OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE 132
MURRAY REGION
BEDDING DOWN NEW DAIRY BARN Dehne and Sarah Vinnicombe's new barn is only one of two in the country which recycles green manure and uses it for bedding. Pages 10 & 11.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
2 // MURRAY REGION
AGM will bring change and renewal AS I write this message spring is slowly warming
up and seasonal conditions remain favourable, with water allocations in a stronger position compared to any other time in the past five years. Margins over inputs for dairy remain in a healthy state with the exception of higher fertiliser and chemical costs, and labour shortages remain our key hot topic. The COVID-19 outbreak in Shepparton highlighted the importance of having a COVID-safe plan in place for your business. In partnership with Agriculture Victoria, Murray Dairy and Dairy Australia held two online sessions to help inform people of the current situation and what information was available to support businesses with planning and responding — these resources are all available on the Dairy Australia website. Importantly the Murray Dairy board will host its AGM on October 21 and we encourage dairy farmers and the broader dairy industry community to participate in this online session.
We will be welcoming new board members and taking the opportunity to thank the departing board members — Chris Thomas and Tony McCarthy — for their valuable contribution to the industry. Both Chris and Tony have served on the board for six years, with Tony being deputy chair of Murray Dairy for the past three years. It’s been a tremendous effort and your leadership and strong passion for dairy and our region will be greatly missed and we wish you both all the best in future endeavours. In this edition of Dairy News we introduce the audience to our new Focus Farmers in the north-east, Alice and Justin Colclough of Tallangatta South. The project is supported by dairy farm adviser Geraldine Perkins and a mix of dairy farmers and service providers as the support group, with the project running over the next two years. Last summer Murray Dairy partnered with the Irrigated Cropping Council to conduct a
research trial in Kerang to see how grain sorghum compares with maize under a range of irrigation strategies. The aims were to compare grain sorghum yields with maize yields, to determine the differences in the quality of each species and to test if grain sorghum is more resilient under water stress conditions. You can find out more about the results in this edition of Dairy News. Finally, I am not sure if you had a chance to participate in one of the sessions on the Fodder for the Future project, but the team has been busy providing updates on the various cereal demonstration trials from the six partner sites across the region. If you missed the sessions in August and September, you can still view the video updates and access the project information booklet on the Murray Dairy website. X Andrew Tyler Murray Dairy chair
Chair’s message
Murray Dairy chair Andrew Tyler.
TERTIARY SCHOLARSHIPS OPEN Students from Victorian dairy communities who plan to start their tertiary studies in 2022 can now apply for a Gardiner Dairy Foundation scholarship. The foundation is offering seven tertiary scholarships to students starting full-time study in 2022. Each scholarship offers $10,000 a year for up to three years of a scholar’s chosen university or TAFE course. The tertiary scholarships are named in recognition of services to the dairy industry by Niel Black, Shirley Harlock, Jakob Malmo, Bill Pyle and Doug Weir. Gardiner chief executive officer Clive Noble said the scholarships were aimed at students who wanted to pursue a career that would directly benefit the dairy industry or dairy communities. “These scholarships invest in the education and training of young people from dairy communities who have the potential to contribute to a vibrant dairy industry and to dairy communities in the future,” Dr Noble said.
“We encourage students to return to dairy regions with their tertiary qualifications to share their new skills. “The scholarships help to overcome the financial disadvantage faced by rural students living away from home to study.” Hannah Thorson was awarded the Bill Pyle Tertiary Scholarship, which supported her in obtaining a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at La Trobe University in 2020. “It’s a very generous scholarship, so it was good to study without stressing about money,” Ms Thorson said. “It was also a great help for my parents. Without it, they would have had to help a lot more, so they have been very grateful as well.” Veterinary graduate Mitchell Dodds received the Jakob Malmo Gardiner Foundation Tertiary Scholarship in 2014 and is now working as a vet at West Gippsland Vet Care in Warragul. “From a financial point of view, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Tertiary
Scholarship enabled me to really focus on my degree,” Dr Dodds said. “It’s difficult to work while studying veterinary medicine when you have 50 contact hours a week in the first two years of study.” Scholarship applications are now open. To be eligible, students must start their first year of full-time tertiary study in 2022 and due to study commitments need to relocate from home. To be successful, applicants will need to demonstrate intended future contributions to the dairy industry and communities as well as describe their community involvement and academic achievements to date. Applications must be submitted by 5 pm on November 19. Further information and application forms are available at: www.gardinerfoundation.com.au/ts/ Completed applications must be submitted to: scholarships@gardinerfoundation.com.au
Hannah Thorson was awarded the Bill Pyle Tertiary Scholarship, which supported her in obtaining a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at La Trobe University in 2020.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
MURRAY REGION // 3
Sorghum trial yields results dairy cows has become increasingly popular in northern Victoria and southern NSW over the past decade or more. This crop has high input costs of seed, fertiliser, herbicides and water, as well as requiring a high level of management skill. Most dairy farmers employ the services of a local agronomist to guide their decision making when growing maize as small errors in management can lead to large losses in potential yield or quality. More recently, a small number of dairy farmers have been trying their hand at growing grain sorghum varieties as an alternative to maize. Grain sorghum has a reputation of being easier and cheaper to grow and more forgiving of adverse growing conditions while still producing a silage product comparable to maize. The trade-off is in the lower yield and slightly lower quality of grain sorghum silage. Recent research at Gatton in Queensland has demonstrated that grain sorghum can actually produce higher yields than maize when cut twice during the season. This is achievable in Queensland because of the warmer climate and longer growing season, but is unlikely to be achievable in northern Victoria. Last summer Murray Dairy partnered with the Irrigated Cropping Council to conduct a research trial in Kerang to see how grain sorghum compares with maize under a range of irrigation strategies. The aims were: ■ to compare grain sorghum yields with maize yields; ■ to determine the differences in the quality of each species; and ■ to test if grain sorghum is more resilient under water stress conditions.
The results The trial compared a red sorghum (Sentinel), a white sorghum (Liberty), a forage sorghum (Megasweet) and two maize varieties (PAC 440 and PAC 606). Three irrigation treatments were imposed on all species to simulate a high irrigation level (11 Ml/ha) that might favour a high yielding maize crop, a medium irrigation level (8 Ml/ha) that might favour a sorghum crop, and a low irrigation level (6 Ml/ha) that would potentially stress both crops.
Forage
t DM/ha
Sentinel
10.1
Liberty
14.5
Megasweet
20.2
Pac 440
22.1
Pac 606
20.7
Table 1: Forage dry matter yields
Irrigation
Water ML/ha
t DM/ha
High
11.3
18.7
Medium
7.7
18.2
6.1
15.6
Low
Table 2: Irrigation treatment dry matter yields
Yield data for each forage can be seen in Table 1. The maize varieties out-yielded both grain sorghum varieties. PAC 440 out-yielded the forage sorghum (Megasweet) however there was no significant difference between the Megasweet and the PAC 606 maize, although the maize quality was higher. The red grain sorghum (sentinel) was the lowest yielding of all forages, however bird attack on the seed heads late in the trial may have accounted for much of that yield loss. The yield data for each irrigation treatment can be seen in Table 2. This is the average yield for all the forages combined. There was no significant yield difference between the high and medium irrigation treatments. However, the forages in both the high and medium irrigation treatments out-yielded those grown in the low irrigation treatment. The 2020–21 summer was mild compared to average years, with only one brief period of temperatures over 40°C that coincided with the irrigating of the low water treatment. A different result may have been seen in the low irrigation treatments if a combination of high temperatures and water stress had occurred. Soil moisture meters were installed at 20 cm and 40 cm depth in a Liberty white sorghum plot and a Pac 440 plot in each irrigation treatment. These moisture meters indicated that the maize was able to extract more water and to a greater depth in the soil than the white sorghum in all irrigation treatments. The respectable yields in the
Maize and grain sorghum in plot trials at the Irrigated Cropping Council site near Kerang.
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
low irrigation treatments suggest that the plants were able to draw moisture from lower in the soil than was measured with the moisture meters. Some key quality indicators for the maize and silage plots can be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The metabolisable energy and starch was higher in the Liberty and maize than in either the Sentinel or Megasweet sorghum, while low neutral detergent fibre was an indicator of higher quality in the maize.
Figure 3:
Final observations The trial was unable to distinguish if the maize or the sorghum was more resilient to varying irrigation levels, as both forages were able to adapt enough to the different water treatments to prevent a statistically valid difference being observed. Maize remains the crop with the highest yield and quality potential for this region, and the most efficient crop per megalitre of water.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
4 // MURRAY REGION
Keeping calves disease-free SOPHIE BALDWIN
WHEN CRYPTO went through their calf shed
last year and Bamawm dairy farmer Teena Pearse nearly lost 40 AI heifer calves, she decided it was time for some changes. The crypto diagnosis changed Teena’s thinking on how to house her calves and she decided a portable set-up, one that could comfortably support about 100 calves per calving, was the go. Her new straw bale shed comfortably ticks the box. The set-up consists of six pens, two rectangle bales long (the bottom one flat and the other on its side to hold the tied-down strap for the roof) and a rectangle bale wide. It has a tin roof complete with guttering, an overflow pen and is surrounded by a windbreak for additional protection. The system is cheap and portable but, perhaps most importantly, it works. “To be honest I have actually been surprised by how well it has worked, considering our biggest investment was $650 for the tin roof,” Teena said. All it takes is a bit of tractor work to set up and when calving is finished Teena intends to just pull the strings and compost the bales where they fall. Teena said when her calves initially got sick last year, she moved them into hay bale pens.
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Teena Pearse uses a portable straw bale set-up for calf rearing.
Teena said the bales have held up pretty well this calving and, with no outbreaks of sickness, they might leave it in place for autumn and then move it before next spring.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
MURRAY REGION // 5 Crypto is highly contagious and is often hard to eradicate so moving the rearing site made sense. Hygiene around the calves has now become a top priority and Teena is especially careful with her boots, making sure they are cleaned and sanitised regularly, especially if she has been to the calf yards. “We ended up vaccinating our calves and with the extra precautions we are taking I am hoping we won’t ever have to go through another cyrpto outbreak.” The Pearse family milks about 380 split-calving cows through a 37-swing-over.
They grow the majority of their own hay and harvest about 6000 rolls of hay annually, including 3000 bales of silage. Like their calf shed, they like to keep their stock feeding system simple and feed a lot of hay out through hay rings across the farm. “The key to our business is to keep things easy, not just us but for our workers as well — we don’t have time for things to be complicated,” Teena said. See page 27 for more on caring for calves with crypto.
The pens each have a gate at the front with welded sleeves so they can slip over a star picket and still swing open, which is helpful for cleaning and air flow, while providing a place to hang the feeder.
“The key to our business is to keep things easy, not just us but for our workers as well — we don’t have time for things to be complicated,” Teena Pearse says.
The calf rearing area has a tin roof complete with guttering, an overflow pen and is surrounded by a windbreak for additional protection.
The overflow pen.
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So long Garry GEORGIA ROSSITER
AFTER 40 years at Tatura Milk, Garry Alexander
has finally hung up his spatula. Garry’s first day at the dairy manufacturer was August 17, 1981 in the butter room. Over the years, he’s dipped in and out of roles, and worked a range of shift times, including the dreaded graveyard shift. Often working six days a week during his time at Tatura Milk, he had recently dropped to three days a week, before finishing up all together. “I decided on the 40th anniversary just to retire, or hang up the spatula,” he said. With plans to take over the management of Mooroopna discount store, Dollar Yen, which his wife currently runs, Gary has been getting stuck into some gardening to pass the time in retirement. “Because of lockdown, I’ve been sort of snowed under and stuck at home doing gardening things,” he said. COVID-19 restrictions have also impacted Garry’s travel plans. “I’ve been to most parts of Australia already, but I’d like to go back to Adelaide and the Northern Territory, and probably have a look at Perth, which I’ve never been to,” he said. “But I would like to go travelling overseas eventually. “My ancestors came from a little tiny town
outside of Glasgow, Scotland, so I’d like to go have a look at it.” Garry is also waiting on a retirement celebration that was cancelled due the lockdown, but did receive a trophy as thanks for his time at Tatura Milk. “They are planning one shortly, once we know when hotels and that can (fully) reopen,” he said.
Garry Alexander is looking forward to travelling and running a small business.
MURRAY DAIRY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Join us for the AGM and a presentation of the Murray Dairy annual trends report highlighting key data and information regarding milk production in the Murray region.
Date: Thursday 21 October 2021 Time: 11am Location: Presented via Zoom Register here: bit.ly/MD-AGM2021 Or phone: 03 5833 5312
DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
MURRAY REGION // 7
Focusing on their future JUSTIN AND Alice Colclough have taken the
plunge, accepting the challenge of becoming the latest Murray Dairy Focus Farm for 2021 to 2023. It will be facilitated by Geraldine Perkins from Cultivate Change Ag. Focus Farms are all about harnessing the collective wisdom of farming peers and service providers to work with the Focus Farmers for two years. The group approach is supported by detailed quantitative farm performance analysis using programs including DairyBase and the Farm Business Snapshot.
The Colclough Focus Farm kicked off on July 30, with Justin and Alice explaining to the group how they have been running Alice’s family farm at Tallangatta South independently for eight years. Justin had also grown up on a farm, in the flatter surrounds of the Riverina. Alice and Justin spent their 20s living the city life, which now seems a world away with three kids and a farm. Justin and Alice’s dairy apprenticeship consisted of being thrown straight in the deep end and seeking advice from everywhere.
The planned smooth transition of management from Alice’s parents was unfortunately derailed due to some health issues. The primary focus for the first few years was improving farm functionality, lifting cow production, lifting per hectare production and bringing more land into production. Justin and Alice are now starting to feel like they have built a solid foundation and are now faced with some big investment decisions, including replacing the dairy, irrigation infrastructure and preparing to buy land should it become available. After an analysis of the farm’s most recent
Alice and Justin Colclough’s property, ‘Mitta Park’ at Tallangatta South, is the latest Murray Dairy Focus Farm.
DairyBase figures, there were some areas of spending that seemed worthy of investigation. There was a spike in reproduction and homegrown feed costs and also a large amount of capital investment and machinery finance. The group discussed the costs and the outcomes, and came to the consensus that on balance, they were sound ways to spend money. The caveat being that a constant eye needs to be kept on the balance between improving the farm and taking on too much work and/or financial pressure; a dilemma that resonated with everyone in the group.
Focus Farm facilitator Geraldine Perkins.
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
MURRAY REGION // 9
Hay demand prompts fire warning VICTORIAN FARMERS have a spring in their
step with the onset of strong seasonal growth of pastures and crops, but the CFA has warned them to exercise caution when cutting, baling and storing hay. The most recent seasonal outlook for spring, released late last month by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, shows that average to above average rainfall is expected to promote strong vegetation growth across the state during spring. Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the forecast indicated farmers could expect greater yields and hopefully a successful hay season. “Add to that the current high demand for hay — in part due to the mouse plague in NSW wreaking havoc on stored hay in that state — and a lot of farmers are growing hay right across Victoria right now,” he said. “Whether you’re a seasoned hay grower or getting into it more recently, it’s really important to take care of your hay and crops this fire season.” CFA volunteer firefighters responded to dozens of haystack fires across the state last year. Chief Officer Heffernan said haystack fires could start quite easily from lightning strikes or sparks from equipment and machinery, but a major source of ignition was spontaneous combustion of the haybales. Spontaneous combustion can occur when hay has either not properly dried before baling, or has been exposed to rain or damp conditions, meaning moisture content in the bales is higher than the recommended levels. “This can happen to any hay bales, regardless of size, and it is something farmers can help prevent,” Chief Officer Heffernan said. “After baling, make sure you check the heat and smell of the bales before stacking them into haysheds or large external stacks, and leave any suspect bales separate from the rest. “By doing so, you’re not just protecting
To reduce the risk of haybale fires the CFA is urging farmers to check the heat and smell of bales before stacking them into haysheds or large external stacks and to leave any suspect bales separate from the rest.
yourself from the financial impact of losing valuable fodder, you’ll also be helping your local brigade and community as haystack fires often occupy crucial firefighting resources during the season when CFA volunteer firefighters are required to monitor haystack fires for several days to make sure smouldering fires don’t spread.”
Important tips ■
■ ■
■
■
■
It is important to ensure hay is well cured before bailing. Know the history of the hay you purchase. Keep haystacks to a limited size, and don’t stack hay right to the top of a hay shed. Allow some air to circulate at the top — this helps to carry away moisture. Monitor moisture and temperature of your hay regularly. Watch for unusual odours such as pipe tobacco, caramel, burning or musty smells. Store hay in separate stacks or sheds away from farm equipment and other buildings.
YOU CAN JUDGE A FARMER BY HIS COVER
■
Keep your hay dry. Protect it from rain, leaking rooves or spouts, and runoff. Cover stacks with tarps or hay caps.
Temperature guide — what to do when your hay is overheating Use a thermometer in a probe or insert a crowbar into the middle of the stack for two hours. ■ Less than 50°C (can handle crowbar without discomfort): Check temperature daily.
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50°C — 60°C (can only handle crowbar for short time): Check temperature twice daily. Remove machinery from shed. ■ 60°C — 70°C (can touch bar only briefly): Check temperature every two to four hours. Move hay to improve air flow. ■ Over 70 °C (bar is too hot to hold): Potential for fire. Call 000 immediately. Avoid walking on top of haystack. For more information please visit: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/ hay-and-fire-safety ■
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
10 // MURRAY REGION
Bedding down new dairy barn SOPHIE BALDWIN
WHEN CALIVIL dairy farmer D ehne
Vinnicombe was 19, he can remember travelling to the United States with his dad to look at the dairy industry and check out a few dairy farms. His take-home message from that particular trip was he would never, ever buy a mixer wagon or build a free-stall barn. A few decades later he is now eating his words. The mixer wagon came in the millennium drought and in January this year Dehne and his wife Sarah, with his parents Ron and Marree, completed stage one of what they envisage to be a three-stage process — completion of their first free-stall barn. It’s 190 m long and 36 m wide, with an additional 60 m by 20 m sick pen. Stage one took around 12 months to complete and Dehne said the build was relatively smooth despite the inconvenience of COVID-19 adding an extra month to construction. The transition to the barn came with its own set of teething problems, including some mastitis, but nine months later things are up and running fairly well. “It’s been a pretty big development but eventually I hope to build three sheds like this and one day milk around 2500 cows,” Dehne said. “Next up will be the dairy and we are currently looking at options for that, including robots.”
With cows calving every day of the year, the free-stall system has allowed Dehne to streamline drying-off cows while supporting calving cows. At any one time he can have about 40 cows drying-off and the same coming in. “Over the last two days we had 22 cows calve and on a yearly average we have 2.5 calves born every day.” The cows are divided into different pens depending on their age and stage of lactation, including springing heifers, springing cows, dry cows, sick cows and calved cows. The general milking herd is split across three pens of 180 cows and all milkers (including heifers) have recently been fitted with All Flex dairy collars for rumination information and heat detection. The cows are fed either a silage mix for milking or a lead feed mix pre-calving. The barn is only one of two in the country which recycles the green manure and uses it for bedding. “There is only us and Moxie Farms in NSW who use this type of bedding and they have been really supportive and helpful,” Dehne said. “We have been able to share our ideas and they have even given me access to their head engineer for any major problems I have come across.” As with most new things, there has been a bit of trial and error sorting out the bedding
The Vinnicombes’ barn is one of only two in the country which recycles the green manure and uses it for bedding.
process — but Dehne is pretty confident they are close to getting it right. “We are 100 km away from the nearest sand delivery so sand bedding wasn’t an option, and it made sense for us to look at a renewable
source and of course there is plenty of shit here,” he laughed. The flood wash system washes the manure into a four-metre deep effluent pit where it is screened and separated. A screw press at the
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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2021
MURRAY REGION // 11 bottom of the effluent shed squeezes the moisture out of the slurry and the dried manure runs along a conveyor belt and is dropped into one of three bays in the shed. Once a bay is filled the dried manure is heated up to a temperature of around 70 degrees to kill the pathogens. The dry manure sits for three days and then it is moved to the barn and used as bedding for the cows. “Initially we were raking the bedding daily but now we just roll it and I think that is working much better,” Dehne said. The nutrient-rich slurry water heads straight into the two-pond effluent system, where it is stored and then dropped into the irrigation channel when needed. The family is currently in the process of constructing a 20-megalitre storage dam for fresh water to the dairy and barn, and a 100 kW solar system will be installed in the near future. Stage one has been quite a significant financial investment at around $4.5 million, but Dehne said having a three-year fixed price contract under a growth program with Freedom Foods has given him confidence in his business model. “We are 10 per cent above budget already this season and compared to this time last year our production is up 50 per cent; something we attribute to the comfort of the barn system and milking a few extra cows,” he said. The cows are happy and content and their body weight has increased from about 620 kg up to 750 kg.
“The cows don’t have to do anything other than a short walk to the dairy twice a day. They are really thriving in this type of system.” Dehne said taking grazing out of the rotation had allowed him to grow extra feed and had taken a lot of stress out of management. “If water is cheap we can put in extra crop or corn, which gives us flexibility to farm according to seasonal conditions and water price. “We can capitalise when things are good and have feed in reserve for when they are not so good.” This year Dehne has grown about 120 ha of rye and shaftal, 100 ha vetch and 250 ha of cereal. He is expecting to start cutting about 2500 tonne of silage in October. He is aiming to have two to three years worth of feed in reserve at any given time, and is well on his way to achieving that goal. “Per cow we feed around three to four tonne of silage annually along with vetch and three tonne of grain. “Our feed wastage has dropped from around 25 per cent in the grazing system to around two per cent in the barn and that alone is huge. “I know this system isn’t for everyone but it is working well for our business and gives us real confidence in our future.” Dehne’s dad Ron has always been a huge part of the dairy business. He died in March, but not before he saw completion of stage one and was blown away by the development. “Dad was right there amongst it all and he did get to see it finished and he absolutely loved every part of it,” Dehne said.
Manure is delivered via a conveyor belt running along the top of the shed. The green manure sits for three days and heats up to 70 degrees and then is delivered to the barn. The fans aid in the drying process.
The green manure used for bedding in the barn.
The cows are happy and content and their body weight has increased from about 620kg up to 750kg since moving into the free-stall barn.
Dehne and Sarah Vinnicombe.
The four-metre-deep effluent pit.
The screw pump takes moisture from the green manure.
Green manure.
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