threshold of 40 to reduce the loss of milk production.

“This research will provide the key baseline knowledge of the extent of the liver fluke problem in Victorian dairy cattle and the farm environment.”

Dr Rawlin stressed the importance of developing new control strategies because recent research had found that liver fluke were becoming increasingly resistant to the commonly used drug treatments.

“A recent survey of dairy farms across Gippsland, the Goulburn Valley and Upper

Murray found that economically significant burdens of fluke were common,” Dr Rawlin said.

“Liver fluke has been present in irrigated dairy areas of Victoria for many years and has been effectively managed, primarily through the use of the drug Triclabendazole, since the 1980s.

“However, we have now found several cases on farms where liver fluke shows total resistance to Triclabendazole and we expect to find more farms with this problem.

“The new tests will enable researchers to measure the distribution of liver flukes in cattle and in the farm environment and this will help us to evaluate how effective new control strategies are towards reducing liver fluke infections.

“Instead of striving for eradication, which is very difficult, we can now strive to push more cattle below the threshold of 40 adult liver fluke, where significant milk production losses begin to occur.”

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A fine dairy

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It would be an understatement to say that Karen Moroney knows a thing or two about good lineage.

After all, the fourth-generation dairy farmer hails from what some might consider part of Australian dairy royalty: the Thompson family at Eskdale, Victoria, who first bred the nowpopular ‘Aussie Red’ dairy cow in the 1980s.

“It was my family, and particularly my father Bill Thompson, who created the Aussie Red. The idea for the Aussie Red was born here in the area,” Mrs Moroney said.

Tragically, Mr Thompson never had the chance to see just how far his vision would reach; he died suddenly in 1989 at just 53 years old.

“He was innovative and forward-thinking, and I’m sure he would be very proud to see how the little idea that he had about combining the genetics of different red dairy cow breeds has, over time, developed a commercially acceptable modern dairy cow, known for her health and fertility, wide climate tolerance and excellent workability traits,” Mrs Moroney said. “Today, the Aussie Red is considered the third-major dairy breed in Australia. That, to us, is really exciting.”

And, the Aussie Red’s popularity is justified, according to Mrs Moroney, who with husband Wayne milks 200 of the intensely chestnut-

coated creatures on 435 rolling hectares in the Mitta Valley, 60 km south of the VictoriaNSW border.

“It’s an excellent cow to use in a crossbreeding program for the attributes that it brings,” Mrs Moroney said.

“In my opinion they have superior management and health traits to Holsteins.

That’s why we choose to milk them.”

According to Mrs Moroney, the Aussie Red family partnership in the 1980s with my has been developed through careful selection parents, brother and sister-in-law. The chance from overseas breeding programs, for fertility, to raise our family on the farm was a huge calving ease and disease resistance, which, she drawcard.” said, meant a more profitable cow for the In 2002, the couple began farming in their Australian dairy industry. They are known for own right and Mrs Moroney hasn’t slowed producing milk with high protein content and since, making a name for herself in local medium milk fat content. industry leadership. Last year she joined Mrs Moroney has continued her father’s vision the board of directors of the Murray Dairy as a committee member of the Australian regional development program — Dairy Red Dairy Breed organisation and executive Australia’s local arm in the region. officer of the International Red Dairy Breed “I feel privileged to work with people who Federation, which includes 20 member are so passionate about the industry. It’s very organisations from around the world. much a skills-based board. The majority of Dairying was not always on the cards for Mrs directors are dairy farmers.”

Moroney, but the pull of family brought her Mrs Moroney is also a keen contributor to her back into the fold. local community of the Mitta Valley, holding “Both Wayne and I had administrative roles in leadership roles in significant projects such as Albury,” she said.

‘Our Valley Our Future’, a project focused on “We were given the opportunity to join a supporting the local economy, building local >> Continued on page 24

APRIL 2015

23

>> Continued from page 23 opportunities and increasing the capacity and skills of the local community.

The project is a collaboration between the Mitta Valley Advancement Forum, Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation’s Strengthening Small Dairy Communities program, the Alpine Valleys Dairy Pathways Project and Towong Shire.

Mrs Moroney is also vice-president of the Mitta Valley Landcare Group, dedicated to the environmental sustainability of the surrounding area.

The fact that women play such an active and substantial role in industry leadership pleases Mrs Moroney, who believes the traditional image of agriculture as a man’s profession is out-of-date and counter-productive.

“Women are an integral part of successful dairy farming. I’m pleased women are becoming more involved in the industry at a board level. It’s a healthy sign, and I think it brings a balance and perspective to boards and to decisions. I encourage women to contribute to things they’re passionate about. You have a voice, you have opinions, and they count.”

As for the Moroneys’ own business, they have a vision for growth.

“We’re milking 200 cows but want to cap it at about 270 in the next two to three years.

We have three grown sons. Two of them in particular are very interested in the farm, so succession is something we have on the drawing board to look at in the next two years.

Everything that we’re doing now is about getting ready to have a growing business based on the right innovations it needs to have going into the future.”

Drought conditions during the past decade made the Moroneys review efficiencies on their farm, especially around power, feed, soil and, most significantly, water use. They introduced a new irrigation system and are doing more cropping now because they feel they can’t rely on regular rainfall. There are also plans to do more with the waste water from the dairy.

All of these are signs that point to their confidence in the industry’s long-term future.

“From a personal perspective and in everything that we’re reading, the industry looks like it’s improving. We’re hoping that it’ll become a more steady industry and we won’t get as many of the peaks and troughs in the future,” Mrs Moroney said.

Resilience is a defining characteristic of the

local dairying community.

“Over the last 10 years in the Murray area we’ve had extended bushfires, drought and floods, along with the economic challenge of operating in a global market. The region has shown great strength and versatility to get on and do what it does well — that’s milk production,” she said.

“We look at the challenges and talk about them a lot, but we also need to talk about the success of our farmers. By any measure our farmers are among the most efficient in the world.”

Mrs Moroney points to the industry’s Legendairy communications platform as a way to highlight that success.

“Legendairy is an excellent dairy awareness campaign that’s not only informative in its content but is fun. It shows respect and it shows that producing food for other people is a really important and honourable job. I think the campaign humanises us, and people actually see more clearly what we do. We’re stewards of the environment, we’re stewards of our cattle and we’re stewards of our land.

“We’re not going to do anything to jeopardise that.”

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APRIL 2015

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Agriculture attracting more students Dookie Campus enjoying a resurgence in student numbers.

Tara Barnes is studying at Dookie and interested in a dairy career.

Tara Barnes may not ever own a dairy farm but an interest in agriculture has drawn her towards an industry career.

Coming from the Melbourne suburb of Mornington, Tara, 21, discovered the interest in dairying while participating in the Dairy Australia program, Cows Create Careers.

“I enjoyed it at school and did well in agricultural studies,” she said.

A more recent internship at the Ellinbank research centre further cemented her career aspirations, although she said she was most likely not going to want to run a dairy farm.

She said she saw a range of possibilities in the sciences around dairy.

Tara is currently studying for a degree in agriculture with University of Melbourne and spending one year at Dookie.

The number of students enrolled in agriculture courses at the Dookie Campus of the University of Melbourne has increased this year at a level higher than the national trend.

The university said the number of students signing up for a diploma which leads into agriculture has increased to 35 this year from 15 last year.

The general studies course can offer rural students with limited access to higher education the opportunity to get a taste for university with study in agriculture, commerce, environments or science.

Dean of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences Ken Hinchcliff said Dookie campus was unique because University of Melbourne was the only Australian university to have a rural campus and a city campus in the same faculty.

Out of about 30 people working at the

campus, there are four full-time teaching staff.

In addition, there are further casual teaching staff, visiting staff from Parkville campus and teachers visiting from Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE. From last year’s diploma in general studies cohort, five students were studying a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne.

Students doing this degree could choose to do their third year at the Dookie campus.

Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture secretary Jim Pratley said nationwide there had been an increased enrolment of about 20 per cent in agricultural degrees for this year compared to last year. Professor Pratley said this was the third year of increasing enrolments as students discovered the diversity of careers open to them and the better opportunities for employment.

Blighty Focus Farm Open Day Planning for the season ahead will be the focus of the first open day at David and Jenni Owen’s focus farm.

To help with the future planning a representative from Dairy Australia’s Industry and Analysis team, John Droppert will talk about the international markets and trends for the upcoming season.

Murray Irrigation Limited’s Executive Manager Customer and External Relations, Jenny McLeod, will provide insights on the water outlook for next season.

Visit www.murraydairy.com.au

When: Tuesday 28 April 2015 Where: David and Jenni Owen, 18468 Riverina Hwy, Blighty NSW Time: 10.30am – 1.30pm Lunch will be provided.

Please RSVP to Murray Dairy on (03) 5833 5312 or admin@muraydairy.com.au APRIL 2015

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Maize silage integral to feed regime High energy feed helps increased milk production, higher components and overall animal health.

Pasture and feed manager Justin Riddell inspects the maize crop that is expected to yield 20 tonne/ha.

Feeding in the Spotlight Do you have a burning question about feeding your herd?

Visit www.murraydairy.com.au

Come along to this Q&A session where your questions will be answered directly from a panel comprising of: Thinking Cows’ Dr Mark Burgemeister and DEDJTRs’ Dr Bill Wales and Dr Kevin Kelly.

When: Thursday 14 May 2015 Where: Mercure Port of Echuca Hotel, 465 High Street, Echuca Shamrock Hotel, 5-13 Melville Street, Numurkah Time:

Echuca: 11am – 2pm Numurkah 7pm – 10pm

Lunch and dinner will be provided.

To RSVP please contact Murray Dairy on (03) 5833 5312 or admin@murraydairy.com.au This event is run in conjunction with the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) 26

APRIL 2015

The milking herd is fed a total mixed ration including maize three times a day.

Home-grown maize silage is an integral part of the feed regime at Australian Consolidated Dairies’ Wyuna East site.

The herd of 800 milkers, which averages more than 9000 litres per lactation, is fed a Total Mixed Ration three times a day comprising mostly maize silage and lucerne.

Pasture and feed manager Justin Riddell said this year’s 90 ha crop had benefited from the mild summer weather and was expected to yield 20 tonne/ha.

He said the high energy feed contributed to increased milk production, higher components and overall animal health that in turn boosted fertility and reduced disease susceptibility.

“The maize also improves rumen digestibility which helps the more efficient conversion of other feeds,” Mr Riddell said.

“It delivers a high energy feed that helps cows maintain condition.”

The milking herd is split into two management groups of 400 cows; the high production herd comprises cows in the first 150 days of lactation, the remainder are the

The stationary mixer wagon is filled with silage.

low production herd that have been confirmed in-calf.

During the summer the milkers are housed in a covered feed barn and nearby loafing areas located next to the 60-stand rotary dairy. The TMR is prepared in a stationary mixer wagon and fed in the barn by a tractor-driven cart.

Mr Riddell said the predominantly Holstein herd was A2 tested — milk that is marketed as more easily digestible — and calved year-round. In March the daily production averaged 31 litres per cow. >> Continued on page 28

Fact Box Growing cost: $1500/ ha Water use: 6.2 Ml/ha Yield: 20 tonne/ha Cost/tonne: $75 Nutrition: 11 ME, 8 P

The impressive maize crop has been grown with minimal rainfall during the summer.

Smarter Energy Use Workshops Come along to these workshops to gain an understanding of the energy options available and the savings that can be made in your dairy.

Visit www.murraydairy.com.au

Tas Energy and Heatings’ Darren Cooper will facilitate the session and discuss how farmers in this region have made changes to save up to $3,000 on their energy bills.

When: Thursday 16 April Where: Nick and Jane Andrews, 1050 Labuan Rd, Katandra West Time: 10.45am for 11am start A second workshop will be held in late April.

For more information or to RSVP please contact Murray Dairy on (03) 5833 5312 or email admin@murraydairy.com.au APRIL 2015

27

The predominantly Holstein herd calves year-round.

Justin Riddell said the maize silage, combined with lucerne, formed the bulk of the herd’s ration.

>> Continued from page 27 He said growing maize silage on Goulburn and Murray Valley dairy farms had become more prevalent during the drought and while the initial growing costs were high, solid crop yields returned relatively cheap, quality feed.

The Wyuna East crop comprised 40 ha of Pacific P1813IT and 50 ha of Pioneer P1467.

Maturing around the same time Mr Riddell said the Pacific plant was more vigorous and leafy so was excellent for silage production.

The milking herd spends the summer months in the covered feed barn and nearby loafing area.

Sown in the first week in November and deep banded with urea and ammonium sulphate at 400 kg/ha the crop used 6.2 Ml of irrigation water per ha, delivered via flood irrigation.

An efficient effluent re-use system allowed effluent to be lightly blended with each irrigation, replacing bought-in fertiliser.

Silage is harvested at 30 to 35 per cent moisture, and careful stack management reduces wastage.

“Any feed spoilage is composted and spread back onto the paddocks so there is no wastage anywhere,” Mr Riddell said.

He works closely with dairy manager Geoff Old to balance the herd’s dietary requirements. The milkers are fed 23 kg/day including 4 kg of Ridley Agriproducts’ pellets in the dairy.

The 728 ha farm supplies Australian Consolidated Milk in Shepparton.

Welcome – Jenny Wilson Murray Dairy is pleased to welcome Jenny Wilson as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Jenny has worked in the agricultural sector for a number of years and most recently with the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (formally DEPI) where she is the Program Manager for Dairy and Irrigation Services in the Hume region.

Jenny has a passion for agriculture and is really looking forward to working with dairy farmers and the Murray Dairy team to continue to build productive relationships across the industry.

Jenny will start with Murray Dairy on Monday 20 April.

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APRIL 2015

Visit www.murraydairy.com.au

Figures prove upgrade is a success Increased production with fast-flow border check irrigation.

“The proof is in the pudding — we are producing those numbers with fast-flow irrigation.”

Wyuna dairy farmer Russell Pell discussed the benefits of upgrading his irrigation system at the Grains Research and Development Corporation Farm Business Update in March at Finley.

The system is used to irrigate summer crops of maize, millet and lucerne, and some annual pasture from autumn to spring.

“I believe it has allowed me to double my production of dry matter per megalitre used, as well as producing better quality fodder,” Mr Pell said.

Across three seasons, Mr Pell averaged 26 tonnes of dry matter/ha in maize and the annual pasture cut of silage last year resulted in 1000 tonnes of dry matter from 200 ha (five tonnes DM/ha).

On the maize crop, Mr Pell can apply 100 Ml of water and there would be no water lying on the surface of the paddock less than two hours after irrigating.

“The combination of a good irrigation system to deliver a fast, constant flow, together with automation, allows me to deliver irrigation to my crops using best practice.

And it gives me a better lifestyle.”

He said the lucerne crop was now easier to manage and healthier with fast-flow irrigation.

“Watering time is two hours or less, and the bays dry off quickly, leading to extended life of the plant because it is not frequently waterlogged.”

Mr Pell improved his irrigation system through the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program when Goulburn-Murray Water upgraded his district to deliver 25 Ml a day.

Mr Pell installed 75 Padman PE 600 mm outlets, 49 of them automated with Rubicon FarmConnect. He is currently in the process of increasing the number of automated outlets.

“Automation is not cheap, but you certainly need some,” he said.

There is now about 120 outlets on the property after Mr Pell installed the first lot in the 1990s.

“I had already recognised the potential increase in yield by getting the water quickly on,” he said.

Mr Pell can now irrigate one to three hours per bay.

“I believe that the biggest advantage of fast-flow irrigation on annual pasture is that a large area of pasture can be watered in a short amount of time.

“This allows much greater control in timing of grazing and harvesting.”

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Wyuna dairy farmer Russell Pell at the Grains Research and Development Corporation Farm Business Update in March.

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APRIL 2015

The future face of dairy industry leadership Student’s passion for industry is evident in achievements.

Kyabram’s Kerrilyn Bassett is emerging to be one of the dairy industry’s future leaders.

The 23-year-old was recently awarded with the National Centre for Dairy Education’s Achievement Award in Moama after being selected to go on a dairy study tour in New Zealand.

Ms Bassett recently completed a Certificate III in Agriculture through National Centre for Dairy Education Australia at Goulburn Ovens institute of TAFE and was named the most outstanding student at the institute in March.

Ms Bassett went on an eight-day tour organised by the UDV in February and said she now had a wider sense of the industry.

“It was amazing — you can’t describe it,” Ms Bassett said.

“You don’t realise how many different ways there are of doing things.”

Industry trainer James Goulding said Ms Bassett was an outstanding student who excelled in her studies and completed her assessments to a consistently high standard.

“Within her workplace Kerrilyn has shown a sound knowledge and a passion for her industry,” Mr Goulding said.

“It is has been a pleasure to

teach Kerrilyn and observe her development of skills, knowledge and leadership qualities.”

Ms Bassett has been working as a farm-hand for the past three years after initially working in retail.

Ms Bassett didn’t grow up on a dairy farm and said the industry’s biggest challenge was attracting young people.

“I didn’t realise I would like it so much — it was sort of an accident,” she said.

“I love working with animals. There is never a dull moment — there is nothing I don’t like about it.”

Ms Bassett said education about the career paths in agriculture needed to start in schools.

“People don’t realise there is so much more to do than milking,” she said.

For her own career, Ms Bassett said she would like to explore beef, sheep, crops and other aspects of agriculture but hoped to one day own a dairy farm.

“That’s the long-term plan,” she said.

Ms Bassett has now been nominated for overall GOTAFE outstanding student at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Victorian Training Awards.

Kyabram’s Kerrilyn Basset has been recognised for her passion and excellence in her agriculture studies.

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Kit offers guide to discussion groups New resource includes detailed fact sheets on forming and co-ordinating a group.

Dairy Australia has created a new Dairy Farmer Discussion Group Resources Kit to help farmers and advisors establish and run successful discussion groups.

The kit is a simple guide offering insight into what makes group-based extension effective and successful in driving change on-farm.

Dairy Australia’s On-Farm Adoption and Evaluation Program manager Neil Webster said the kit would particularly benefit new regional groups who had accessed Dairy Australia funding support.

Dairy Australia has funding support for up to 90 discussion groups throughout Australia’s dairy regions for the next two years with new and established groups eligible. Since the funding was made available last year a number of groups have benefited and 20 new groups have been formed.

“The kit holds all the information and advice you need to get your group started and might even be a good refresher for established groups,” Mr Webster said.

The new resource includes detailed fact sheets on forming and co-ordinating a group, tips from an experienced facilitator and information about how to access Dairy Australia discussion group funding.

Picture: Blake Rosenberg

To obtain a kit, contact Dairy Australia’s extension co-ordinators or your Regional Development Program. Alternatively you can visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au/ discussiongroups to download a digital version.

Farmers interested in applying for funding for a discussion group should contact their

Regional Development Program or Dairy Australia extension co-ordinator.

The Dairy Farmer Discussion Group Resources Kit is one of the many examples of the dairy service levy at work. For more information on this and other levy investments visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au

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to keep to date with our latest projects and offers

Breed for feed savings The first feed efficiency breeding value in the world has been developed by Dairy Futures CRC. Dairy farmers are now able to identify bulls that can save at least 100 kg of dry feed matter per cow, per year while maintaining milk production.

The Feed Saved Australian Breeding Value (ABV), launched at Ellinbank is the culmination of eight years of research and development activity by Dairy Futures CRC and a range of local and overseas partners. It is the first feed efficiency breeding value in the world to incorporate real feed intake data, as well as a prediction of feed required for maintenance purposes, making the trait more relevant for farmers.

Dairy Futures CRC’s chief executive officer David Nation said the Feed Saved ABV allowed farmers to breed cows in a new way: by reducing their maintenance requirements for the same amount of milk produced.

“This is the first practical use of genomic tests to measure a trait that can’t be routinely measured on-farm, and the start of more extensive genomic testing to improve the range of traits important to dairy farmers,” he said.

“Visually, you can’t spot a highly feed-efficient cow, but farmers can now breed for it.”

The Feed Saved ABV will be published for the first time in April in all the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme’s (ADHIS) publications, including the Good Bulls Guide.

It will form part of the ADHIS’ three new breeding indices, so farmers who make bull selections using one of the indices will be including feed efficiency in their breeding decisions.

Dr Nation said the eight-year development process had involved measuring the feed intakes of almost 2000 heifers across Australia and New Zealand, then studying two lactations of production from the heifers with the greatest and least feed efficiency.

This real feed intake data was incorporated

“

with a prediction of the feed required for maintenance purposes to make the trait more relevant to farmers’ breeding objectives.

The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (formerly DEPI) made major contributions to the project through rearing heifers in Rutherglen, studies of milking cows at Ellinbank, and development of breeding values by geneticists at AgriBio in Melbourne.

Large-scale research activities were made possible through funding grants from the Gardiner Foundation. ADHIS has overseen the development of feed efficiency trait and will include the trait in all evaluations from April onwards.

This is the first practical use of genomic tests to measure a trait that can’t be routinely measured on-farm, and the start of more extensive genomic testing to improve the range of traits important to dairy farmers.

”

Dr David Nation

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APRIL 2015

Farmer Luke Zuidema says employers need to be reasonable in their expectations of staff. “Why push them really hard when they can work for Safeway for the same money?’’

Ruth Kydd talks about employment issues at the forum.

Staffing the modern dairy farm Farmers explain how employing workers has both benefits and pitfalls.

Taking the next step in employing staff can be liberating but comes with new responsibilities, farmers told the Murray Dairy Business Forum.

A panel discussion heard how employing staff could improve the quality of life for farmers and help take their business to the next level.

Experienced Busselton farmers Oscar and Wendy Negus employ up to 12 people and described how their business runs with a 1400-cow herd milked on a 60-stand rotary dairy.

Wendy told the forum they had started small, but had got bigger over the past 10 years.

“Our lifestyle was pretty crummy because we had no weekends off,” she said.

“Our first employee had lunch with us because we had no facilities. When we started out we just blundered along, but now we have systems for inductions, employment contracts and proper pay slips.”

New staff get a pack setting out guidelines for issues like handling cattle, using machinery and riding motorcycles.

“About eight years ago I got a consultant in to do an OH&S plan for the farm,” Wendy said.

IT’S

NOT JUST

Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is now hard’ attitude isn’t the right approach to take.” a sackable offence.

Oscar Negus observed that employees needed to be treated with respect.

“Having systems in place and information available has taken a load off the family,” she “Just because you own the business doesn’t said. make you any better,” he said. “People are harder to understand than cows, or fertilisers “Staff know what they should and shouldn’t be or grass.” doing and gives us a more stable workforce.”

The speakers were asked about using Finley farmer Ruth Kydd described how they international workers and most replied they had moved from Gippsland to the Riverina and how they found they needed staff for their had positive experiences with them.

Ruth said they had employed workers from expanded operation with a rotary dairy. all parts of the world and found them really “We found it hard to employ someone who good. “They come to Australia because they knew how to do everything, and as we got are looking for something and seem to have more cows we employed people for specific some extra zip.” jobs. For example, a milking team and then a But, she said, the mixture of locals and tractor team,” Ruth said. backpackers had to be right because the She said employing staff allowed them to have international workers sometimes didn’t stay a month off each year with the family. long.

Zeerust farmer Luke Zuidema established “We also employ some on ag exchange his own farm after working as an assistant programs and we ask they stay for 12 months.” manager with Warakirri Dairies.

On the issue of reaching quality targets, Oscar He described how he tried to develop a said they engaged their staff in understanding positive workplace that gave some regard for the business, met regularly to talk about their staff needs and motivations. goals and celebrated successes like low somatic cell counts.

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Words and pictures: Cathy Walker

Plant to

reap

best returns Expert takes farmers through steps to make most of pasture.

Presenter Frank Mickan had an attentive audience on the first day of a program run in conjunction with Dairy Australia to help farmers grow the best feed for the best results.

Planting pastures to achieve maximum returns is an exercise dairy farmers can’t afford not to do, the first day of a Forage Planning for Dairy Farms course heard at Lockington.

Yes, “can’t afford not to do” is a double negative but for presenter Frank Mickan it was a truism that could not be understated, and the pasture expert from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources had many facts and figures to support his assertion.

Farmers heard that every extra tonne of feed that was conserved — made into hay, silage or grains — added between $150 and $200/ tonne compared with grazing, although some conserved feed was required otherwise the farm would be too exposed to the commercial feed market in times of need.

The scene was the Lockington Community Centre where farmers from Mitiamo, Calivil, Dingee, Leitchville, Pine Grove, Bamawm and nearby had gathered for the first day of a nineday program that will include three sessions of classroom-style learning followed by five farm visits — the implementation phase –and then a review day to talk about what worked and what could be improved.

Mr Mickan and fellow DEDJTR presenter Sarah Brown will be supported by service providers in the forage cropping field to impart their knowledge.

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APRIL 2015

At Lockington, farmers were challenged to consider the true cost of fodder conservation, which included: • Cut, rake, bale/harvest and wrap/cover; • Cartage; • Wastage (quantity and quality); • Storage; • Cost to feed out; • Wastage when feeding out; • Lost production due to poor quality/DM losses; and • Lost pasture due to bulk cuts.

Mr Mickan’s calculations came up with a cost of $180/tonne/dry matter for round bale silage and $162 tonne/DM. Neither figure included the cost to grow the feed.

Turning to the cost of producing crops, he said the three main factors that influenced the difference in costs between various forages were establishment costs, conservation costs and water, with final crop yield and the cost of extra feed purchases if choosing low-yielding options, needing to be factored in.

Those in attendance were invited to avail themselves of a range of desktop tools that can be used to input details from their own farms to see how their numbers stack up. One helps calculate the cost of establishing home-grown crops with inputs such as price of seed, cost of irrigation and fertiliser.

Ms Brown discussed feed quality and components such as protein, energy and

fibre for the cows’ dietary requirements. She said in the case of fibre, length and structure were important because they determined how much chewing was required by each feed.

Sarah Brown from DEDJTR stressed the need for quality, high-performing feed when comparing costs.

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Well-grown calves spend the first three to four months on the McIlveen farm before going onto a contract weight-gain program.

Contract heifer rearing brings peace of mind Couple says having heifers reared off-farm has plenty of benefits.

A contract heifer-rearing program has been a vital management tool for Strathmerton dairy farmers Cameron and Fiona McIlveen.

The couple said Heiferlink allowed them to steadily build stock numbers when leasing and share-farming, which helped them buy their first farm in January — 88 ha with a 24 swing-over dairy with cup removers.

Having the heifers off the farm also freed up available feed for the milking herd and allowed more time for the multitude of other farm jobs.

Originally from the NSW Hunter Valley, the family relocated in 2006 to northern Victoria where affordable land prices and the opportunity to own their own place was a major factor.

Mr McIlveen has a keen interest in breeding quality cattle and his Selm Hague Stud herd is predominantly Holstein with some Ayrshires and Jerseys.

“The main advantage of Heiferlink is that the heifers come back fully grown. I always use 38

APRIL 2015

when target weights were achieved. good AI bulls; I don’t see the point of using the best bulls and only having half-grown The McIlveens receive progress reports every heifers,” Mr McIlveen said. two months and while away the heifers are vaccinated, freeze-branded and joined to The couple with their children Sarah, 15, Jersey bulls.

Lauren, 12, and Connor, 7, follows a careful calf-rearing strategy that includes calves being “We send 50 to 60 calves off to Heiferlink fed milk twice a day for three months, and each year and even though we have moved access to pellets and hay from day one. around from farm to farm the heifers have always been in the one spot,” Mr McIlveen Once weaned from milk the calves remain on said. the farm for another month and when they reach the target weight of 110 kg are relocated “If we have any surplus heifers we know they to Holbrook, NSW where they are grown out. will be well grown and more saleable. We get more milk out of them in the first lactation “They come home on the point of calving, and they get in calf easier. There are plenty of weighing between 580 to 600 kg. They are as benefits.” tall as the mature cows and during their first lactation they really fill out,” Mr McIlveen The McIlveens’ herd calves year-round and said. they plan to milk 250 cows, averaging 8000 litres, with 220 in milk at any one time.

“They compete well with the cows, push their way into the feed and into the early runs in Monthly herd testing allows close monitoring the dairy.” of the cell count that needs to remain under 200 000 to achieve premium bonuses, a Mr McIlveen said the weight gain program provision of the McIlveens’ three-year supply ensured heifers were well fed, the cattle were contract with milk company Lion. weighed regularly and payments were made

Strathmerton dairy farmer Cameron McIlveen inspects the springing cows that include the contract-reared heifers.

“

The main advantage of Heiferlink is that the heifers come back fully grown. I always use good AI bulls; I don’t see the point of using the best bulls and only having half-grown heifers.

Cameron McIlveen

”

When the heifers return to the farm, on the point of calving, they are as tall as the mature cows.

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Symposium to tour robotic rotary Opportunity to see innovative milking system in action.

Delegates at the 2015 Dairy Research Foundation symposium will be among the first in Australia to tour the innovative robotic rotary which was installed at the University of Sydney’s Corstorphine farm late last year.

Organising committee chair Kendra Kerrisk said the symposium would return to Camden this year to allow delegates to see the robotic rotary in full operation.

“This is only the second robotic rotary operating in Australia — the other is at Gala Farm in Tasmania — so there are many people in the industry keen to see it in action, milking our 400-cow herd,” Associate Professor Kerrisk said.

The development of the robotic rotary was a collaborative project between dairy equipment company DeLaval and the FutureDairy team based at Camden.

“It was developed to automatically milk cows under Australian conditions, particularly larger herds within a pasture feed base,” Assoc Prof Kerrisk said.

This year’s symposium on June 17 and 18 will follow the popular format of the first day as a seminar series and a second day onfarm inspecting the robotic rotary and other

A tour of the innovative robotic rotary at the University of Sydney’s Corstorphine farm is on the program for this year’s Dairy Research Foundation annual symposium.

research projects under way at Corstorphine.

“We’ll also have the ever-popular presentations from young scientists,” Assoc Prof Kerrisk said.

“This year we are really promoting the event to dairy farmers as we receive rave reviews from the farmers who attend. Be prepared to

be challenged and to learn about things that you can put into practice at home with an immediate benefit.”

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Story and picture: Kim Woods

“

We moved to three milkings at 4.30 am, 12.30 pm and 7.30 pm after Christmas — the cows have adjusted with less stress and a lower cell count.

Joel Lawlor

Yalca dairy farmer Joel Lawlor with his Shout heifer which he chose to display at the ABS Australia Showcase at International Dairy Week.

”

Something to shout about Using passion for genetics to aim for productive, fertile cows.

There was no going past a daughter of Shout for Joel Lawlor when it came to selecting heifers for the prestigious ABS Australia Showcase display at International Dairy Week.

The heifer’s outstanding type made her a clear choice, the 25-year-old dairy farmer from Yalca said.

“I pointed her out to the ABS Australia staff as she was really typey with a silky frame, snug udder and clean boned,” Mr Lawlor said.

“She calved in August, had been in for 160 days and had done close to 5000 litres — she’s a quick milker.

“I like the tall US-type heifers and she is my ideal heifer.”

Mr Lawlor bred the un-named registered heifer out of an embryo transfer dam (Goldwyn x Ex-3E Mandel).

The showcase, initiated in 2012, displayed daughters from bulls in the company’s proven sire line-up. The seven in-milk cows represented the Holstein sires Destry, Dorcy, Aftershock, Shout and Lazzaro, and Jersey sires Ambition and Premier.

ABS Australia sales and technical representative Maree Campbell said the cows were all good representatives of their sires.

Mr Lawlor milks 400 Friesian-Holstein cows three times a day in a 50-bail rotary dairy on a 323 ha property at Waaia.

The 300-cow herd produced three million litres last year, averaging 10 000 litres per cow, on the home farm at Katunga, with plans to increase cow numbers to 600 by July to lift production to more than five million litres.

“I did some research on milking three times 42

APRIL 2015

a day — I’m constantly evaluating ways to increase production,” Mr Lawlor said.

“We moved to three milkings at 4.30 am, 12.30 pm and 7.30 pm after Christmas — the cows have adjusted with less stress and a lower cell count.

“We are four litres per cow in front but if it doesn’t work out in the long run, we will go back to twice a day.

“The 20 per cent increase in production hasn’t equated with a 20 per cent increase in feed intake as yet.

“

I’m moving from a split calving to calving down all cows in October-December and have them peaking in those months we receive 60¢/litre.

Joel Lawlor

”

“The only disadvantage is the long working days.”

Mr Lawlor said cows were given access to plenty of cool water and shade during the hot weather. They are kept cool during the 12.30 pm milking with yard sprinklers and industrial fans, and an additional mister system is to be installed.

Shade cover is planned for an existing

300m-long feed pad.

A Parmalat supplier, Mr Lawlor said the average of 60¢/litre during the January to July season encouraged him to look for increased avenues in production.

“Litres and protein is where the money is at so I target that pretty heavily,” he said.

“I’m moving from a split calving to calving down all cows in October-December and have them peaking in those months we receive 60¢/ litre.”

During the summer, the herd receives 5 kg of wheat, 3 kg of protein mix (lupins, canola meal and additives) and ad-lib vetch and silage or lucerne hay and silage in the paddock.

Mr Lawlor established the stud prefix Lawlor’s Legends when he was 19 and working for his parents, Peter and Jenny, on the Katunga home farm.

Stud registrations languished when he spent several years working in the Western Australian mining industry.

Mr Lawlor has now revived the stud with the purchase of 70 registered cows from Phil McKenna’s Hartwould stud dispersal.

The increase in cow numbers will be complemented by the installation of automated cup removers, teat sprayers, milk meters, and drafting and feeding systems in the dairy during the next 12 months.

The power system will be upgraded along with the irrigation infrastructure, grain storage and internal fencing.

Passionate about genetics, Mr Lawlor points to Numurkah dairy farmer Max Hardes, breeder of Ladino Park Talent, and farmhand Richard Paul as his mentors.

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From grapes to cows Share-farming arrangement suits couple who made the change from wine industry to dairy farming.

Melissa and Ron Franklin found their way into the dairy industry five years ago after they decided life in the wine industry was no longer for them. The enjoyment the Franklins have found in dairying has surprised them both as they embark on their first share-farming role for Peter Letcher at Strathmerton.

Mr Franklin has been managing the 161 ha property for the past two years.

“Our share farming agreement commences in April on a percentage basis,” he said.

“We will be working towards a 50 per cent share and owning the stock in five years’ time.

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Ron and Melissa Franklin have been involved in the dairy industry for the past five years after moving on from their former careers in the wine industry.

The couple are about to undertake a share-farming arrangement with Peter Letcher on a 161 ha farm near Strathmerton. To help improve their knowledge base, the Franklins have attended workshops and are also involved in discussion groups. They are pictured with their son Xavier.

It is a hard industry to work your way into and the percentage share has to be profitable enough to work out for both parties.”

The Franklins have made use of industry resources to expand their knowledge, with Mr Franklin completing his diploma in agriculture and Mrs Franklin doing a calfrearing course with the NCDEA. Mr Franklin has also completed the Feeding Pasture For Profit (FPFP) program twice.

The couple is also involved in discussion groups and Mr Franklin has found being able to look at other people’s businesses and systems has enabled him to look critically at his own systems.

“I am always questioning my management and I want to get better and better. I would recommend doing the FPFP twice, I picked up a lot of additional information the second time around,” he said.

“My passion is growing grass. We have set up a few trial plots to see what best suits our system. We have also planted 20 ha of a tetraploid perennial ‘Beraly’ which the boss trialled at his place and we are going to see how it goes here. I have also set up four 3.5 ha trial plots of perennials with sub to see what is best suited to our system.”

All pasture is grown using temporary water.

The herd is totally autumn calving, and pastures and cows are dried off during the hot summer months.

“The high cost of temp water has dictated our system,” Mr Franklin said.

“Peter analyses everything, and everything we do has to make a profit or return. He has a great business sense and he has been good to learn from.

“We look at a carryover cow as mismanagement. Our cows are joined for five weeks to AI and a round with the bull.

We use a synchro program with double PG and those that don’t come on go through a CIDR program with PG.” Any cows that remain empty are joined in spring and sold as in-calf cows, while the empties are sold as choppers.

“We get high submission rates and if something doesn’t get in calf we look at that as a cow we don’t want to breed from anyway.”

For this year’s joining program the crossbreeds will be joined back to Friesian to help create a bigger animal. Cross-breed bulls have been used in the past as have Friesians and Jerseys. The farm breeding objectives are for longevity and fertility.

Looking to the future, the Franklins are not sure about total farm ownership. They might look at purchasing some land of their own to help raise any young stock they purchase in the future, but for now they are happy to just see what happens during the next five years.

“

I am always questioning my management and I want to get better and better. I would recommend doing the FPFP twice, I picked up a lot of additional information the second time around.

Ron Franklin

”

APRIL 2015

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Profit is main aim Breeding for genetic gain is also the way to grow profit, cattle breeder says.

Irish cattle breeding executive Andrew Cromie has told Australian dairy farmers obtaining genetic gains was not about “rosettes and awards” but creating profit.

Mr Cromie told the Herd15 conference in Bendigo a two-year study on a Cork dairy farm had shown a gain of 301 euros/ lactation/ cow was possible. He said genetic gain could deliver more milk and better fertility.

Mr Cromie, the director of innovation for the Irish Cattle Breeding Association, said at a national level they had consolidated a fragmented industry and established an Economic Breeding Index.

He said although the cattle breeding industry was sceptical of change, farmers came on board when the national system promised less duplication and paperwork.

Andrew Cromie He said they had also moved away from a heavy reliance on imported genes.

Now, 84 per cent of our sires are Irish bred.”

“The best genetics are in your own country.

The opportunity was to build an Irish Mr Cromie said Irish farmers could genotype breeding program based on EBI,” Mr Cromie male calves themselves. said.

“Ireland is now genotyping five to 10 times “Our active bull list has moved from one more candidate males than other countries,” he said. dominated by Netherlands, NZ and USA.

Mr Cromie said the industry was looking at new traits not yet accounted for, and was now breeding more resilient animals.

He said in some sires they had found a susceptibility to TB and were acting to breed out the predisposition.

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Scientist Jennie Pryce talked about enhancing multiple traits through breeding.

Dairy Futures CRC chief executive officer David Nation.

Use genetics to lift performance Selective breeding can capitalise on inherited traits.

The recent Herd15 conference dealt with the newest developments in herd improvement, but also emphasised the fundamental importance of using genetics to lift cow performance.

Right from the start, Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme chair Adrian Drury acknowledged the complexities that come with increased technology and science.

“We introduced a lot of technology to our farm recently and brought ourselves a lot of trouble,” Mr Drury said.

“Stuff-ups will never stop happening. The technology will get better and people will have to learn. You can apply technology and you can win,” the NSW farmer concluded after discussing his recent introduction to automated milking technology.

The Bendigo conference was attended by about 200 people.

Senior research scientist Jennie Pryce talked about how traits were inherited and how selective breeding could capitalise on this.

“In dairy cattle, there have been a few notable experiments that have demonstrated the effect of genetic selection,” she said.

Dr Pryce, who works at the new agri-bio centre at La Trobe University in Bundoora, discussed what happened when single traits, such as milk production only, were emphasised and how multiple traits could result in a better economic outcome for the farmer.

“One common misconception is that by adding more and more traits to an index, selection is somehow diluted,” she said.

“This is true if the traits do not contribute anything economically, however, if each trait has monetary value, then the net result of multi-trait selection is reduced gain in each component trait, but greater gain in the overall breeding objective.

“In fact, many countries now have more than six trait categories (milk production, type, longevity, udder health, fertility, other) in their national selection objectives.”

Last year, Australian dairy farmers and industry were asked to think about which traits were needed for the next generation of the herd.

Dairy farmers in all regions have been talking about breeding preferences and having a direct say in answering the question: which

cows best meet the needs of Australian dairy farmers into the future?

Farm walk discussions varied widely depending on the region and the views of participants, but here are some of the main points: • Profit remains the main focus for genetic improvement.

• Fertility is a high priority.

• Farmers want a robust, functional cow that can survive and thrive in the herd under a variety of conditions.

• Cows that are resilient and flexible to respond to changing dairying environments are desirable (at least in pasture-based systems).

• Some traits have an ‘ideal’ zone: too much milk or too little milk are undesirable; teats that were too short or too long are undesirable; extreme overall type and poor overall type are undesirable.

• Our breeding priorities can be different — even between neighbours. For example, some aim to maximise milk solids/kg of cow liveweight or breeding an easy-care animal, while others focus on structural soundness through type.

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calendar of events

Please check www.murraydairy.com.au for updates or phone (03) 5833 5312.

Focus Farm open days (Murray Dairy)

Tractors for Women — 1 day (NCDE)

Blighty — Tuesday, April 28 Strathmerton — Thursday, June 11 Kyabram — Tuesday, June 2 Gundowring — Thursday, June 25

Shepparton — Tuesday, April 21

April/May 2015

Chainsaw Operations — 1 day (NCDE)

Shepparton — Friday, April 17; Friday, June 12 People GPS — 4 days (NCDE)

Smarter Energy Use workshop (Murray Dairy)

Rochester — Tuesday, June 2; Wednesday, June 3; Tuesday, June 9; Wednesday, June 10 Cohuna — Tuesday, June 23; Wednesday, June 24; Tuesday June, 30; Wednesday, July 1

Katandra West — Thursday, April 16 Feeding in the Spotlight (Murray Dairy)

Echuca — Thursday, May 14, 11 am to 2 pm Numurkah — Thursday, May 14, 7 pm to 9 pm

OH&S — 1 day (NCDE)

Plan for Nutrients (Murray Dairy)

Dookie — Wednesday, April 22; Wednesday, May 27

Katandra West — Tuesday, May 5, 10.45 am to 12.30 pm Calivil — Wednesday, May 20, 10.45 am to 12.30 pm

Financial Budgeting — 3 days (NCDE)

Quad Bike Operations — 1 day (NCDE)

Business Development — 4 days (NCDE)

Dookie — Wednesday, April 15 and 29; Wednesday, May 6

Location to be confirmed — Tuesday, April 14; Thursday, April 16 Tallangatta — Thursday, April 2 Calf Rearing — 2 days (NCDE)

Shepparton — Monday, June 15; Tuesday, June 16; Monday, June 22 Advanced Nutrition — 2 days (NCDE)

Dookie — Friday, May 15 and 29; Friday, June 19 and 26 Manage Herd Health — 4 days (NCDEA)

Shepparton — Wednesday, May 20 and 27; Wednesday, June 3 and 10 Manage Estate Planning — 1 day (NCDE)

Shepparton — Monday, April 20; Monday, April 27; Monday, May 4; Monday, May 11

Shepparton — Tuesday, May 5; Wednesday, May 6; and Tuesday, May 12; Wednesday, May 13

Innovations Tour — 5 nights (NCDE)

Farm Chemical Users Course — 2 days (NCDE)

Northern Victoria — Departing Monday, April 13 to Friday, April 17

Shepparton — Thursday, May 7; Friday, May 8 Katunga — Thursday, May 14; Friday, May 15 Cohuna — Thursday, May 21; Friday, May 22 Tallangatta — Thursday, May 28; Friday, May 29

Murray Dairy www.murraydairy.com.au Phone: (03) 5833 5312 NCDE www.ncde@gotafe.vic.edu.au Phone: 1300 468 233 DEDJTR www.depi.vic.gov.au Phone: 136 186

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