Getting the Basics Right 2024 by Rural News Group

2024

Innovation for Future Profit PUBLISHED BY RURAL NEWS GROUP

ISSN: 1176-2012

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FOREWORD

EDITOR Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz PUBLISHER Brian Hight bh@ruralnews.co.nz MANAGING EDITOR Adam Fricker adamf@ruralnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 963 166 Central North Island: Lisa Wise lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 027 369 9218 Lower North Island: Ron Mackay Ph: 021 453 914 South Island: Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 221 1994 PRODUCTION David Ferguson davef@ruralnews.co.nz Becky Williams beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS Julie Beech julieb@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 0w1-190 3144 PUBLISHING & PRE-PRESS Rural News Group PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 Ph: 09 307 0399 Location: Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622

Published by Rural News Group Ltd. Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/or its directors or management. Getting the Basics Right is published annually.

Focus on farming excellence ■ Campbell Parker OUR DEDICATED, SKILLED farmers deliver year-on-year, despite volatility and sector challenges. We saw that last season, when our national milk production held its own and in fact milksolids increased despite climatic challenges, high on-farm costs and regulatory pressures. We know the season ahead will continue to bring weather and cost challenges, bottom lines that are under strain, but there will be opportunities too with developments coming out of the new government and emerging technologies. As a sector, we believe in farming excellence – and that begins on the farm but is also very much supported by farming partners. We know off-farm decisions impact behind the farm gate, and with the dust settling around a new Government, DairyNZ is continuing to ensure our farmers’ voices are well-represented so future policies are clear, pragmatic, and fair. While the Government’s initial plans outlined many priorities we agreed with, there are further areas we want considered for the long-term success of dairy. That’s why our 100-day DairyNZ plan includes proactively engaging with key ministers on behalf of dairy farmers. Aligning our approach with theirs will help grow relationships and strengthen our advocacy at a crucial time. Initial conversations will revolve around the critical matters of climate change, freshwater policy and the dairy workforce, but also includes a broader portfolio of biodiversity and the Resource Management Act. We know our farmers are a vital part of what keeps New Zealand ticking. I truly believe dairy has a positive long-term outlook, but that is only if the new Government helps address the roadblocks

and issues that exist today. Dairying needs solutions that work in our unique pasture-based systems and allow our farmers to have sustainable and profitable businesses for now, and into the future. DairyNZ’s innovation, science and research programmes also have a strong role to play in farming excellence. We have world-leading scientists, economists and modellers working to develop Farm System solutions to the challenges facing farmers, such as changing regulations and consumer expectations. This includes working to support farmers with new solutions to reduce methane emissions and improve water quality, while maintaining their productivity and profitability. One key project involves research into plantain, with results to date showing it can significantly reduce nitrogen (N) loss while maintaining milk production. A second project is exploring how international solutions to reduce emissions can be successfully tailored and incorporated into our farming systems. Since starting in October, I have been travelling around the country, having conversations with farmers and partner groups. I am thoroughly enjoying hearing what is on people’s minds, including what DairyNZ can do to deliver for farmers. I’m sure it will be a busy year, but I am excited about what it may bring as we work together to achieve the best outcomes for our sector, and the rest of New Zealand. • Campbell Parker is DairyNZ chief executive

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

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59 CONTENTS

8 22 26 30 36 42 52 56 62 66 72 76

PASTURE Setting up for summer SOIL Soil health amounts to national wealth MATING MANAGEMENT Better cows, better results

CALVING Giving young ones a good start MILK QUALITY Tackle mastitis and produce more milk ANIMAL HEALTH Protecting against facial ezcema SUSTAINABILITY Make every nutrient count EFFLUENT / WATER Helping famrers achieve N targets

AGRIBUSINESS How is your business performing? FEEDING OUT Impact of protein in ruminants PEOPLE / STAFF Planning your progression MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY Spreading fertiliser efficiently

81 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

PASTURE

Setting up for summer ■ Matt Cassineri

LIC Farm Wise Consultant

RESEARCH FROM ACROSS the globe has taught us that pasture management and pasture quality have a strong positive correlation with farm profitability. Farmers that utilise a high percentage of the pasture they grow to maintain pasture quality, will make more profit than farmers who don’t, especially over summer. The largest loss of pasture quality in New Zealand starts just before summer when the grass species change to the reproductive state (go to seed/flower). Even the best pasture managers cannot avoid this from happening due to the physiological result of increasing soil temperatures and hot weather that trigger pasture species to go from a vegetative stage to a reproductive stage. Milk production follows the drop in pasture quality over this period and research shows that metabolizable energy (ME) in pasture can drop from 11.5 - 12.5 ME/kgDM in spring, to 9.5 - 10.5 ME/kgDM over the summer period, and even lower if it is under severe dry conditions. The ME value in pasture is not the only value that changes; neutral detergent fibre or NDF in the same pasture can increase from 35-45 % DM in spring to 42-55 % DM in summer. This reduces not only the amount of ME consumed by the cows, but also the total DM intake of the pasture.

The largest loss of pasture quality in NZ starts just before summer.

Another pasture component that drops significantly during summer is the crude protein (CP). Feed tests that were completed during a New Zealand spring showed 20-30 % CP/kgDM, but in summer this can drop to 9-14 %CP/ kgDM because of the dry conditions, which we are experiencing more and more often each season. This reduction in dry matter intake, pasture quality, and ME during summer can reduce profitability significantly if left unattended. I always suggest to farmers to find a way to accurately estimate when this change in the pasture will occur

to adapt their herds’ diet and pasture allocation accordingly. Some of the indicators we can use to predict when the plants are starting to have this reduction in quality are the presence of seed head, drop in milk production when the cows are fully fed and higher post-grazing residuals. Doing a feed test of the pre-grazing paddocks, will accurately assess pasture quality and in some cases, you can even have the results the same day that the sample is taken. Although there are seasonal changes every year, farmers should know when this is about to happen

PERIOD

ME/KgDM (average)

%CP/KgDM (average)

% NDF (average)

INTAKE (500kg cow pasture only)

INTAKE (Total MJ ME)

SPRING

12 MJ ME

25 %

40 %

15 Kg Pasture

180 MJ ME

SUMMER

10 MJ ME

11.5 %

48.5 %

12.3 Kg Pasture

123 MJ ME

DIFFERENCE

-2 MJ ME

-13.5 %

+8.5 %

-2.7 Kg Pasture

-57 MJ ME

Table 1.- Example of the combination of low ME and reduced intake on pasture only when the cow is fully fed.

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PASTURE

PRODUCTION (MS/cow/day)

MILK PAY PUT RECEIVED (@$7.50/KgMS)

FEED COST ($/cow/day)

PROFIT ($/cow/day)

1.90MS

$ 14.25

$ 1.20

$ 13.05

1.55MS (-0.35KgMS)

$ 11.62

$ 0.00

$ 11.62 Profit/Cow

$ 1.43

Table 2- showing impact of not balancing the diet and letting cows’ milk production drop.

on their farm and make a decision early enough to avoid the drop in milk production. This can be done by adding a feed that is high in energy (ME), high in protein (Rumen Degradable Protein) and low in NDF, like for example dried distillers’ grain (DDG). Your farm infrastructure will determine what will be the more profitable feed option to choose. Another misunderstanding is that by making these changes early enough, milk production will go up. This is not the case at all. By implementing these changes early enough, we expect milk production to maintain, not drop or increase. In Table 1 (on page 8) you can see some examples of how this quality and total intake will affect your herd’s milk production and profitability WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO AVOID THE DROP?

According to Dairy NZ data a crossbred cow needs 80 MJ ME to produce 1kg of milk solids. Therefore, if we do not compensate for the loss in quality and total intake (shown in Table 1) milk production will drop by 0.71 kgMS/cow/day. At a $7.50 pay out that will represent a loss in income of $5.32/cow/day if we do not balance the cows’ diet. If the process of adjusting

the diet takes us one week, we will lose $37.24/cow. Let’s assume that one cow is doing 1.90 MS/day just before the drop in quality happens. If she loses only half of what is shown in table 1, then each cow will lose 0.35 MS/day in milk production. At $7.50 payout, what will happen when we compare not doing anything, or feeding 1.5 kg/day of feed costing $800/tonne landed on farm? As a result of not balancing the diet and letting the cows’ milk production drop, you will lose $1.43 per cow per day (see Table 2) after discounting the landed price of the imported feed. Moreover, maintaining milk production will have unaccounted benefits that are not estimated in these calculations. Cows will keep adding weight and improving their Body Condition Score (BCS), cows will not jeopardise their pregnancy and put them in a healthier state overall during this period. As a FarmWise Consultant, I focus on helping my farmers to be as profitable as possible and by doing this analysis achieve better outcomes. In my opinion, it makes a lot more sense to make a profit while maintaining milk production, maintaining pregnancy and overall animal health rather than letting

cows drop milk production over the summer. When deciding what strategies to follow, don’t just consider costs, think about profit as well. Key nutritional points for summer: • A non-negotiable is to maintain pasture quality and maximize cow’s total intake. • Pasture walks at least weekly. • A focus on metabolized energy, through quality, and protein in pasture drops rapidly in summer - compensate for this deficit with supplements low in NDF, high in ME and CP, like DDGs. Maintain BCS. It is “common” but not normal to lose weight or production over this period. • Make sure water and, if possible, shelter is always available to cows. Remember that grain (barley, wheat, etc) are low in protein, but high in MJ ME and low in NDF%. IN SUMMARY

It is inevitable for pasture quality to drop over this period, but we need to make sure we do everything we can to maintain pasture quality as much as possible. In some cases, this may mean closing paddocks for silage, others may require topping. There are many different tools that will suit each farm better than another.

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PASTURE

Unlocking more value from pasture with the help of gene editing CROWN RESEARCH INSTITUTE AgResearch is working with partners to use genetic modification and gene editing technologies to enhance pasture that forms the foundation of our livestock farming industries in New Zealand.

Gene editing and genetic modification technologies can be used to change the DNA of a living organism, such as a plant or animal, through either inserting, replacing, or deleting genetic material. Opportunities from these technologies include greater farm productivity, better animal health and improved environmental results that may include reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less nitrogen loss that can has the potential to contaminate waterways. Work is underway to understand the potential benefits of these technologies and to ensure that those benefits outweigh any potential risks. In this article, AgResearch provides updates on the progress of three pasture programmes that are currently underway; either indoors in containment in New Zealand or in field trials offshore. Gene edited endophytes The addition of selected fungi called Epichloe endophytes to ryegrass has saved New Zealand billions of dollars over the past 30 years, and now gene editing technology could provide even greater benefits through targeted changes to these endophytes. AgResearch scientists, with partners PGG Wrightson Seeds and Grasslanz Technology, supported by funding from the government, have been researching how the use of gene editing tools to change the DNA of endophytes might generate further

12 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

The addition of selected fungi called Epichloe endophytes to ryegrass has saved New Zealand billions of dollars over the past 30 years.

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PASTURE

gains on top of the considerable progress achieved to date by conventional selection. To provide context, one non-edited commercialised endophyte alone, AR37, has been estimated to contribute $3.6 billion to the economy through the life of its patent. These naturally occurring endophytes live inside ryegrass and form a mutually beneficial relationship with the grass. Natural substances released by the endophytes deter insect pests from eating the ryegrass and improve plant growth and persistence, which collectively results in a reduced need for chemical pesticides and increases efficiencies in milk and meat production for New Zealand’s pasture-based agricultural industries. The challenge has always been that some endophytes that protect ryegrass against pests also produce toxins that can be harmful to the livestock which feed on the ryegrass,

causing heat stress or a disease called ryegrass staggers PASTURE BIOTECHNOLOGY

Over the past few decades scientists and the seed industries have successfully harnessed selected endophytes to add to ryegrass that have brought this billion-dollar benefit, but efforts have continued to identify other endophytes that may further maximise the benefits and minimise the negative effects. AgResearch scientists have now identified targeted changes to the DNA of selected endophytes via gene editing, resulting in either greater plant protection or less harm to livestock. Without intervention, the toxic effect of compounds from some endophytes for livestock is expected to worsen as a result of climate change. The gene editing of organisms is tightly regulated in New Zealand, and to date has only been undertaken

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14 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

in specialised containment facilities. Specific approval is required for field testing in the open or the release of gene edited organisms. Accordingly, AgResearch and its partners have launched field trials in Australia, where ryegrass containing these gene edited endophyte strains is being tested in the open. Seed is first being produced in Victoria to allow three sets of field trials to be planted in spring 2024 in both Victoria and New South Wales. These agronomy trials will be evaluated over a period of three years. The trials will be in locations where the ryegrass is likely to come under pressure from insect pests that is similar to New Zealand conditions. The aim of these Australian trials is to gather data to ascertain the value and effectiveness of these gene edited endophytes ahead of a potential application to field test the ryegrass containing gene edited endophytes in New Zealand. Research

PASTURE

is also continuing in containment in New Zealand to further understand the potential and effects of the gene editing. Beyond the potential to reduce harm to animals while deterring pests with less chemical use, and adding to the resilience of the ryegrass, it is thought that gene editing could also add to the persistence of the ryegrass, meaning less resowing of pastures and improved sustainability. Additional potential environmental benefits will also continue to be explored. HIGH METABOLISABLE ENERGY (HME) RYEGRASS

A modified ryegrass that could reduce environmental impacts while boosting animal nutrition and farm productivity is expected to be fed to livestock for the first time next year to obtain an initial gauge of potential benefits. AgResearch scientists have been working over many years with the support of the government and commercial partners Grasslanz Technology, PGG Wrightson Seeds and DairyNZ, to develop the High Metabolisable Energy (HME) ryegrass. This is being done by adding and modifying two plant genes to increase lipid content in the leaf and enhance photosynthesis in the plant under some conditions. The purpose is to increase the nutritional quality of ryegrass to drive greater productivity, but the research also suggests environmental benefits such as reduced nitrogen loss that can contribute to waterway contamination, and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide. Current research suggests that methane reductions of 10 to 15% may

AgResearch scientist Dr Luke Cooney working on HME Ryegrass research.

be achievable but the animal feeding trials are still to be undertaken to definitively test this. For nitrous oxide, the opportunity is the improved animal nutrition leading directly to a reduction in urinary nitrogen excretion, resulting in reduced emissions and lower nitrate leaching; as well as the

potential for reductions due to the HME plants influencing composition of the soil microbes leading to benefits in the nitrogen cycle. Growing of HME Ryegrass and the required research has taken place indoors in contained conditions in New Zealand, according to regulations in place around genetically modified

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

PASTURE

HIGH CONDENSED TANNIN WHITE CLOVER HIGH CONDENSED TANNIN (HiCT) white clover has been modified to boost the level of condensed tannins present. Condensed tannins occur naturally in the flowers of white clover and in other species such as grapes, tea and many other components of the human diet. In white clover they offer significant promise for reducing environment impacts from livestock farming while improving both animal health and production. AgResearch scientists are working with partners PGG Wrightson Seeds and Grasslanz Technology to genetically modify white clover — an important component of pastures in New Zealand — with a gene taken from another species of clover to enable expression of condensed tannins in the leaves of the white clover. The modification made by the scientists essentially flicks a “molecular master switch” which increases the condensed tannins content to meaningful levels in white clover leaves. The results seen to date in containment in New Zealand suggest organisms. However, it has also been grown in regulated outdoor growing trials in the US. Planning is now underway for a trial that is expected to start late next year, in which lambs will be fed both the HME ryegrass and a control ryegrass. To enable this, work is now underway to grow enough of the ryegrass in contained glasshouses in New Zealand that can be ensiled (preserved) for feeding to the lambs when the trial begins.

Scientists expect the trial to provide insights on methane emissions and urinary nitrogen excretion. Further confirmation in cattle will need to be performed in outdoor trials, most likely in Australia later. The programme team earlier this

16 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

occurrence of a condition known as bloat that can be fatal for both sheep and cattle. It may also reduce the internal parasite burden for livestock.

In addition to the modified white clover bred and grown in contained conditions in New Zealand, three years of field trials have been completed in the United States where regulations controlling the testing of genetically modified plants differ to those in New Zealand. The levels of condensed tannins expressed in the HiCT white clover grown in USA was consistent with what was seen in the plants grown in containment in New Zealand. Subsequent cycles of breeding and growing in containment in New Zealand have demonstrated that modified HiCT white clover with commercially acceptable yield and persistence can be generated. Permission has now been granted for further field trials in Victoria, Australia, for a period for up to four years, and the first field trial was recently planted. Further steps will see selection of plants for seed multiplication in Australia, as the partners look ahead to animal feeding trials and the potential for commercialisation of the HiCT white clover in the next few years.

year applied to Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) for permission to conduct growing trials in Australia. Through the course of the application process with OGTR, it emerged that additional detailed analysis would be required on a specific issue for the application to proceed and be successful. The issue relates to an allergen (known as sesame oleosin) that may be present and could be released in the pollen of the ryegrass. While AgResearch testing demonstrated that sesame oleosin is not expressed in the pollen of HME Ryegrass, a more rigorous test was required by OGTR. Given the timeframe and complexity associated with this more detailed test, the team reached the view that

the best course was to withdraw the application to the OGTR and resubmit at a later stage. The intention is to further reduce any future risk by replacing the sesame oleosin with an alternative that has no known allergenic properties. The scientists are currently working on refining the composition of the ryegrass, based on a rice component rather than sesame, to support a further application for field trials and potential commercialisation of the ryegrass in Australia. Results from the feeding trial commencing next year will guide next steps for the development of the HME Ryegrass programme and inform the potential for future commercialisation.

reductions in methane emissions; and nitrogen leaching, in excess of 15% are potentially achievable. Consumption of the white clover with increased condensed tannins is also expected to reduce the

AgResearch scientists are working with partners PGG Wrightson Seeds and Grasslanz Technology to genetically modify white clover.

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PASTURE

Grass – the cheapest source of quality feed for cows PASTURE HARVESTED IS the physical KPI most strongly related to profit on-farm. Grass is the cheapest source of quality feed and the foundation of all farm systems. Every kilo of dry matter eaten is worth $0.62 of gross income in a payout $7.50 per kgMS ($7.50/ kgMS ÷ 12 kgDM/ kgMS). According to DairyBase, pasture eaten equates to over $300 of operating profit per tonne of dry matter. Every farm has pasture potential depending on location, soil type and rainfall. However, there is also an array of factors under our control we should strive to achieve. The main factors are: • Pasture management, • soil fertility • other factors like regrassing, drainage and compaction Throughout this article, we are going to focus on pasture management as one of the basics to grow and harvest more pasture. Firstly, we must start from the very beginning and refresh some fundamentals: • Grass grows three leaves and when the fourth leaf starts coming through, the first one goes into decay and dies. • Leaves capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis. This is the process for growth

and includes storage of surpluses as reserves. The first solar panel (first leaf) grows from the energy reserves in its battery. As the solar panels continue to grow (more leaves), they capture more energy which is used for more growth of more solar panel area (leaves). The more grass leaves, the more energy is captured and the faster it grows. In fact, even though all leaf stages are the same length, the third leaf stage is where 45 to 55% of dry matter is grown (see figure 1). Leaf stage time depends on growth rate, depending on the season it can be 8-10 days in spring, to 15-20+ days in summer dry and winter. From the above we can draw the three grass management commandments: 1. Grass Grows Grass!

• For every 100 kgDM increase in cover, growth rates increase by 7.4 kgDM/d (figure 2) • Increasing rotation by 5 days (~ half a leaf stage) will increase pasture production by 1000 kgDM/ha/yr (figure 3) But what about the quality? Grass quality will deteriorate as covers increase. In the example above from LUDF. Dry matter increase = 1,000

18 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Figure 1: Perennial Ryegrass regrowth after defoliation (Lee, Donaghy, Sathish, Roche)

Figure 2: from Lye Farm and Scott Farm

kgDM = ~ 6% Reduction in quality = 0.3 MJ = ~2.5% The sweet spot for grazing is at 2½ to 3 leaf stage 2900 to 3200 cover. Delaying grazing to 2½ to 3 leaf stage will increase pasture growth and total energy.

for the growth of the first leaf following defoliation, charging happens mostly during the third leaf stage where energy is in surplus. If you graze paddocks before energy reserves are recovered, then re-growth will take far longer.

2. Do not graze regrowth!

3. Residual management – ‘finding the sweet spot’

The energy reserves in the battery are depleted

The length of the postgrazing cover (residual)

PASTURE

Figure 3: from LUDF

determines the quality of the re-growth. The lower the residual, the higher the quality of the regrowth. But, to achieve a low residual, cows must work harder, spending more time and energy foraging and as a result lowering their total intakes. Therefore, it is paramount that we strike the right balance between good residuals and high intakes which is between 1500-1650 kgDM/ha. This is classified the ‘sweet spot’, and it is the most important to get right. It needs to be checked consistently to make timely corrections and mastering this task is a top skill in a good grass manager toolbox. Residuals are the final confirmation of our feed budgeting: If residuals are high, we must be: • underestimating pre-grazing covers (have more grass than what we think), • overestimating intakes • feeding more area than intended, and • grazing less cows than thought. If residuals are low, the contrary, we must be: • overestimating pre-grazing covers (have less grass than thought), • underestimating intakes, • overestimating utilization (in wet conditions with mud, target residuals are not achievable, cows stop

eating at higher covers and intakes drop), • feeding less area than budgeted, and • grazing more cows than budgeted. Regardless of how hard we try to get this right, there’s a lot of grass management decisions per grazing round, and the chances of getting them all right are almost nil. Hence the daily need to check residuals, and regardless sometimes we will still have to mechanically fix residuals with a mower. 4. Grass quality

Grass goes through changes during the season. At seeding, grass builds more stems instead of leaves, which takes the seedhead higher to provide better opportunity for seeds to dry and travel with the wind. These stems pack harder fibre as building blocks in the form of cellulose and lignin (which shows in grass analysis as ADF (acid detergent fibre). ADF is undigestible and stays in the rumen for longer, limiting the cow’s total intake and reducing the energy available per kgDM, lowering the total daily energy intake. This is very visible in milk production as shown in the table on p20, where we can compare the milk production of cows at different quality diets. A change of 1 MJ

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

PASTURE

ME/kgDM in grass fed at 18 kgDM intake to a 450kg liveweight Jersey x Friesian cow, results in 17% difference in production (350 grams MS/cow/day). Grass quality also decreases the longer the covers are. This decrease in quality is more prominent during seeding and summer dry conditions. Pre-grazing covers need to be at the point of best growth for lowest quality loss, as discussed in first point (Grass Grows Grass.) 5. Cows grow grass literally

The higher the stocking rate, the higher the utilisation, resulting in more pasture harvested. It is a fact that more animals eating more grass recycle

Table 3: from Facts and Figures

more nutrients back into the soil too. But in times of environmental footprint concerns and deteriorating waterways, increasing

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stocking rate is not an option. Instead, how can we utilise this knowledge? Well, when managing surpluses, we must

step-over paddocks to make supplements; this reduces the area available for grazing, which increases stocking rate temporarily. Most farmers tend to be conservative at this to prevent an overcorrection of the surplus that could end in a self-inflicted deficit, and by doing so, in many cases, farmers end up increasing residuals and compromising grass quality. When making supplement no one can predict future growth; we can only make decisions based on current information and historical averages. If the consequence of getting it wrong is either a lack of quality or quantity, I’d rather get the later. A way to manage this

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20 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

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PASTURE

issue is to set a “surplus block” area based on your growth/demand balance.

For example, if your cows eat 18kg of grass and your historical peak growth

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stocking rate determining grazing area and “surplus block” area.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

SOIL

Soil health amounts to national wealth ■ Bala Tikkisetty SOILS PROVIDE CRITICAL ecosystem services for the whole planet. They are the basis for ‘agroeco’ systems that produce food and fibre. So healthy soil is essential to any profitable farming or growing operation, and their long-term sustainability. The physical structure of soil controls the movement of air and water through the soil, the ability of roots to penetrate the soil, and the provision of habitat for beneficial organisms, including earthworms. Soil with good structure has a significant number of pores that provide aerobic conditions, good drainage and high water-holding capacity. If the soil is physically healthy and fertile, pasture or crop production will be high. It is as simple as that. In general, the main negative soil quality issues are compaction, excessive phosphorus and nitrogen on dairy and cropping land, and declining carbon on cropping land. On pastoral soils, pugging and compaction can damage the soil structure and reduce the productivity. Pugging is caused by animals’

Healthy soil is essential to any profitable farming or growing operation, and their long-term sustainability.

hooves sinking into the soil surface (sometimes as deep as 15cm) when they tread in very wet soils. This

leaves a puddle effect and can create a compacted layer of soil. Compaction occurs when the soil

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Dung beetles will deliver upon the promise to and protect our freshwater while 22restore GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024 increasing production and drought tolerance. We need to be smarter than just focusing on planting and fencing. MPI

SOIL

is compressed or squeezed. Animal treading is the main cause, but heavy vehicles or farm machinery can also contribute to this problem, which is a particular concern on dairy and drystock sites. Compaction reduces the number and size of pores available for water and gas movement in soil. It reduces aeration, nutrient uptake, root growth and distribution, and potentially decreases infiltration and increases runoff. The most sensitive indicator of compaction is macroporosity. Previous research reveals that macroporosity below 10% will inhibit pasture growth. Soil scientists have found that aerating the compacted soil at the correct depth and time can increase the amount of dry matter by about 30% within six months. Other problems caused by pugging and compaction include more frequent and persistent surface ponding and increased sediment, and nutrient and effluent losses through surface

run-off. It also takes longer for pasture to recover after grazing and weed invasion often occurs in the bare sites pugging and compaction create. Problems like these can be minimised by reducing stock density, especially on sensitive paddocks like those that are wet, not feeding out on sensitive paddocks, constantly monitoring pugging and compaction during at risk periods and moving stock off before damage occurs. On cropping land, the breakdown of soil lumps (aggregates) and soil compaction from excessive cultivation are the most common threats to soil health. The result is increased soil losses through water run-off and reduced soil organic matter. With so many cultivation techniques now available, it is worth taking some time to think carefully about the options. For example, two-pass cultivation is often all that is needed to prepare a seedbed. This avoids the need to make repeated

passes to get a good tilth and shortens the risk period for erosion between initial vegetation clearance and ground cover by the growing crop. A no-tillage approach can also be considered. To meet new regulations that came into force in 2023, freshwater farm plans will become the key tool for farmers to meet the needs of the Essential Freshwater package introduced in 2020. The regulations have taken effect in parts of Waikato and Southland from 1 August 2023, and they will be rolled out to all regions by the end of 2025. Minimising human-induced erosion and maintaining good soil quality are essential for maintaining soil ecosystem services. Erosion and sediment delivery to water are key risks that need to be identified and incorporated into a freshwater farm plan, along with assessment of current actions in terms of mitigating these risks.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

SOIL

Sediment is a contaminant in itself, but fine sediments can also carry other contaminants with them, including heavy metals, organic compounds, and microbes that are harmful to human and ecological health. Recommended erosion control treatments are based on type(s) of erosion, risk of erosion, current activity of erosion and land management. In pastoral farmland, maintaining a persistent, complete pasture sward reduces the prevalence and severity of surface erosion processes. Grazing management to maintain adequate cover and canopy height is important for minimising soil loss by surface erosion. Surface soil erosion caused by intensive winter grazing of forage crops is typically much greater than for other land uses, such as pasture, and is associated with the extent of bare ground. Careful management of critical source areas is important to reduce sediment losses. Reductions in landsliding using space-planted trees can range from 70% to 95%. Poor survival of trees has been identified as a major constraint to the performance of space-planted trees. Mature, closed-canopy, indigenous or exotic forest (and scrub) typically reduces landsliding by 90% and has been used to control severe gully erosion and reduce rates of earthflow movement. Bank erosion can be an important source of sediment because it delivers the sediment directly into stream channels. There has been very little quantitative research on rates of bank erosion or its mitigation in New Zealand. Riparian buffers or grassed buffers typically retain 40% to 100% of the sediment mass that enters them, but their effectiveness varies widely depending on many factors (width, type, sediment particle size, slope gradient, etc). The first few metres of a buffer play a dominant role in sediment trapping. Riparian buffer strips are commonly used to reduce sediment input from surface erosion to streams and have been shown to reduce

24 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

The physical structure of soil controls the movement of air and water through the soil.

sediment input by more than 50%. Removing livestock from riparian areas improves bank stability, but the effects of riparian planting are likely to be more observable in the long term. Addressing climate change cannot be done without a better understanding and sustainable management of our soils. Soil is the second largest carbon pool after the oceans and contains around twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and three times the amount in vegetation. When acting as a sink, soil could play an important role in climate mitigation, but soils can turn to carbon sources under unsuitable management (for example, continued drainage of peat soils). The size of the soil carbon store means that soils have a vital role to play in climate change mitigation. We must prevent the loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere and explore the potential to

increase existing carbon stores as a contribution to meeting the Government’s climate change targets. Erosion and sedimentation are natural processes driven largely by climate and geology, and these have been accelerated by human activities. Typically, most of a river’s suspended sediment load is derived from relatively small parts of the river’s catchment. Erosion is a key national environmental issue, affecting soil loss and sediment polluting waterways, reducing productivity, carrying capacity of rivers and increasing environmental degradation. Let us declare this decade as ‘Sediment Reduction Decade’ to save soil, which is our natural and national wealth. • Bala Tikkisetty is principal sustainable agriculture advisor at Waikato Regional Council. Contact Bala on 0800 800 401 or bala.tikkisetty@waikatoregion.govt.nz

SOIL

Removing the guesswork OVER THE LAST decade or so, primary producers have been increasingly required to demonstrate sustainable growing practices. This can create pressure and anxiety in some instances, particularly in uncertain economic and weather-related climatic conditions. However, growers can reduce some of this pressure by taking charge of nutrient and water management areas that can be controlled, using basic well-established tools. For any soil-based growing system, managing soil fertility and physical condition is easily achievable. Soil nitrogen tests are a good way to ensure optimal nitrogen use. Maintaining good soil organic matter levels is an important component to a resilient and sustainable system. Organic matter not only provides a long-term nutrient source, it improves soil water holding capacity and is a microbial food source. Regular soil test samples help growers make informed decisions about fertiliser application for the major nutrients removed during the year, as well as informing a regular liming programme to maintain optimum soil pH. A simple visual soil assessment is a helpful addition to complement lab test results, with soil structure, texture and earthworm

abundance being useful observations. Another useful basic action is soil testing for major nutrients, ensuring soil base fertility is maintained and pasture and crops can grow effec-

Regular soil test samples help growers make informed decisions about fertiliser application for the major nutrients removed during the year.

tively. For crops, it is also extremely important to manage nitrogen inputs, meeting crop needs but avoiding overapplication and leaching of unutilised nitrogen into waterways. Herbage testing at specific times in a pasture or crop growth cycle adds another layer of useful information to assess the effectiveness of the fertiliser programme, or to

identify deficiencies at key periods. For livestock systems, feed testing to assess protein and fibre content of the diet is an easy tool to optimise animal health and production. Various tests for irrigation water, surface water and effluent are also easily done, allowing for system adjustments and best management of these resources. The work that has been carried out by New Zealand scientists from CRI’s and universities over the last seventy years or so has been world-class, and is important for understanding nutrient cycling and the potential for environmental risk in our unique location. This work underpins models that combine some of the basic soil test results with specific property features to generate a nutrient management plan. Models such as OverseerFM have been further refined recently to also evaluate greenhouse gas emissions, to aid with on-farm system change decisions that might be needed to meet our national goals and global market demands. Information from testing soil, herbage, feed and water is empowering – allowing growers to take control of nutrient management and removing the guesswork to get the basics right. • Article: Hill Laboratories

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Dung beetles will deliver upon the promise to restore and protect our freshwater while GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024 25 increasing production and drought tolerance. We need to be smarter than just focusing on planting and fencing. MPI

MATING MANAGEMENT

Body condition score (BCS) is a visual assessment of the fat and muscle covering the bones of a cow.

Improve your results with BCS monitoring BODY CONDITION SCORE (BCS) is a visual assessment of the fat and muscle covering the bones of a cow, regardless of her body size. It is not as affected by gut fill or pregnancy as liveweight is. It involves assessing eight specific locations on the cow to determine how thin or fat she is, these locations are (see figures on p28): New Zealand uses a 1 - 10 scoring system where 1 is emaciated and 10 is obese. HOW CAN YOUR BODY CONDITION SCORE IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS ON FARM?

Body condition influences your farm’s productivity, including feed efficiency, reproduction, cow health, and longevity of your livestock. The

26 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

COWS

Heifers & 2nd calvers

Dry-off

5.0

5.5

PSC

5.0

5.5

2 weeks before PSM

>4.0

>4.5

Late lactation

4.5

5.0

Table 1: Ideal BCS at different times in the season.

thinness or fatness of a cow can be an accurate KPI to underlying nutritional efficiencies, health problems, or improper herd management. Achieving the targeted BCS during the whole year including over the dry period, will give you better overall performance than leaving to chance. Ideal BCS at different times of the year is shown in Table 1.

The national recommendation is to have no more than 15% of your herd above, and no less than 15% of your herd below the target score. An over-conditioned cow with a high BCS is more susceptible to metabolic problems and infections, and she is more likely to have difficulty during and after calving. Common causes of over-conditioning

MATING MANAGEMENT

it means that she has maintained milk production accordingly with the feed she’s been offered during the whole season and won’t need to put on weight over winter. Another advantage of drying off the cows at a BCS of 5.0 is that your winter feed cost will be a lot cheaper than if you dry off your cows at a BCS of 4.5. LET’S THINK ABOUT COW ENERGY

The value that is used to measure energy in all different feeds is the Mj, which means Mega (M) Joules (j), and the value used to measure energy used by a cow is Metabolized Energy, or ME for short. • A 500kg dry cow will need the following energy requirements per day: • Maintenance: 60 Mj ME Pregnancy: depends on the stage; at 6 months 7 Mj ME at 9 months 25 Mj ME • Walking: 1 Mj ME per km on flat land 5 Mj ME per km on hills • Weight gain: 44 Mj ME per kg • Bad weather: 15-20 Mj ME If we suppose that cows are on flat land and have a back fence, and they have a 300 metres lineal crop face; they will walk 0.6 km/day = 3 Mj ME for walking. For maintenance = 60 Mj ME; pregnancy at 6 months = 7 Mj ME; rainy and cold winter weather = 15 Mj ME. That’s a total of 85 Mj ME/cow/ day. If on top of that we need to add gaining 1 point of BCS which is for the same 500kg cow 32 kgLW over the 60 days dry period; her requirements are 22 Mj ME higher (500 grams gain per day), lifting the total to 105 Mj ME/cow/day. If your winter feed is 10.5 MjME/ kgDM you will need to feed the same cow an extra 2.24 kgDM per day over winter. For a 500 cow herd that can represent an extra $23,520 dollars. are prolonged dry periods or overfeeding during the dry period. However, an under-conditioned cow can frequently lower the production and milkfat levels because of insufficient energy and protein reserves to maintain production. Thin cows often do not show heat or conceive until they start to regain or at least maintain body weight. A cow relies on her body condition

28 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

after calving to fill the energy gap needed to produce milk at a good level as her intake is reduced. (See Graph 1). Ideally cows need to be slowly and continuously putting on weight before mating through to the end of lactation (dry-off). Many farmers accept their cows lose BCS during summer and early autumn. If a cow reaches an optimum BCS at the end of May,

NUTRITIONAL TIPS FOR BCS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON Dry period:

The goal of the dry period is to prepare cows for their next lactation by maintaining body condition. If cows put too much weight on during this period it will increase the risk of having metabolic issues, and after calving they will lose that fat as fast

MATING MANAGEMENT

as they gained it. Calving to Peak Milk:

Early lactation nutrition must encourage maximum intakes, provide adequate energy and protein levels to support peak milk production and encourage a return to normal reproductive cycles. BCS loss will occur and is inevitable but minimising this loss will help to avoid health issues. All nutrients need to be balanced properly and their dry matter and water intakes need to be adequate to ensure cows don’t lose more than 1 BCS point.

regular basis, body condition scoring can improve dairy herd nutrition, health, and milk production. BCS should be assessed at 4 critical times during the season: just before Planned Start of Calving (PSC), 2

weeks before Planned Start of Mating (PSM), after the end of mating and in late lactation, approximately 90-120 days before PSC. Timing for this last BCS assessment is crucial, make sure you have enough time to make an informed decision if the cows are not where they should be. An analysis based on individual BCS data before mating in MINDA® records from 200,000 cows calving in spring 2019 with a detailed Fertility Focus Report showed the link between BCS and reproduction. Cows at the recommended BCS just before mating or half a condition score greater, have a higher 6-week in-calf rate and lower not-in-calf rate. Thinner cows will take longer to get in-calf, meaning a later calving date next year, losing days in milk (DIM) or they may not get in-calf at all. See the whole research in this link: https://www.lic.co.nz/support-andadvice/reproduction/body-conditionscore-mating-and-its-impact-reproduction/ Happy Farming!

Mid-Lactation:

After cows reach their peak milk production, they should start replenishing body fat reserves. If regaining body condition is delayed past 80 to 120 days, cows will often have reduced fertility. The nutritional programme should encourage moderate weight gain (approx. 300g/day) which will support milk production and fertility but avoid excessive weight gain. Late Lactation:

Late lactation is the optimum time to manipulate body condition. Cows should be in a positive energy balance and pregnant by this time, and changes in body condition can be made very efficiently. Failure to replenish energy reserves will limit milk production during the next lactation. Over this period cows should not lose weight or have reduced intake of any nutrients. In summary, when done on a

The goal of the dry period is to prepare cows for their next lactation by maintaining body condition.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

CALVING

Getting calves off to a great start with nutrients CALVES ARE BORN with an underdeveloped digestive system. Therefore, for the first 4-6 weeks of their life they exclusively rely on milk or milk-based feeds for nourishment before their digestive tract matures sufficiently to digest solid feeds. Vat milk and good quality milk-based milk replacer provide high quality easily digestible nutrients to calves during the first 2 months of their life. Research has shown that increasing milk supply (ranging between 4-10 litres/day) of either vat milk or milk replacer during the first 2 months of

life promotes growth and is beneficial to the development of various organs (e.g. gut and mammary gland). Further, international studies have shown that accelerating pre-weaning growth through improving milk supply can promote greater lifetime milk production and studies in New Zealand have shown improved growth and thus reduced time to cull and environmental impact without compromising meat quality in dairybeef heifers. Therefore, feeding calves more milk (around 20% of their initial body weight, 6-10 l/day for

For the first 4-6 weeks of their life calves exclusively rely on milk or milk-based feeds for nourishment before their digestive tract matures sufficiently.

30 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

calves with 25 to 50kg of initial body weight) during the first 2 months of life will not only improve growth and organ development of the calves but could potentially enhance the lifetime performance of the calves in commercial herds. It is highly recommended to feed calves consistently. Changing the feeding time and abrupt changes in feed type (between vat milk and milk replacers) or volume fed can perturb the digestive system of the calves causing scours and/or metabolic disturbances that can affect calf health, growth and

WANT TO TAKE CALF REARING TO THE NEXT LEVEL? GET THE BASICS RIGHT. Spring Born Calves Weighed December ce

Animal performance

Quality colostrum, consistently good quality nutrition and a healthy environment, these are the basics.

Consider the phrase ‘you are what you eat’.

Feeding calves cheap, standard quality milk replacer will likely result in less growth pre-weaning, less resistance to disease, more losses. Feeding your calves quality milk in greater quantities will increase growth rates, improve future robustness, and optimise organ development - which leads to improved long-term productivity. In other words, increased meat yield for beef and more milk for dairy.

20 10 -200

-150

-100

“Our vet said our R2’s were the best she had seen all season in terms of ‘well grown’ – good body condition, not just fat. We got top money for them.”

Read LeAnne’s Story

150

200

-30 -40

Two seasons in, she says she uses less milk replacer and has dropped a labour unit. Plus, calf mortality is minimal.

“We attribute this to the explosive growth we get on Sprayfo Delta in the first month and the subsequent rumen development with Sprayfo Blue, leading to feeding milk for less weeks” says LeAnne.

100

-20

In 2021, she introduced an adlib feeding system to rear 220 calves.

A surprise for LeAnne is that the calves consume no more milk replacer on the ad lib system than they used to on the twice-aday system (using other products) in prior years.

-10

Taranaki Dairy Farmer LeAnne Blakelock will attest to this.

For the first 4 weeks, the calves feed on colostrum milk then Sprayfo Delta adlib, transitioning to Sprayfo Blue whey-based milk replacer, once a day, to weaning.

-50

Weights gain compared to ideal (%)

30/12/2019* | 97/138 animals displayed from this weighing 30/12/2020* | 107/168 animals displayed from this weighing 2019/20 | Calves reared on an undisclosed "premium" whey CMR Rearing programme: Colostrum for 10 days (3L am and pm, as much as they can drink), then 900g powder/day to 6 weeks old. Then OAD on 600g powder/ day to weaning (at 12 - 14 weeks). 7-10% calf death recorded. 21/12/2021* | 98/129 animals displayed from this weighing 2021 | Calves reared on Sprayfo Delta, then Sprayfo Blue Premium whey CMR Rearing programme: Adlib colostrum for 10 days, then adlib Sprayfo Delta to 4-5 weeks old. Switched to OAD Sprayfo Blue Premium @ 1kg powder per day for a week, then down to 600-800g/day (depending on mob size as bags were divided in half or quarter when mixing. Typically later calves in smaller mobs had 800g/day. Weaned at 10-11 weeks. 1 calf death recorded (due to Rotovirus).

*Customer notes: • No change in colostrum management in all 3 years. • Used the same amount of milk powder all 3 years (adjusted to calf numbers). • In 2021 reared 235 calves - one death due to Rotovirus. One pen of 19 got Rotovirus and 18 recovered with no intervention other than leaving trough of electrolytes out for them to drink.

0800 64 55 76 www.agrivantage.co.nz

Weights compared to ideal (%)

You pay good money for genetics, don’t you? So why wouldn’t you give your calves the very best start?

CALVING

HOUSING CALVES REARING FACILITIES SHOULD be set-up and maintained well to ensure calves stay healthy. Young calves should be housed for at least 4 weeks to ensure they stay warm and are using their energy for growth. Housing

• Must be dry and draught-free for calves to regulate body temperature. Calves should be protected from wind and rain in a structure twice as long as wide. • Cover the floor surface with dry materials such as sawdust, shavings, straw, post peelings or wood chip to a depth of at least 200-300mm. Avoid dusty materials. Ideally the floor should be lower at the front to help drain effluent and water. Regularly muck out and top up the bedding so it is clean and dry • Good ventilation is essential and is best situated where the walls meet the ceiling. It’s easier to ventilate across the shed, not down the length. Ventilation should be adaptable, so the use of boards, shutters or wind cloth is recommended. Spacing calves

• Calves are less stressed and have higher intakes in smaller groups. The shelter should provide a minimum of 1.5m2 per calf and, where possible, minimise calf contact between pens. The best approach is 10-20 calves per pen. • Depending on how many calves you are rearing – having more than one shed separated into pens allows for easier separation of age groups and feeding levels. Having more pens also provides a safety barrier between calves in case of disease outbreak and will allow a pen/shed to be rested for cleaning and

wellbeing. Maintaining cleanliness of the feeding equipment and the rearing environment (pens and milk preparation areas) is equally important for successful milk feeding and calf rearing programmes. It is a good practice to clean and sanitise bottles, teats, mixing and storage equipment at every use to reduce pathogen loads. COLOSTRUM

Colostrum is produced only in the first milking after calving; it is higher in protein and fat than milk, contains a wide array of other beneficial bioactive molecules, specific nutrients, hormones and growth factors, and has a distinctive yellow colour. Following the first milking a cow will produce ‘transition milk’ for a few days which only has some of the characteristics of colostrum. Normal

32 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

sanitation between different batches of calves. Feeding facilities

• Each pen must have clean, quality water, which should be checked, cleaned and refreshed daily. In hot conditions, restricted feeding systems, high meal/fibre intakes or scours, an additional 2-6l of water per calf per day is required. • Meal troughs should have sufficient space for feeding at least half of the calves at the trough at any one time. Provide a minimum of 300mm of trough space per calf. • Keep meal feeders free from moisture and clean weekly to avoid fungal growth. • Keep milk lines as short as possible and ensure there is no stale milk left in hoses between feeds. Cleaning

• Ensure all feeding equipment is regularly cleaned and treated with disinfectant. Bottles or calfeterias should be cleaned between feeds and automatic feeders (mixing bowls, lines and teats) should be cleaned and calibrated at least weekly. • Use a broom to remove any excess material in laneways. Do not use a high-pressure hose inside the shed, as this will aerosol bacteria and viruses to calves in other pens. • Spray the rearing area, feeding utensils and teats with approved virucidal at least once a week and daily during a disease outbreak. • Rodents and birds must be controlled. • Isolate sick calves to reduce risk of spreading disease.

milk production will happen from about four days post-calving. Colostrum is very energy and nutrient dense which is helpful when feeding a very young calf with an immature digestive system. Calves are born with a naive immune system and have no resistance against bacteria and viruses that can cause disease. Colostrum contains very high concentrations of immunoglobulins (defence proteins), and for the first 24 hours or so after birth a calf ’s intestine is porous to these antibodies, allowing the calf to absorb them and transfer the immunity of the mother to the calf. There is a rapid decline in the ability of the calf to absorb immunoglobulins after 12 hours of birth. At around 24 hours of age the calf stops being able to absorb those immuno-

globulins and this ‘gut closure’ is the reason it’s so critical to get colostrum into newborn calves (quantity, quality, quickly) immediately after collection from the calving areas. Even after gut closure, colostrum has a protective effect, as immunoglobulins floating freely in the intestine can bind to bugs to reduce their disease-causing ability to the calf. It is important to note that the immunoglobulin concentration of colostrum coming out of a cow declines rapidly following first milking, and bacterial contamination levels can increase rapidly in colostrum that isn’t stored well. Therefore, feeding fresh, first milking colostrum or Jumpstart is advised for newborns. FEEDING COLOSTRUM

• Newborn calves should drink 15%

CALVING

(2.5-4 litres) of their body weight in colostrum within the first 12 hours, but the sooner the better • If a calf refused to drink colostrum at the first feed, try feeding colostrum after 3-4 hours or consider using a stomach tube to administer colostrum • Ideally newborn calves should continue to be fed colostrum/ transition milk for the next 4 days after birth. FEEDING

Following the colostrum period, calves should be fed clean whole milk from the vat or a good quality calf milk replacer (CMR). Fortunately, research has shown that calves can thrive on a good quality CMR. • Start initial feeding two hours after arrival with warm milk or electrolytes • Consider a quality probiotic to help calves transition to their new environment

• Check teat quality (replace if damaged) and quantity – there should be spare teats on each feeder e.g. eight calves to a 10-teat feeder • Clean the feed equipment and teats after each feeding • Check for slow-drinking calves that struggle to compete within the group. If necessary, re-group calves on drinking speed and vigour • Check milk temperature. Feeding warm (38-40°C) is recommended • Clean, fresh water must be available ad lib from day one • Calves should be fed at the same time each day • Offer a good quality forage source (e.g. chopped grass hay, pasture, chopped silage), plus a grain-based starter, from week 1. The solid feed offered should be tailored to suit the rearing system selected. Calves can be reared successfully on high levels of milk (e.g. 8 l/day) plus good quality forage. • Article - NZAgbiz calf rearing guide

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

CALVING

Treating B1 deficiency ■ Johanna Vicary VITAMIN B1 OR thiamine deficiency causes a disease known as polioencephalomalacia (‘polio’). In New Zealand this is most commonly seen in young stock over the summer months, when calves are around 6-12 months old. HOW?

Cattle rely on bacteria in their rumen to produce vitamin B1 daily. If factors upset these bacteria it can lead to either less Thiamine being produced or an increase in specific thiaminase enzymes that destroy the thiamine already present in the rumen. Lack of vitamin B1 leads to inflammation in the brain and causes brain cells to die. Due to this reliance on rumen health and production, in New Zealand the most common time we see B1 deficiency is after moving cattle

from rough pasture to a lush new paddock. WHAT?

Typically we see B1 deficiency as: • Early signs: not eating. • Nervous signs: staggering, apparent blindness, muscle tremors, depression, head pressing. • Can progress to recumbency and death if not treated. • Often only one to a few calves affected at any given time. • Signs progress quickly, over 6-12 hours, so it is important these cases are noticed and treated promptly. These clinical signs are not specific to thiamine deficiency and can also be caused by lead or salt poisoning, listeria and other infectious diseases. High sulphur diets (e.g. some brassicas or water sources) can also inhibit an animal’s ability to utilise vitamin B1, but often a lot is required to be ingested before signs are apparent.

TREATMENT?

If any of these clinical signs are noticed then please give the clinic or your key vet a phone to discuss possible diagnoses and a treatment plan. Treatment is best given ASAP to avoid irreversible damage to the brain. B1 injection: initially into the vein, then subsequent injections into the muscle for at least three days Often an anti-inflammatory is given too. PREVENTION?

Avoid sudden feed changes, e.g. going from stalky summer pasture to fast fermentable lush pasture. Try and transition them slowly where possible. Monitor cattle, especially young stock after moving them onto a fresh paddock. • Johanna Vicary is a veterinarian at VetSouth Winton

PLANNING FOR SCANNING ■ Keryn Cresswell USE EARLY AGE scans to get accurate calving dates and make informed decisions for your herd. Calving hasn’t long finished and mating is still in full swing, so it may seem too early to start thinking about pregnancy testing. Wrong! Now is a great time to think about your scanning requirements. If you have done a synchrony programme on your heifers, an early aged scan (6 weeks after AI) can help identify which heifers are carrying AI replacements and which have held to the bull. This needs to be done as close to six weeks as possible to enable accurate identification. In cows, the best time to age a pregnancy accurately is between 42

34 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

and 90 days after mating. For this reason, we normally recommend two scans for aging: One in January to age the ‘earlies’. A second re-check scan to confirm the empties and age the ‘lates’. Why early age scan?

Knowing accurate calving dates enables you to make informed decisions around wintering and transition management. Cows should be in the springer mob for 2-3 weeks before calving for optimum transition. Aged scanning is the best tool to help you draft springers appropriately. It also enables us to calculate 3-week and 6-week in-calf rates, to see how well you are meeting targets.

Now is a great time to think about your scanning requirements.

Other benefits of scanning are that we can identify reproductive issues such as infections or cysts, and we may also identify cows carrying twins. • Keryn Cresswell works for VetSouth Winton

CALVING

Young stock and minerals ■ Kate Cummings ARE YOUR ANIMALS getting the right trace elements to support healthy growth rates, immune systems and fertility? Our livestock progeny is always a priority. Ensuring they are in tip-top shape and optimal growth is critical to having them become successful members of the herd in the future. Most New Zealand, soils do not contain enough key trace elements to provide an adequate supply to stock. If additional supplementation is not given, this can not only affect growth rates, but also your animals’ immune systems and fertility. To ensure your youngstock are on the track to success, best practice is to start with a blood test or liver samples to see what the current mineral status

is of the animal. From there, your vet will support you in making a plan for mineral supplementation, taking into consideration the current mineral status, what they are being fed and farm fertiliser history. The role of trace elements Trace elements all have specific roles and requirements in stock, with the most vital elements being selenium, zinc and copper, followed by cobalt and iodine. These micronutrients have antioxidant values that are beneficial to animal health and they are linked together in how they work in the body. So, even being deficient in just one element can upset an animal’s health and performance. Which products are right for my farm? There are a range of products that

your vet can recommend to cater to your animals’ needs. When youngstock are being drenched regularly, short-acting minerals can be a good option, such as Selovin 5 or Prolaject B12. Intermediate options, such as Multimin (zinc, manganese, copper and selenium) or copper injections can be given at longer intervals. Then there are long-acting products that can provide supplementation for 6-plus months. Some of these products can last up to 12 months, however, if we are doing our jobs right, the youngstock will ‘grow out’ of them as they increase in weight, hence they are required more frequently. It’s important you dosing to the heaviest liveweight of the mob to ensure enough mineral is supplied. • Kate Cummings works for VetSouth Winton

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

MILK QUALITY

Tackle mastitis and produce more milk of higher quality MASTITIS IN DAIRY cows is caused by bacteria entering the teat canal and infecting the udder tissue. This potentially fatal mammary gland infection is the most common disease in New Zealand dairy cattle and in the dairy industry globally. The cow’s immune system produces white blood cells (called somatic cells)

as part of the inflammatory response to the infection. The result can be subclinical mastitis (if the immune response keeps the infection under control) or clinical (if the bacteria overwhelm the cow’s immune response). Clinical mastitis is seen as flecks or clots in the milk and may result in a

Mastitis is caused by bacteria entering the teat canal and infecting the udder tissue.

36 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

hot, swollen, and painful udder. Maintaining a Bulk Milk Somatic Cell Count (BMSCC) under 150,000 cells/ml is a sign of a healthy productive herd. Quality milk improves farm profitability - research has shown there is a 2.1% loss in production for every doubling of somatic cell count over

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100,000 cells/ml and most dairy processors financially reward ‘Milk Quality Excellence’. Keeping the BMSCC low involves a combination of good milking practices, early identification and management of infected cows and strategic culling. Key principles to manage mastitis effectively and produce more milk of higher quality MINIMISE MASTITIS Colostrum herd

Good mastitis management starts with minimising mastitis in the colostrum herd:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

38 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Rapid Mastitis Test (RMT) each (figure 1) cow at the 8th milking after calving. If any quarter is RMT positive, retain the cow in the colostrum mob for another 4 milking’s. If the RMT reaction is gets worse or is still positive on the 12th milking, then take a sterile milk sample to identify the bacteria. Identify and treat new clinical mastitis cases early (figure 2):

• Routine stripping of the herd (e.g., a quarter at every milking) will identify infected cows quicker to minimise the spread of infection. Do not worry about spreading infection

while stripping! • Remember to treat the cow with pain relief such as 3 days of KetoMax to help reduce inflammation. • Cow-side testing with the Mastatest clinical cartridge allows you to identify the bacteria causing the mastitis and only treat (if needed) with the best antibiotic, saving money and improving cure rates. • Bacteria from an infected cow may contaminate the cluster for the next five cows milked by that cluster. • Ensure your cows have good teat skin condition all year round and optimal milking machine function and adopt efficient milking routines

MILK QUALITY

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PRECOOLING Clinical mastitis is seen as flecks or clots in the milk and may result in a hot, swollen, and painful udder.

to minimise teat end damage. MONITOR MASTITIS

The cows will tell you why they have mastitis! Assess 50 cows for teat skin condition and teat end damage in early, mid and late lactation as an early indicator of problems (figure 3). The targets are teat skin condition - > 90% supple and teat end damage - > 80% normal. If results are below target, then farmers should look to rectify possible causes or seek expert advice. MANAGE MASTITIS If you find a clinical mastitis case (figure 4):

• Mastitis is painful condition. Treating each case of clinical mastitis with a no milk withhold pain relief such as KetoMax for 3 days will improve cow wellbeing, recovery, and productivity. • Routinely take milk samples from mastitis cows, test with Mastatest (on-farm rapid test) to find what bacteria is the causing mastitis and which antibiotic is the right treatment. • Analysis of 100,000 Mastatest samples revealed that 10% of samples have no bacterial growth and 12% of samples are coliform/Gram negative, both do not require antibiotics, saving money on unnecessary treatment costs.

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If you find a high SCC cow:

• Test RMT positive cows and high SCC cows after herd test and at dry off with Mastatest HiSCC cartridge to find out what bacteria is in those cows. • Use the results along with the cow’s mastitis history to implement an effective management plan, such as milking last, dry-off or culling decisions. • Article sourced from agrihealth.co.nz.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

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MILK QUALITY

Are we getting more efficient with milking? DairyNZ science lead Dr Paul Edwards explores the trends emerging in three seasons of Fonterra’s milk vat monitoring data. MILKING IS THE task requiring the greatest labour on-farm. So, it’s not surprising that milking efficiency continues to be a popular topic, especially for farmers who aren’t in a position to replace staff. Fonterra’s installation of milk vat monitoring systems, operative from 2020/21, has provided a rich dataset to benchmark milking efficiency. Previous research into this data has shown there’s a lot of variation between farms and, therefore, significant opportunity to be more efficient. Latest data, from the 2022/23 season, was no exception. If we look at the month of peak production and define milking as the start to the end of milk flow into the vat, we can see noticeable increases in efficiency (Table 1) between 21/22 and 22/23. Two statistics stand out: • The percentage of farms achieving 80% of their maximum potential jumped by about 20 percentage points. • The average number of cows milked per hour rose by 18. These improvements are a result of

actual change on-farm because there was relatively little change in herd size, number of clusters or milk yield between these years. Overall, since 20/21 there has been a saving of over 30-45 minutes of average milking time each day. However, as a sector, there are still opportunities to improve. For those not at 80% of their potential, there is an average of eight hours per week saving to be gained.

BIG VARIATION IN PERFORMANCE THE NUMBER OF litres harvested per cluster per hour is the fairest metric to benchmark across farms. While more difficult to visualise than cows milked per hour, it considers variation in the level of production and shed size. This figure illustrates the range in performance, high level of milking efficiency being achieved in some of the smaller herringbones, and sizable opportunity to lift performance for others.

40 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

DairyNZ science lead Dr Paul Edwards says milking efficiency continues to be a popular topic, especially for farmers who aren’t in a position to replace staff.

Milking efficiency has increased on farms.

MILK QUALITY

SEASON

20/21

21/22

22/23

HERRINGBONE % of farms

Average number of clusters (n)

Average milk yield (kg/ cow)

20.7

20.4

19.8

% above 80% efficiency

Average cows milked per hour

153

156

174

Average milking time (hours/day)

4.1

3.9

3.5

Average litres/cluster/ hour

% of farms

Average number of clusters (n)

Average milk yield (kg/ cow)

22.1

21.8

21.6

% above 80% efficiency

Average cows milked per hour

235

242

261

Average milking time (hours/day)

5.6

5.2

4.8

Average litres/cluster/ hour

ROTARY

  

Table 1. Key milking statistics calculated from Fonterra milk vat monitoring data for three seasons (averaged across all farms with data for their month of peak milk).

We’ve estimated this time saving based on the farm using a maximum milking time (MaxT – dairynz.co.nz/maxt), but there are other low-cost options to improve efficiency. These include adjusting pulsation ratio, liner selection, cluster attachment techniques,

backing gate management, technology use and dairy design. For more information and practical advice, visit dairynz.co.nz/efficientmilking or dairynz.co.nz/ milking-duration. To benchmark your milking efficiency, download the Milksmart app from the Apple or Google Play Store.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

 

ANIMAL HEALTH

Protecting against facial eczema ■ Chris Balemi FACIAL ECZEMA, BOTH clinical (symptomatic) and subclinical (non-symptomatic), is a major cause of production loss in dairy herds throughout New Zealand. Subclinical cases are thought to be ten times higher than clinical cases within the herd, which means many farmers don’t realise facial eczema is a problem until it’s too late. Facial eczema is caused by a toxic fungus called pithomyces chartarum, which grows at the base of summer pastures. Triggered by humidity

and high temperatures, this fungus grows rapidly and produces spores containing sporidesmin, a toxin that damages liver, particularly the bile ducts within the liver, damage to these ducts causes toxin build up in the body. One of the first symptoms of this is photosensitisation, with sunburn usually seen 10 days after spore exposure. GETTING IT RIGHT

Zinc is essential for growth, reproduction, milk production, immunity, and hoof health, and supplementing with zinc is the most common and

Facial eczema is caused by a toxic fungus called pithomyces chartarum, which grows at the base of summer pastures.

42 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

effective way of guarding against facial eczema, however there’s a lot of potential for mistakes. A 2014 study of 1200 cows across 105 North Island dairy farms found that approximately 70% of cows weren’t getting enough zinc to provide protection. This can be due to underestimating liveweights, inaccurate dosing, and supplementing with low-quality products. Timing is also crucial. For best protection results, zinc dosing should start two to three weeks before spore counts begin to rise, usually from December to January (however, with temperatures expected to rise earlier

Smart Nutrition for a Healthy Transition™ Hypocalcemia, low blood calcium, is the most prevalent metabolic disease of the transition dairy cow, affecting greater than 50 percent of all freshly calved dairy cows. Addressing this disease through proper nutrition and management will result in cows that are healthier, more productive, and more profitable. Animate® is a new generation anionic mineral that helps to optimise calcium metabolism in pre- and post-calving cows reducing the incidence and negative impact hypocalcemia has on health, milk production and fertility. Animate Delivers Animate nutritional product delivers the proper minerals needed by the cow to help optimise calcium metabolism. When fed at rates to achieve urine pH of 5.5 to 6.0, beginning at least 14 days prior to calving, Animate helps to optimise Springer cow s eating Anim calcium metabolism through proper ate Adlib pre-calving compensated metabolic acidosis which results in healthier, more productive dairy cows. Designed based on science, formulated based on research, manufactured to the highest standards, and proven through years of research and field experience, Animate is the superior choice for proper negative DCAD balancing. Palatable Because of its palatability, Animate is readily consumed without depressing pre-calving dry matter intakes, leading to higher post-calving dry matter intakes and ultimately increasing milk yield. Animate can be mixed into the cows springer ration or fed direct to the cow’s adlib, making this a “Game Changer” for pasture based systems. Concentrated Animate is one of the most concentrated, commercially manufactured anionic products on the market. When fed in a fully acidified pre-calving diet (-10 to -15 mEq/100g), Animate feeding rates range between 400 700 grams, almost half the rate of other anionic products. This allows for more ration space and easier diet formulation. Complete Animate is uniquely formulated to provide effective levels of anions, chloride and sulphur, plus other key nutrients such as magnesium and phosphorus, which are necessary for a proper negative DCAD diet formulation.

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this year, farmers should be prepared to start zinc dosing accordingly). Every farm will have different spore counts and close monitoring of these will identify periods of toxicity in the pasture. MAINTAINING PROTECTIVE LEVELS

Zinc forms a stable complex with sporidesmin, disrupting the production of liver-damaging toxins and preventing damage to the liver. To be successful, supplements must send zinc directly to the liver. This is best achieved when zinc supplements are in the more basic unprotected sulphate or oxide forms, rather than as a chelate, the unprotected zinc tends to transit directly to the liver. Zinc can be dosed in multiple ways: through the trough system, drenching, slow-release zinc boluses, via grains in-shed, or added to premixes on the feed pad. Whichever method you choose, the effective blood serum zinc level is 20-35 micromoles/litre. Zinc supplementation intake to maintain this level is 20mg/kg liveweight/day. Use only a quality zinc supplement and continue to take blood samples to ensure the blood serum zinc level is stable. Under-dosing will negate protection, but overdosing can cause toxicity. PASTURE TREATMENT

Certain antifungal sprays can be used in pasture treatment, however it’s difficult to time spraying well which can result in less than 70% effectiveness. While antifungal sprays are a valuable tool in facial eczema prevention, these should be used in conjunction with zinc dosing. SAFE FEEDING AND GRAZING

Determining paddocks with high spore counts and avoiding these during high-risk periods (December to January) is a good idea when preventing facial eczema. Your local vet can help with the process of sampling and testing. Providing alternative feeds (maize, silage, brassica crops, hay) during high-risk periods can help reduce the cow’s exposure to pasture spores. This method is most effective when used in conjunction with zinc dosing. Once an animal has facial eczema,

44 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Zinc can be dosed in multiple ways including through the trough system.

WHY IS THE LIVER KEY? HEALTHY LIVER FUNCTION is vital. Key functions include: • Energy production – production of key fatty acids • Production of bile – bile clears waste products from the body • Clearing toxins from the blood, including feed toxins, aflatoxins, mycotoxins, ergot toxins • Immunity - detection and clearing of bacteria and viruses arriving from the gut • Clearing of bilirubin from the blood • Blood protein production • Lipoprotein production • Storage and distribution of glucose • Ammonia to urea conversion • Amino acid regulation

what can be done? Facial eczema is a serious disease that can compromise the cow’s immune system to near-fatal or even fatal levels. Recovery is dependent on the level of liver damage. If the liver has not been damaged beyond repair, the affected animals will need maximum recovery support, this will require quality feed, along

with a supplement that provides key mineral elements and amino acids designed to maximize liver cell regeneration. Affected cows may also need protection from undue stress during the recovery period, this may require drying off these animals earlier than anticipated. • Chris Balemi is managing director of Agvance Marketing.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Setting your herd up for healthy and productive lactation SETTING YOUR COWS up for a productive season starts pre calving, in taking control of hypocalcaemia in the herd. Hypocalcaemia, commonly known as Milk Fever, is one of the leading causes of reduced cow performance in New Zealand dairy herds. It can be common to have 5-10% of the herd impacted by clinical Milk Fever. Milk Fever arises when the dairy cow has low levels of blood calcium, generally occurring within three days prior to calving and three days post calving. Milk fever is classified into two groups, Clinical Milk Fever, - cows with less than 1.4mM blood calcium; these cows include ‘downer’ and ‘non-downer’ cows. These cows have been proven to produce on average 14% less milk for the season and are at greater risk of metabolic disease and infections such as ketosis and metritis. Subclinical milk fever is when the cow’s blood calcium is less than 2.0mM. These cows produce on average 7% less milk for the season but show no visible signs of illness. Studies have indicated that over 30% of cows in New Zealand are impacted from low blood calcium resulting in reduced milk production. A herd producing 450 kgMS per cow with 5% clinical milk fever is losing over $10,000 in milk production for the season (based on $7.50 per kgMS) – too much to ignore, while 10% clinical milk fever is costing the farmer over $13,000 in lost milk. This is not to mention the treatment costs involved, labour costs with caring for down cows, cow deaths and the flow-on health issues caused by other metabolic diseases.

Calcium mobilisation is critical to a successful calving, which then influences reproduction, milk production and feed conversion efficiency.

Magnesium plays an important role in the prevention of milk fever, helping with the absorption of calcium and supporting muscle function, with a dry cow requiring up to 0.4% magnesium in the diet leading up to calving. For a 500kg cow eating 10kg DM during the pre-calf period, eating a pasture & silage diet, she would only need to be supplemented with 35g of magnesium oxide to get her over all 40g or 0.4% dietary magnesium. Note that ingested rates can vary largely due to different means of feeding magnesium. In New Zealand we are starting to see some cases of hypermagnesaemia, where excess levels of magnesium supplementation are being fed to cows. This causes increased Milk Fever and decreased dry matter intakes, generally resulting in ketosis. Post calving, the cow’s requirement decreases slightly to 0.3% magnesium in the diet. Calcium mobilisation is critical to a successful calving, which then influ-

ences reproduction, milk production and feed conversion efficiency. The amount of calcium available to a cow depends on breed, age, calcium bone reserves and the springer cow diet. The available pool of calcium in the springer cow is 11g. During calving the springer cow has a sudden demand for calcium, depending on the breed and age, a springer cow’s calcium requirements can be between 28 – 46g needed per day. The shortfall of -17 to -35g of calcium will need to be filled by the transition diet, either by mobilising calcium or supplementing dietary calcium. Planning your transition diet will help you decide the steps you need to take. Consider that excess potassium in the diet will depress calcium metabolism, and some feeds used to reduce the percentage of pasture are lower in calcium. DCAD is a common term used when it comes to pre calf / springer cow diets. DCAD is the dietary cation anion difference. This is the

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

ANIMAL HEALTH

Milk Fever arises when the dairy cow has low levels of blood calcium, generally occurring within three days prior to calving and three days post calving.

difference between cations- positivelycharged minerals such as potassium and sodium, and anions - negative minerals such as chloride and sulphur. Low DCAD diets (Diets high in Chloride and Sulphur) have been proven to reduce milk fever. A low or negative DCAD diet influences the blood acidity or pH, which in turn increases calcium absorption from the small intestine, reducing the risk of milk fever. When feeding a negative DCAD diet (optimum -10 to -15 mEq/100g) you will get a mild blood pH decrease and a significant urine pH decrease. Research shows that the target urine pH for optimum results is 5.5 – 6.0 pH. This is how you know you have reached the desired DCAD level and that cows are fully acidified. Low-blood calcium concentrations at calving stimulate the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which increases calcium release from the bone and vitamin D activation in the kidney (which, in turn, improves calcium absorption in the digestive tract). Feeding a negative-DCAD diet

46 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

reduces blood pH slightly, which improves the responsiveness of the target tissues to PTH, increasing calcium release from bone and vitamin D activation in the kidney. When urine pH is reduced, calcium excretion through urine increases. Greater urinary calcium excretion can improve calcium status after calving by increasing calcium flux. Calcium flux is the movement of calcium into and out of the blood of the cow. When urine pH is reduced, and urinary calcium excretion is increased, more calcium exits and enters the cow’s blood; calcium flux is increased. Calcium excreted in the urine when a negative DCAD diet is fed, becomes immediately available to meet the sudden increase in calcium demand when colostrum production begins at calving, helping overcome the calcium deficiency in calved cows, and increasing milk production. Typically pastures on NZ dairy farms have DCAD levels of +350 (moderate) to +565 (very high) this is generally coming from high levels of anions (sodium or potassium)

in the pasture. Ways to achieve a lower DCAD diet for the springer mob is to test feeds to identify the levels of anions and formulate a diet accordingly. The inclusion of maize silage to the springer ration will help lower the diets DCAD with lower levels of sodium and potassium vs. pasture which is generally higher in potassium. Some may believe that it is not possible to get enough anionic salts into a cow’s diet to achieve full acidification and reach the target urine pH of 5.5-6.0. However, this is possible if selecting the right anionic product. With the right anionic product, the inclusion of pasture in the springer diet is also possible. Some anionic salts on the market need to be mixed into the ration, which for pasture-based systems does not work, and others can put cows off eating their full ration resulting in reduced dry matter intake at a vital time. When choosing an anionic supplement, concentration and palatability are the key. • Article supplied by Phibro Animal Health

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ANIMAL HEALTH

Using breeding values to select cows, bulls A BREEDING VALUE is an estimate of an animal’s genetic merit for a particular trait. Breeding values define the superiority or inferiority of the offspring of an animal. An estimate of the breeding value for a particular trait is obtained from pedigree and performance information. Using breeding values to select cows and bulls to be the parents of the next generation is the most effective way to achieve genetic improvement. A breeding value is an estimate of an animal’s genetic merit for a particular trait. Breeding values

define the superiority or inferiority of the offspring of an animal. An estimate of the breeding value for a particular trait is obtained from pedigree and performance information. Using breeding values to select cows and bulls to be the parents of the next generation is the most effective way to achieve genetic improvement. The genetic relationships between an animal and all known ancestors and descendants are used when estimating breeding values to identify animals who are likely to produce progeny that is better or worse than

average for each trait. Importantly, breeding values for NZ dairy cattle can be compared across different breeds, herds, and ages. Breeding values are calculated using information which is collected by farmers, on-farm. For example: • Herd testing data • Scale liveweight data • Body condition scores (when collected for each individual cow) • Traits other than production (TOP) scores Cows that are measured on more occasions will have more reliable breeding values.

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48 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

by CP Lime

ANIMAL HEALTH

When a calf is born, the first estimate of its breeding values will be calculated as the average of its parents. This means it is critically important that the mother of a calf is identified correctly at birth, as dam information is linked to the father of the calf through mating records. The reliability of a bull’s breeding value for a particular trait increases as more of his daughters are measured in the same herd in comparison to daughters of other bulls. The NZAEL Animal Evaluation system publishes breeding values for dairy bulls on a wide variety of traits. Nine of these traits have been identified as having a measurable economic value to NZ farmers, and those breeding values are combined with the relevant economic values to produce the index Breeding Worth (BW). In addition to traits included in BW, farmers can access Breeding Values for a range of TOP traits (Conformation and Udder traits) as

When a calf is born, the first estimate of its breeding values will be calculated as the average of its parents.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

ANIMAL HEALTH

There are a range of factors that influence an animal’s performance and some of these factors are not passed on to subsequent generations.

well as gestation length and calving difficulty in order to select bulls best suited to their herd. BREEDING VALUE TRAIT DEFINITIONS

The ten traits in BW are categorised as either Production efficiency traits or Robustness traits. Production efficiency traits

Protein yield, fat yield, milk volume • Breeding values for protein yield, fat yield, and milk volume are expressed as a whole season value. • Higher protein yield, fat yield or milk volume breeding values indicate a bull will have daughters that are expected to produce more protein, fat or volume than a bull used in the same herd that has lower breeding values for these traits. Breeding values for protein yield, fat yield, and milk volume are estimated using information that comes from herd testing during a cow’s first six lactations. The performance of each cow is compared with the cows in her herd that were tested on the same day, are of the same age and calved in the same season. This grouping of herd, test-day, age and season define each

50 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

animal’s ‘contemporary group’. The general assumption is that cows that perform better than other cows in their contemporary group (known as ‘contemporaries’) are of superior genetic merit and those that perform worse than their contemporaries have inferior genetic merit. That said, there are a range of factors that influence an animal’s performance and some of these factors are not passed on to subsequent generations. The effect of these non-heritable factors should be disregarded from breeding values. In the case of protein, fat and milk volume, these factors include stage of lactation, hybrid vigour, inbreeding, inductions and what is termed the ‘permanent environmental effect’ for example, the effect of rearing to two years of age. Liveweight

• Breeding values for liveweight are expressed as 5-year-old mature liveweight in kilograms. •A higher liveweight breeding value indicates that a bull will have daughters that are expected to be heavier than a bull that has a lower breeding value for liveweight.

Breeding values for liveweight are estimated using information that comes from scale weight records of cows measured during one or more of their first six lactations. The weight of each cow is compared with the cows in her herd that were weighed on the same day, are of the same age and calved in the same season. This grouping of herd, weigh-day, age, and season define each animal’s ‘contemporary group’. The general assumption is that differences among cows within a contemporary group have a genetic basis. That said, there are a range of factors that influence an animal’s liveweight and some of these factors are not passed on to subsequent generations. The effect of these non-heritable factors should be disregarded from breeding values. In the case of liveweight, these factors include stage of lactation, hybrid vigour, inbreeding, and what is termed the ‘permanent environmental effect’ for example, the effect of rearing to two years of age. • Article by DairyNZ: www.dairynz. co.nz

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SUSTAINABILITY

Smart tactics help every nutrient count towards productivity goals ■ Dr Ants Roberts WITH ON-FARM COST pressures that may continue for at least the foreseeable future, it’s expected that the focus on all farm inputs, including fertiliser, will endure through 2024. It’s now even more crucial to help farmers make every bit of fertiliser count toward farm productivity goals. First up, it’s important that farmers don’t necessarily keep doing the same thing that they’ve always done. This is a good time to sense check what you are doing around nutrient management and when fertiliser advice will be invaluable. Whether that’s your fertiliser advisors or a private farming consultant, good advice is golden. Fertiliser advisors aren’t just there to sell fertiliser – they’re experts in soil fertility. Any advisor you use should recommend a comprehensive testing programme. The best way for farmers to get the most out of their fertiliser is to first understand what the farm soil fertility levels are. IT’S BEST TO TEST

Soil fertility trends over time are important because climatic and biological factors mean soil tests are variable from year-to-year. Increasingly we’re using ‘whole of farm’ soil testing (testing every paddock). It allows for a targeted approach. We can apply nutrients to increase fertility of paddocks with low fertility, maintain paddocks at the target fertility level and withhold application from paddocks above optimum levels for the farm system. Over the last 10 years, we have found that on many dairy farms around a third of paddocks have higher levels of nutrients than are

52 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

required, one third test lower than they should be and the other third are sitting in the optimum level. When you understand the soil fertility at this level, it creates opportunities for farmers to ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’. Whole farm soil testing isn’t required every year, but what you’re trying to ensure is that the soil test levels for the essential nutrients P, K, S, Mg and Ca are optimum for the soils, climate and farm system. As every dairy farmer should know, soil testing is used to help understand what nutrients are required to promote the clover component in the pasture which faces strong competition for space, light and nutrients from grasses and herbs that are growing alongside it. In conjunction with soil testing, we recommend herbage testing, and animal tissue testing as well. If farmers want to look across the whole range of major and trace elements, having all three pieces of information provides a much better decisionmaking basis. The clover-only herbage test is particularly important if farmers are looking for a molybdenum or a boron deficiency in the clover. If that’s the case, the results of a clover-only test will provide the evidence needed to make informed nutrient decisions. It pays to be wary of anyone advising to use a mixed herbage test to determine molybdenum or boron deficiency. Clover is the calibrated indicator plant for these essential trace nutrients. CALIBRATING TO NZ FARM SYSTEMS

Tests provide good and accurate information, but the testing methodology needs to be fit for purpose. It’s imperative that any soil, herbage and

animal tissue testing is calibrated to New Zealand soils, plants and farm systems. There are plenty of alternative tests floating around which are not calibrated to New Zealand conditions and in our experience they’re not useful. VARIABLE RATE SPREADING INVARIABLY GOOD

During times of economic headwinds, a variable rate fertility strategy comes into its own. To give effect to this it’s important to use application machinery capable of variable rate application. There’s no point ‘whole of farm’ soil testing if you are not going to do variable rate spreading. We suggest re-testing (‘whole of farm’ soil testing) every five years or so and use fewer monitor paddocks in intervening years. It’s great to see farmers using tools like HawkEye to assist in accurate variable rate spreading and recording of nutrients. Computer controlled precision applications ensure nutrients are in the places they are needed and avoids areas where nutrients would be wasted or environmentally damaging. In parts of the South Island where there are large pivot irrigation systems with either triangular or long rectangular paddocks there is quite a significant amount of fertility transfer of N, P and K. This particularly occurs from back to front – even within paddock testing – and variable rate application within paddocks will be beneficial to fertiliser nutrient management. We strongly recommend the use of Overseer to generate a farm nutrient budget to take into account nutrient inputs from non-fertiliser sources (e.g. supplementary feed, chicken manure)

SUSTAINABILITY

as there may be opportunities to further reduce fertiliser nutrient application accordingly.

Fertiliser advisors aren’t just there to sell fertiliser – they’re experts in soil fertility, says Dr Ants Roberts, Ravensdown.

MIND THE GAP AND USE N FERT TACTICALLY

When using nitrogen fertiliser, it’s important to monitor feed supply against feed demand. Nitrogen fertiliser can be used to fill the gaps between predicted pasture supply and demand. We recommend identifying pasture deficits ahead of time and using nitrogen tactically, ahead of time, to grow through those periods of deficit – traditionally in the shoulders of the season. In areas with irrigation it’s tempting to keep using nitrogen right through the season, whereas in rain fed areas it’s less appropriate to use nitrogen in the drier months (December through to February). In the South Island, particularly Canterbury, fast rotations can limit nitrogen response. It’s worth farmers considering if they can stretch those spring rotations out to 25-28 days if possible. This helps in the trade-off between getting your best nitrogen response and using the least nitrogen possible – particularly taking into account the N190 Nitrogen Cap. EFFICIENT EFFLUENT

Having a nutrient budget and having the right application equipment helps maximise use of effluent as a fertiliser substitute. As farmers know, it’s good practice to separate effluent blocks from non-effluent blocks and use a nutrient budget to potentially reallocate or reduce nutrients (particularly nitrogen and potassium). In short, this allows for reduced fertiliser use where effluent is supplying the nutrients. Research from the Waikato has shown that the yield for crops such as maize in effluent-only paddocks (with no nitrogen fertiliser) were just as good as well fertilised crops. And it’s certainly a good way of reducing the potassium and nitrogen on those effluent paddocks, if the crop is cut and carried. ADVICE, TESTING, PLANNING KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY

Major and trace fertiliser nutrients

are an important part of a healthy productive soil. More attention and focus on getting it right will benefit productivity, profitability and your environmental management. As mentioned earlier, it might be tempting to skip the cost of testing, but a relatively small outlay can lead to significant rewards in terms of spend and productivity. If they haven’t already, I encourage

any dairy farmer who is re-thinking their approach to soil fertility to head over to the Fertiliser Association website for the free booklets available, including “Fertiliser Use on New Zealand Dairy Farms”. Remember, fertiliser advisors aren’t just there to sell fertiliser – they’re experts in soil fertility. • Dr Ants Roberts is the Chief Scientist at Ravensdown

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

SUSTAINABILITY

The changing face of nutrient use THE WORLD OF fertiliser is a lot more complex today than it was back in 1992 when farmers formed the Fertiliser Quality Council (FQC). So how do farmers ensure that the complex range of nutrients available today are the real deal? FQC’s certification programme, Fertmark, was originally established by farmers to ensure fertiliser nutrients were independently verified as true to label, performance claims were true and chemical contaminants were managed. Later, came the addition of Spreadmark to promote and oversee accurate nutrient placement. Quality assurance specialist Peter Wood, who runs the QCONZ auditing of Fertmark and Spreadmark is a staunch advocate. “You would be a fool not to use Fertmark certified products and apply them with a Spreadmark certified contractor,” Wood says. While that mandate has not changed, the menu for fertiliser nutrients has. This influx has been driven by the need for more efficient and effective nutrient products to help farmers to be able to produce more with less. “With the price of fertiliser now it is essential that we can be sure we are getting what we pay for.” The extensive options marketed to farmers today include variations in physical and chemical innovations. Product innovations range from nutrient inhibitors to prevent nitrogen from leaching, to stimulants that enhance the efficiency of the plant’s nutrient uptake, to a diversification in the physicality of the products. Where once the granule dominated

54 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Fertiliser Quality Council chair Anders Crofoot (inset) says they must ensure that farmers aren’t buying lemons when it comes to nutrient use.

the market place, now liquids (slurries, and fluidised fertilisers), prills, precision blends and polymer coatings are becoming commonplace in the dairy, cropping and horticultural industries. They provide solutions to environmental impact, animal and human health and productivity. The challenge for the Fertiliser Quality Council, chairman Anders Crofoot says, is to ensure farmers are not buying lemons. “Fertmark is extending its coverage to include biostimulants and soil conditioners to further protect farmers and growers from misrepresentation. The extension of the Fertmark parameters (code) is essential to give farmers confidence in the products they are buying,” Crofoot said.

To make Fertmark fit for purpose, FQC has a Fertiliser Agronomic Group that will review agronomic and scientific trials being conducted and how Fertmark could be applied to a wider range of products beyond fertiliser – such as soil conditioners and plant biostimulants. The further integration of the Fertmark fertiliser certification programme into other agricultural quality assurance and reputational risk programmes is evidence of the increased confidence in the ‘control’ that Fertmark provides. However, the range of products and how they are defined in legislation has evolved and so too must Fertmark. “Without Fertmark farmers and growers will be vulnerable to snake oil salesmen and unsubstantiated claims,” Crofoot said.

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EFFLUENT / WATER

Tactics to manage summer conditions ■ Tony Finch

DairyNZ external engagement manager

SUMMER IS HERE and for some it may continue to bring rain, while for others it has been a gradual progression to warm dry conditions. With summer here, we can also expect weather commentators will continue to encourage preparedness given the prediction of an El Niño. It is never easy to predict summer weather, but El Niño weather has a history of significant droughts occurring predominantly across eastern parts of the country. That’s why developing a plan early for your farming business is important to be prepared and ready to respond. I have seen farmers implement different strategies that work for their farm and location over the years, but there are some general areas that are good to consider. Strategies can include feed demand and assessing feed supplies, along with considering how conditions are impacting your cows. FEED DEMAND AND SUPPLEMENTS

Act early to reduce feed demand, including considering drying off lowerproducing animals and younger stock early when they are in good condition, reducing the pressure on available resources. If feed availability is low, carefully choose supplements based on energy content, cost, storage, wastage and feeding logistics. It’s important to evaluate the cost of any supplementary feed bought in against the cost of alternative options to fill the deficit. Importantly, ensure decisions are made in context of the current milk price, and consider the long-term implications on the farm and business.

56 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Cows hanging around troughs is a sign of heat stress among the herd.

HEAT STRESS

Nationwide there are days every summer period where cows get too hot for comfort. Therefore, access to shade and plenty of drinking water are the best line of defence, but cooling with water and changes to milking and feeding routine can help when shade isn’t enough. To check if your cows are heat stressed, look for the following changes: • Cows breathing faster. • Cows standing more but grazing less. • Increased water intake and cows hanging around troughs. • Cows slower walking to and from the shed. I know most farms already take action to reduce heat stress, but it is good to assess whether there are things you can alter to support your cows during these summer months. Some things will benefit staff as well, like wetting the milking shed roof to

improve cow and milker comfort in the afternoon. REGULAR MONITORING

The key tip for successful summer management is regular monitoring. Ensure there are farm walks, grazing residuals are managed, monitor body condition scores, and keep up to date with industry information. Consider how this works with your summer plan and budget, and what needs to be adjusted to ensure that your cows are in the best condition over these warmer months. For tips and information visit dairynz.co.nz/summer or dairynz. co.nz/heatstress to support you and your team to manage the coming months. DairyNZ also has a series of webinars and podcasts on managing summer conditions, with information from a range of specialists, scientists, and farmers. Visit dairynz.co.nz/ summer-management.

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EFFLUENT / WATER

Working with farmers to achieve N targets RESULTS FROM DAIRYNZ’S five-year Selwyn and Hinds programme show significant change has occurred to help reduce farm nitrogen (N) losses and improve water quality outcomes. The programme, which started in 2018 and is coming to an end, saw DairyNZ partner with 40 dairy farmers in the two Canterbury catchments. DairyNZ analysis of combined Selwyn and Hinds partner farm data shows there has been a 44% reduction in N loss from the farms’ baseline time to the latest year-end. Farmers in the Hinds catchment are on track to meet the significant N loss target set by Environment Canterbury, with the first milestone being a 15 percent reduction by 2025. In Selwyn, dairy farmers needed to achieve a 30 percent reduction by 2022. Overseer information shows

N loss reductions of 29% from the 2017/18 season to 2021/22, and a report released last week shows a continued downward trend in mean N loss per hectare from dairy farms across Canterbury – a 27.5% decrease over five years to 2021-22. The Selwyn and Hinds programme aimed to support dairy farmers in these catchments to meet Environment Canterbury and central government N loss reduction targets, while optimising profit and resilience. DairyNZ general manager for sustainable dairy, Dr David Burger, says the amount of change in both catchments is encouraging and shows the sector is moving in the right direction. “Dairy farmers across Canterbury are improving effluent and irrigation management, reducing fertiliser use and increasing their focus on overall

Canterbury farmer Phill Everest has made a range of onfarm changes to meet nitrogen loss regulations.

58 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

efficiency of farm systems, which helps reduce nitrogen being lost into groundwater.” For example, Hinds farmers Phill and Jos Everest, who farm with their son Paul and his partner Sarah, have made a range of on-farm changes to meet N loss regulations. This includes reducing nitrogen fertiliser use by 35% – ahead of national and regional regulatory requirements – and developing an annual N application plan to identify monthly application rates needed to meet the new targets. Thanks to these on-farm changes, Phill, Jos, Paul and Sarah have already met their 2030 target to reduce N losses by 25%. Throughout the Selwyn and Hinds programme, different options for reducing N loss were trialled across individual farms, depending on the

EFFLUENT / WATER

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needs of specific farm systems. The results and learnings were shared with other local farmers through field days and events. “The programme has supported dairy farmers to reduce N losses by implementing solutions that work at a farm level, complementing the positive work already being done by farmers and rural professionals,” Burger says.

leaching, and plantain, a low-cost, high-impact mitigation many farmers have incorporated. The Selwyn and Hinds programme was an extension of previous DairyNZ-led N loss farm systems research, such as Pastoral 21 and Forage for Reduce N leaching. Many partner farms implemented several of the options identified by this previous research.

“It has also presented good opportunities for dairy farmers to share ideas and work with scientists and sector experts. Farmers have been using the information available to them to implement the best options for their farms.” Examples of effective options include catch crops, which are grown to contain excess nitrogen in soils that may otherwise be lost through

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

EFFLUENT / WATER

Irrigators’ wishlist Irrigation New Zealand provided a briefing last month for the incoming Government. Here’s part of what they had to say... SINCE THE LAST Labour Government wound down Crown Irrigation Investments in April 2018 and introduced the Essential Freshwater reforms also in 2018, the impression given by them has been that water storage and irrigation are non-essential for New Zealand, and even more so – believed to be detrimental. As a result, policy from across agencies has been written within this context. While historically policy for water for productive use has been driven by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), over the last six years it has been the focus of the Ministry for the Environment (MfE).

The direction of travel set by the most recent Government has significantly impacted how regional councils interpret resource (particularly water) management with significant knock-on effects on the primary sector. It has also diminished the value of water storage as part of the country’s infrastructure and as an enabler in achieving the climate change work programmes. When MPI launched its ten-year strategy in 2020, water storage was first in line as a ‘Transformational Opportunity’ to “give farmers access to higher value land use options, product supply chains, and higher employment. This work will include ensuring that regulatory settings support investment in water capture projects. Improved water storage and security is key to business and community resilience as it enables farmers and growers to diversify and reduces exposure to drought and climate change events.”

New Zealand urgently requires a high-level strategic approach and plan to freshwater management, according to IrrigationNZ.

60 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

However, despite this positive intent, we have seen little thus far in the planning or coordination to achieve water security and availability from MPI, who have had a very small group with a limited budget working on the programme, with little momentum and minimal influence on other agencies. We believe that the narrow view of freshwater management by the Government has, a. left the country vulnerable to droughts and floods. b. led to significant missed opportunities for; • diversification of land use, • developing a wider range of value-add trade products, • reducing greenhouse gases, • localised hydroelectricity generation, • drinking water security, and • water security for industrial use. With multiple agencies working on intersecting and often the same

EFFLUENT / WATER

components of freshwater, there is a lack of coordination, and a lack of vision, and therefore no strategy for water capture, storage, or productive use, or the country’s resilience to climate change, changing production, and land use change. Different agencies enforcing components of the capture, storage, and use of water has led to a lack of direction, coherence, and consistency regarding freshwater policy. This often leads regional councils to interpret and implement rules that are not practical or have unintended negative consequences. As an example, the general message of the MPI Water Availability and Secuity report is that reliable food production needs additional water storage including the reliability of supply from small on farm dams. However, the onerous MBIE Dam Safety Regulations make adhering to rules primarily designed for large hydro dams unreasonably complex and costly, exacerbated by a lack of recognised dam engineers available to farmers. IrrigationNZ currently work with a range of Government agencies all enforcing components of the capture, storage and use of water.

When Reliability Matters. When Reliability Matters.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Enact the promised policies We appreciate the work that has gone into the National Party’s Primary Sector Growth Plan to deliver on climate change and unleash investment and growth; the ACT Party’s support for less regulation allowing for more practical outcomes-based solutions; as well as New Zealand First’s championing of regional economic development through water storage. We are pleased to see there is a pathway for water for productive use across the new Government and we want to work with you to achieve the sustainability, economic growth, and community outcomes this can lead to. Particularly we support and advocate for: • Making water storage on farmland a permitted activity by introducing a National Environmental Standard (NES) for Water Storage within limits. • Requiring local government to approve or decline consents for other types of water storage within two years of an application. • Providing consent(s) for water storage to last at least 30 years to provide certainty. • Introducing a fast-track consenting regime • Efforts to increase renewable energy production where appropriate with water storage projects. These are positive initiatives. However, we believe that New Zealand urgently requires a high-level strategic approach and plan to freshwater management which aligns with a ‘new’ Resource Management Act (RMA). For example, it is great to insist councils make consent decisions for water storage within two years, but without strategic direction at a national and regional level these projects are still likely to fall over as we saw in the Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay recently. We are hopeful the announced Regional Development Fund will support initiatives such as these that have significant regional benefits for the whole community as evidenced by the Tai Tokerau Water Scheme from the last Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

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AGRIBUSINESS

Key metrics to assess how a business is performing ■ Felix Rodgriguez-Firpo THIS SEASON WE have seen milk price announcements fluctuate a fair amount, but we are currently expecting the Fonterra milk price to land in the bottom third of inflationadjusted prices over the last 15 years and many farm businesses will make no financial progress this season unless the milk price increases. With that in mind, DairyNZ have analysed 15 years of DairyBase data at a national and regional level, looking at the key performance indicators (KPIs) and relationships between the top 25% and bottom 75% of farms ranked by Return on Assets. Our analysis looked at ‘What are some of the key metrics to assess how a business is performing and if there is potential to increase profit?’ SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS: Lower cost of production is key:

The top 25% of farm businesses produce milk for $1.00 less per kg MS compared to others, with the top quarter’s operating expenses sitting at $5.25 per kg MS compared to $6.25 per kg MS for the remaining farms (Table 1). This shows a significant difference in the way that some farms manage their businesses, including controlling their expenses in relation to milk output. Operating profit:

The operating profit showed a $1,600 difference per hectare between the top 25% and other 75%, which could equate to an extra $240,000 for the top group, assuming a typical 150ha farm.

62 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Top 25%

Remaining 75%

Dairy gross farm revenue ($/kg MS)

8.48

8.40

Farm working expenses ($/kg MS)

4.40

5.30

Operating expenses (/kg MS)

5.25

6.23

Operating profit ($/kg MS)

3.21

2.09

Operating profit ($/ha)

3750

2152

Operating margin profit 9%)

Operating return on asets (%)

7.3

3.6

45,342

53,561

Milksolids (kg MS/cow)

400

375

Milksolids (kg MS/ha)

1151

1058

Grazing (kg DM/ha)

986

959

Imported feed (kg DM/ha)

1758

1701

Nitrogen applied (kg N/ha)

148

130

Pasture and crop harvested (t/ha)

12.8

11.8

Stocking rate

3.0

2.8

Asset value ($/ha)

Table 1: 15 years of pooled National data

We also saw the operating profit margin is 13% higher for the top group meaning these farms can maintain profitability when milk price drops or climate impacts production and costs. Imported feed and pasture:

More feed doesn’t necessarily increase profit. Our analysis showed that the quantity of imported feed was similar between the two farming groups. However, there are high input farms that do make high profit, but generally they source their supplement relatively cheaply and have very low wastage and pasture substitution.

Felix Rodriguez-Firpo says there are significant difference in the way that some farms manage their businesses.

AGRIBUSINESS

Pasture and crop harvested is a clear driver of profit and accounts for approximately 22% of the difference in operating profit per hectare. Considering the importance of pasture, we looked at extra operating profit per ha for each extra tonne of pasture eaten. We found the previous guideline of $300 of extra profit per tonne of pasture eaten has increased to $350

extra, when incorporating recent seasons. This applies to both the top 25% group and remaining 75% group. TAKE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR BUSINESS

We encourage you take time to review your farm system and expense structure. Consider comparing what you have achieved compared to

similar farms in your region, using DairyBase. Since pasture and crop harvested have been shown to have significant impacts on profit, these are good focus areas. Budgeting advice and templates are available at dairynz.co.nz/budgeting while you can find our DairyBase data at dairynz.co.nz/dairybase. • Felix Rodriguez-Firpo is DairyNZ farm system analyst

Consider comparing what you have achieved compared to similar farms in your region, using DairyBase.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

AGRIBUSINESS

Milk production holds despite challenges THE ANNUAL NEW Zealand Dairy Statistics report released by DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) shows an innovative dairy sector producing well, despite climatic challenges, inflationary pressures, and global supply chain issues. In the 2022/23 season, milk production remained relatively stable with 20.7 billion litres of milk containing 1.87 billion litres of milksolids processed by dairy companies. This represented a 0.4% decrease in litres produced, but a 0.3% increase in kgMS. While milk production per cow

64 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

increased, the trend of declining cow numbers continued with a 3.46% decrease to 4.67 million cows. DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker emphasises the good work farmers have done to manage conditions, including Cyclone Gabrielle and high on-farm costs, and the varying impacts these had on farm operations. “New Zealand dairy farmers continue to focus on using technology information to milk efficiently, while managing their individual farm conditions,” says Parker. “These insights are driving better decisions, while a range of tools help improve herd sustainability and

productivity.” The season saw an increase in the percentage of cows herd tested, at 81.1% of total cows tested (3.79 million cows, the highest percentage on record) while artificial breeding remained relatively stable at 3.81 million cows (82% of cows). LIC chief executive David Chin says the increase in individual cow milk production and uptake of herd improvement services demonstrates farmers’ sharpened focus on cow efficiency. “Our sector is producing more milksolids from a smaller cow population, and this is testament to

AGRIBUSINESS

While milk production per cow increased, the trend of declining cow numbers continued with a 3.46% decrease to 4.67 million cows last season.

the great work of Kiwi dairy farmers. “Despite a challenging season, farmers have continued to invest in solutions that support them to produce the most sustainable and efficient animals for their herd. The

use of high genetic merit sires and record number of cows being herd tested is enabling farmers to breed highly efficient cows that produce more and have a lower emissions intensity profile.”

The average dairy co-operative payout (including dividends) from Fonterra and Tatua was $9.26 for the 2022/23 season, which is the second highest inflation adjusted payout for farmers on record. New Zealand dairy farmers are resilient and accustomed to managing volatility, with the sector experiencing a drop in expected milk price for the 2023/24 season. The current Fonterra midpoint forecast sits at $7.50/kgMS. Parker says that dairy plays a large role in contributing to GDP and supporting the prosperity of local communities, as well as providing around 55,000 jobs nationwide. “While managing climatic conditions, dairy export revenue is expected to increase to $25.1 billion in for the 2022/23 season. “We should all be proud of the dedication of the dairy sector and what is achieved even in difficult seasons as we continue to deliver economic growth for New Zealand.”

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

FEEDING OUT

Sow and grow your best crop feed ever! ■ Kathy Davis WHAT’S THE HIGHEST yielding feed crop you can grow on your farm? Maize silage? Fodder beet? Brassicas? Think again! It’s none of these. The crop we’re talking about dwarfs even the best of these options, often achieving production of 100+ tonnes of dry matter per ha. This super-abundant ‘crop’ is new pasture. And if you’re not used to thinking of it in these terms, it’s time for a new perspective. Give new pasture the same care this season that you give to sowing other crops, and the result will amaze you. It will also do great things for your cows, and your bottom line. AN AWKWARD TRUTH

The way we renew pasture these days is a leading cause of disappointing performance and persistence. We typically sow forage crops five times more carefully than we sow new pasture. Yet they yield far less over their lifetime. This does not compute! Why do we, the world’s best pastoral farmers, do this? Because our priorities are wrong. Money and time come first in this scenario; pasture comes dead last. Drilled in a rush, jammed into tight rows via machines made for very different crops, outsourced to busy contractors, and left to fend for itself – it’s no wonder a lot of new pasture never lives as long as it should, nor reaches its full potential. STEP 1: TAKE YOUR TIME

Achieving your best-ever pasture renewal this season starts with slowing down. You cannot rush a 100+ tonne/ha crop of new pasture! Instead of hustling to get the job done as fast as possible, plan carefully and allow three weeks. If that seems too long, just think about how much

66 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

Give new pasture the same care this season that you give to sowing other crops, and the result will amaze you, claims Barenbrug.

time (and money) it takes to re-sow pasture that stops growing properly years before it should. Investing three weeks to do the job properly is nothing compared to how much you’ll get in return. STEP 2: SET THE SCENE

If you use a contractor, get them on board early so they know you want the job done in a way that’s best for the pasture. Sowing date, soil and weather conditions, drilling method, seedbed preparation, seed depth, tractor speed – no detail is too small for this discussion. Micromanagement is a strength, not a weakness, with new pasture. Don’t use a contractor? Review your own timing, technique and priorities the very same way. Once that seed is sown, there’s no going back to fix things that got missed. More problems with persistence and poor performance start before or at sowing than at any other time during renewal. STEP 3: RESPECT THE SOIL

Over-cultivating is out for your

100+ tonne/ha feed crop (especially use of PTO-driven equipment in dry conditions). Without good soil structure, new grass and clover seedlings cannot anchor themselves firmly into the ground. They’ll struggle for water and nutrients, and may well get yanked out of the ground at the first bite. Use minimum till to retain soil moisture and integrity, and you win twice, because those newly sown paddocks will also come through their first winter and spring in much better shape. Over-cultivation leaves them so soft they often get pugged to pieces. STEP 4: DRILL RIGHT

Wide-row drills are no friend to new pasture. Designed for cereals, they leave too much bare ground for weeds to take hold. As soon as that happens, pasture is compromised. Roller-drill, broadcast, cross or diamond drill, or use a narrow-row drill instead, and enjoy knowing you have spread pasture seed evenly across the soil, minimising weed competition from the get-go. While we’re talking technique,

FEEDING OUT

for this.

SUM UP THE GAINS YOU’VE DONE YOUR budget for new pasture, and worked out you can save some money this year buying cheaper seed, rather than the tested, quality seed. But is that true? Quite apart from the risks associated with uncertified seed, which comes with no guarantees as to quality, purity, germination or endophyte, unproven genetics in seed could lose more than you seem to gain. It’s all to do with production. You may pay more per ha in seed, but you’ll also grow far more feed. The feed quality is better too. Don’t just take our word for it.

We’ve made a calculator based on industry data and values for four different regions of New Zealand so you can compare any of ryegrass cultivars with an old ryegrass like Nui, or uncertified pasture seed. We’ve deliberately been conservative and built the calculator so it only shows the returns (or losses) you can expect the first 12 months. Well sown and managed, new proprietary pasture lasts much longer than this, so the benefits compound. Ask your seed retailer to share the calculator with you, or check it out at www.barenbrug.co.nz.

remember clover seed suffers terribly when it’s shoved into the same tight row as ryegrass seed. It’s smaller,

needs to be closer to the surface and takes longer to get going, so if you want a good result, you need to allow

STEP 5: KEEP WATCH

To fulfil their potential and live long, healthy lives, those newly-sown pasture seedlings need you to be a helicopter parent, alert for any sign of weeds and pests, and ready to intervene at once if needed. They also need to be treated with kid gloves through their first and subsequent grazings. It takes at least 12 months for any new pasture to become fully established, so don’t expect too much, too soon. WHAT NEXT?

We know this is probably a lot to take in. But it will make a huge difference, we promise. And if you’d like a hand planning your best-ever pasture renewal this season, just let us know at www. barenbrug.co.nz. We’re always here to help.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

FEEDING OUT

Maize – the perfect partner to pasture ■ Wade Bell PASTURE FORMS THE backbone of New Zealand’s dairy farming systems. The country’s temperate climate and abundant rainfall generally provide ideal conditions for growing highquality grasses and clovers. Pasture is not only a cost-effective source of feed but also supports the cows’ natural grazing behaviour. However, weather patterns can be unpredictable and maintaining a consistent supply of high-quality feed for cows is a challenge. Maize silage has several benefits that make it the perfect partner to pasture based farm systems. Provides stored feed that can be reintroduced when required.

In New Zealand dairy systems managing pasture well is one of the basics farmers need to get right. It is well known that pasture quality and quantity is optimised when grazed at 2.5-3 leaves (Figure 1). However, in recent years, highly variable climatic conditions have made managing pasture very difficult. Bouts of extreme dry or wet, cold weather mean farmers need tools to enable them to feed cows adequately while maintaining grazing rotations that maximise pasture growth. Maize silage is a tool that allows farmers to “feed the wedge”. That is, when there is insufficient pasture, maize silage can be fed to prevent over grazing, create positive substitution and maintain or build pasture cover. Using maize silage this

Figure 1: Pasture regrowth, energy reserves and yield.

way assists with growing more homegrown pasture, maximises response to supplements and maintains consistent feed intakes throughout lactation.

Contributes to a pasture renovation program

Many farmers use maize cropping as part of their pasture renovation program to improve the quality and quantity of pasture for future seasons. Growing maize before sowing new pasture provides an excellent opportunity to break weed and pest burdens, increasing the likelihood of a high producing new pasture. A planned approach to pasture renewal on 10% of the farm can deliver an additional pasture yield of 0.7Tdm/ha over five years2.

Cost effectively increases the total home-grown feed supply

The relationship between home grown feed and profit has been well reported over the last two decades. Recent data presented by DairyNZ shows that in the Waikato, an extra 1 Tdm of home-grown feed is associated with an additional $350/ha profit. Removing 10% of the farm to grow maize silage can reliably increase your home-grown feed supply by 1.5Tdm/ha1.

Puts weight on cows more efficiently

The benefits of achieving body condition score targets of 5.0 (cows) and 5.5 (heifers) at calving are well known. Achieving these condition score targets coincides with when farmers are trying to reach pasture

Can reduce the cost of surplus management

Transferring a feed surplus from Jersey (400kg)

Feed

spring to summer/autumn is an essential part of optimising your farm system. Removing an area helps maintain optimum pasture management on the rest of the farm, improves the growth and quality of pasture for future grazing events and provides a source of stored forage feed to use later. However, harvesting a pasture surplus comes at a cost, typically $400-$600/ha and the process doesn’t increase the total home-grown feed supply. Growing 10% of the farm in maize silage has the dual effect of mitigating some or all the cost of harvesting a surplus and increasing total home-grown feed supply.

Energy (MJME/kgDM)

Holstein/Friesian (450kg)

Friesian (500kg)

(kgDM/cow)

Pasture 11.5

11.5

165

185

205

Maize silage

10.5

130

145

160

Table 1: Quantity of feed required to put on one body condition score in autumn3.

68 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

FEEDING OUT

cover targets leading into winter. Feeding maize silage is not only a more efficient feed to reach condition score targets (Table 1), but any saved pasture will contribute to reaching critical cover targets for winter and spring. Maize silage plays an important role in New Zealand pasture based

dairy farming systems. Included in a pasture-based system it is a tool that can help maximise pasture production, cost effectively increase total feed supply and provide a consistent feed source throughout the season. Many farmers have recognised these advantages and used maize to deliver very efficient and

profitable farm systems. • Wade Bell is Genetic Technologies farm systems manager. Contact him at wbell@genetic.co.nz

Assumes a farm growing 15 tDM pasture and with an expected maize yield of 22 tDM/ha. 2 Glassey, C. 2010. Dry matter yield, pasture quality and profit on two Waikato dairy farms after pasture renewal. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 72: 91-96. 3 DairyNZ Facts and Figures. 1

A maize plantation in Taranaki.

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FEEDING OUT

Dry summer pasture and pasture that has not had adequate levels of nitrogen supplementation, warrants assessment through the analysis of the pasture, to ensure enough protein is available.

The importance of protein for the ruminant ■ Paul Sharp PROTEIN IS ONE of the most important nutrients in a ruminant diet forming the building blocks for muscle, skin, bones, wool and milk. It’s impossible to overstate the critical importance of protein for the ruminant: aside from being an essential component of muscle, skin, bone, wool and milk it can also be broken down to use as an energy source. In practical nutritional terms, protein is measured as Crude Protein which is estimated from the nitrogen

70 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

content of the diet and reported as a percentage, for example a diet may consist of 16% Crude Protein. REQUIREMENT VS AVAILABILITY

Animal requirements for protein vary depending on several factors, including the age and physiological state of the animal. Rapidly growing young stock and high producing dairy stock accordingly, come in at the top end of protein demand due to their high level of protein in milk and muscle deposition. Around 18% CP will support optimum milk yields and

growth requirements of these stock classes. Mature animals on a maintenance diet, on the other hand, are adequately catered for with a diet featuring 8 – 10% CP. In a typical NZ scenario, with improved and well-managed pastures, the protein levels contained in pasture are usually above minimum requirements. Notable exceptions would be extremes of weather such as drought or flood, or pastures that were allowed to become very mature. Dry summer

FEEDING OUT

Paul Sharp, SealesWinslow consultant nutritionist

pasture and pasture that has not had adequate levels of nitrogen supplementation, warrants assessment through the analysis of the pasture, to ensure enough protein is available. In fact, through most of the year the protein content in pasture significantly exceeds animal requirements. As energy is generally the limiting nutrient in these diets, the physiological response to the excess protein is to utilise it as an energy source. However, when surplus protein is utilised as an energy source in the rumen, the nitrogen component is subsequently excreted as urinary nitrogen reducing digestive efficiencies. Starch can be an important part of addressing this nutritional imbalance. PROTEIN BEYOND PASTURE

Other crops and supplements, however, have variable protein contents. Maize silage or maize grain, for instance, contain only 5 – 7%

crude protein and many winter forage crops only average around 10%. The reduced dietary protein levels of these options would help to reduce the urinary nitrogen when used in combination with high-protein pasture. On their own, however, these feeds would limit the production or growth rates. To avoid this outcome, you need to adopt an appropriate supplementation from sources such as pelleted feed, soyabean meal, dried distiller’s grains, canola and crops such as lucerne. To optimise your feed strategy, it’s important to know what protein percentage you’re feeding, and this is accurately assessed by way of testing your herbage, balage or silage. Testing will help ensure that you’re using the right feed at the right time without waste and with minimal nitrogen excretion. • Paul Sharp, is SealesWinslow consultant nutritionist

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

PEOPLE / STAFF

Progression planning ■ Mark Olsen-Vetland

Having the opportunity to follow a clear pathway through the sharemilking system to farm ownership has enabled many to achieve their personal and business goals.

LIC FarmWise consultant

PROGRESSION HAS BEEN a consistent motivation for new entrants to the New Zealand dairy sector for many years and has long been the envy of other dairy producing countries. This is true for me personally too, as alongside my wife we emigrated to New Zealand from the UK in 2006 to pursue the opportunities on offer. Having the opportunity to follow a clear pathway through the sharemilking system to farm ownership has enabled many to achieve their personal and business goals. With the 1st of June having long been associated as “moving day,” many will look back fondly on the first day on a new property or the cows arriving to the first 50:50 sharemilking position. • How do you know when looking at the list of job adverts if the job will be the right fit for you? • Will your “move” be the start of a successful new chapter? • Have you got the right skill set and experience for the position? Many often cite differences in farm operating structures or the type of system being operated as a reason for failure when things do not go as expected. Success is a result of good planning and to coin a well-used phrase “failing to plan is planning to fail”. So then, how do you plan for career progression success and avoid the pitfalls to find the right fit for you? It all starts with understanding your: STRATEGIC PLAN Where are we going?

It’s impossible to understand if you are on the right track without understanding where you want to go. While this might sound obvious, it is often a much-neglected aspect within many businesses and partnerships. When you begin to analyse options and strategies for progression it is essential for you to first understand:

72 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

• What is important? – This must involve all partners in your life and business, to identify what is important and what differences may exist. • What do the partners want to achieve? – List all things that you would like to achieve personally and within your business. • Where are you at? – Utilise tools and or resources to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to yourself and your business (SWOT). This type of analysis will help you better understand where you are at currently and support analysis of the feasibility of different options. • Develop a vision – Utilise the above three points to develop a vision for yourself, your family, and your business. The purpose of this is to ensure you, your family and management team all know what your vision is. BUSINESS PLAN How are we going to get there?

Now that we have a clear understanding of the strategic plan, and this vision of how you want the future to look, you can use these to prepare a more detailed business plan of how it will be achieved. Think of this as your route to the destination, which

will enable your team to visualise the direction and assess how you are tracking on the journey. This should include the following: • A detailed overview of the current position – financial and personal. It is vital both aspects are considered and that your financial goals align with personal circumstances. For example, is the imminent arrival of your first child the best timing to go from a salary position to selfemployment and increased responsibility? • Goals and objectives – business and personal. This is breaking down the medium-term results that will achieve your vision. Goals should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time limited. • Becoming your best – Do you have the skill set to bring to the position and understand your limitations. Are there aspects identified that can be worked on to make you more employable or deliver better outcomes on farm? Remember this is a partnership and relies on good communication and realistic expectations from both parties. • Key performance indicators – What metrics can be used to measure performance both financially and operationally? For example, equity

PEOPLE / STAFF

growth, return on equity, milk solids per cow, a 6 week in-calf rate. • Resources required – Determine who is responsible and by when and what management, staff, ownership, financial obligations are required to achieve the goals. ASSESSING OPPORTUNITIES Is this the right fit?

Now that we have a clear understanding of the destination (your strategy), and the checkpoints (goals & objectives), it is possible to step back and assess if this is the best route for your business. Or to determine if an alternative option might get you to your destination quicker. Having a clear understanding of the strategic and business plan means you are more equipped to assess the impact of any change and react proactively to them. So, to come back to our original question: Is this job a good fit for you? Do you align with the values of the employer? There will be challenges in every relationship, but the ability to maintain open communication and work through challenges is essential to long term success. Sharing similar values will make working through the inevitable tough times like, low payouts, droughts, or staff issues much easier. Do you possess the skills for this position? As with your values and expectations it is also important to understand if you can deliver the requirements of the position and therefore

are you ready for this step. This needs to align with the resources required and follow an honest appraisal of your capabilities to undertake this role. Taking the time to upskill and gain further experience should not be seen as a negative, rather allowing you to progress at a pace that is achievable and realistic. The adage of “sink or swim” is defined as failing or succeeding based upon your own efforts, but ask yourself the following questions: Is this the best way to learn to swim / progress in your career? Or could I learn those skills without the stress of financial / farm implications. Is this a risk you want or need to take at this stage in your career?

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Talk to respected rural professionals such as your farm consultant, bank manager, DairyNZ contacts and get their views and feedback on the position and property. Does the position meet your personal needs and preferences? Having a clear understanding of your values and therefore your non-negotiables that accompany them, will inform your decision. It is easy to be overawed by the latest technology or the scale of moving from a 200-cow farm to the facilities on offer at a 1500-cow property. So having your list is a great way to bring the reality check, tick your boxes and make a rational decision.

DO YOU SHARE SIMILAR GOALS FOR THE PROPERTY / BUSINESS?

SUMMARY

When individuals partner to create new solutions, a shared goal is essential to keep things on track. The intention in a partnership is for both parties to achieve success simultaneously, not at the expense of each other. This mutual goal will again help to focus on working through challenges to ensure the key outputs are achieved and adverse impacts are minimised. A good example is amending the contract terms in a low payout year, where additional calves were provided to the variable order sharemilker in line with adjusting the advance rate distribution. This helped the farm owners’ cashflow and allowed the sharemilker to still increase equity, optimising both groups’ goals in a challenging year.

The perfect fit for one person will not work for another and being able to identify the best fits early will smooth your progression journey. Having clarity of your purpose and plan will enable you to make good decisions for future progression. While this does not mean challenges will not arise, this understanding will help you navigate through them more efficiently. There is no shortage of stories and examples of where the right people have partnered on farm and achieved amazing outcomes. Take the time before you apply to first understand where you are at now, where you want to be, and put yourself in the driving seat to maximise your progression potential. This will make sure you find the right fit for you!

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www.pampainternational.com GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

PEOPLE / STAFF

It is pleasing to see farmers focused on putting their best foot forward and doing work on farm to help retain their staff, says Jane Muir, DairyNZ.

Investing in your team ■ Jane Muir PEOPLE ARE KEY to the success of your businesses, and the dairy sector. It is important you are providing the best work environment to support your teams. As a sector we are grappling with an ongoing workforce shortage as we struggle to attract and retain enough of the right people with the right skills. Turning this trend around is critical and starts with effective leadership on farm. Leadership isn’t easy. Every year, and sometimes every day, can bring new challenges. For many people, seeing improvements in team engagement and performance as the team starts gelling and delivering results makes the investment highly rewarding on several levels. I have seen in the past year more focus from farmers on improving their work conditions, specifically focusing on changing their rosters and hours

74 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

worked, along with ensuring remuneration is competitive. It is pleasing to see farmers focused on putting their best foot forward and doing work on farm to help retain their staff. This investment into staff is key to ensuring we have a resilient workforce long term. We also know that people who invest in their businesses to attract and retain the right people benefit from lower staff turnover. This benefits the farm long term with reduced recruitment costs, stress and downtime. Little things can make a big difference, so there are a few things to consider, to help staff feel valued, including: • Encourage them to share their views and ideas. • Provide rosters that enable a good work/life balance. • Prioritise health, safety and wellbeing. • Regularly tell them they are doing a good job, and why.

• Have a clear set of expectations. • Ensure you offer competitive pay per hour worked. • Set up regular one-on-one catch-ups and team meetings. • Provide opportunities for upskilling or training. Enjoying work and celebrating successes, any time of the year, also goes a long way. You might like to consider a shared morning tea or grab a beer at the end of the week. Just something small to say to ‘we are doing great work and we should be proud of the work we do.’ A range of information and resources to support you are available at dairynz.co.nz/people. You can also consider upskilling yourself in leadership, through a range of learning opportunities available including formal and non-formal training, and rural professionals with skills to assist your business. • Jane Muir is DairyNZ lead advisor – people

MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

Fertiliser isn’t cheap – make it count every time ■ Mark Daniel WHILST THERE IS increasing interest in using farmyard manure and effluents, most New Zealand farmers and growers rely on bought-in fertilisers for plant nutrient supply. Indeed, since 1990 that reliance on nitrogen has increased from around 62,000 tonnes per annum to 452,000 tonnes by 2019. Likewise, phosphorous-based fertilisers climbed over the same timeline from 94,000 tones-peaking at 219,000 tonnes in 2005, before settling down to 154,000 tonnes in 2019.

As of December 2023, urea was costing about $900/tonne, DAP approx. $1,120, triple super was $1,190, granular sulphate of potash sat at an eye watering $1,690/tonne and NPK blends ranged from $1,450 to $1,550 per tonne. With prices at these levels, it quickly becomes apparent that to get the best bang for buck, accuracy of spread is a point that needs careful consideration. The first point to consider is the quality of the fertiliser being purchased, with care taken to ensure that supplies come from the same batch, particularly if supplies are

delivered on different dates, or you are being offered old, or last season’s stock. It’s worth noting that the “same” fertiliser might be processed at different sites, meaning that the characteristics of two samples might have different characteristics and need differing spreader settings. Users should pay attention to consistent characteristics, particularly around the areas of granule or prill sizing, remembering that larger heavier pieces of fertiliser will travel further than small sizes or dusty material. One should consider the source of the product and try

Your machine should be in good condition.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

Rate control set to achieve target application.

to understand how many times it has been handled or re-handled, especially bulk material, with each mechanical handling likely to damage the product. Note that fertiliser also deteriorates with age, with old and new stock nearly always needing different machine settings. Looking at other practical considerations, wind and humidity can have a marked effect on spreading accuracy. The former influences spreading width, at greater width, so it’s best to stick to the principle extended to spraying operations – “if it’s too windy to spray, it’s too windy to spread fertiliser”. Looking at spreading equipment, most applicators feature a hopper from which fertiliser is metered onto spinning discs for distribution. Regular spreader maintenance is a pre-requisite to achieve accurate application and consistent spread patterns. Firstly, conduct a visual inspection to look for ant loose parts or components, especially around the areas of the hopper agitators, metering slides, spreading discs and their vanes. In case of the latter, look for any damage, dents, holes and excessive wear

76 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

caused by abrasive products. If it’s possible, get your machinery dealer to check that the actual speed of the PTO shaft is the same as that indicated on the dashboard. Any under-speed will result in reduced spreading width, while by contrast over-speed will result in the opposite, but might also damage the product being spread. Once a product has been chosen, most spreader manufacturers will have an extensive database that offers recommendations on machine settings to achieve the target application rate, looking at parameters such as the discs required, forward speed, metering slide position and the vane positions. These recommendations are from testing typically carried out in factory test halls, so they should only be taken as a general guide. To achieve optimum spreading results, the best procedure is to undertake a spreader tray test. That gives a good visual representation of the spread pattern. Typically used to confirm a machine’s Co-Efficient of Variation, the contents of the trays are tipped into test tubes representing the full width of work. Usually, the tubes that represent the area behind

the machine might indicate more material than those at the extremities, but this is “equalled” out by the next pass of the machine. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding the height setting of the disc from the ground and check that the machine is level across both discs. Some manufacturers specify the machine needs to be tilted forwards-raising the rear of the disc – to achieve higher spread widths or to “float” fertiliser onto crops when top dressing in the spring. Accurate forward speed will also have a marked effect on spread patterns, particularly with regards to hillsides or sloping ground. Typically, as a tractor starts to climb a slope, engine revs will reduce causing a reduction in spreading width, while an overspeed on downhill sections will cause the opposite. Of course, the latest generation of tractors with CVT/Vario transmissions will help alleviate this problem by maintaining constant PTO and forward speeds. Correct set-up, calibration and spreader testing becomes significantly more important to those users undertaking variable rate application: the technique that automatically adjust

MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

spread rates, looking to pre-described application maps that consider previous crop yields or soil tests across a paddock. Additionally, the latest generation spreaders, much like crop sprayers, are equipped with section control that in practice splits the overall spreading width into virtual “sections” typically eight sections, over a 36-metre spreading width. Prescription maps uploaded to the spreader, working in conjunction with a GPS system then alter application rates over the paddock. Indeed, even the use of entry level guidance, using the likes of lightbars for improved bout to bout accuracy when driving, show potential savings,

Kuhn Quantron machine control.

largely because of reduced overlap of up to 20%, quickly recouping the initial investment in the guidance system. In summary, the maximum

benefits of fertiliser application centres around the quality of the product being applied, initial and ongoing calibration as products are changed, correct mounting of the spreader, tray tests to check the co-efficient of variation and constant forward and pto speeds. Operators should take a lead from the humble carpenter whose mantra is “measure twice and cut once” rather using the phrase “check product, check weather, check machine, tray test- test again and get on with job”. • Dairy News acknowledges the help of Kuhn NZ product specialist Ryan Burney in compiling this article.

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MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

Technology helps with milking and animal management ■ Brian Dela Rue NEW ZEALAND DAIRY farmers have been investing in more technology to help with automation in the dairy shed and herd management, according to DairyNZ’s 2023 Technology Survey. The five-yearly survey showed which technologies

were being adopted – and how quickly – by Kiwi farmers. From the data, we can better understand dairy farmers’ milking practices, and how they’re using technology to help with milking and animal management. In the 2023 survey, we also explored technology and infra-

Farmers have been investing in more technology to help with automation in the dairy shed and herd management.

78 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

structure for grazing management, stand-off facilities, and heat stress management. Results showed farmers are using automation technology to be more efficient in the dairy, meaning fewer people are required for milking. We also saw a jump in farmers investing in animal

monitoring technology (wearables) from the 2018 survey. A big reason is that farmers are looking to reduce the workload of key people on farm and to provide consistent heat detection results. Using wearables for health monitoring, cow movement and pasture allocation are other motivations.

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ACRs were installed at every bail in 88% of rotary dairies, while 28% of herringbone dairies had ACRs installed at every bail and 3% had ACRs fitted in some bails. Most new rotaries have automatic cup removers, teat sprayers and drafting, which reduces the need for a person at the cups-off position. DEEP DIVE – IN-SHED FEEDING SYSTEMS

Our survey showed 44% of herringbone dairies

had an in-shed feeding system, 38% of which were manual systems, and 6% were computerised systems allocating the same amount of feed to each cow. For rotary dairies, 68% had an in-shed feeding system, 27% had computerised systems capable of allocating different feed amounts to each cow, 29% had computerised systems capable of allocating the same feed amount to each cow, and 12% were manual systems.

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MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

main animal monitoring technology in which farmers invested significantly since 2018. We found 16% of all farms had cow wearable technology (up from 3% in 2018), the majority (13%) being collar-based sensors. Farmers tell us that a benefit of wearable systems is they can be installed regardless of existing milking infrastructure, and that some systems can also integrate with drafting for extra labour savings. FARMER WISHLIST

We asked farmers in March/April 2023 what would be at the top of their list if they were able to invest in one technology in the next two years. • 33% cow wearable • 5% ACR

Cow wearables were the main animal monitoring technology in which farmers invested significantly since 2018.

• 5% mastitis detection • 4% in-shed feeding • 4% teat spraying

Power outages due to weather events or local incidents can be hugely disruptive, so we also asked farmers if they had access to a back-up generator to run their milking plant.

54% of all farms have access to a generator. Of those with access: • 71% own a generator • 20% share with other farmers • 9% hire or borrow The DairyNZ Technology Survey 2023 was conducted in March/April 2023, before the recent reduction in milk price, and involved 516 respondents. The values for ‘all farms’ have been weighted to represent the proportion of herringbone and rotary dairies in NZ at this time (68% v 32% of farms, respectively). Read the full report at dairynz. co.nz/tech-survey. • Brian Dela Rue is DairyNZ research engineer. Article kindly supplied by DairyNZ – previously published in Inside Dairy.

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MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

Using technology for cost savings and compliance EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY IN fertiliser application not only helps dairy farmers cut costs but also ensures compliance with regulations. By focusing on precision, calibration, careful handling, and digital recordkeeping, farmers can navigate their self-spreading with confidence, safeguarding their bottom line for the long term. Precision Farming’s head of sales, Aaron Wilson, has farmed all his life and now owns a 900ha selfcontained dairy operation in Northern Southland. He knows firsthand the challenges facing dairy farmers. “We’re all trying to do more with less right now to protect our bottom line, not just for the immediate future, but for the long term. We all know the decisions we make this season will

have implications for the next,” he says. “When times are tough, dairy farmers tend to opt for more selfspreading and drop their application volumes. When that happens, what they do put on needs to be done well to maximise returns and minimise wastage.” Wilson says there are a few key things dairy farmers can do to ensure they get the best value from selfspreading. PRECISION THROUGH GPS GUIDANCE

Accurate spreading is paramount, and Wilson advocates for the use of GPS guidance systems to achieve consistent and precise fertiliser application. “Precision not only reduces wastage but also optimises coverage, leading to

increased returns. Even a small 5-10% saving achieved through accurate application can make a substantial difference. “For those without GPS systems, exploring free apps is a cost-effective alternative. This not only saves money but also enhances efficiency in the field.” CALIBRATION FOR EFFICIENCY

To ensure optimal results, he encourages farmers to spend time calibrating their spreading equipment. “Regardless of the age of the spreader, you can use a simple calibration method to fine-tune the spreading process. This will make sure your equipment is fit for purpose and provides accurate application rates.”

Accurate spreading is paramount, and a GPS guidance system helps achieve consistent and precise fertiliser application.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY

Wilson suggests a straightforward calibration method using an ice cream container to measure output over a specific distance. This cost-effective approach allows farmers to extrapolate the volume and calculate their application rate accurately. HANDLING FERTILISER WITH CARE

He says minimising the handling of fertiliser will help maintain its quality and ballistic performance. Crushed or deteriorated fertiliser may not spread evenly, leading to inconsistent results. “Ideally, you don’t want to handle the product too much, especially urea. It will deteriorate and won’t spread so well if it’s been crushed a lot by driving around on a loader. “And if you’re going to do maintenance mixes or phosphate mixes, then you definitely want to make sure you select a brew that isn’t going to deteriorate if it’s sitting around for a few days waiting for you to spread it.”

82 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2024

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

“Timing is the key to farming, and that applies to self-spreading too. Monitor the timing of your applications and do what suits your unique farm system. “Being just a few days ahead of livestock can significantly impact results. As always, weather conditions are also crucial, making it essential for farmers to tailor their application schedules to their unique farm systems.” RECORDING & DATA MANAGEMENT

Accurate record-keeping is not only vital for compliance purposes but also for informed decision-making to maximise investment. “I would recommend leveraging GPS systems for record-keeping and integrating these records into your digital platforms for easy accessibility and analysis. “As we move away from traditional pocket notebooks or hard copy maps,

there are benefits of having proof of application data in digital form. This not only streamlines N-cap reporting but also saves time, keeps a digital paddock diary and prevents data loss or destruction.” “It is a great way to keep a record of what you have done and to plan where you are going next, this is especially helpful if you have a number of different people applying fertiliser, and can also be used for spray records.” For those already equipped with GPS guidance and tracking systems, Wilson suggests connecting them to their fertiliser co-ops platforms, MyBallance or Hawkeye. “This automated process ensures that records of fertiliser applications are seamlessly sent back to your co-op, simplifying compliance, and making life easier when it comes to developing and reporting for Farm Environment or Freshwater Farm Plans.”

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Data collected on test and pilot farms. Results may vary and are not guaranteed.

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