Dairy News february 26, 2013
management // 23
livestock interests Chisholm milks 500 cows through the winter on contract with Fonterra to supply a minimum of 900kgMS/day for May, June and July. “We get penalised if we do not reach this figure but the premiums make it worthwhile.” He is now calving three times a season to fully utilise the grass grown, the feed supplied and to get any premiums available from Fonterra. For calving there is an area set aside where all cows due to calve are brought to. It has wind cloth for shelter and a thick base of bark. It can hold up to 200 cows. This has Novaflow piping, a layer of drainage metal and 500mm of bark on top. Twice a year the bark is scraped off and replaced “Even if there is rain
there is no mud; all the newborn calves get a good start and with the floodlighting and remote cameras somebody can be there if there is any trouble.” Chisholm Farms do not use any artificial breeding, preferring to buy in all replacements. He chooses instead to run Taurindicus bulls. These animals are noted for a slight hump, droopy ears and a dewlap to help heat loss. All heifer calves are reared under contract to PGG Wrightson Export and leave the farm when they are 100kg to be exported to Malaysia and the Philippines as two year olds, where they are used on tropical dairy farms. He has a market for the new born bull calves. “We have only 9% empties which is good
Modern cow shed with all the bells and whistles.
clever use of effluent ALL EFFLUENT from the farm is returned to pasture or cropping land and the net result is that there is no artificial fertiliser or urea used on pasture. “We use some urea and DAP on the maize and the whole farm has 2.5t/ha of lime spread annually.” The yards are scraped clean before hosing down and the solids are collected – Chisholm prefers ‘harvested’ – and they and the wash water go through a separator for recycling. The solids are collected and after further drying time are spread to pasture or crop land. The green water can be used for wash down, spray irrigated to 140ha, an area that is soon to be expanded, or it can be spread using a Giltrap slurry tank. The effluent from the first feed pads is scraped to a large pit with a weeping wall. The liquid is passed through the separator and the remaining effluent is emptied, dried and spread on pasture with an Abbey side delivery muck spreader. The bark from the covered shelters will be cleaned when necessary and the pre-calving holding pens are cleaned twice a year and all this material is spread on the farm. “The bark material has started to break down by the time we are spreading it.”
for us and it is successful financially.” The farm has extensive areas for holding and feeding cows especially when running two or three herds. The original feed pads are concrete based with only the feed troughs protected from the weather. They can feed
400 cows. The two newer feed pads can hold 220 cows each and the standing area is covered in bark to a depth of 600mm. These pads are covered by Redpath shelters which are thermostatically controlled. “When the inside temperature reaches a certain
figure either from the sun or from the stock beneath they open to allow more air movement.” There are five large bunkers that can store 300t/DM each as well as bunkers for squash, onions and other supplementary feeds when available seasonally.
Sue Chisholm
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IT’S EASy To SEE ThAT EVEN LoW SCC CoWS BENEFIT FRoM LoNG ACTING DRy CoW ThERAPy New published studies1 undertaken here in New Zealand confirm that even cows with a somatic cell count (SCC) of less than 150,000 cells/ mL were at least 3 times more likely to get a new intramammary infection (IMI) during dry off if left untreated, compared to cows treated with a long acting cephalonium such as CEFAMASTER. Treated cows had significantly reduced somatic cell counts at first herd test compared to untreated. Talk to your vet today about the use of long acting cephalonium dry cow products as part of your mastitis management strategy. Be sure to ask them about CEFAMASTER dry cow treatment, an alternative cephalonium dry cow.
Easy to grip and remove cap
Shorter, wider syringe for easier plunging and ergonomic finger thumb span
Ergonomic designed wings for easier and more comfortable handling
AND IT oNLy GETS EASIER CEFAMASTER in the EASI to use syringe has been developed and manufactured in New Zealand in collaboration with New Zealand dairy farmers and New Zealand design companies to be easy to use, saving you time and money.
Red plunger and cap for easy dry cow product recognition
Ergonomic thumb pad
1. McDougall S (2010), A randomised, non-inferiority trial of a new cephalonium dry-cow therapy; NZVJ 58(1), 45-58
PROUDLY AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL VET. Merial is a Sanofi company. RESTRICTED VETERINARY MEDICINE. MERIAL NZ, LEVEL 3, MERIAL BUILDING, OSTERLEY WAY, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND | WWW.MERIALANCARE.CO.NZ | CEFAMASTER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MERIAL NZ LTD. REGISTERED PURSUANT TO THE ACVM ACT 1997, NO. A10008 | SEE WWW.NZFSA.FOODSAFETY.GOVT.NZ/ACVM/ FOR REGISTRATION CONDITIONS | NZ-10-CEF-024
MAL-Cefamaster Farmer 280x187mm Ad.indd 1
7/02/13 11:13 AM