APRIL, 2021 ISSUE 126
GIPPSLAND REGION
BEST START
A tried and true calf rearing system is paving the way for a successful start. Page 6.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
2 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Chair’s message
Everyone can be a leader every day AS I write this, a new group of Don Campbell
Memorial Tour participants is flying over Bass Strait on their way to a five-day tour of Tasmanian dairy districts. As the tour is named after a prominent dairy industry leader, the concept of leadership came to my mind. Once upon a time I had what I now recognise to be the traditional view of leadership. That is, a leader had a title either bestowed upon them by virtue of having a particular position or being voted in or employed into a particular office. I can now see that everyone from farm workers to managers and farm owners have the ability, indeed the responsibility, to be leaders. Through their actions, everyone has an opportunity to influence others, to lead.
As an industry we are always looking for people who can influence an outcome, or simply, to get the job done. Right now, one of the jobs that needs to be done is to create and influence an industry culture of positivity and vibrancy. I am a realist and have been around this game long enough to have experienced both the ups and downs to know that our industry is full of challenges. I am convinced though, that those challenges are best faced by people who think, speak and act every day with a positive attitude. Those are the people who can be best relied upon to show up, work together to achieve common goals, be trustworthy and transparent in all their dealings and take the time to include and be mindful of others.
Everyone, every day, has the opportunity to display those character traits and influence others through their actions. Doing so will further enhance the reputation of the Gippsland dairy industry and make the job easier to attract and retain great people. I do not deny that at times it requires courage to show up and be leaders who set a positive example and take the step to encourage others to do the same. I only need to look to the Don Campbell Memorial Tour and am convinced that fostering a culture of leadership across the region will support young minds to see great opportunities, shape their futures and in turn shape the future of our industry. X Grant Williams GippsDairy chair
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
GIPPSLAND REGION // 3
An ad changed Jodie’s life JODIE FOSTER has always loved being outside.
But despite her passion for the outdoors, she worked in an inner-city office after finishing school. “There were days I had to chain myself to the desk,” Jodie said. After spending years working in the office but not getting much enjoyment out of it, she knew it was time for a change and placed an ad on Gumtree, asking if anyone needed help on their farm. A farmer in Colac contacted her after he saw the ad and she started working at his dairy farm milking 1100 cows. “I just needed something different,” Jodie said. “I wanted to be outdoors, and I’ve always loved animals. When the opportunity came up, I took it and it changed my life.” Her first job on the farm was milking, and she had no previous experience whatsoever. That did not stop her from jumping in and learning all she could. Her employer encouraged her to attend a Cups On Cups Off (COCO) course in her first week on-farm, which took her to Gippsland. “The course gave me a great foundation to work from,” she said. Jodie is passionate about farming and loves to improve her skills. She did a Certificate III in Agriculture at GOTAFE Warragul, a Certificate IV in Agriculture at TAFE Gippsland, and attended most of GippsDairy’s courses like Farm Business Fundamentals, Drones in Dairy, Healthy Hooves, In Charge Fertility, Milk Quality and more. “I’ve done pretty much every course GippsDairy offers,” Jodie said. But the one she says she still gets the most value out of was COCO. “Everyone should do this course. It teaches you best practices in the shed and how your actions affect your cows.
“Anyone on the farm can benefit from this course and I guarantee you will learn something whether you’re a fifth generation dairy farmer or new to the industry.” When Jodie moved to Gippsland from Colac more than six years ago, she also became part of the Young Dairy Network (YDN), which helped her find out about upcoming courses and gave her an opportunity to network with other young farmers in the South Gippsland region. In 2018 Jodie received a spot in the Don Campbell Dairy Study Tour of Tasmania. “The Don Campbell tour was an amazing experience,” she said. “The opportunity to go away with a group of like-minded people, attend the DairyTAS Conference and study the dairy industry in Tasmania was something I’ll never forget. “I still keep in contact with participants and facilitators from the trip.” Jodie was also selected for the 2020 UDV New Zealand Study Tour. Unfortunately, COVID-19 put this on hold. “I cannot wait to see what the New Zealand tour has to offer. “Their way of dairying is quite different from South West Gippsland and I’m keen to see how they do things and to hopefully make more lifelong friendships along the way.” When she is not milking, Jodie works at HICO as a herd test officer. “The value of herd testing for farmers is immense,” she said. “I feel there is a lot more work that can be done in this area to assist farmers. “I would like to see more education for farmers on how to read the reports they receive and interpret these results to help with on-farm decisions, like dry-off for example.” Her advice to new starters is simple. “Don’t give up. The more you put yourself out there by attending workshops, the more relationships and knowledge you’ll build.
From the office to the dairy: Jodie Foster is loving her job after taking up work on a dairy farm.
“Network as much as you can and build relationships with mentors.” Jodie is doing exactly what she loves, working with animals and being outside. But she never takes things for granted and always looks for ways she can improve her skills and expand her knowledge. “There’s so much to learn on a farm and things are always changing. Take every opportunity you can to keep learning. “The best thing about the dairy industry is that there are so many jobs that need to be done. “If you don’t like one aspect, there’s a million other things that need to be done. You’re bound to find something you enjoy.”
Jodie enjoys her work and all that comes with it and cannot see herself doing anything else. “It’s incredibly satisfying helping and watching a calf being born and a couple of years later you’re in the shed milking her. “You don’t get that in any other job.” She found her passion and thanks to a wellplaced ad, now gets to do what she always wanted. “I love going out to different farms and meeting awesome people along the way.” If you want to know more about how to get started in the dairy industry visit www.gippsdairy. com.au or contact GippsDairy on 5624 3900 or email info@gippsdairy.com.au
AGRI-TECH OPENS NEW DAIRY DOORS Evan and Sheriden Williams say their decision to invest in agricultural robots has given them a much-needed work-life balance and renewed love for the dairy industry. They run the Williams-Lowndes dairy farm in Yannathan, West Gippsland, and made the decision a few years ago to replace their old rotary milking parlour with a robotic operating system. “We’re in our 50s now and our bodies were tired from cupping cows up in the rotary dairy constantly and we were getting disillusioned,” Sheriden said. “Our kids and grandkids are also on the farm and we decided investing in technology would progress the business and make things easier for the whole family. “When the robots came, we both fell back in love with dairy again.” The emergence of agriculture technology or ‘agri-tech’ is creating significant domestic benefits for farming businesses and others in the agri-food supply chain. “We’re no longer getting up at 5 am every day to milk the cows,” Sheriden said. “We have a new sense of flexibility with our day becoming whatever we make
it — we might even sleep in, have a cuppa and get to work at 7 am! “With the robots, the cows come in over a 24-hour period, whenever they want to, it’s really up to them. The cows basically run the show now.” The couple was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the cows adapted to the change — with the carefully placed set of cameras and sensors creating a seamless process for the cows and the overall milking process. “They come back to the dairy, get some grain, get milked and switched to another part of the farm,” Sheriden said. “And hopefully they do that at least twice a day. Some cows come in more than three times a day and some only once. It’s down to the cow.” Evan and Sheriden are currently planning to expand their technology investment, awaiting two additional robots to create more time and space for the robots to reach the growing herd of 320 cows. “We’re also hoping to see a boost in milk once the two extra robots are installed over the coming months,” Sheriden said.
“Already we’ve noticed the health and overall immunity of our cows has improved and they are producing consistently high quality milk.” The Williams’ farm isn’t the only one embracing the benefits of agri-tech, as other producers are looking to incorporate similar systems to support their operations. “The industry has had a difficult few years but as things begin turning around, there are moments of positivity that make it all worthwhile,” Sheriden said. “For us, the robots have helped create many of those moments and we imagine that as the interest and investment in digitisation grows, others will see similar benefits as well.” Commonwealth Bank Australia’s general manager of agribusiness Tim Harvey said the growing momentum of agri-tech was creating unique opportunities for the food and fibre sector across the country. “Australian agribusinesses have always been innovative and the rise in ag-specific technology reflects this,” he said. “It’s producing new commercial results and growth opportunities for customers and the industry.”
Yannathan dairy farmers Sheriden (pictured) and Evan Williams implemented a robotic dairy a few years ago and are reaping the rewards.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
4 // GIPPSLAND REGION
One-man show keeps it simple JEANETTE SEVERS
LEO AND Trish van den Broek have three farms
Leo and Trish van den Broek are moving away from rearing calves.
Leo van den Broek will leave late calves on their cows rather than bring the cow into the herd.
Leo van den Broek has been using a Hereford bull to breed beef-dairy-cross calves for a growing F1 market.
The cows’ milk protein level dropped from 3.8 to 3.18 recently and a high starch pellet is supplementing the grazing system.
in Gippsland’s Macalister Irrigation District. Leo milks 90 to 100 cows off a pivot-irrigated 32 ha of the 38.5 ha home farm at Tinamba, and has a turnout block at Newry of 69 irrigated hectares. At the 40 ha Boisdale farm, flood irrigation grows perennial rye-grass and clover pasture for grazing and harvest. Operating a single-person farming business, Leo would like to be able to lower his herd numbers, but the cost of grain precludes this. “I’m milking 94 in the herd, trying to calve down about 100 cows,” he said. “I think 80 would be the perfect number for this farm, but the price of grain means I need to milk a few more cows to cover production inputs. “Last year the herd averaged 7000 litres/cow, and this year I’m heading to the same total. “I’m a little bit up on last year, to be about 7070 litres/cow, but I milked through last season and I’ll be drying off come June this season. I expect that 7070 to come back to 7000/cow.” Grazing is on a 22-day rotation and the kind season means he hasn’t started feeding silage yet. “I’ll probably start feeding silage in April, and that will beef-out the grazing component to 30 days rotation,” Leo said. “In June I get them to eat the farm out — and then dry them off from the middle of June. “They’re out for eight weeks, wintering at the Boisdale farm, and that allows a feed wedge to build up on the Tinamba farm.” Regular rainfall this year has supplemented the 166 Ml irrigation licence on the home farm at Tinamba and 45 Ml channel irrigation at Newry, used for watering pasture to harvest hay and silage. “Piped to the farm, it’s part of the new pipeand-riser efficiency system installed by Southern Rural Water, replacing the Dethridge wheels,” Leo said. “I irrigate every 10 to 14 days, watering about 65 per cent of the farm with the pivot and 35 per cent with flood irrigation.” He harvested 60 rolls of pasture silage, adding to a stored 60 rolls of silage from the previous summer, and estimates he’ll need to buy 40 rolls of silage. The Boisdale farm has 80 Ml of channel and flume irrigation, and Leo has plans to install a pivot after he improves the fences to exclude kangaroos from the pasture. Last summer he harvested 350 rolls of hay on this farm. He always buys his grain pellets locally from Browns Stockfeeds and a drop in protein components in the milk has recently seen him alter his order to Browns’ Gold-16. “The herd is eating the paddocks out really well, but protein in the milk dropped from 3.8 to 3.18,” Leo said. “Since I started feeding this grain mix, the protein level has started coming back. I also doubled the quantity of grain fed in the bails in the [herringbone] dairy.” According to Matt James, of Browns Stockfeeds, Gold-16 has a greater cereal component in the product’s recipe. “It’s a 16-crude protein and has a high starch level with 12.5 metabolisable energy, because it’s 51 per cent starch,” he said. “Improving the protein test is about the energy balance of your dairy ration, most importantly the starch levels of the cow’s diet.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
GIPPSLAND REGION // 5
“Making sure the bail feed you choose is high in starch and low in neutral detergent fibre is paramount for seeing a protein test response.” Leo and Trish are focused on improving personal lifestyle as well as maintaining herd health and farm production. They recently switched to joining most of their cows and heifers to beef bulls and selling all their poddy calves. “We’re trying to get away from rearing calves. We’re not getting any younger and making this decision is about improving our workload,” Leo said. Joining is from November 2 every year for six weeks of artificial insemination, followed by beef mop-up bulls. Leo uses Hereford straws and bulls and this season included Speckle Park semen straws. The couple raised only 20 Friesian heifers from among the spring 2019 drop calves. “Fifteen went to China as export heifers and I kept five for the herd. They were joined to a Hereford bull and will be calving in spring this year,” Leo said. Among the spring 2020 drop calves, 90 per cent were Hereford-cross and 10 per cent were dairy — all the progeny of AI-joining. “In November 2019, I still had 20-odd Friesian straws so I used them up,” Leo said. “The rest were AI’d with Hereford straws. “This season we reared 20 heifer calves. “In November 2020, all the heifers and cows were joined to Hereford and Speckle Park straws. After AI, I put heifers this year with mop-up Jersey bulls.
“I’m now rearing more Hereford-cross calves and I’ll replace cull cows with third-to-fourth calvers bought in.” There’s no lack of interest in people buying calves to raise, and Leo has calculated his business is better off financially with his new management system. “There’s a weekly calf market at Sale and I sell all the calves through that. “I receive a return of $180 to $500-plus per calf, across the season, for beef-cross calves.”
Pivot irrigation enables Leo van den Broek to rely on pasture grazing.
Pivot irrigation enables Leo van den Broek to rely on pasture grazing.
The Dethridge wheels have been replaced with a new pipe-and-riser irrigation system.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
6 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Giving calves their best start JEANETTE SEVERS
ANTHEA DAY describes the calf shed as her
Anthea Day uses a solid step to raise her enough to manage the computer system and view data.
Trevor Saunders and Anthea Day rely on the dairy farm to provide all fodder needs for the herd.
“happy place” and will often take a book to read while spending time watching her calves resting and interacting. She has been using automatic calf feeders for 12 years, which she attributes to teaching the calves to enjoy being around her, rather than demanding milk every time they see a human. She also attributes the lessons learned by the calves when using the automatic feeders to the ease with which just-calved heifers enter the rotary dairy and become successful and effective milking cows. Anthea Day and Trevor Saunders, of Araluen Park Ayrshires and Jerseys at Shady Creek, have a 61-hectare dedicated heifer farm, across the road from their dairy farm. The heifer farm includes a shed with automated calf feeders and three bays of pens on a concrete apron, which makes it easy to wash down and disinfect the equipment every day. There are other pens set up on woodchips inside the shed, and grazing paddocks surround the calf shed. It is here the heifer calves are housed in their second week, after spending their first week in the baby calf shed next to the dairy. Anthea feeds three litres of colostrum milk to the calf in their first 12 hours. She uses a colostrometer and fresh cows are on the bucket for eight milkings. “It’s a fluctuating supply. I always have enough colostrum for the calves for the first week of their life,” Anthea said.
“We keep calves on colostrum for about a week, in the baby-calf shed next to the dairy. And then they’re taken across to the heifer farm.” After decades working in the dairy industry, the current system is a significant improvement on their previous method. “What we had was a system where, from four weeks of age, the calves were taken to this calf shed and we’d lug milk over there every day,” Anthea said. “For convenience sake, we started feeding the calves once a day and we weren’t happy with the system we had. Some calves were gutses, some were shy.”
A tried and true system Calving extends from late January to early May, with the cows in three groups. “If we spread things a bit, we don’t have to employ someone else and we can manage the calves in small groups and with our current infrastructure,” Anthea said. She was feeding 100 heifer Jersey and a few Ayrshire heifer calves in mid-March. “We use powdered milk. It saves lugging milk across from the dairy farm. “The job is now not a slog. I can mix up the milk, everyone gets their allocation, there’s no waste. “I can check the computer data to identify if a calf has drunk milk today, the last time she drank and how much she drank.” Anthea uses MaxCare Ultimate calf milk replacer, up to five litres a day for the first two weeks, then six litres a day for each calf. “I find MaxCare Ultimate is the best product on the market for our Jersey calves,” she said.
The calves have a light-filled, airy shed with adlib water and grain, on top of their daily milk ration.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
GIPPSLAND REGION // 7
“It has the derived fat and protein components the heifer calf needs, comparable to what she would get from her mother.” The calves also have ad hoc access to fresh water and a crushed grain mix specifically formulated by Reid Stockfeeds for Anthea’s and Trevor’s calves. “It’s a nutrition-rich ration with highly digestible protein sources, to meet the nutritional demands of Trevor’s and Anthea’s growing Jersey calves,” Kim Price of Reid Stockfeeds said. “It provides for their growth rates, steady development of the rumen and, because it contains salmonella, e. coli and coccidiosis inhibitors, helps them resist infections. It also reduces setbacks at weaning.” At the age of 11 weeks, weaning begins. “They start ramping down in the quantity of milk they get access to and I aim to wean the calves at 12 weeks of age,” Anthea said. “Unless I check them and there’s indications they’re not ruminating and eating enough grain — then I will increase the milk quantity again.” The calves have access to adlib hay when they start ramping down on milk quantity; and they now get fed a grain ration. “By the time they’re weaned, they need to be eating around 1 kg of grain a day per calf. It’s a very hands-on process,” Anthea said. “If a group of calves get too bossy, we move a shy feeder into another group.” The heifer farm infrastructure includes silos where the grain is stored, near the troughs where the calves are fed their portion.
After four months, silage is added to the calves’ diet.
Well worth the effort “The young stock is pretty much my job,” Anthea said. “The automatic calf shed is my happy place. Sometimes I’ll go down there with a book and keep an eye on the calves and check how each of them is going. “You can see the intelligence of some of the calves over others. Some calves will get it instantly how to use the automatic calf feeder. They are really smart. “It teaches the calves to walk into an enclosed space to get a feed, and it helps with transition to the rotary dairy. “As freshly-calved heifers they walk onto the rotary dairy easily.” Heifers are the aim of using sexed semen and a proven mop-up bull.
“Trevor uses sexed semen in all our heifers and for the first round of artificial insemination in the cows,” Anthea said. “Then we mop up with a Jersey bull with a very good conception rate.” They bred the Jersey bull themselves.
Anthea Day has been using automatic calf feeders for 12 years, and says the calves learn skills which benefit them when they enter the rotary dairy.
Some of the silage needs for the farm.
Older heifer calves in the paddock are fed a daily grain portion.
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The calves spend up to two weeks in the baby calf shed at the dairy before moving to the calf shed on a heifer farm.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
8 // GIPPSLAND REGION
New shed a practical addition JEANETTE SEVERS
SOUTH GIPPSLAND dairy farmer Doug-
After the earthworks and slab was poured for the new shed.
The 440-cow, split-calving herd is milked off a 217-hectare platform.
#
las Hanks completed the build on a new fertiliser shed in March, to enable him to rationalise his business expenses and improve pasture management. It is another example of how this dairy farmer at Stony Creek value-adds to his business. The 440-cow, split-calving herd is milked off a 217-hectare platform. The 40-unit rotary dairy milks about 200 cows/hour, set up as a one-person shed. Five days a week, the full-time farm manager, Matthew Vanboven, milks the cows. On the weekend, Douglas does the milking. Part-time workers are Douglas’ son Josh, who feeds out and spreads fertiliser; and Douglas’ partner Twila Tedford, who works in the dairy and feeds the calves on the weekend. “Matthew and I mostly do the farm work,” Douglas said. “Josh also manages a bullock farm where we fatten 100 beef and Friesian steers every year.” All heifers calved down are raised on the property for 12 months, then go across the road to another 113 ha dryland farm, where they are joined.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
GIPPSLAND REGION // 9
They run alongside young steers — before they are moved to the bullock farm — and a growing beef herd. The dairy heifers return to the home farm on point-of-calving. The closed herd — 90 per cent Friesian, with 12 Jerseys — produces 7000 litres/cow, 560– 580 kg MS/cow, on average, and is split-calving: 180 cows calve down in autumn, and 220 cows in late winter. “We’ve pushed back from July 10 to the end of July for this year, to try and avoid pugging and birth issues in wet weather in winter,” Douglas said. Douglas supplies milk to Australian Dairy Farmers Co‑operative, on a contract that premiums protein. Every year, Douglas spreads 300 tonnes of urea across the entire 407 ha undulating dryland dairy farm. For 25 years, he has been pre-ordering fertiliser and storing it in a shed with a capacity of 50 tonne. A year ago, Douglas decided it was time to upgrade to a much larger storage capacity. He began drawing diagrams of what he wanted, based on other, similar set-ups in the district. “The new shed replaces the old one — the four-metre fixed roof wasn’t high enough anymore because fertiliser is delivered in B-double trucks these days, and the truck couldn’t tip into the shed,” Douglas said. “The driver would have to tip the fertiliser out on a concrete apron and we’d have to use the bobcat to move it into the shed.”
The new shed, with two-metre high walls, has a roof that rolls away — this enables the delivery truck to tip directly into the shed. The new system eliminates a lot of manual labour and double-handling — fertiliser can be delivered and deposited in the shed, without interrupting farm work. The new shed has increased capacity; it is 15 m long, 5 m wide and 2 m high, and 80 tonne of fertiliser can be stored in it. “We use a bobcat that fits under the shed roof to bring the fertiliser out to the spreader,” Douglas said. “Fertiliser won’t go off because it’s under cover. And we can still spread fertiliser in light rain. “I spread 300 tonne of urea over the whole farm each year. “By pre-ordering and storing it at this quantity, I’ll be saving $35/tonne and able to use it when I need it. I’ll be buying fertiliser in January and filling the shed.” With a fairly reliable rainfall pattern in South Gippsland, Douglas knows he should get a couple of inches of rain in March each year. He then applies fertiliser regularly so long as there’s moisture in the ground — alternating urea, potash and NPKS applications, subject to soil test results. “We’re spreading every three to four weeks behind the cows. We soil test every few years and then we change our applications according to the results.” Douglas used local contractors for the build. The engineer responsible for designing the roof
lives locally. Earthworks and concrete work — all the cement was poured on site — were done by local contractors. The roof was installed by local contractors. “We had to use more fill and concrete, because we had to build up the floor,” Douglas said.
The old fertiliser shed.
“Some of the foundations are down three metres and we put about two metres of fill in it to level and prepare the ground before laying the cement. “The concrete floor is 6 inches. The shed cost about $20,000 more because of where it was placed.”
Demonstrating how the roof is rolled away from the shed, for fertiliser delivery.
Demonstrating how the roof is rolled away from the shed, for fertiliser delivery.
The new shed holds 80 tonnes of fertiliser.
Fertiliser delivery can be tipped directly into the shed.
Heifers grazing a millet crop.
Matthew Vanboven is the full-time farm manager.
Douglas Hanks spreads 300 tonnes of urea across the farm every year.
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
10 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Jerseys shine at annual fair JEANETTE SEVERS
THE CENTRAL Gippsland Jersey Breeders
Annual Fair was well supported by entries and by observers. Held in late March at Warragul, there were 100 entries on show from across Victoria. There were also a couple of hundred people observing the show, only some of them dairy farmers. Sienna Ross and Matt Templeton, with View Judge Pat Nicholson, of Jugiong Jersey Stud Fort Brook Priscilla and Brunchilli Getaway at Girgarre, commended the entrants. Priscilla, won the Dam and Daughter or Two “This was an outstanding show,” he said. Daughters class. “The quality of the cows was amazing. The cows in the middle of their class were capable of winning shows. “The cows that won are capable of winning any show around Australia. “The depth in the classes of cows and heifers was strong throughout the whole day. “I had a lot of thinking to do, judging these cattle.” The 59th fair was supported by entrants from • 1150 litre capacity • 890 litre capacity Gippsland, western Victoria and northern Victoria. Attenborough, Nicholson, Brad Gavenlock, Frank Walsh, Jess Gavenlock, with Penny nozzles standard • 3 Section electricReece with pressurePat adjust • Air induction “All the good cows came here today,” Ben Govett with Brookbora Valentino and Britney Gavenlock, and the Russ Carroll Memorial Supreme Champion, also awarded • Liquid fertiliser capable • 110L/min pump Central Gippsland Jersey Breeders Club Sweetelfa, awarded the R. Battley Memorial the Rabobank Senior Champion Cow and Vic Wallace Memorial Best Udder, Windy Ways president Reece Attenborough said. Champion Type and Production Cow. Galaxies Dawn 7. • Optional hose reel avaible • Flush tank
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
GIPPSLAND REGION // 11
Judge Pat Nicholson scrutinising the Jersey cows on parade.
“The judge had a lot of decisions to do, not just for first place, but for second and third places too.” The Senior Champion Cow was awarded to Windy Ways Galaxies Dawn 7, born in 2015. Reserve Senior Champion Cow went to Bushlea Val Fernleaf 21. Windy Ways Galaxies Dawn 7 also won Best Udder and was Supreme Champion Exhibit. Junior Champion Heifer went to Lightning Ridge MB BIP Navidad. Reserve Junior Champion Heifer was awarded to Lightning Ridge MB Casino Fernleaf. The Group of Three Females prize was won by Robert and Sandra Bacon. Daniel Bacon said the cows were the best three in the herd, and were unrelated.
Bass Valley Embryo Services Reserve Senior Champion, Bushlea Val Fernleaf 21, with Chris ‘Rocky’ Allen and Glen Gordon.
The L. Jakobi Memorial Group of Three Females of any age was awarded to this trio of Jersey cows, owned by Robert and Sandra Bacon, and led by Ben Govett, Katelyn Wishart and Stacey Leppert. Daniel Bacon said his parents chose the best three cows in the herd; they are from three separate cow families.
Some of the Jersey cows lined up for judging.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA APRIL 2021
12 // GIPPSLAND REGION
Make the system work for you IN 1995, the Auchterlonie family made the life-
style choice of changing to a seasonal calving pattern, allowing them more flexibility. The results speak for themselves, with this system bringing additional benefits that they would not walk away from. Janet Auchterlonie farms with her husband Robert on their 250-cow dairy farm in Dumbalk, South Gippsland. They run a crossbred herd in a seasonal pasture-based operation, with grain inputs of 1.5 tonne/cow. Their cows are of moderate size, weighing in at an average of 550 kg and producing their bodyweight in milk solids. “A compact calving allows for less work, less stress, very good health outcomes for our cows, and increased profitability,” Janet said. Benefits are also seen in relation to animal management as all cows are in a similar state of lactation; equally, calves are of a similar age thereby simplifying feeding and other husbandry practices. Due to this, flow-on effects are seen in subsequent seasons, with fertility being a function of the environmental factors influencing it, such as nutrition and health of the animal. In addition to this, Janet places high selection pressure on cows getting in-calf. Open cows exit the herd and are not carried over to the following season, leaving no compromises when it comes to their herd fertility. Either you are in calf or you leave the herd. This has allowed, Janet to achieve results such as a six-week in-calf rate of 75 per cent
and a total conception rate of 91 per cent after 10 weeks of joining. When asked why Janet chose to use a crossbred breeding strategy for her herd, she said: “I didn’t choose crossbreeding, crossbreeding chose me.” Her original breeding pathway aimed at maintaining a pure Holstein component of the herd, although through natural selection this component of their herd is diminishing. Four years ago, this portion consisted of around 20 per cent, today it is at 7.5 per cent with the majority of these animals being aged cows. The key to success for Janet’s herd is fertile and resilient cows. Crossbreeding delivers her hybrid vigour, improved herd health, enhanced fertility and greater cow efficiency. Janet is a believer of “biological type”, whereby a cow is bred to suit the environment in which it has to perform, rather than developing a system to suit the cow. Being a seasonal operation with strict breeding targets has allowed her to easily adopt this breeding philosophy. Data underpins the management practices on the Auchterlonie farm. “If you know what’s happening, you can work out why it’s happening and therefore understand where you can improve it,” Janet said. Her meticulous records allow her to treat animals as an individual, which has therefore benefited cow conception rates and health on-farm. Janet attributes her growth in management to her improvements in record keeping. Collection of data removes the subjectivity from decision making for the Auchterlonie
Janet Auchterlonie farms with her husband Robert on their 250-cow dairy farm in Dumbalk.
family and instead it allows for objectivity onfarm when making those management choices. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” Janet said. Recently, Janet was awarded the South Gippsland Shire Citizen of the Year. Janet is largely involved in her local community with respect to the CFA, having been a member for 38 years, of which she has been the captain of Dumbalk CFA for six.
Nicoll to fill DA vacancy GIPPSLAND DAIRY farmer and former Dairy
Australia director Graeme Nicoll has been temporarily appointed to fill a milk producer vacancy on the Dairy Australia Board. The seat was vacated when Goulburn Valley farmer and former Dairy Australia chair Jeff Odgers announced his retirement. Mr Nicoll received unanimous endorsement from the Dairy Australia Board selection committee. He will serve in this position until the 2021 Annual General Meeting in November and will not stand for election once his interim term is finished. Nominations for this board position, as well as other vacancies from retiring directors, will open at the end of May for voting and announcement in line with the 2021 annual meeting. Mr Odgers has had a 15-year association with Dairy Australia, which started with him serving as a director of Murray Dairy for six years (four as chair) before he joined the Dairy Australia Board in 2013. He was elected Dairy Australia chair in 2017 and re-elected to the position in 2019, before he stood down early from the role in 2020 due to a family tragedy. His 23-year-old son, Jonathon, died in an accident on the family’s Mooroopna dairy farm in March 2020. Mr Odgers will retire as a director at the board’s upcoming April meeting.
Dairy Australia chair James Mann paid tribute to Mr Odgers’ contribution to the industry. “Jeff has devoted himself to the Australian dairy industry and his record of achievement is substantial,” Mr Mann said. “His focus on building Dairy Australia’s regional capabilities and driving our
research and development agenda in herd and forage innovation see us well positioned for the future. “As a key partner of the Australian Dairy Plan, he helped to pull our industry together after one of the most turbulent periods in its history.”
Gippsland dairy farmer and former Dairy Australia director Graeme Nicoll.
Janet also involves herself in her dairy community both locally and nationally through being a committee member of the DataGene Genetic Evaluation Standing Committee, and also an initial supporter and driver of the GippsDairy Fertility Matters Discussion Group based in South Gippsland, with her now being a regular attendee and contributor to sessions and their planning. •G ippsDairy regional extension officer Kristen Davis
NEW FARM SAFETY REBATE Victorian farms will be made safer for workers, families and visitors through a new farm safety scheme. Announced by Victorian Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, the new $3 million Farm Safety Rebate Scheme will provide a rebate of up to $5000 per farm for infrastructure and equipment to address health and safety risks on farms. The agriculture sector is overly represented in workplace fatality statistics, making up less than two per cent of Victoria’s workforce, but accounting for 14 per cent of workplace deaths. Some examples of equipment and infrastructure that are eligible for the rebate include child safety fencing, animal handling equipment, dedicated chemical storage sheds and wash stations, emergency shut-off switches and reversing cameras for tractors and vehicles. “Farms are workplaces but they’re also homes — we want to make sure that everyone that steps onto a farm gets to return home safely,” Ms Thomas said. “Too many people are killed or injured on farms each year. This new program is an easy way to make simple adjustments to farms so they’re safer, and workers can carry on with peace of mind.” Rural Assistance Commissioner Peter Tuohey encouraged farmers to apply for the rebate. The Farm Safety Rebate Scheme will close on December 31 or when all funds are allocated. For more information or to apply for a rebate, visit the Rural Finance website or call 1800 260 425.