APRIL, 2022 ISSUE 138
GIPPSLAND REGION
GET INSPIRED Head to the GippsDairy Muster in Denison on Thursday May 5. The program is full of short, sharp, practical takehome information and ideas to take your business to the next level. Page 7
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022
2 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Chair’s message
Focus on what we can control IT IS becoming increasingly apparent that cli-
mate change is a real and urgent problem. In his documentary A Life On Our Planet, Sir David Attenborough gives us an important message — it’s not whether humans can save the planet (because nature will adapt), it’s whether humans can save themselves. Big stuff. We talk of emissions and the need to be carbon neutral, but sometimes seem to forget that humans have a hierarchy of needs. One of the first is the need to eat. Call me old fashioned, but mining Bitcoin and buying land in the Metaverse is way down my list of human needs. I’ve always been proud to be a farmer, custodian of a patch of land which I use to produce food, because I believe it’s one of the most important jobs there is. We produce nutritionally dense food (milk and meat), which has high value to human health. As Gippsland dairy farmers, running largely pasture-based systems, we are in a great position to do it in a climate-friendly way. Agriculture is responsible for around 15 per cent of emissions in Australia. Dairy creates around two per cent of the national emissions, and our largest emissions source is enteric methane at 58 per cent. Enteric methane comes from the cows. Without the cows, there’s no food from my farm. So it’s pretty easy to feel like throwing my hands in the air at the prospect of reducing emissions.
“I’ve always been proud to be a farmer, custodian of a patch of land which I use to produce food, because I believe it’s one of the most important jobs there is. We produce nutritionally dense food (milk and meat) which has high value to human health.” It’s been repeated frequently in our household during the past two years: “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”. If you prefer business language, or you’ve done an Our Farm Our Plan program lately, consider the circles of control, influence and concern. When faced with an overwhelming situation (like how to save human life on earth, or how to be a dairy farmer without cows), it’s important to focus on things we can control. I can control my learning. I can get out there and learn everything I can to be the best farmer I can be. If my transition feeding is spot on, my calf rearing practices are great, my heat detection
and AI technique combined with my nutritional management means that my cows get in calf, my carbon emissions will be reduced. If I use genetics and genomics, am smart with my fertiliser usage, and get the cows’ diet balance and grazing management right, they will make the most milk from the least inputs. Every time I can increase my productivity (generating greater outputs from the same or lesser inputs), my carbon footprint improves. I can control my consumption. It’s time to swing back from over-consumption of poor-quality products, to a focus on consuming a smaller amount of higher quality products. This applies to the farm and the household, as well as what we eat. Waste in all its forms is an unnecessary source of carbon emissions. And lastly, I can control the language I use. I can take pride in what I do. I can be part of the conversation to explain that on my farm, enteric methane cycles back into healthy soils just like nature intended. My cows produce high quality, nutrient-dense milk and meat. Without my farm, you might get hungry. As a Gippsland dairy farmer, I’m confident that my cows and I are part of a carbon-neutral future. Bitcoin and the Metaverse? I’m not so sure. Lauren Finger GippsDairy chair
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022
4 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Connecting farms A NEW network spread across
32,000 square kilometres is helping Victorian farmers make better use of digital technologies on their farms. The Low Power Wide Area Network, commonly referred to as LoRaWAN, was funded as part of the Victorian Government’s On-Farm Internet of Things Trial and was
Reliable farm connectivity is the key to agtech uptake.
rolled out by National Narrowband Network Communications. NNNCo CEO and co-founder Rob Zagarella said he welcomed the government’s investment in the new network and its foresight to ensure farmers in the trial had access to reliable connectivity to get the most out of the government’s investment.
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“IoT (Internet of Things) has a major role to play in Australian agriculture, particularly as the sector works towards its goals of becoming a $100 billion industry and carbon neutral by 2030,” Mr Zagarella said. “LoRaWAN is ideal for the agriculture sector because it was developed for industries that needed a cost-effective, long-range signal with a battery life of many years for IoT sensors, and the ability to meet 100 per cent of all coverage needs to every sensor and device deployed in the field. “NNNCo was able to set up the network quickly, providing kilometres of service in any direction and bringing connectivity to areas that other technologies could not reach.” In the trial, some farmers use environmental sensors like soil moisture probes to analyse realtime weather data and determine the best time and quantity of water for irrigation. Others use sensors to monitor troughs, tanks, silos or gates opening. This ensures the most effective use of water, electricity and time, reduces costs and improves sustainability. Mr Zagarella said the On-Farm IoT Trial was a big undertaking but critical to increasing the uptake of ag-tech in the sector. “We’ve worked with local contractors and farmers to install IoT network connectivity on farms around Birchip, Serpentine, Tatura and Maffra,” he said. “We’ve installed around 150 gateways on farms and provided our data exchange platform product called N2N-DL to ensure data generated from the trial can be turned into meaningful information for farmers to make more informed decisions. “The establishment of a ubiquitous telcograde network and delivery of data from apps and devices to the Agriculture Victoria data lake will accelerate the adoption of ag-tech, improve on-farm connectivity and deliver agricultural productivity and sustainability gains. Agriculture Victoria’s Julie Simons said the lack of reliable on-farm connectivity, capital costs and uncertainty around navigating technology choices posed barriers preventing some farmers from adopting emerging digital technologies on-farm. “The LoRaWAN network being delivered through the trial is helping to overcome these challenges by supporting farmers to test the benefits of IoT technology such as soil moisture probes, weather monitoring, humidity and temperature monitoring, water tank level monitoring, and asset tracking on their farms,” Dr Simons said. “The IoT trial is not only an opportunity for horticulture, dairy, sheep and cropping farmers to establish the technology best suited to their circumstances, it will also allow us to share lessons from the trial with other farmers to help them better understand how investments in IoT technologies can assist their decision making and improve their operations.” To find out more about LoRaWAN and NNNCo projects in Smart Agriculture, go to: www.nnnco.com.au/smart-agriculture/
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022
GIPPSLAND REGION // 5
Passionate about dairy cows MATT AND Nicola Templeton run View Fort Hol-
steins and Jerseys, a South Gippsland farm that currently milks 240 Holstein and Jersey cows. They both grew up on dairy farms and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. “I like farming, and I do it mainly for the cows. You’d find a lot of easier jobs than this,” Matt said. Nicola is originally from Queensland before she made her home in Victoria, bringing Jerseys with her. “I brought a bit of home with me. Most of the original cows are still with us,” she said. Matt and Nicola both grew up showing dairy cows, which was where they first met. Both their families were passionate about breeding champion dairy cows — Matt’s family focused on Holsteins and Nicola’s family on Jerseys. It is no surprise the duo has become a competitive force in the showing scene, recently being crowned back-to-back overall grand champion at International Dairy Week (IDW). To add to their success, they recently won a silver milk quality award, which is awarded to dairy farmers in the top five per cent of farms with the lowest BMCC (bulk milk cell counts) nationally. “We don’t keep the cell count down to win plaques, we do it because we want to produce quality milk,” Nicola said. More success followed last year for Matt and Nicola when one of their Holsteins sold for the highest Matt and Nicola Templeton with daughter Geri and International Dairy Week grand champion cow Fort Dictator Dottie.
GIPPSDAIRY MUSTER 5 MAY 2022 Innovate | Connect | Inspire
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For more information and to register for this free event in Denison, please visit dairyaustralia.com.au/gippsdairymuster
Continued on Page 6
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022
6 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Continued from Page 5 price at the 2021 Winner’s Circle online auction. This auction replaced International Dairy Week that had been cancelled due to COVID-19. When preparing for IDW, Matt and Nicola devote a lot of time and planning in selecting their preferred cows. Deciding which cow to take is something that takes place long before the event. “It can take up to two years to get the cow ready. It’s a long-term process,” Nicola said. This year was no exception. “We took a team of 13 milkers to this year’s dairy week,” Matt said. “We usually select the cows on their general make-up. We’re looking for a balanced cow that’s not too extreme anywhere. No cow is perfect. It’s trying to have that cow with the least number of faults.” “We’re also trying to show our cows that are most profitable. It’s all about functionality,” Nicola said. Once Matt and Nicola have chosen their preferred cows for IDW, these cows are separated from the main herd after calving. “We feed them a special diet of their own grain mix,” Matt said. “I start that about two months before dairy week. Showing is not a cheap exercise, so you have to make it worth it.” Accurate herd recording data underpins many of their herd decisions and is an invaluable tool. “We herd test every month. The only months we sometimes miss are January and June,” Matt said.
The data they get then informs their strategies going forward. “Data is irreplaceable. It’s a pain to do, but when you get the results, it sorts it out. It’s there in black and white,” Nicola said. “Because we do it monthly, it paints a good picture.” They always keep an eye on their BMCC, and respond to any changes early. “If we’re creeping up to 100 we know there’s a cow or two that has issues and we react,” Matt said. “I’d recommend herd testing at least every second month. Otherwise, you fly blind.” Regular monitoring helps keep track of the cows and makes sure nothing slips past. “There’s just no other way to know what’s really going on,” Nicola said. They don’t have many mastitis cases in their herd, and the few they do have are usually due to environmental causes. Matt and Nicola feel that genetics also has a part to play in their low rates of mastitis. “It’s part of the breeding. It’s hereditary,” Matt said. “If a cow’s udder and uterus are healthy, you’re a long way in front.” Within their business, Matt and Nicola’s main passion lies in genetics. In addition to gathering regular data, they also focus on genomics. “In the last three or four years we’ve seen an improvement in the overall herd genetics. Genomics has been an invaluable tool with our breeding,” Matt said.
“As the reliability has increased as more animals have gone into the system, you’d be silly not to use it as a tool,” Nicola said. When selecting specific bulls, Matt and Nicola focus on only a small number of traits. Fertility/daughter pregnancy rate and mastitis resistance — along with high protein and fat percentage — are usually what they look for most in a bull. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a bull that’s going to tick every box,” Nicola said. “Sometimes you just have to look at them and pick out the most important traits. We don’t choose 50 bulls. We have a team of four that all have really good attributes. “The indicators are becoming more reliable, and we take this into account when selecting bulls. It makes an impact on your bottom line.” But the biggest reward for the Templetons is knowing that the systems they have in place are successful. “We try and look after our cows and make sure they’re healthy,” Nicola said. “We’ve moved away from using blanket dry cow and started to use teat seals on everything. This comes back to cell count. There’s no point in us pumping antibiotics into a cow with a cell count of six.” They are also not afraid to trial different methods and are proactive when it comes to improving their milk quality. “We’re definitely not perfect but we’re always trying to improve things,” Nicola said. “For example, we put in lightweight cups. It doesn’t just make it nicer for us to milk, but it also has a positive impact on the cows.
“We have to embrace technology and take the pressure off manual labour.” “We want to create long term efficiency,” Matt said. “We’re putting in heat-time collars and are planning on putting in an auto calf feeder. “We need to look at the whole industry and move with technology and sustainability.” Another part of the strategy to keeping their cows healthy and their cell counts down is providing adequate feed. “We try and grow the best feed we can,” Matt said. “We always try and improve things, while keeping to a budget. You can’t have good cows without having good feed.” To be able to provide good feed, they renovate their pastures and plant a summer crop most years. But the biggest change for the Templetons is their plans to reduce the amount of traditional fertilisers they use through soil sampling and maximising their use of effluent. “It all comes back to sustainability. We shouldn’t have to throw so many chemicals and nitrogen on the grass,” Nicola said. They have also worked hard to make sure they have a great expert team that helps them make informed decisions on their farm. “We can’t do everything, so we need sound advice,” Nicola said. “People try and do everything by themselves and become burnt out. They also get left behind because you can’t be everywhere at once.”
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2022
GIPPSLAND REGION // 7
Get inspired at the muster
GIPPSDAIRY WILL present the GippsDairy
Muster 2022 on Thursday, May 5 in Denison, part of the Macalister Irrigation District. Driven by strong local input from GippsDairy’s farming community, the free-to-attend event will deliver a diverse, informative and inspirational line-up of speakers. Hear Richard Eckard discuss carbon, Nollaig Heffernan talk about recruitment and reward, and Rachael Robertson explain how she built resilience and respect in her team during a year spent in the world’s most remote workplace — Antarctica. The program is full of short, sharp, practical take-home information and ideas to take your business to the next level. In addition, there will be seven breakout stations, each with a subject matter expert. Topics include: nitrogen, automatic milking systems, recruitment and reward, collars, genomic testing calves, Young Dairy Network and carbon.
Meet your hosts The GippsDairy Muster 2022 will be held on a dairy farm owned by Jon Ryan and Lauren Clyne. They both come from farming families and bought their farm seven years ago. The 194 ha farm currently milks 380 cows in a rotary dairy. Jon and Lauren recently purchased an extra 60 ha to grow their business. They have invested in heat detection collars and are looking into new forms of irrigation. Jon is an early adopter and always looking to improve his business. “I’ve made some changes over the last few years, taking things away that just weren’t working,” Jon said. “I make plenty of mistakes, which is important to acknowledge as well.” Jon and Lauren’s farm showcases what is possible when starting from scratch. “Participants are certainly not coming to see a third or fourth generation farm,” Jon said. “This is first generation and a work in progress. It’s important for new farmers to know that you don’t start with everything perfect.” While progress and innovation are important to Jon and Lauren, they are also aware of the impacts farming can have on the environment. “We have to get the balance of both worlds. The economic side and the environmental one,” Jon said.
Meet the key speakers Rachael Robertson Rachael Robertson successfully led the 58th Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to Davis Station. She was only the second female to ever lead a team at the station and one of the youngest ever leaders. Prior to this Rachael held senior operational management roles for 16 years in a range of complex and challenging environments and now works in the field of leadership development sharing her experiences. Rachael has written two best-selling books: Leading on the Edge, based on her year in Antarctica; and Respect trumps Harmony which provides the tools to build resilient, high performing teams based on research and case studies collected over 15 years Richard Eckard Professor Richard Eckard is director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, University of Melbourne, a research centre addressing the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture. His research focuses on carbon farming and accounting towards carbon neutral agriculture, managing extreme climate events and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. He developed the first greenhouse gas
accounting tools for agriculture and his research provided the science basis for six carbon offset methods in Australia. Richard is a science adviser to the Australian, New Zealand, UK and European Union governments, the International Livestock Research Institute and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation on climate change adaptation, mitigation and policy development in agriculture.
Nollaig Heffernan Dr Nollaig Heffernan is an independent management consultant from Ireland, specialising in leadership and organisational psychology. She helps businesses from sole-traders to multi-nationals to improve their performance by increasing the efficiency of their most valuable asset — their people. Nollaig’s dual-discipline background in business and psychology has been invaluable in
helping companies and organisations improve their performance across all business sectors, including agriculture. She was voted best speaker at Ireland’s Positive Farmers Conference in 2018 and 2019 by the 500 farmer delegates. Attendance at GippsDairy Muster 2022 is free but registration is essential. For more information or to register, visit: dairyaustralia.com.au/gippsdairymuster
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