FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE 136
MURRAY REGION
GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT Dairying has taken Andrew and Cassandra Kath from Queensland to Rochester. Since arriving in northern Victoria they've appreciated the opportunities and amount of support and resources on offer. Page 8
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2022
2 // NEWS
Year offers positives and challenges WELCOME TO 2022 and what continues to be
a time of challenges and uncertainty, particularly with COVID-19 impacting essential services including the workforce on farm. Positively, the new year brings continued good seasonal conditions on farm with a bit of extra moisture around and relatively cooler temperatures, albeit a bit humid at times. There continues to be a lot happening in the world of dairy with the levy poll vote just around the corner. There is a lot of information available on the website at dairypoll.com.au, and I encourage you to ensure you’re well informed ahead of voting, which opens from February 2. Murray Dairy’s Fodder for the Future project winter trial results have been analysed and collated and are about to be posted on the Murray Dairy website. This important feedbase research is about to enter its second year and is an important investment for our industry.
In other research work in the region, Murray Dairy has been a key participant in the cross-sector partnership project: Smarter Irrigation for Profit II (SIP2), and in this edition of Dairy News we take a closer look at the project. It’s unfortunate that COVID-19 has yet again impacted some key events scheduled in February including the highly anticipated Dairy Australia Raising the Roof event. This event provides an opportunity to really showcase intensive systems, bringing together experts from across the industry and Agriculture Victoria to talk about planning, operating and optimising these investments. Fortunately, the event has been rescheduled to May 10 and 11. The annual Murray Muster is on again in 2022 visiting Yarrawonga, and I encourage you to lock in the dates of May 18 and 19. This two-day event will focus on feedbase, farming systems and safety, with expert speakers throughout the
day, a keynote speaker in the evening, and bus tours on day two. Developing our younger dairy generation continues to be an important investment area for Murray Dairy. Our Young Dairy Network provides a great opportunity for people to engage in technical learning, networking or embark on industry leadership opportunities. Featured in this Dairy News edition is information all about the Murray region Young Dairy Network, what to expect and how you can get involved. Finally, I encourage you to take a look at the resources available to support farm businesses managing through COVID-19. These can be found online at: dairyaustralia.com.au/c19
Chair’s message
Take care. Andrew Tyler Chair, Murray Dairy
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NEWS // 3
Project targets profits for irrigators OBSERVATIONS FROM the Smarter
the WildEye program and presents the data in an appealing graph. This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. This season, summer crops were planted later than usual due to cooler conditions. While these conditions meant the preceding winter crop (vetch and canola) was given every opportunity to succeed up until harvest, it has also unfortunately meant the soil temperature did not reach any sort of stability until December, delaying sowing. As illustrated in the graph, the small upward trend just prior to December 5 indicates that the irrigation infiltrated as far down as 80 cm. In comparison, the 3.5 mm of rain received on December 3 barely infiltrated deeper than 10 cm. For more information regarding the SIP2 project or how your farm can be involved in future land, water or climate projects, contact regional extension officer Natalie Eckert on 0421 532 112.
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Irrigation for Profit II (SIP2) project reassure us that the decisions we make regarding timely and effective irrigation warrant analysis. Getting irrigation right is conducive to higher yields due to the effectiveness of penetration to depth and reduced likelihood of periods of water stress and/ or water logging. The SIP2 project had a focus on maize, a crop with high input costs and also potentially high returns. As we move towards the critical growth periods in late January, effective irrigation scheduling is particularly important as water stress during tasselling and silking of maize can cause significant yield loss. Irrigation technology to support decision making can aid in ensuring that the significant investment of irrigation water on your crop is efficiently and effectively applied. Choosing to invest in irrigation technology should be discussed with an experienced, local consultant who will be able to provide support regarding installation, utilisation and interpretation of the data collected. Irrigators are reminded to use multiple sources of information to schedule water and to always ground truth observations from irrigation technology. Murray Dairy has been a key participant in the SIP2 project which is a cross-sector partnership with involvement of dairy, cotton, grains, sugar and rice industries. SIP2 has an objective of improving the profitability of 4000 irrigators. This complements the key outcome of the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project, which found that growers could gain a 10 to 20 per cent improvement in profitability simply by employing best practice irrigation management techniques such as precision agriculture technology. As part of the project, Murray Dairy has facilitated one fully funded site on flood irrigation, which augments Murray Dairy's centre pivot irrigated site. Both sites have been installed with soil moisture capacitance probes. These probes have sensors at 10 cm increments down to a depth of 80 cm. The probe reports back through
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2022
4 // NEWS
Connecting young professionals THE YOUNG Dairy Network (YDN) is an ongo-
ing program delivered to support the professional development of young people employed in the dairy industry, across the Murray Dairy region. Through regular catch-ups and events, the YDN has built a strong group of young dairy farmers, employees and service providers by providing a forum for young professionals to connect, share information and exchange ideas. YDN is targeted at those in the dairy industry aged 18 to 40, or anyone ‘young in their career’. The initiative is run by Murray Dairy YDN co-ordinator Bec Wyper, with the guidance of a steering committee which provides input and feedback on events, development and sponsorship opportunities, and what the network can offer to its members. Through workshops, field trips, on-farm days, study tours and leadership programs, members of the YDN are supported both personally and professionally in their development. This investment into the sector ensures profitable dairy businesses have a solid capacity and capability for the future. In establishing a strong local network, the YDN gives young people
employed in the industry a way to build upon their skills and knowledge through interactions with dairy professionals, established farmers and industry service providers, paving a pathway forward in the industry. The YDN is heavily supported by the Gardiner Foundation in the delivery of its valuable events and initiatives. In the Murray Dairy region there are six sub-region YDN groups that you can become involved in: The YDN hosts a number of events throughout the year with the purpose of both helping young farmers learn more in all aspects of farming and to provide a social network within our region and between other dairying regions. Events and examples include: If you have any questions or would like more information on the YDN and how you can be involved, contact Bec Wyper on 0493 060 095 or email becw@murraydairy.com.au You can keep up-to-date with the Murray Dairy YDN and its future events by ‘liking’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ youngdairynetwork
Talks, tours and social events are all part of being involved in the Young Dairy Network.
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6 // MURRAY REGION
Networks good for business BY SOPHIE BALDWIN
STANHOPE’S CRAIG Emmett says being part
of the Central Dairy Business Network is a great way to share decision-making information and gain insights into the sector Craig Emmett is a firm believer in looking at his farm first and foremost as a business. Every decision is carefully thought out and the Central Dairy Business Network (DBN) funded through Murray Dairy has played a pivotal role in that process during the past five years. Craig farms with his parents Lyn and Gordon, milking 200 cows at Stanhope. The family has been fully organic for the past tow-and-a-half years and currently supplies ACM. Craig said the DBN group he was involved in was a diverse and large cross-section of dairy farmers from Tongala, Tatura, Merrigum, Wyuna and surrounding areas. The group meets monthly and rotates through a member’s farm or a chosen location, which can be outside their geographical area. “It is great to be involved with a group of likeminded farmers who have a focus of working on their business and properly looking at and analysing the numbers to make conscious business decisions,” Craig said. He said it was interesting to look at collated data from a wide range of businesses from farmers who ran a total grazing, low labour system
through to those that had embraced TMRs, robots and other advancements. “Interestingly there never seems to be a correlation when it comes to profitability. Every farm is different which is why it is so important to know your own business and where to spend your money. If you are looking at a major investment like putting on collars, buying land or changing herd numbers, the DBN is a great platform to get honest and credible advice and feedback.” Craig said while the DBN was an important management tool for his business it also provided a great platform for connection with other farmers and a great place to talk about the industry and issues in general. He said it had also been interesting to see how farm businesses within the DBN had evolved over the years. “When we first started we were the only organic farm in the DBN. Now, there are four,” Craig said. The Emmett family’s decision to move toward organics was originally initiated by Gordon. “Dad was definably the driving force but it didn’t take me long to get on board,” Craig said. When they first officially started to supply organic milk there was a $3 litre premium price but a strong domestic market has reduced the margin this year to about $1.50. The predominantly Jersey herd (which includes a handful of crossbreds) is milked
Stanhope’s Craig Emmett says being part of the Central Dairy Business Network is a great way to gain insights into the sector.
off a 110ha milking platform of lucerne and pasture. A 50ha runoff block is used to grow fodder and rear young stock. Interestingly young stock can be reared
conventionally until 18 months of age before they must transition across to organics. Craig said one of the major problems for organic farmers had always been sourcing outside feed, however this season climatic
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2022
MURRAY REGION // 7 conditions had created one of the best springs he had ever experienced. “We have only watered three times this year and our lucerne has only been irrigated twice, so that has been a significant saving. We have been able to grow extra fodder on our dryland including silage and hay and the mild conditions have kept the quality fantastic.” They have learnt to change their management, especially when it comes time to resow pasture. “We have lost quite a few paddocks to weed burden when we have sown lucerne in the autumn, so now we wait until spring or summer. Being organic you can’t just go and spray out weeds or throw urea on to fire up the grass either, so management is particularly important.” They are also looking to move the calving pattern from autumn/spring calving to more spring-based when it is much easier to feed the herd. “If we run short of grass or silage and the cows aren’t getting enough quality feed fertility is impacted, and we are trying to avoid that happening in the future.” One of the other major differences Craig has noticed was their previous reliance on antibiotics. “We definitely relied on antibiotics more than we should have under a conventional system, and there is often a better way to manage cow health including use of multivitamins and apple cider vinegar.” The next major business decision approaching for the Emmetts is one many farm businesses dread and some end up avoiding
altogether — succession planning. The family has signed up to Our Farm Our Plan (OFOP) — a new national Dairy Australia program initiative designed to help farmers identify long-term goals, improve business performance and manage volatility. Craig said they would be using OFOP to help with the process of succession planning. “We currently have a three-way partnership and we will use OFOP to help transition away from that. This is a great initiative and would cost us quite a bit of money if we paid an outside consultant to do the work for us. We are getting value out of our dairy levy by participating in the OFOP, but it doesn’t have to be about succession planning.” OFOP was developed by Dairy Australia with support from Gardiner Dairy Foundation and Dairy NZ and uses a simple ‘now, where, how, review planning process’ which includes one-onone support over a two-year period. Craig is also a member of the Regional Network Group (RNG) which meets quarterly to discuss industry issues that need to be bought forward to Murray Dairy or Dairy Australia. “Things like single-day workshops on water ... Feeding Pastures for Profit program or Murray Dairy’s flagship project Fodder for the Future programs are all ideas that have been bought up and come through RNG. This is also the platform for grievances and gripes to be aired and again at the very least is another great networking opportunity. “The dairy levies spent through Murray Dairy are used to fund some really great programs to help our business and improve our skills, and we should all be accessing as many of these program as we possibly can.”
The Emmetts’ herd is predominantly Jersey.
The next big challenge for the family is succession planning.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 2022
8 // MURRAY REGION
Getting the balance right BY SOPHIE BALDWIN
DAIRYING HAS taken Andrew and Cassandra
Kath across three states of Australia. Starting in Queensland they have worked their way down, settling in Rochester on a 382ha across dairy farm milking 500 cows. The milking platform consists of 262ha and is run in conjunction with a 120ha run-off block. Andrew is a generational farmer while Cass’s love for cows initially began in the show ring. In 2006 the couple purchased Andrew’s grandfather’s dairy property in Queensland, milking 70 cows. They upped the herd to 180 but soon realised they were going to outgrow the property. “We wanted to grow our business but we couldn’t see the economics of investing in Queensland,” Andrew said. “We had an opportunity to manage a farm in Narromine (NSW), so we decided to move with the core of our herd and machinery down there. “We have actually done things a little bit backwards and bought a dairy farm first,” he said with a laugh. Since moving to northern Victoria in 2019, the couple has been astounded by the opportunities which have been on offer, along with the amount of support and resources. Both Andrew and Cass have the firm goal
in mind of making their dairy business work for them. “We love the dairy industry but we don’t want to be a slave to our business. We have a family and we both want to enjoy things outside of farming, which is better for everyone in the long term,” Cass said. The Kaths also learnt some hard life lessons at the farm they previously worked on which nearly broke them, so they were pretty keen to start afresh. “We were desperate to find somewhere to go and we were lucky a share farming opportunity in Rochester with Greg Ault popped up. Greg is passionate about the dairy industry and things are going really well,” Andrew said. The couple originally started on a 60-40 share farming basis but that altered in July 2021 to 50-50 after they purchased the milking herd. Greg was very hands-on for the first couple of years but has started to take a step back. “Communication is very important. We started out with weekly meetings but now it’s monthly and it is working well.” T h e m i xe d h e r d i s p r e d o m i n a n t l y Holstein with about 30 Jerseys and 30 Brown Swiss thrown into the mix. All breeds are kept pure. The couple also enjoys showing cattle when the opportunity arises throughout the year. The herd calves three times — in autumn, spring and summer with grazing over winter
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Cassandra and Andrew Kath moved from Queensland to Rochester and have been appreciative of the support they’ve had since arriving in northern Victoria.
and spring and access to a TMR over summer and into autumn. “A PMR is probably the hardest system of all to make work, but through Our Farm Our Plan we have really been able to nail down our goals and what we want to achieve,” Andrew said. Both Cass and Andrew cannot believe the support available to dairy farmers through Dairy Australia and regionally through Murray Dairy. “We have farmed in three states and we have never come across this level of industry support. There are so many opportunities through different Murray Dairy programs to learn and improve your skills, which is so important,” Cass said. The couple has joined a Dairy Business Network (DBN) out of Kyabram and is enjoying the insight and diversity that opportunity is bringing to the business. “The DBN has provided a really great mentorship for us. There is such a diverse group of farmers — some are generational, some aren’t, some are big and some are small and we have been able to learn and shape our own business in some ways from this experience,” Cass said. Andrew and Cass believe there are many opportunities in northern Victoria and they can’t believe the quality and quantity of feed they have been able to grow, with access to affordable irrigation water and a bore. This season has been a ripper one as far as conserving fodder goes, which is a key goal for the couple; they are producing about 1700 dry
tonnes of silage including 960 tonnes of vetch at 21 per cent protein and 9/ME which was their target figure. “It is reassuring to know we now have about 18 months’ supply of silage on hand,” Andrew said. Both Andrew and Cass completed the Dairy Australia Feeding Pasture for Profit program and the Advanced Nutrition in Action course. ANA showed the couple the importance of chasing quality feed while FPFP was more about growing fodder. “We both got a lot out of the ANA course; for Andrew it was more about the quality of feed, while for me it was a bit more about the importance of body condition score, splitting up animals into groups and feeding our stock as best as we possibly can,” Cass said. As part of their business plan not to be a slave to the farm, the couple has invested heavily in creating a flexible roster for their employees. They make sure all their employees have completed a Cups On Cups Off course. “We have just started to employee my nephew full-time and we want him to get involved in the Young Dairy Network. Both Cass and I were involved in that in Toowoomba and back in its heyday there was about 50 people involved in ours. It was a great way to meet people and learn the industry,” Andrew said. Andrew and Cass are looking forward to their future in the industry and are excited by the opportunities they can see, not just for running a successful dairy business but also being able to incorporate lifestyle and family into the mix as well.
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The mixed herd is predominantly Holstein but there are about 30 Jerseys and 30 Brown Swiss in the mix.