Dairy direct gippsland february 2017 (low res)

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PUBLICATION

GIPPSLAND Issue 14, February 2017

Wet season boosts pasture goals » page 26

Price outlook improve » page 6

Gippsland calf smashes record » page 20

“Prove me wrong” — testing farm principles » page 28

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Keep eye on the big picture Take time out now and again to reconnect with your plans for the future of your business.

contents

Keep eye on the big picture ..............3 An age-old dilemma..........................5

During the 20 years that I have been dairy farming I have seen some consistent attributes in farmers who succeed in their profession. These attributes are often described in Australian and international rural publications and media articles time and again.

In tough times and strong years, these attributes are equally important. Some of these include keeping an eye on the big picture and knowing why you do what you do; having written business goals; communicating plans and goals with all involved in the business; identifying and monitoring key business benchmarks; seeking input from people outside of your business; and looking after the people, resources and finances well.

Working ON the business is a good way to summarise these attributes. Dairy farming is a time-consuming profession and it is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the day-to-day operation and work only IN the business.

Late last year, my business partner (wife) and I took two days away from the farm to reflect on our business and what we want the future of our farm business to be.

We found it extremely valuable and it has renewed our enthusiasm for the future. I

encourage you to make the time to look at the bigger picture, do some forward planning and also reflect on the good things you have achieved to date.

This is my final column in Dairy Direct as GippsDairy chair. I have been honoured to act as deputy chair and chair of GippsDairy and now I have been selected to take up a short-term vacancy on the Dairy Australia board.

Just as I was when first appointed to the GippsDairy board, I am humbled that people have the faith in me to represent them and to work on behalf of every dairy farmer in the region — and now Australia.

During my time with GippsDairy I have seen it evolve from a far smaller entity than it is today. GippsDairy was and remains a lean organisation that gives value to every dairy service levy payer in the region.

My fellow board members and the GippsDairy staff have made my time on the board and in the chair position a positive and enjoyable experience. To work with so many people all pulling in the same direction has been a highlight of my time in the dairy industry. I’d sincerely like to thank you all.

— Graeme Nicoll GippsDairy chair

Price outlook improves .....................6 MG appoints new chief .....................8 With pasture come parasites ...........9 Taking the guesswork out of perennial rye-grass..........................11 Workplace danger............................12 Camp fosters industry’s future ......14 Sights set on dairy career ...............14 New perspective ..............................16 Calf smashes record ........................20 Finding solutions in tough times ..22 Heat-stressed dry cows impact bottom line .......................................24 Grassroots approach .......................26 Challenging the status quo ............28 Seeking new horizons .....................31 Contact us today!

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FEBRUARY 2017

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Reminders for February 2016

Cover: Damian Murphy from Dumbalk Story page 26

Editor Geoff Adams editor@countrynews.com.au Writers Geoff Ellis, Rodney Woods and Geoff Adams Graphic designers Alysha Bathman, Bella Considine and Sean Cox 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 Printed by Edge Print

Supported by:

Are you reading someone else’s copy of Dairy Direct?

If you are dairy farming and want to make sure you get your own copy phone GippsDairy on 5624 3900.

Please call as well, if you are getting more than you need.

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FEBRUARY 2017

Pastures • Plan your autumn application of fertiliser in advance and investigate the cost of various options. Include dairy effluent applications in the fertiliser plan and ensure you apply it in a way that keeps it on the farm. It could be used on late sown crops or areas of the farm with low nutrient levels.

• Once the pasture cover on the farm has been reduced to the best residual, consider using stand-off paddocks to protect pastures from over-grazing.

• Identify areas of the farm that would benefit from over-sowing or renovation; considering spring pasture performance, plan the best approach and timing for success.

• Regularly monitor wrapped silage bales for the presence of holes and repair as soon as possible.

Stock • Cows are vulnerable to heat stress when the temperature is above 30°C or when there is a combination of warm temperatures and high humidity. Heat stress has a number of critical effects on your cows, including reduced feed intake, reduced milk production and quality and increased cow health issues. For ideas on ways to manage your herd in hot weather visit the Cool Cows website at www.coolcows.com.au Production and feeding • With milk price step-ups coming through and

improving silage reserves, it may be tempting to increase cow feed for increased milk production to the point of feed wastage which would result in increased costs. Make sure you have control of feeding to allow for profitable production and good animal health.

• Overfeeding or underfeeding will result in to less profit, however risk needs to be taken in account when making this decision.

• Feed tests on silage and hay are a great way of understanding what you are feeding to cows.

Young stock • Poorly fed young stock will impact your business when they calve down and become milking cows with low in-calf rates, higher mortality rates and generally are likely to produce less milk.

• Some good targets for young stock are 70 per cent in calf three weeks after joining, with heifers due to calve two weeks before the cows in the herd.

To join young stock this early they have to be well fed and have reached the target joining weights you can see in the Heifers on Target manual on the Dairy Australia website www.dairyaustralia. com.au/Animal-management/Fertility/Heifermanagement.aspx • Monitor the replacement heifers’ growth. They will require high quality supplementary feeds as available pasture is reduced. They need feeds containing a minimum of 10 MJ/kg DM and 13 per cent crude protein to grow adequately.

Reminders for March 2017 Hay and silage • Check your levels of hay and silage and do your sums on potential hay and silage use for the balance of the year. Allow for milking cows, dry cows and young stock.

• It’s often a challenge to use the best feed you can and make use of the feed you have on hand. Balancing the diet with all the right feeds is great but using the feeds you have on hand and getting the diet balance in the zone might come with lower cash costs and still achieve target production.

• Baled silage is a great example of a feed with a use-by date, and when not fed for whatever reason it can turn out to be costly wasted feed.

Fertiliser • March is a good time to apply fertiliser to pasture in preparation for the autumn break.

• Superphosphate and muriate of potash do not require rain to release into the soil; rainfall after an application increases the risk of nutrient loss.

• Dairy effluent is a good alternative to traditional fertiliser. When applying dairy effluent be careful not to have any run-off or to overload soils with nitrogen and potassium.

Pasture renovation and over-sowing • All soils that are sown should be soil tested to determine any limiting factors for plant growth and a plan developed to improve or maintain the soils and pastures on the farm.

• When planting pasture always check for pest activity and control if required. This year red legged earth mites and lucerne flea have been abundant in areas of Gippsland.

• March is an ideal time for checking your paddocks for pasture density and making some decisions on what areas of the farm, if any, need renovation or over-sowing.

- If pastures have root mats consider working the paddocks up and allowing some time for the root mat to rot before sowing the new pasture, or plan a summer crop in this paddock for next year.

• Consider the type and variety of seed to put in the ground. Where rye-grass is concerned it’s good to try to simplify the process using three categories for seed types: - Perennial — permanent pasture (sow once you have dealt with any soil issues in the paddock such as drainage or root mat issues).

- Short rotation — two to three-year varieties that tend to establish with more vigour than perennials, after being well sown and can last two to three years when conditions and management allow.

- Annual — one-year varieties (May to November) that are very vigorous after sowing, strong winter performers but will not produce once they have gone to seed in spring. Great for a low-performing paddock that will be summer cropped the following year.

Rural Rumenations with KATIE MACAULAY

Columnist Katie MacAulay lives in South Gippsland, and has been married to a dairy farmer long enough to appreciate the smell of good silage. She loves chooks, enjoys stacking hay bales with the tractor and wonders why the lawn grows twice as quickly as the grass in the paddocks.

An age-old dilemma Chocolate-coated treat proves the fall-back once more.

Hubby is almost impossible to buy presents for. His wish list consists of highly specialised farm equipment with price tags containing a string of zeros.

Hence, I can’t just ask him what he’d like — I have to come up with an idea myself. The most popular present I ever bought was a replacement decal for a tractor that Hubby repainted after an electrical fire. But most years, I resort to my default standard of dark-chocolatecoated ginger.

Then last year, Hubby lost his pocketknife in a hay paddock a week before Christmas. The hole in the bottom of its holster had grown so big that the pocketknife had slipped out without Hubby noticing.

When Hubby announced he’d have to buy a new pocketknife and holster “one day”, I felt a glimmer of excitement. Finally, I could buy him an affordable present that he’d actually use.

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I rushed to town the next day.

“I want to buy my husband a knife,” I told the salesman at the outdoors shop.

“For hunting?” he asked, waving his hand over a glass counter full of ferociouslooking blades. I flinched. Some looked so sharp, they’d cut through a hay bale with one swipe.

“No, farming.”

His eyes lit up in recognition.

“So a knife for stripping wires, undoing screws, opening paint tins, levering out split pins and drawing maps in the dirt?”

“I suppose,” I said uncertainly.

“And not so sharp he’ll slice his fingers off . . .”

Now he was talking my language.

“You want one of these then.”

He reached into the corner of the display and pulled out a knife like Hubby’s.

I nodded and reached forward to examine it.

“Just one thing. I need to see your ID before I can sell it to you.”

I beamed. With the grey hairs caused by two kids, a farm and off-farm work, I felt more likely to be asked for a Seniors Card.

I pulled out my driver’s licence and waved it about enthusiastically.

“It’s okay,” he said, “I can see you’re over 18.”

“Please,” I begged, “I finally get a good mug shot on my licence and no-one ever asks to see it.”

He gave it a cursory glance. Score! The perfect present for Hubby AND I could fool myself that I was young again.

That night I snuck my new purchase into the house. But when I greeted Hubby, I noticed that his belt no longer looked bare. In fact, everything looked normal. Too normal.

“What’s that hanging off your belt?” I asked.

“My new pocketknife,” he replied.

Right, chocolate-coated ginger it is!

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FEBRUARY 2017

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Rethinking the Everyday

5

dairy news Price outlook improves Higher global commodity product prices are helping to spur a milk price increase.

Global dairy market analyst Freshagenda has forecast a farm gate milk price of between $5 and $5.40 in milk solids for the 2016–17 season.

The outlook has improved during the season, Freshagenda’s previous forecast was a range of $4.80 to $5.20/kg MS. The updated forecast reflects the net effects of: • Higher global commodity product prices, helped by worse -than-expected milk output from major European producers, and recently led up by a surge in GDT prices for WMP which has lifted spot and other reference prices; • Strong cheese demand in developing markets; • A sharp fall in Australian milk production which will increase manufacturing conversion costs; • Continuing tight margins in local grocery markets for cheese; and • A lower full year estimate for the value

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FEBRUARY 2017

of the Australian dollar of $US0.74 with the return to positive interest rates in the United States and prospects for weaker metal commodity prices in 2017.

For the 2017–18 season, further significant improvement is expected as the strong lifts in product spot values are locked into export and wholesale prices, giving a forecast range milk price between $5.90 and $6.30/kg MS. The drop in global milk output will start to reverse in mid-2017 but will take some time to impact product values.

Freshagenda director Steve Spencer said the forecast had been developed and updated to provide dairy farmers and other industry stakeholders with improved pricing transparency and an input to planning.

“There has been a lot of industry discussion since the events of April last year about the need for improved information on future directions in farm gate milk prices,” he said.

“We have had a lot of farmers tell us they

“

Our analysis is independent of the dairy companies, or a cow with eight lactations of data.

Steve Spencer

”

would welcome clearer and more timely information on the market outlook and what it means for them on farm.”

Freshagenda’s forecast is based on its Global Dairy Directions analysis, a commercial product provided to dairy companies, ingredient buyers and traders in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the US. This provides a unique platform to project international commodity values, which are then converted into an average farm gate milk price based on relevant product mix and exchange rate assumptions.

“Our analysis is independent of the dairy companies,” Mr Spencer said.

ADVERTISEMENT

A healthy choice for dairy farmers THREE nurses have been chosen as the latest recipients of GippsDairy’s Agricultural Health and Medicine Scholarships.

The $2500 scholarships, which are funded

by GippsDairy, are aimed at improving connections between the dairy farming community and health sector.

The recipients were chosen upon the recommendations of the selection panel which felt there were compelling reasons to award multiple scholarships this year.

As part of the scholarship, recipients complete a five day intensive course developed by the highly regarded National Centre for Farmer Health and delivered by the School of Medicine at Deakin University.

Topics covered in the course included: • agricultural medicine conditions • occupational health assessments • high risk remote populations and chronic disease • vision and hearing injuries • musculoskeletal health and ageing • common cancers in agriculture • traumatic agricultural injury • remote emergency medicine • zoonotic diseases • addiction, suicide and mental illness in rural Australia South Gippslander’s Catherine Hanrahan and Kathryn Croatto and Briagolong’s Moira Tulloch, are all nurses with strong commitments to community health in their local regions.

For Catherine, seeing the impact of the dairy industry downturn over the past 18 months made her realise that there is more that could be done to help farmers improve their mental

and physical health outcomes.

Living on her family dairy farm at Stony Creek and working at South Gippsland Hospital in Foster, Catherine could see that farmers were in need of a helping hand when it came to health.

“A lot of farmers are struggling at the moment and there are a lot of negative messages out there, so it would be really nice to get out and do some more positive messaging,” she said.

“I’d like to let people know what services are out there to help them and try and find easier ways for them to access that information.”

Inverloch’s Kathryn Croatto, who also lives on her family dairy farm, has extensive experience in cardiac and pulmonary care, which she would like to extend to the farming community.

“In my cardiac rehab work we certainly have a lot of farmers come through and, while they are good patients and enthusiastic, we need to retrain them about doing lots of different exercise – not just getting cows up on the motorbike,” she said.

“They need to walk more. They tend to be physically strong but not cardio vascular fit, which is where they need to improve.”

“Through the course, I’m hoping I can learn more about lung conditions from farming involving exposure to chemicals, dust and fertiliser, as well as about farm safety.”

For Moira Tulloch, growing up on a dairy farm and spending her nursing life in regional areas has highlighted how much work needs to be done to improve health outcomes for farmers.

“I see a gap in the management of dairy farmer health and I’m keen to support that through this course,” she said.

“I’m so pleased that rural health has its own

Catherine Hanrahan and Kathryn Croatto are excited to be spreading the health message into the dairy community.

Moira Tulloch believes the scholarships help fill a gap in rural health services.

subject area and hopefully it won’t be long before it is its own specialty area.”

GippsDairy regional manager Allan Cameron, who sat on the selection panel, said the original intention was to award only one scholarship.

“It was immediately clear that each scholarship recipient was an outstanding applicant, passionate about both the dairy industry and the health of the participants in it,” he said.

“With backgrounds in dairy farming and strong commitments to health in their local communities, GippsDairy has no doubt each of these health professionals will have a real impact on improving the health and wellbeing of the dairy farming community” Media contact: Danny Buttler GippsDairy Communications Officer 0409 561 326

Building remarkable (dairy) workplaces GippsDairy and Dairy Australia are offering farmers the chance to improve their management of employees though a ‘masterclass’ on recruitment and retention problems within businesses.

The workshops, which will be held at Warragul, Leongatha and Maffra, will be delivered by Mandy Johnson, a best-selling author, engaging speaker and business adviser who will share with dairy farmers the

best techniques to help business recruitment and solve employment issues.

The sessions will be held at: Warragul on Tuesday, 14 March from 10.45am to 2pm at the Warragul Country Club (Conference Centre) at 41 Sutton St Leongatha on Tuesday, 14 March from 6.30pm to 9pm at a venue to be announced Maffra on Wednesday, 15 March from 10.45am to 2pm at the DEDJTR office, 1 Stratford Rd, Maffra

The workshops are free and a meal will be provided.

RSVP by Thursday, 9 March to Leah Maslen at GippsDairy by email at leah@gippsdairy.com.au or phone 0448 681 373.

MG appoints new chief Ari Mervis hopes to ‘transform and refocus Murray Goulburn’.

New Murray Goulburn managing director Ari Mervis has promised an open and transparent management style.

Murray Goulburn chair Philip Tracy announced in December the appointment of the former Carlton and United Breweries chief. Mr Mervis, 52, starts on February 13.

His career with SABMiller, the world’s second largest brewer, began in 1989 and included senior positions in South Africa, Swaziland, Russia and Hong Kong.

Most recently, he was managing director of SABMiller in the Asia Pacific and chief executive officer of Carlton and United Breweries in Melbourne, with responsibility for overseeing businesses across the Asia Pacific including China, India, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia.

Mr Tracy said Mr Mervis had relevant experience for the milk processor, and some of his customers were the same that MG deals with.

He said Mr Mervis had a proven track record for achieving results and he appreciated his calm and rational manner.

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FEBRUARY 2017

Mr Tracy described Mr Mervis as an ideal fit for the company.

He said getting to understand MG’s business would be a high priority for Mr Mervis, who will be visiting the factories and dairy production regions.

Mr Tracy has indicated he will step down from his position but said he would prefer to wait until Mr Mervis settled into his new position.

Asked about the relationship between the board chair and the managing director, Mr Tracy said he expected it would be transparent.

Mr Mervis said he was aware the dairy industry was in a down cycle at the moment and he expected it was at the bottom of the cycle.

He has told suppliers he appreciated that 2016 had been a difficult year and he was under no illusions about the task ahead and the expectation to deliver lasting and positive change to transform the co-operative.

“While I don’t pretend to offer an overnight solution to Murray Goulburn’s situation,

Murray Goulburn announced Ari Mervis as its new managing director and chief executive officer on December 12.

I have had experience in similar situations and together we will hopefully be able to transform and refocus Murray Goulburn for a prosperous and successful future,” Mr Mervis said.

With pasture come parasites Conditions ripe for Ostertagia and liver fluke.

A mild winter coupled with a wet spring has produced fantastic conditions for growing pasture this season; however, this has also encouraged favourable hatching conditions for gastrointestinal parasites.

It is possible grazing cattle have picked up a greater number of infective larvae, which is likely to result in higher worm burdens in autumn.

Here are some of the key factors to consider in the management and control of the small brown stomach worm, Ostertagia ostertagi, and liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica.

Ostertagia Ostertagia ostertagi is the most productionlimiting parasite.

Control of worms, particularly in younger stock, is achieved through a combination of grazing safe pastures to limit the ingestion of larvae, monitoring worm burdens through faecal egg counts (FEC), and drenching cattle strategically throughout the year to kill worms at optimal times and minimise the risk of parasite resistance to drenches.

Ostertagia ostertagi lives in the lining of the fourth stomach of cattle, destroying the stomach tissues and glands and inhibiting the digestion of nutrients.

The eggs are passed in the faeces and hatch as dung pats begin to dry.

Ostertagia develops through three larval stages, before migrating up the pasture leaves where they can be ingested by cattle.

The infection and damage caused as larvae mature is categorised as either Type 1 or Type 2 Ostertagiasis. Type 1 is caused by the ingestion of large numbers of larvae within a

Liver fluke can be ingested from water.

short period and the subsequent maturation of these larvae. It is more common in young cattle, particularly weaners. Type 2 occurs as the arrested larvae break dormancy simultaneously, causing damage as thousands of worms mature at once.

Pastures can be managed to minimise the contamination of infective larvae. This generally requires using low-risk pastures with long periods of rest between grazing, such as pastures that have been cropped or cut for silage and hay.

Yearling cattle are the ‘worm egg generators’ as they have little resistance to the development of the worms. Older cattle shed fewer worm eggs, so calves and weaners should not follow yearlings on pastures.

It is advised that weaners and yearlings are routinely drenched/treated at weaning (December-February for autumn-drop calves).

Adult cattle generally develop an immunity or resilience to worms. Unless adult cows are in a high stocking rate system and/or within higher rainfall zones (+600 mm annual rainfall), routine treatment should not be required after their second calf.

It is important to remember that this agedeveloped resistance can break down under stressful conditions.

Liver fluke Areas of lying water in early spring can be a major contributor to liver fluke infections in cattle.

Liver fluke requires wet environments and

an intermediate host, the small freshwater lymnaeid snail (Pseudosuccinea (Lymnaea) tomentosa) to survive and complete its development.

The eggs require wet conditions to hatch and separate from faecal matter in which the first larvae, or miracidium, emerge.

The first larvae bores into the host snail and emerges as a cercaria. Up to 600 cercaria can develop from one miracidium and these form cysts on pastures that become the infective larvae.

When ingested by sheep, cattle or other animals, these cysts break open in the intestines and the immature flukes burrow through the intestinal wall and into the liver.

Damage to the intestines and liver caused by a large number of migrating immature fluke is known as acute liver fluke disease.

It is more common for cattle to be affected with chronic liver fluke disease and symptoms including weight loss, reduced growth rates, reduced milk production, anaemia, oedema and diarrhoea.

Ingestion of infective larvae is usually greatest in autumn and summer in irrigated or wet areas as the cattle graze the wet ‘flukey’ areas.

Acute liver fluke disease can occur in late spring and early summer in heavily infested areas and a drench at this time may be required. A summer fluke drench should only be administered to cattle on high-risk areas/ properties and when the presence of fluke is determined in consultation with a vet.

FEBRUARY 2017

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Taking the guesswork out of perennial rye-grass New research tries to ďŹ nd the optimal mix of pasture and supplements.

Most dairy farmers in south-eastern Australia use pasture-based systems because of their low cost of production.

Pasture alone cannot provide a high producing dairy cow with all of her nutritional requirements, so supplementary concentrates are commonly fed in the dairy to increase nutrient supply, especially when pasture quality and quantity are low.

New research at DEDJTR Ellinbank will focus on complementing the nutrients supplied from pasture with appropriate supplements to optimise milk production.

In the dairying regions of Victoria, perennial rye-grass is the most commonly used pasture species.

Advancements in plant breeding have produced a wide variety of cultivars, with farmers typically sowing more than one cultivar on their farm.

In addition, seasonal changes in pasture from vegetative in spring to reproductive and stalky in summer results in differing quantities of nutrients available for grazing cows throughout the year.

The flowering date of rye-grass cultivars can be manipulated, so that plants flower earlier or later in the season to take advantage of increased growth in winter or continued growth into summer.

For example, the Victorian SE cultivar (commonly known as Vic Rye) has an early flowering date and starts to seed earlier in spring compared with late flowering cultivars such as Bealey NEA2 and Trojan NEA2, which may only start to become reproductive in late spring.

Tetraploid cultivars, which have larger leaves and are more palatable to dairy cows, have been developed, and plant breeders can

now also choose a specific novel endophyte with which to inoculate each cultivar. A research project at Ellinbank is examining the variation in the degradation of different perennial rye-grass cultivars in the rumen.

A recent experiment conducted by research scientist and PhD student, Meaghan Douglas, investigated the degradation of nutrients in three perennial rye-grass cultivars from northern and south-western Victoria, harvested during early spring.

These cultivars were Bealey NEA2, Trojan NEA2 and Victorian SE (Vic Rye). The farm in northern Victoria where these samples were harvested has access to irrigation, while the farm in south-west Victoria was dependent upon rainfall.

Degradation characteristics were determined by the disappearance of feed samples from nylon bags. Bags were incubated for up to 72 hours to determine the degradation over time.

Results reported below are representative of ruminal degradation characteristics in a high-producing dairy cow.

There were no differences in the rate of degradation of crude protein between the three cultivars within each region, with the rate of degradation in the range of 13 to 20 per cent/hour over the two regions. There were minimal differences in the amount of crude protein in each cultivar that was degradable in the rumen, however, in both regions Trojan tended to have a lower proportion of total degradable crude protein.

An important finding was that there were differences between the amount of protein degraded in the rumen, and post-ruminally, between the cultivars in each region.

In northern Victoria, Bealey had the greatest total amount of protein available for degradation among the three cultivars, and had the greatest amounts of rumendegradable protein and bypass protein.

These results were similar in south-west Victoria, however, it was Vic Rye that had the greatest amounts of rumen-degradable and rumen bypass protein.

Despite this result, formulating an optimal supplementary ration for grazing dairy cows in spring may not need to consider the individual perennial rye-grass cultivars as the protein content of pasture in spring is already greater than cow requirements.

However, these data may assist in formulating supplementary feeding rations for spring that have protein degradation characteristics that complement those of the pasture, which can help to reduce the energy cost of excreting excess protein that the cow cannot utilise.

Further research will examine the degradation characteristics of the same perennial rye-grass cultivars from these two regions harvested in summer, and from Gippsland harvested during early spring and summer.

Collaborators on the project include The University of Sydney. Dairy Australia and the Victorian Government are funding this research.

For more information, email Meaghan Douglas at meaghan.douglas@ecodev.vic.gov.au

Research scientist Meaghan Douglas.

Dairy cows grazing perennial rye-grass pasture at Ellinbank.

FEBRUARY 2017

11

Workplace danger Farming was the deadliest occupation in Victoria last year, WorkSafe figures have shown.

A total of eight men lost their lives in the Mr Hosking said current safety agriculture industry in 2016, making it regulations needed to be practical and the most dangerous occupation, ahead of regulation required a “rethink”. construction.

“We need regulation that helps the In 2016, 26 Victorian workers were killed industry, rather than hampers it,” he said. in workplace incidents, a figure that “We don’t want regulation that hampers WorkSafe’s health and safety executive the industry and makes the farmer resent director Marnie Williams said was it.” “horrific”.

Fifty-eight per cent of fatalities in 2016 “Twenty-six fatalities in a single year is occurred in agriculture and construction. horrific. It can never be acceptable that any A total of 182 people working in worker in Victoria dies just because they agriculture have lost their lives in are doing their job,” she said. workplace accidents in the past decade, with half of these deaths occurring as the Victorian Farmers Federation vice-president result of tractor accidents.

Brett Hosking said a change in how farmers talked about safety was needed.

While figures reached an all-time low in 2007 when only two deaths were recorded, “It’s a problem best solved by the industry, they have since risen again, reaching a and changing the way farmers talk about peak in 2014 where 10 lives were lost. [safety]. Cultural change is going to be the game changer,” he said.

“As Victorians begin a new working year, “Farmers understand there’s an inherent risk every employer and employee must do everything they can to keep their in their industry, but they probably accept workplace safe,” Ms Williams said. that risk a little too easily.”

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National All Breeds Dairy Youth Camp leaders Lucy Galt, Ben Taylor and Tom Pearce said the camp was an excellent experience

Gianni Serra, 17, hopes to take over the family farm in Stanhope.

Gabrielle Hasell, 16, from Yarrawonga attended the dairy youth camp but a foot injury forced her to take a more passive role.

Colleagues helped clip her cow.

Aleesha Burney of Grantville was at a youth camp for the first time.

Camp fosters industry’s future Young humans and heifers learn the ins and outs of the show ring together.

Organisers of the National All Breeds Dairy Participants in the camp came from Youth Camp have been doing their bit to across the country and were taught skills encourage young people to get involved in in breeding, nutrition, communication, the dairy industry. showmanship and judging skills.

The camp, which began in 1992 and runs “We really want to grow their passion for the in early January, this year brought together dairy industry and show them that there are 35 young people with a range of experience options,” Ms Galt said. levels, from those who live and work on The camp was used to prepare the young farms to those who have no dairy experience. handlers for International Dairy Week, with Camp co-ordinator Lucy Galt said the camp the 16 to 20-year-olds even holding their aimed to help young people make stronger own exhibition day. networks in the dairy community.

Participants were put in charge of a heifer “Dairy can be an isolated industry, this is a calf to care for throughout the week, chance to meet like-minded people,” Ms including daily watering, feeding and Galt said. monitoring.

“It helps to encourage young people to grow Each person was also involved in the networks in the dairy industry.” presentation of the calf, from washing and

clipping the heifer to preparing it for the final exhibition.

Ms Galt said it was great to see the young people grow in confidence over the course of the camp.

“The camp has been excellent. Day one and two were a bit stressful but it’s been great to see everyone getting more comfortable with the cows,” she said.

Youth camp leader and dairy farmer Ben Taylor said for some people the camp could mark the beginning of their careers. “(Some of them) want a career in dairy, they might want to take over the family farm one day,” Mr Taylor said.

“We try to tell them ‘you get out what you put in’.”

Sights set on dairy career Gianni Serra, 17, a participant in the National All Breeds Dairy Youth Camp, has hopes of one day taking over the family dairy farm that was started by his father.

The property in Stanhope has 140 cows, and Gianni hopes the skills he’s picked up at the camp will help him to “get the best out of the farm”.

Gianni is currently completing a Certificate III in Agriculture with ATEL, and using his family farm to further his education.

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He said the camp allowed him to widen his range of handling cattle and gain more experience in clipping cows.

Overall, Gianni said the camp was a great experience and looking after cows all day helped him to improve his time management and reaffirmed his desire to run the family farm.

Gianni Serra, 17, from Stanhope watches trainer, Bill Macadam of Tatura, complete the top line of the heifer.

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New perspective Longwarry farmers Wayne and Joan Weller have hosted many visitors from Japan on their farm so they were delighted when the opportunity arose to switch places.

They recently returned from a 16-day farm-focused tour of Japan where they gained new perspectives on dairying and witnessed state-of-the-art operations.

“We’re glad to be able to make first-hand comparisons,” Mr Weller said.

The Wellers enjoy travelling in the company of small groups of farmers.

“It’s a good way to travel as every day there is something of interest. Whether it’s a factory of some description or a farm, that night you can be sitting beside other people from a similar background, asking them about their farm, where they live and how what we have seen relates to their operation,” Mr Weller said.

“It gives you a different perspective.”

The Wellers own a large dairy farm in Longwarry but started out on 67 ha in 1978.

The Holstein herd has been built up from an initial 100 head into two herds of 680 and 460 head. They are run on two farms based around 50-unit and 44-unit rotaries. They currently farm more than 500 ha with four permanent employees and one casual. This managerial structure enables the Wellers to focus on long-term planning as well as broader industry issues.

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Many years ago Mr Weller completed a Churchill Fellowship — focusing on fertiliser management — and travelled Victoria to inform farmers.

During the past few years the Wellers have been building on this background with annual overseas trips observing different farm practices and spreading the word about what they have encountered.

This year’s 16-day study tour of Japanese agriculture visited several markets, farms producing soy beans, wagyu beef and tea plantations.

Only about a quarter of Japan is suitable for agricultural pursuits. Small — by Australian standards — rice paddies occupy most of the countryside. Rural towns are surprisingly close to fields and paddies with many farms a short walk from the town centres.

The tour, coinciding with the three-week cherry blossom season, briefly included Tokyo, Hiroshima and Mt Fuji.

At the end of that tour the Wellers attended a Dairy Australia seminar in Tokyo. This promoted Australian dairy products and included presentations by Charles McElhone, Norman Repacholi, Peter Myers and Sarah Xu from Dairy Australia.

Mrs Weller said it was fantastic to see how Dairy Australia operated in Japan and the effort it put into updating customers on the Australian dairy industry, trade policy

issues, international markets and scholarship programs. The Wellers also became part of a dairy farmer panel session showing photos of their enterprise and discussing its operation.

Some of the concerns expressed by local stakeholders related to continuity of supply.

Japanese producers were worried that Australian agriculture might see China as a better opportunity and take supplies away from Japan.

Dairy Australia is doing its best to re-assure them that they are a valued market for the Australian dairy industry. A major point of difference between Australian and Japanese agricultural arrangements is J.A., also known as Japan Agricultural Cooperatives.

It is a collection of regional co-ops that supply members with production inputs, packaging, transportation and marketing. It also provides financial services. There are more than 4.6 million official members and even more associate members of J.A. Above this, the “J.A. group” — an administrative body that supervises regional co-ops across provincial boundaries — runs wholesale business in food products and production inputs, manages credit unions, offers insurance, controls the entire group and manages government relations from its national headquarters.

J. A. therefore features heavily in any interaction with Japanese agriculture as it is intertwined in just about every aspect.

Showcasing dairy at Obihiro Airport, Hokkaido, Japan.

This wagyu beef farm exemplifies the cleanliness of Japanese farms.

Japanese agriculture is also highly subsidised and protected by the government.

After the seminar the Wellers flew to the northerly island of Hokkaido which is a major dairy region. They spent three days touring dairy farms and dairy factories. The landscape there is flatter than the southern islands, lending itself to bigger, more expansive paddocks. Large areas are set aside for corn, though planting was yet to start because there was still snow in some areas.

Two of the farms visited were Majicana and Nichisho. These farms are both amalgamations of several smaller operations and consist of a number of huge barns currently housing hundreds of cattle.

Mr Weller said labour retention and succession planning was an issue in Japan. The younger generation of farmers and workers are seeking ultramodern facilities and economies of scale.

To achieve this smaller farms are co-operatively building and running facilities.

Where previously a herd would have consisted of about 120 milkers, Majicana and Nichisho are home to 5 00 – 6 00 milkers housed in barns with the capacity to handle thousands of cows. The buildings, plant and equipment are state-of-the-art and well maintained. There are also large on-site accommodation buildings. Amenities, such as vending machines at the shed, are another contrast with Australian practices. >> Continued on page 18

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17

Joan and Wayne discuss the different aspects of Japanese farming methods.

>> Continued from page 17 The Wellers observed that attention to presentation, cleanliness and lack of clutter was conspicuous across Japan.

As the Wellers travelled across Hokkaido they saw many big operations. They visited a Megmilk Snow Brand factory at Sapporo which also houses an extensive Dairy Industry Museum. Here the many visitors can see working models of plant and equipment while learning the history of the dairy industry in Japan.

Another highlight of a crowded itinerary was Hanabatake Ranch, a tourist farm that makes speciality cheeses and dairy products.

The couple attests that everything runs to The Wellers plan a holiday to somewhere time in Japan. If something is scheduled for different every year. They hope that the next 10 o’clock, it happened at 10 o’clock. trip will include a farmers’ tour of South Africa, Botswana and Rwanda.

Mr Weller mentioned one frustrating moment of the tour at a brand new Westfalia “We’re always on the lookout for new ideas,” rotary that had only been commissioned a Mrs Weller said. week earlier.

“It’s good to see what technology is on offer “All I wanted to do was get out of the bus and overseas and it’s interesting to observe look at all the latest technology,” he said. different cultures and diverse farming However, alerted to an outbreak of foot and techniques. mouth in Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries MAFF (Japan) wouldn’t “Most importantly this makes us realise that we have great opportunities here in Australia permit the group to get off the bus, even and there is no place like home!” though none of the party had been to Korea.

Mt Fuji.

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FEBRUARY 2017

A Dairy Australia seminar in Japan.

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Calf smashes record A two-month-old calf has sold for $251 000 at International Dairy Week.

Lighting Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-Imp-Et smashed the previous Australian record for price paid for a beef or dairy cow by $101 000.

Hundreds of people saw the calf, which was the highest ever Genetic Total Performance Index heifer to sell in the world, bought by

an American genetics company at the World Wide Sires Evolution Sale.

Owners Declan Patten and Callum Moscript, from Gippsland, were thrilled by the record sale, high-fiving and hugging on stage.

Lighting Ridge-CMD Jedi Gigi-Imp-Et,

Alex Matthews, of Gippsland, with Rockvale Burdette Prim. This cow won Intermediate Ayrshire and Grand Champion Ayrshire. Alex said she was “pretty excited” about the win.

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FEBRUARY 2017

a full sister to two-year-old Blondin Illalogen Golden VG, will now be transported back to the United States.

The calf was the highest selling lot at the auction which saw 32 other heifers sold, at an average price of $14 760.

Year 10 student Ashleigh Van Leeuwen, from Officer in Gippsland with Avonlea Sanchez Alana, belonging to John Gardiner. Ashleigh was attending her fourth International Dairy Week and won the junior handler section of the youth show.

Although she lives on a beef farm, Ashleigh lives near regular Dairy Week attendees the Gardiner family, and has been working with the family’s cattle.

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The Athertons aim for large, productive milkers.

Finding solutions in tough times Expansion works well until income falls.

“You won’t let ‘no’ stop you,” their accountant routine evolved some years ago when Expanding the dairy was supposed to make life easier.

Mrs Atherton was working off-farm. told her one day.

Mr Atherton was milking 277 head by In 2015 Glenn and Rose Atherton of Drouin Finally, a friend ‘liked’ St David Dairy on increased their herd size and purchased a Facebook. The Fitzroy-based producer hadn’t himself. It was too difficult to calve them all at once, feed them all and keep milking. neighbouring property. been on Mrs Atherton’s list so she called its Drying off 10 or 12 cows every week proved managing director, Ben Evans.

The expansion worked well until falling more manageable. A year-round calving income meant that the 300-plus hectare Mr Evans, from a fourth generation dairy pattern also ensures consistent volume and farm wasn’t breaking even. Mrs Atherton family, needed to ensure supply for his fresh lactation protein throughout the season. increased her hours to reduce labour costs. expanding business. The St David product Other economies were undertaken but the Now the farm is geared to supply St David range includes fresh cream, cultured butter, monthly figures still didn’t improve. and Ferraro. Mr Atherton does the morning crème fraiche, yoghurt, full cream milk, Murray Goulburn suppliers for more than milkings and manages the farm with help reduced fat milk and non-homogenised full 19 years, the Athertons planned to continue from Mrs Atherton, their four children and cream milk. with the company well into the future. One three casual employees.

Mrs Atherton had often considered way to move forward would have been to marketing her own farm gate dairy products, A large area of pasture had to be re-sown become a split supplier but this was contrary last year due to the impact of black African and Mr Evans needed a farm. Negotiations to the big milk company’s policy. No-one beetle and cockchafers. Good rain is driving showed that the Atherton farm output, with was taking on extra milk. a strong season. a flat supply from 290 Friesians, would Worried about the long term, Mrs Atherton exceed the St David requirement.

“Whatever you can grow at home is the Googled cheese and milk companies in and cheapest feed,” Mr Atherton said.

Mr Evans had contacts with Ferraro, a around Melbourne. She rang every single family-owned cheese and curd producer.

The Athertons have upgraded some of one to see where they sourced their milk Based in Tullamarine, Ferraro uses milk from their plant and equipment during the past and if they were interested in using some, several West Gippsland suppliers and now few years. When their silo needed to be or all, of the Atherton farm’s milk. Many, collects from the Athertons’ property as well. replaced a new feeder set-up was installed conversations led nowhere but Mrs Atherton kept at it. with individual feed bails. This ensures that The Athertons’ April to December calving 22

FEBRUARY 2017

each cow gets its share of the grain and also speeds up milking.

Many farmers use discussion groups to workshop improvements. Mrs Atherton is a member of a group started eight years ago by Alison Potter, with strong support from Murray Goulburn, which is solely for women. Previously employed off-farm as an A. I. representative, Mrs Atherton says, “I’d noticed that once you had kids you didn’t have time to get off the farm. It’s often just go, go, go! Farmers can find that their friends in town sometimes don’t understand the pressure.”

The discussion group includes social, as well as educational, elements. The monthly meetings alternate between farm-oriented and social themes.

“A couple of months ago 25 ladies attended a pasture management day. A few of them manage the rotations on their farms, some don’t, but they all left feeling more confident about asking questions.”

Recently the group had a session on heat detection in cows. Some of the more social events have included cheese making and scrap booking. Ms Potter and Mrs Atherton facilitate the group through GippsDairy.

Their aim is to get more women involved so that they can be better informed and able

The new feeder system came with the new silo.

to ask relevant questions throughout the decision-making process. Mrs Atherton said it was also really nice to have time out and enjoy it with other women.

Changes to the shed, stability afforded by St David and increased family involvement have all improved the outlook, but Mrs Atherton said they were not yet out of the woods. She empathises with farmers who are working through tight times.

“I know others are still struggling.

You have to have the energy and support to keep going.”

Glenn at work.

The first batch of St David using milk from the Atherton Farm.

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Heat-stressed dry cows impact bottom line Research shows it’s not just the milking herd that needs to keep cool.

Dairy farmers across mainland Australia use shade and evaporative cooling to keep their milking herds cool over the hot months.

However, dry cows have received relatively little attention when it comes to managing heat stress.

Cows generate less metabolic heat when dry than when lactating, and have a higher upper critical temperature. So you would presume that dry cows are far less of a concern than the milking herd when it comes to heat stress.

However, research studies consistently show that if cows experience heat stress during late pregnancy (that is, during their dry period), they produce less milk in the next lactation.

Reduced milk yield in next lactation Why does this carry-over effect on milk yield occur?

Researchers believe it is due to impairment of blood flow through the dry cow’s udder during the last two months of pregnancy, when the udder is growing and developing rapidly in preparation for the onset of the next lactation.

Other metabolic/hormonal mechanisms may also contribute to the carry-over effect on milk production. For example, if cows are subjected to heat stress soon after drying-off it may affect normal involution of the udder.

Further research is required.

Smaller, lighter calves born Not only does heat stress during late pregnancy affect development of the cow’s udder, it also affects development of her placenta, which the unborn calf is totally dependent on for its supply of oxygen and nutrients.

Cows that suffer heat stress during their dry period have smaller placentas, with reduced blood flow through the uterus and umbilical cord.

As a result, calves of these cows (which were 24

FEBRUARY 2017

heat stressed while still in the uterus) tend to be born several days earlier and several kilograms lighter than calves of cows that kept cool during their dry period.

Greater risk of health problems around calving When cows experience heat stress during late pregnancy it suppresses their immune system for many weeks.

Studies have shown that the neutrophils (the white blood cells which are the first line of defence against pathogens) of heat-stressed cows become less aggressive against bacteria.

The level of circulating antibodies is lower than in cows that remain cool during late pregnancy, for example, cows that calve in spring.

Cows that experience heat stress during late pregnancy may therefore be at greater risk of health problems such as mastitis and retained foetal membranes around calving (when their immune function is already naturally suppressed).

Calves are less healthy, fertile and productive in first lactation Studies in many species of animals (including humans) show the conditions that offspring are subjected to while still in the uterus affect their lifetime health and performance.

When the foetal calf ’s body temperature is increased, as it is when its mother experiences heat stress during late pregnancy, it appears that this negatively affects the calf ’s metabolism and gene expression, pre-programming it for sub-optimal health and performance.

Calves born to cows heat-stressed during the dry period have been shown to be less able to absorb maternal antibodies from the first colostrum consumed soon after birth, so have lower blood antibody levels than calves from cool dry cows.

Their cell-mediated immune function may also be compromised. So they are more susceptible to infections that commonly occur preweaning and are more likely to die or be culled due to health problems or poor growth.

Researchers at the University of Florida have recently found that the effects on calves born to cows heat-stressed during the dry period extend through their growth and development into adult cows.

These calves go on to be less fertile as maiden heifers, taking more inseminations to get incalf. They then go on to have reduced milk yield through their first lactation (4.5 litres/ day up to 30 weeks of lactation in the University of Florida study).

What does this mean?

So, if many cows in a herd experience heat stress during their dry period, it may impact significantly on productivity and profits, not just for a few weeks, but for many years.

Autumn and year-round calving farms with a high heat stress risk level should therefore ensure that their early dry cows and transition cows have access to adequate shade and cool drinking water at all times.

As per the milking herd, the aim should be to protect dry cows from direct sunlight, particularly during the hottest part of the day.

If existing natural shade from trees in paddocks on the home farm or support block used for dry cows is inadequate to provide 4 sq m shade per cow at midday, then alternative paddocks should be sought.

(Portable paddock shade structures or a permanent shade structure are also options.)

In the longer term, the farm plan should be reviewed with the aim of establishing more tree belts along dry cow paddocks and springer paddocks.

For further information on keeping cows cool, visit www.coolcows.com.au — Dr Steve Little, Capacity Ag Consulting, for Dairy Australia

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Damian cuts as many 1.8 m sq bales as possible because they are more efficient to store and easier to transport.

Grassroots approach Good cow condition and growing grass are farm’s key to success.

Damian Murphy’s farm management Mr Murphy’s wife Trudy does the accounting as well as having an off-farm job, and the strategy is to grow as much grass as possible three boys — Shem, Caleb and Luke — help and this season the weather has provided out when they aren’t at school. some natural advantages.

The farm previously belonged to His 100 ha property is fairly evenly divided Mr Murphy’s parents. When the Murphy’s between red soil in the hills and heavier grey returned to the farm in 2000 they started on the river flats which enables Mr Murphy on wages and began a succession plan to balance grass production for the 275-cow based on incremental increases in the herd. share arrangement with the goal of farm Every year Italian rye-grass is drilled into the ownership. Their share rose from 13 per cent red soil because it bounces back well when to 50 per cent to full ownership in 2014. under pressure during winter, and the last Though now ‘officially’ retired, Mr Murphy’s mild winter followed by a good long spring dad still helps on the farm between extended has provided big cost savings. holidays.

Unusually for early January, they aren’t Mr Murphy sees dairy as an industry that feeding out silage. is worth getting into and he takes a longHowever, maintaining cow condition is a key term view. He points out that, though it’s a key part of the equation, milk price doesn’t focus for the farm. determine profit which is influenced by In tough times it is very easy to pull back input costs as well. on this, but Mr Murphy sees this as vitally “An increase in global prices has been important for the long haul. heartening and means that we should The herd is his second-largest asset and be through the worst of the worldwide he works hard to get cows in-calf to keep oversupply of dairy products.,” he said. numbers up and allow for culled cow In the past nine months Mr Murphy has income. increased the number of hours he works The cows are milked in a 20-a-side swingon the farm and found ways to supplement over with auto cup removers and the farm income. One tactic that he used this year runs to a seasonal calving pattern. Heat was to hold on to the A. I. and Angus bull detection collars are now in their third calves until they were between four and six season. months old. Added on-farm costs were more The business employs one trainee, Steve Van than offset by the better returns cattle prices Der Hulst, to assist on the farm. have provided.

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FEBRUARY 2017

As well as running the farm, Mr Murphy is heavily involved in policy and advocacy for the dairy industry. As well as his usual Australian Dairy Farmers, United Dairy Farmers of Victoria and long-running discussion group commitments, Mr Murphy is a member of the Victorian Agricultural Advisery Council and chairs the South Gippsland Dairy Industry leadership group that evolved from the Sate Minister’s Dairy Industry task force after the drop in milk price paid to farmers.

Mr Murphy has been pleased with the way the industry came together and lauds Alan Cameron from GippsDairy and Jess Horton from Ag Vic as major drivers in the dissemination of information and feedback in a very challenging situation. Everyone worked together to combine information under the Dairy Farmer Central website which is a one-stop-shop for farmers looking for information on what assistance is available.

The Regional Leadership Group gets together with representatives from shire councils, DHHS, Centrelink and associated agencies that assist dairy farmers to ensure a co-ordinated approach with no gaps.

Mr Murphy’s personal progression to farm ownership and involvement with the UDV has highlighted the financial hurdles that farmers encounter as they enter the industry or progress in a succession plan. The starting point is usually the purchase of cows. Major

Damian Murphy is exploring a cow loan proposal with the UDV to help new farmers get into ownership.

A mural at Dumbalk, which is proud of its dairy heritage.

Here’s an example of how it could work: 1. Established farmers in the same region, i.e. South Gippsland, nominate themselves as unsecured creditors and each nominates a cow or cows in their herd as collateral. The cows are now available in a ‘pool’ to be accessed. The cow remains on the established farmer’s farm as part of their herd.

2. A young dairy farmer in Gippsland wants to buy 150 cows worth $195 000 to start establishing a profitable herd.

The young farmer is able to pay a 30 per cent deposit to access a bank loan.

3. The young farmer approaches a local bank to source a cow loan for $195 000.

The bank will only lend the young farmer 33 per cent of the value of the cows, i.e. $64 350, due to perceived risks. After the bank completes its due diligence checks on the loan proposal, it has the option to apply to the UDV Cow Loan Scheme.

4. The bank negotiates with the UDV to access the cows in the pool as added security which allows the bank to lend up to 70 per cent of the value of the cows.

Reflecting on a good season — it’s early January and Damian hasn’t had to use silage yet.

lenders will often only finance between 25 per cent and 33 per cent of the value of the cow, despite financing 80 to 90 per cent on new machinery, so with the UDV policy council Mr Murphy is progressing a cow loan scheme that works with banks to lower the deposit needed for a cow loan.

Mr Murphy’s season goes from calving in late May, to joining, to silage with hay finishing in January so he is just getting to the point where he can catch his breath before the next calving season. Even in tight times he believes it is essential for farmers to have a break and re-energise before fatigue sets in.

“I know when I am getting fatigued as I get grumpier, find it hard to make clear, decisive decisions and then second-guess the decisions made.”

Last year was particularly tough and many

people aren’t able to contemplate extended periods off-farm.

In 2014 the Murphys decided that installing a pool would provide a great means of taking a break while remaining on-site. They have been surprised how beneficial it has been.

“It combines family time with rest time,” Mrs Murphy said.

“Having a pool on a dairy farm enables a quick break — even during the hot part of the day you can jump in the pool with the family and talk things through.

“It worked out really well with the kids, they don’t get bored with their holidays and can easily be found when work needs to be done.”

Mr Murphy is optimistic about the future and sees open and honest communication, consultation and a collegiate approach as the best way forward.

The Italian rye bounces back well though it burns off in summer.

FEBRUARY 2017

27

The genetic merit of the Mumfords’ Jersey herd is up for discussion during the Focus Farm process.

Challenging the status quo Paul Mumford is putting every aspect of his business to the test as a Focus Farm.

“I want to be proven wrong.”

It’s not often that a dairy farmer — or anyone for that matter — utters these words.

But Focus Farmer Paul Mumford is putting his whole farm management system to the test and is happy to be shown a better way of doing things.

Mr Mumford, who farms with wife Lisa on their 130 ha Won Wron property, is taking the Focus Farm challenge to a new level by putting every aspect of his farm business under the microscope and implementing significant changes to the way he would normally manage the farm.

Whether it’s calving patterns, feed strategies or even the importance of genetics — which Mr Mumford has always put great faith in — this Focus Farm is about challenging the status quo for the Mumford dairy business.

“I’m putting 100 per cent faith in the direction the support group wants to take me,” Mr Mumford said during a recent Focus Farm open day.

“At the end of the day I have to make the decision, but I’m questioning my natural response to a particular decision that I would normally make.

Summer crops were a hot topic during the recent Focus Farm open day.

“I wanted to see what the potential yields of a different opinion or attitude can have on the business.”

An example of Mr Mumford’s willingness to not only listen but act on advice, has been a change from wheat to barley as a strategy to reduce feed costs in a tight season.

“I would naturally gravitate towards wheat, but the support group wanted to chase the barley option, purely for price, so I have to put faith into some of those decisions,” he said.

“I actually want to be proven wrong. I want the group to drive the discussion and the business somewhat.”

The question over genetic merit goes to the heart of the Mumfords’ farming strategy.

Having spent countless hours and plenty of money in building an impressive Jersey herd, Mr Mumford is now willing to ask the tough question about whether it has been a wise investment.

“We are sitting on the number eight or nine herd in Australia, but it has come at a cost >> Continued on page 30

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FEBRUARY 2017

The Won Wron Focus Farm team (from left) Matt Harms, Lisa and Paul Mumford, Karen Romano and Damien Becker.

Vic Stephens from Mardan and GippsDairy regional extension officer Karen Romano have a chat during the Focus Farm lunch break.

“

I actually want to be proven wrong. I want the group to drive the discussion and the business somewhat.

The Mumfords from over the hill, Michael (left) and Lee, came to the December open day to see how Paul and Lisa’s Focus Farm was going.

Paul Mumford

”

FEBRUARY 2017

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GippsDairy regional extension officer Louise Sundermann catches up with UDV’s Ebony Arms and Rural Financial Counselling’s Trudi Laing at the Won Wron Focus Farm.

Scott Mattern from Tarraville and Yarram’s Shelley Field were keen participants in the Won Wron Focus Farm open day.

>> Continued from page 28 so I am questioning whether genetic merit is delivering true value to my cash flow.”

For facilitator Matt Harms, Mr Mumford’s willingness to question his core farming values makes for a fascinating Focus Farm.

“It’s a ripper. This Focus Farm is not just about the daily decisions, it’s about the system change and looking at the possibility of really turning the farm system on its head in terms of autumn calving, feedbase and how the farm is managed,” Mr Harms said.

“There’s a very good support group in place with some pretty wise heads and they are willing to challenge Paul on what he 30

FEBRUARY 2017

does and how he does it.

“He wouldn’t turn his farming system on its head as a result of a support group decision that he wasn’t comfortable with, but he is wanting the support group’s decisions to be tested.”

GippsDairy regional manager Allan Cameron said the Mumford Focus Farm showed how investing dairy service levy funds in the program paid dividends for the wider dairy community.

“The Focus Farm program allows levy payers to benefit from seeing the pros and cons of Paul and Lisa’s decisions and use that knowledge on their own farms,” Mr Cameron said.

Seeking new horizons Conference will look at latest developments in herd improvement.

Calendar of events Please contact GippsDairy for updates.

Phone: (03) 5624 3900.

Email: executiveassistant@gippsdairy.com.au FEBRUARY

The dairy industry’s biennial herd improvement conference, Herd 17, will be held in Bendigo on March 22 and 23.

Marj Faust will speak about ‘Skills, Attitude and Change’, drawing upon her experience with one of the world’s largest bull companies.

In charge of the development of new reproductive technologies at Genus ABS Global, Ms Faust sees a quantum change ahead, but warns these changes must be underpinned by the right combination of attitude and skill.

She will give an insight into emerging technologies and the challenges of introducing them.

Andrew Fear from LIC NZ will share the highs and lows of herd recording during New Zealand’s

milk price volatility.

Michelle Axford from the Herd 17 organising committee said the program was designed to help delegates look forward to new horizons while providing a practical take on the latest developments.

There will also be updates on significant developments in herd improvement on the home front, including the recently formed organisations DataGene and DairyBio. Delegates will get sneak previews into new breeding values under development and the latest results from key projects such as Improving Herds.

To register, visit: www.ivvy.com/ event/HERD17 or phone Laura Calder on 9835 7627 or email herd17@holstein.com.au

15: 9.30 am: Cups On, Cups Off, Day 1, Orbost, GippsDairy.

16: 10 am: Cups On, Cups Off, Day 2, Orbost, GippsDairy.

18: Meeniyan Garlic Festival.

18: Show your love for dairy, 11 am to 1 pm at Civic Park, Young St, Drouin. Family fun day with a sausage sizzle, takehome milk, a visit from a cow and activities for children. For more information visit www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au or contact the Economic Development or Events Team on 03 5624 2411.

21: Employment basics, Maffra DEDJTR office from 10 am, GippsDairy.

22: Employment basics, Leongatha RSL from 10.30 am, GippsDairy.

23: Employment basics, Baw Baw Skills Centre, Warragul from 10.30 am, GippsDairy.

25: Foster Agricultural Show from 8 am.

MARCH

30: Farm World exhibition starts at Lardner Park, from 8.30 am.

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