1. business and industrial
2. agriculture and forestry
3. crops and seed

SUPPLIER NEWS
October 2014
Writer & editor: Louise Thomas 0418 443 433 email: [email protected]
RUNNING FOR FARMER HEALTH
Mepunga East supplier Tania Nevill will be running 42
kilometres in the Melbourne Marathon on October 12 for
a very good cause: farmer health.
Run 4 Farmer Health is a campaign by the VFF and the
National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) to raise
awareness of the centre’s important services to farmer
health and to raise funds to help keep the centre
functioning. Their goal is to raise $20,000. ‘I’m passionate
about this’, Tania says. ‘This is a farming area, so it
makes sense.’
As at late September, sixty-three runners had signed up
to Run 4 Farmer Health, collectively raising sponsorship
of $4,300. Tania’s goal was to raise $700 and by the end
of last month she had already exceeded this. WCB is also
donating $500.
Tania joined the Warrnambool Marathon Group this year,
having previously only run half-marathons. She has been
training for the Melbourne Marathon since February. ‘This
is my first full one’, she says. ‘It’s very daunting!’
Tania’s preparation for the marathon includes being out
the door by 5.30 am for training each day, running along
the roads. She feels safer running on the local roads
knowing the same people tend to pass her most days and
know that she’s there. She recently got caught in a heavy
rain shower while out running and got saturated. ‘Your
feet are soggy wet, but you think you can’t get any worse
than this. If it’s rainy on race day then I’ve had a bit of
experience with it.’
In mid-September, Tania also ran the Warrnambool
Athletics Club’s 21-kilometre half-marathon from Koroit
to Warrnambool.
She did some quick calculations when a friend recently
asked her how many kilometres she had run so far in
training. ‘It soon adds up’, she says. ‘I’ve done about 1800
kilometres since February. It’s scary when you look at it
like that!’
‘They say you have to be a little bit mad to be a runner’,
Tania laughs. ‘I think it’s true! It gets in your blood and
just keeps going.’
The marathon starts and finishes outside the MCG and
the course covers Albert Park, St Kilda and Beaconsfield
Parade. ‘It’s a flat course, which will be handy’, she adds.
Tania’s upcoming fundraising run was recently featured
on the Weekly Times cover, with a photo of her running
along the driveway with a WCB tanker driving behind.
The Run 4 Farmer Health team believe this campaign will
continue to raise awareness of the crucial role the NCFH
has played in delivering physical, practical and mental
health wellbeing for regional people.
Above: Mepunga East Supplier Tania Nevill with two of her
four children, Hayden (left) and Kieran. Tania will run 42
kilometres in the Melbourne Marathon on October 12 to
raise money with Run4FarmerHealth to support the
National Centre for Farmer Health.
Tania knows people who took part in workshops and
health assessments for the Sustainable Farm Families
study conducted by NCFH a few years ago; a project that
she thinks was a great idea. She adds that farmers made
significant improvements to their health as a result of
taking part.
Tania is no stranger to supporting community health. She
is an active member of the local Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) trained by Ambulance Victoria.
This involved an initial ten-week course before starting as
a volunteer, with ongoing training one night each month
to keep up her accreditation.
‘It does help when a familiar face from the local
community walks in to a sick person’, she says.
Tania also supports local charities, such as the Leila Rose
Foundation, through which they will soon be tagging a
calf and donating the proceeds of its sale to the program.
‘That’s what country people do’, she says. ‘You have a go
and help where you can.’
Friends and family will be at the Melbourne Marathon on
the 12th to cheer Tania on. ’I reckon I’ll need them by
about the 30 kilometre mark!’ she says.
Anyone wishing to sponsor Tania can visit the website:
melbournemarathon2014.gofundraise.com.au/page/nevillt.
BULK MILK CELL COUNTS
The top 25 is determined by using suppliers’
average BMCC each month and recognises the
efforts of suppliers in containing cell counts at the
lowest possible levels.
August 2014
1
2
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
8
9
9
9
10
11
11
12
12
12
13
14
15
15
16
16
17
18
19
19
20
20
21
21
22
23
23
24
25
Peter & Joy O'Keeffe
Howard Partnership
Craig & Annette Smart
Russell & Carol Walder
Michael & Jill Mahony
FR & EM Clarke (Danny & Bronwyn)
RG & TA Morey (Rachael)
FR & EM Clarke (Brendan McKenna)
Eirenclare Farms: A & S Hammond
Tim & Anne McSween
Tim Taylor
Dennis & Colleen Rose
Gerard & Josephine McNamara
Eirenclare Farms: D & D Shawcross
Matthew Ross
John & Jennifer Inglis
Tony Archibald
Alta Vista Enterprises P/L
Les & Lois Daff
Acacia Downs Dairies - Kakariki Division
Luke Benson
Craig & Andrea Duro
Steven & Carolyn Bond
Glen & Michelle Croft
Brian & Cathy McCosh
Eirenclare Farms: J. Conheady
Neville & Lorraine Bennett
Ian & Jenny Rhode
Graham and Dianne Bellis
John & Mary Meade
Russell & Mary Hussey
Peter & Christine Raper
Michael & Stephen Everett
Andrew & Jamie Vogels
John Madden
Ivan, Joan & Phillip Anders
Peter & Louise Kemp
Frank & Maria Hili
Average BMCC August: 185,000
2
36,000
40,000
40,000
43,000
47,000
52,000
53,000
54,000
54,000
55,000
56,000
56,000
56,000
60,000
64,000
64,000
66,000
66,000
66,000
68,000
70,000
71,000
71,000
72,000
72,000
73,000
74,000
75,000
75,000
77,000
77,000
79,000
79,000
80,000
81,000
81,000
82,000
83,000
QUALITY MATTERS
By Anne Prince, Farm QA Manager
In September, Dairy Australia published the Australian
Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle: A
Guide for Dairy Farmers. Suppliers are encouraged to
obtain a copy of this document and make themselves
familiar with it, as it will soon become law. You can
download it from the DA website.
The newly released Dairy Mastitis Guidelines document
(pictured right) is also available from the DA website.
Field Officers will also deliver
a hard copy over the coming
months.
Now is a good time to have
your farm vats checked by
qualified
professionals.
Ensure the refrigeration plant
is working well and is ready
to cope with the hot weather
when it arrives. You can also
use your WCB handheld
thermometer to check the vat
thermometer and record the
check in your diary. If there is
a discrepancy larger than 20C
between readings from the
vat thermometer and the handheld thermometer, it is
time to have both thermometers checked. You can also
compare both readouts to temperatures recorded on
tanker dockets. Contact your Field Officer if you have any
concerns.
In September last year, WCB asked all suppliers to stop
using sanitisers containing Quaternary Ammonium
Compounds (QACs), including Benzalkonium chloride and
N-Alkyl Di-methyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride by 1
November 2013. This was part of an industry-wide
initiative to improve raw milk quality. All chemical
companies undertook not to recommend QAC-containing
sanitisers to farms and to provide QAC-free alternatives.
By now any reserves on farm should be exhausted and
alternative sanitisers in use. If you have any difficulty
sourcing an alternative sanitiser, all chemical company
representatives are aware of alternative products and they
are ready to help. Your Field Officer can also assist.
UPCOMING INFORMAL
SUPPLIER MEETINGS
Date
Time
Location
November 13
11am - light lunch
Murray
Bridge
Venue to be confirmed
HOME GROWN FEED CHALLENGE
In August, a group of 14 WCB suppliers gathered for their
first workshop as part of the Home Grown Feed Challenge
pilot project.
This twelve-month project is a joint initiative by Dairy
Australia and Department of Environment and Primary
Industries (DEPI). It aims to assist farmers to boost the
amount of home grown feed in their cows’ diet – the major
profit driver in pasture based dairying. The project
recognises that feed management decisions are not always
straightforward and that ‘best practice’ might vary from
farm to farm.
The WCB group represents a mix of dryland and irrigation
properties. ‘It’s also good to see some of the younger
suppliers taking part’, DEPI Dairy Extension Officer Michele
Ryan says.
Prior to meeting as a group, the participants had a one-onone session with Michael Boyd, DEPI Feeding Systems
Project Leader, looking at consumption of pasture and
home grown feeds on their farm. Best practices were also
discussed and ground-truthed to see if they are correct and
actually carried out on farm. For example, in the area of
fertiliser management, participants were asked to rate the
importance of best practices such as nutrient budgeting,
soil testing, calibration of equipment, use of qualified
advice (their own or others) and keeping good paddock
fertiliser and management records. They were then asked
about whether they used these practices and in which areas
they would like to improve.
The first Home Grown Feed Challenge project
workshop was held in September with WCB suppliers.
In the forage supply planning and management topic, the
group is interested in finding out more about managing the
summer period, knowing what feed to buy, when and how
to use it and working it in with home grown feed.
To address the four topics, DEPI staff will develop activities
such as visits to other farms to see how different farmers
approach the issue, invite expert guest speakers, and look
at the development of trial sites or research if there are
knowledge gaps in that area.
The group will meet at least three more times during the
life of the project and participants will end up with an
individual plan showing how they could increase home
grown feed consumption.
The group came up with four topics they want to pursue:
WCB suppliers make up one of the four groups undertaking
the project. Three other groups are being formed with dairy
farmers across the region, some through existing networks.
The groups will operate independently. Topics chosen by
other groups may differ from those of the WCB group. ‘It’s
all about identifying areas that improve feedbase
management on farm and then tailoring it to the group’,
Michele says. ‘So it’s seeing what suits farmers.’




If any suppliers in the Cobden and Terang/Noorat areas
would like to join one of the upcoming groups, please
contact Michele Ryan at DEPI on 5561 9914. Participation
in the pilot is free.
From the one-on-one sessions, Michael compiled
information on what the farmers were interested in
learning more about and this was discussed at the first
group session.
Irrigation and effluent use
Forage supply planning and management
Crop renovation and comparison
Use of nitrogen fertilisers.
MAKING HIGH QUALITY PASTURE SILAGE
Here are a few points from Frank Mickan, Senior Dairy
Extension Officer at Ellinbank DEPI, about making high
quality pasture silage. This is an excerpt from his article
Reducing losses during silage harvest and storage.

Cut pastures in the vegetative stage and just before
canopy closure for very high (10.5–11.5 ME) quality
silage.

Avoid pastures with seed heads or dead material at the
base of the sward.

Avoid including dust or mud since this will result in
poor fermentation.

Wilt and harvest no longer than 24–48 hours after
cutting, if possible.

Increase wilting rate by tedding immediately after
mowing or using a mower-conditioner, leaving swaths
as wide as possible.

Compact stacks well – roll slowly, spread forage in
layers <15–20 cm thickness; bale slower to increase bale
density.

Seal (white side up) with UV treated plastic immediately
after harvesting. Place weight on stacks e.g. tyres, gravel
sausages.

Seal bales airtight ASAP after baling – four layers
stretch wrap film, 55% stretch, 50% overlap. Applying
six layers should ensure 18 months storage. A new fivelayer film, stretched to 70%, is recommended by the
manufacturer to apply 4–6 layers. Apply 6 layers if
using continuous in-line (tubeline) wrappers and
consider 8 layers at the bale joins.

Regularly monitor silage stacks and bales for holes.
Repair immediately with specific silage tape. Ensure
plastic is clean, dry, cool and use light tape on light
stretchwrap film.
33
DEMO DAIRY IMPROVES FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
WCB is a major sponsor and long-time contributor to
DemoDAIRY, a demonstration farm milking around 220
cows on 365 acres at Terang. DemoDAIRY Co-operative
Ltd. has more than 300 shareholder members of which
70% are farmers.
DemoDAIRY previously supplied WCB for around four
years before implementing a rotation of milk supply to
Fonterra, Murray Goulburn and WCB. After supplying
Murray Goulburn in the 2013–14 financial year, the farm
is now back with WCB for the 2014–15 year.
Farm management consultant Paul Groves, who has been
analysing financial performance at DemoDAIRY, has
shared with us the following report.
Over the last 18 months DemoDAIRY has been on a path
of increasing profits. The 2013/14 financial year was the
first full year of the renewed focus on profits. The farm
financial performance has improved significantly and
there is still room for improvement. Under previous
management the costs on DemoDAIRY were very high. In
2011/12 total production costs were $6.89 per kg of MS.
Now the production costs are $5.11 per kg of MS, they are
below the average farm. If production costs remained at
2011/12 levels the farm would have lost $109,398 in
2013/14. The changes have increased the net farm
income by $209,280.
The table below compares the financial performance of
DemoDAIRY with the farms in the Dairy Industry Farm
Monitor Project.
In this analysis it is the return on assets that we are
aiming to maximise; DemoDAIRY has performed close to
the average but has areas to improve. We are also aiming
to maximise the Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)
per kilogram of Milk Solids (MS).
The return on assets was similar to the average of
western Victoria but significantly below the better
performing farms. The EBIT was below the average and
top 25% of farms. The main reason for the low EBIT
compared to the other farms was the lower milk price
and livestock trading.
The milk price received was $0.46/kg of milk solid below
the average farms; half of this was due to the farm being
on the Murray Goulburn Traditional payment option
instead of the Flat Milk Incentive payment option.
The livestock trading result was lower than most farms
because DemoDAIRY purchased 48 heifers in autumn to
allow the older cows in the herd to be sold and to
increase the size of the herd (there are an additional 18
hectares available for the herd in 2014/15).
(Continued on page 6)
DemoDAIRY
4
Income
Milk income (net)
Livestock trading profit
Feed inventory change
Other farm income
Gross farm income
Total
695,117
9,675
11,970
716,763
$/kg MS
6.45
0.09
0.11
6.65
South West
Average
$/kg MS
6.91
0.38
0.21
0.04
7.54
South West
top 25%
$/kg MS
7.02
0.49
0.30
0.10
7.91
Costs
Herd costs
Shed costs
Feed costs
Variable costs
33,540
28,886
252,949
315,375
0.31
0.27
2.35
2.92
0.25
0.23
2.90
3.37
0.23
0.20
2.74
3.17
Employed labour
All other cash overheads
Depreciation
Imputed labour
Total overhead costs
144,999
83,567
6,850
235,416
1.34
0.77
0.06
2.18
0.47
0.67
0.24
0.77
2.14
0.42
0.58
0.19
0.51
1.71
Total production costs
550,791
5.11
5.52
4.88
Earnings before interest and tax
Return on assets
165,971
1.54
7.7%
2.03
7.9%
3.03
12.1%
Interest and lease charges
66,089
0.61
0.69
0.74
Net farm income
99,882
0.93
1.33
2.29
FARM INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP
Warrnambool Cheese & Butter launched their new Farm
Investment Partnership on July 1 this year.
The new program offers the dairy industry its first genuine
growth incentive, with milk income supported over a fouryear incentive period.
Eligible milk production growth is calculated on the
supplier’s business production history rather than the
farm’s production history. This means the Farm Investment
Partnership can apply on a wider range of scenarios than
simply herd or farm expansion. These may include
potential new entrants to the dairy industry, or farm
managers, employees and sharefarmers moving to farm
ownership. In cases where the participant’s business has no
milk production history, the Farm Investment Partnership
incentive can be applicable to 100 per cent of production.
This includes sharefarmers that are moving from 50 to 100
per cent farm ownership.
The Farm Investment Partnership is also available to assist
with farm succession plans and transition to the next
generation. Businesses that are able to transition 100 per
cent ownership to the successor within the four-year FIP
term are eligible for assistance.
In each case, the business’s production average is frozen at
the time of application so suppliers receive the maximum
incentive benefit for any growth achieved during the fouryear program term.
WCB Field Service Manager Rowan Ault explained that
many suppliers had already applied for the Farm
Investment Partnership program.
‘We have had a number of applications already. These
range from the straightforward farm or herd expansion
plans to suppliers that are getting into the dairy industry
for the first time. There have also been a number of
applications for the FIP to support farm succession plans,
which is great to see.’
Participants in the Farm Investment Partnership are also
able to receive 75 per cent of the forecast year one
incentive up front in circumstances where growth is
expected to be greater than 30 per cent.
‘This can help to purchase extra livestock, get ahead on
interest and lease payments, or even the grain bill’, Rowan
suggests.
The program is available to all new and existing WCB
suppliers. Applications opened on July 1 this year and will
close on September 30, 2016.
If you are interested in growing your dairy business or
getting into farm ownership you should talk to WCB to find
out how the Farm Investment Partnership can work for you.
For more information contact your Field Officer.
STEPPING STONES TO A GREAT DAIRY CAREER
Suppliers who are keen to encourage their family members,
apprentices and workers to consider furthering their career
in the dairy industry will be interested in a new resource
launched by Dairy Australia in September: Stepping Stones.
Stepping Stones is a guide that highlights the many career
pathways from entry level to senior farm roles that are
available in the Australian dairy industry. The resource
features case studies from southwest Victoria and planning
tools that show how people can enter the dairy industry,
build their equity and assets and progress to more senior
farm positions.
The guide supports dairy farmers in attracting new
workers to the industry as well as providing career advice
for those already employed, with great career tips from
farmers. Many dairy farmers are looking for work/life
balance through employing staff and can find it difficult to
source workers. Resources such as this will assist.
WCB Field Officer James Maxwell says that suppliers can
use Stepping Stones to be proactive in encouraging their
workers to progress through the industry.
‘Those who are new to the industry will also be inspired by
the case studies and how diverse and interesting the work
is’, James notes. ‘There are many great opportunities for a
rewarding career in the dairy industry.’
WCB supplier Karen Hart is also WestVic Dairy’s Workforce
Planning & Action Regional Coordinator (Western Victoria).
She adds that employers can also use this tool to identify
training opportunities that can benefit staff and business
performance.
A Tasmanian version of Stepping Stones was released
earlier this year and WCB road-tested it as part of our WCB
Adrian Meade Dairy Innovation Program. On the final day
of the program, students used the career planning page to
map out where they are now and where they would like to
get to, along with what they need to do to reach their goals.
The planner breaks the goals down into steps for them to
take over the next few years. We found it a very useful
starting point for career discussions.
The guide is available through WestVic Dairy on 5557 1000
or by contacting Karen Hart on 0428 086 807.
5
ORDERING ADDITIONAL NEWSLETTER COPIES
Do you have a sharefarmer, manager or retired family
member who would like to receive a copy of Supplier
News each month? Perhaps you’d like a copy for the tea
room table? Please let your Field Officer know if you
would like someone to be added to our mailing list.
The newsletter is also available from our website
www.wcbf.com.au/news-media/supplier-newsletter.aspx
including the past two years of back copies.
We are always keen to receive feedback on the newsletter
and to hear your ideas for making it an effective supplier
communication from WCB. Please let your Field Officer
know if you have any suggestions or story leads.
GETTING THE MOST
FROM ‘RESULTS PLUS’
Many suppliers will already be familiar with the Results
Plus web portal, through which you can log in to access
your daily results, production figures and BMCC results.
For those who haven’t
yet accessed it, Results
Plus is a very useful
way to access your
information. You can generate graphs on current and
historic production levels, compare BMCC figures over
time and download your information to pass on to vets
and consultants. If you wish, you can also grant your
vet third party access to your BMCC results.
The portal will be reviewed this year and WCB is keen to
hear from suppliers who have been using it. We’re keen
to hear about what you find works well and what can be
improved.
If you have forgotten your login or are accessing Results
Plus for the first time, please contact Milk Payroll on
5565 3147.
DemoDAIRY story (Continued from page 4)
The method the farm monitor project uses to value
cattle effectively reduced the livestock trading profit by
$0.21/kg of MS. DemoDAIRY does not expect to make
significant cow purchases in 2014/15 and should have
cattle trading results similar to other farms.
So in future years the income may be below average
farms but to a lesser amount than 2013/14.
The feed costs were well below most farms but there
are still potential savings to be made in other areas. The
labour costs on DemoDAIRY are higher than the average
farms. Including imputed labour, the labour costs on
the average farms was $1.24, the top 25% achieved
$0.93 and DemoDAIRY was $1.34/kg of milk solids.
There may be marginal improvements to be made in
2014/15 at DemoDAIRY but much of this cost is
incurred in milking and without significant investment
in the dairy the labour costs are likely to remain high.
Overall the cost of production has been reduced
significantly by the changes made on farm in the last
two years allowing the farm to generate significant
profits in 2013/14. The income per kilogram of milk
solids was well below the average farms in 2013/14 but
will get closer to the average farms in 2014/15.
DemoDAIRY will continue to closely monitor farm
financial performance to optimise profits in 2014/15.
SHARING DAIRY FARMERS’ WORLD WAR I STORIES
WCB suppliers whose families have been dairy farming in
the region for many generations are likely to have some
valuable stories of World War I, from the perspectives of
those who served and those who stayed behind to keep
the dairy industry going.
The Gardiner Foundation is inviting Victorian dairy
communities to share WWI stories to feature in the Shrine
of Remembrance’s regional touring exhibition, Australia
Will Be There: Victorians in the First World War (1914–19).
The foundation is pleased to be supporting this unique
centenary exhibition to recognise the Victorian dairy
community’s contribution during WWI. They encourage
farmers to share personal reflections of how their family
or community was involved in supporting the ANZACs.
6
The partnership with the Shrine of Remembrance’s
touring
exhibition
reinforces
the
foundation’s
commitment to celebrating and supporting Victoria’s
dairy communities.
The exhibition will be on display at the Shrine of
Remembrance Visitor Centre until Sunday, 12 October
2014 before commencing a four-year tour of regional
Victoria on Thursday, 23 October 2014, including key
dairy regions Gippsland, Western Victoria and the Murray
region. The exhibition will visit Warrnambool 1 June to 30
July 2017.
For more information about the exhibition or to submit a
story
with
an
accompanying
image
visit
www.shrine.org.au/australiawillbethere.
PLANNING TO SUCCEED WITH NUTRITION
Planning and implementing good cow nutrition over the
coming months will help maintain good production levels,
significantly impacting on your overall milk production
for the year. Bought-in feeds are one of the most
significant costs to a dairy business, so it is important to
understand what you are buying and how it is
contributing to production and profitability, as well as
how it complements your home-grown feed.
We met with Sales Manager Ben Boyd from Ridley
Agriproducts in late September to discuss nutritional
challenges over the coming months and factors to
consider in purchasing feeds. Here are some notes from
our chat, along with a few points from Field Officer
Nadine Markham.
Cow health and performance on farm are directly related
to using high quality feedstuffs all year round. It can be
very beneficial to seek advice from specialists such as
nutritionists, agronomists and field officers – doing so can
give you ‘another set of eyes’ to look at your situation,
help you interpret the information available and weigh up
your options. Ben says it is important to challenge and
question information and to consider whether something
is suited to your farming system. ‘The days of one-feedfits-all are gone’, he says. ‘You want to make sure the feed
is tailored to your herd’s requirements.’
Dairy Australia has a wide range of very useful tools, fact
sheets and calculators on nutrition management on its
website. See http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Pasturesand-Feeding/Supplements-and-nutrition.aspx.
The Planning and Purchasing page has information on
working out what you can afford to pay for bought-in
feeds. It also has a fact sheet outlining the three-step
buying process: plan well, buy right, feed carefully.
As farms dry out through October to December, pasture
quality and growth declines. The challenge during this
period is to try to hold onto production, while replacing
high quality pasture with other feeds such as forage crops,
hay and silage. Ben says that the monthly decrease in
production should be no more than 7 per cent and
farmers can look at options for maintaining the peak as
long as possible. He recommends that as the change of
season approaches and production begins to shift,
farmers shouldn't wait for production to drop – once the
production is lost, it is gone.
Nadine adds that feeding cows well over the late spring
period can be hard to justify when milk prices are at their
lowest. However, significant milk price incentives are paid
on milk over the summer, autumn and winter periods and
providing you have an optimal stocking rate, holding
production over the spring period for the higher milk
price incentives months can be profitable.
Nutrition management can be a challenge for split calving
herds. Ben says it is important not to limit cows with the
most production potential. Nutrition management must
optimise the fresh group and not just meet the stale
group’s requirements; otherwise production will be
limited over the fresh group’s lactation. The ration needs
to be balanced correctly according to the quality and
quantity of forage being used.
Ben is a big advocate for automatic feeding systems,
especially in split calving situations, as it allows the feed
supply to be tailored to cows’ production potential. This
can mean either group feeding or individually feeding
cows with one or more different complementary feeds.
When purchasing feed, you need to make sure you take
into account quality, quantity, mineral content, delivery
time and location – not just price from your supplier.
Quality considerations include dry matter, energy level,
protein content, fibre, mineral and trace element content.
Ben notes that while some feeds can be more expensive
per tonne on price they can work out cheaper per nutrient.
Advisers can show you how to calculate feed quality.
Balancing the overall diet with home-grown feeds and
bought-in supplements is essential for maximising returns
on all inputs. Poorly balanced diets can result in acidosis
and other health issues such as ketosis, milk fever, and
laminitis and will reduce feed conversion efficiency, short
and long term production and overall cow life. Balanced
mineral supplements are also required to help maintain
milk quality, along with cow health and fertility. Reducing
the worm burden and ensuring macro and micro minerals
are provided in feeds will also assist performance.
Well balanced energy-dense diets (such as high quality
pasture/crop and supplements) not only provide an
increased level of nutrient intake but also drive cow
appetite and milk production. Ben adds that an additional
kilogram of dry matter intake can quite often result in a
couple of extra litres of production.
As grass quality and quantity declines through the
summer it is important to ensure protein requirements are
met by using the appropriate complementary feeds, such
as brassica crops or high protein feed supplements.
Nadine adds that perennial pastures often need to be
spelled over summer to avoid overgrazing and this will
impact on feed availability.
Ben suggests farmers also look at whether their young
stock are meeting key growth targets (available from
advisers). ‘Young stock are the key drivers of your future
production’, he says. ‘They are not just to be put in the
back paddock and forgotten about. Make sure weight and
height targets are being met so that replacement heifers
are ready for joining and enter the herd able to compete
with older cows.’ The Dairy Australia InCalf Heifers: big
girls XL booklet also has some good advice.
One of the challenges in cow nutrition is to keep it
practical. ‘It needs to be time-efficient and give you bang
for your buck’, Ben says. ‘You don’t want to work a lot
harder to get that small amount of benefit. It needs to be
practical.’
7
CLASSIFIEDS
TO PLACE OR CHANGE AN AD
IN THE CLASSIFIEDS:
Please contact James on
[email protected] or contact
your field officer before the 28th
of the month to place an
advertisement.
WANTED TO BUY:
Friesian heifer calves 7 days old.
Ph 0431 366 401.
22-a-side herringbone milking
plant. Ph David 0431 026 764.
FOR SALE:
Complete 24 swing-over dairy
with Alfa-Laval cup removers,
1000 L HWS, industrial Alfa
plate-cooler, Co-weld feed
system with bail dividers, singlephase 5.5 kW VP78 vacuum
pump, all clusters and third line
wash system, all still in original
dairy and last used about 6
months ago, $16,000 ex-GST;
also 5.5kW Weg single phase
electric motor $500 ex-GST;
located Carpendeit, Ph Alistar
0434 614 455.
Christopher stall gates for a 16a-side herringbone in good
condition. Ph Kurt 0487 517 189.
Flynn double ended milk pump
$300 plus GST ONO; Alpha Laval
electronic pulsators with master
unit, 16 in total. $700 plus GST
ONO. Ph Mick 0400 319 021
20ft NOR container, VGC, s/steel
interior, aluminium exterior,
$2,800 plus own cartage,
Terang. Ph 0417 318 677.
Barley straw $70/t ex-GST; Also
new seasons vetch hay, 8x4x3
squares, feed test available, $250
ex-GST, transport available, from
Nhill area. Ph 0409 130 748 or
0429 340 536.
Lucerne Hay, 2nd cut - 5x4 rolls;
Lucerne/oaten – 5x4 rolls; Grass
hay – 5x4 rolls, Dry cow suitable.
POA. Ph Jason 0400 696 191.
Oats & vetch mix; Snail medic
clover; Barley straw; Bales:
8x4x3, freight available; POA. Ph
Mont Miller 0428 861 159 or
Joanne Geary 0438 233 898.
One square heavy metal silo with
capacity for roughly 25t, heaps
of good metal if not wanted as a
silo; make an offer. Also 1,700L
Mirra vat with 3 phase
compressor, not currently in use,
best offer. Ph Max 0407 862 693.
Westfalia Classic 300 Evolution
clusters X 30. 3 years old. Retail
$250 ea inc GST, will sell $100
ea inc GST (will not separate). Ph
Kerry: 0428 506 589.
8000 L Packovat, 3-phase in
good condition, $25,000 ONO.
Ph Ricky Bruhn 0417 893 688.
Fibreglass insulated chiller/ice
bank, about 7000 litres capacity,
two large copper coils; Two V4
Terry compressors, one near
new split condenser, approx 80
kg 404A gas, switchgear $5000;
10,000 litre insulated square
100% fiberglass tank with lid,
$1500; 7000 litre transportable,
heavy duty fibreglass tank,
complete with baffles, manhole,
valves, forklift points built into
tank $4500. Ph Neil 0487 922
280.
Barrel medic and clover hay, 4’ x
3’ x 8’ big squares, feed tests
available, can organise delivery,
$220/t +GST ex-farm, some
lower grades available for less;
Ph Peter 0427 897 891.
(1) Brends KKK Cultivator 33T
3PL $790.00 inc GST (2) MF 120
Scarifier new 7 in. points $5500
inc GST. (3) MF80 20 row drill
Dwyer Thrashflow SS box
covering harrows $1980 inc GST.
(4) Grizzly Grumpy 24P trailing
discs $2200 inc GST. (5)
Yardmaster RH02 effluent pump
4 KW motor (motor new
bearings) $1650 inc GST. Ph
Eddie 0427 689 253.
Good quality 5 x 4 JD edge
wrapped rolls of oats, clover &
rye; wheat & rye; and clover
pasture hay. POA located at
Derrinallum. Ph 0408 995 317.
Machinery for sale: NH 648
round baler $16,000 + GST;
Vermeer v-twin hay rake $17,000
+ GST. 6’. All excellent condition
and shedded when not in use,
ready to go, inc books; Also 3PL
Goldacres boomspray, 25 ft
boom with foam marker and 800
L tank, POA. Located near
Simpson. Ph 5594 3470.
Secondhand car tyres for use on
silage stack. Free for anyone who
picks up themselves. Located in
Timboon area. Ph Graham 0428
298 334.
Surplus to requirements: 2 x
Fine Chop Schuitemaker 135
silage wagons. 1 x 3 yard tractor
drawn hydraulic scoop (old). 16
foot Viscount pop top caravan.
12-foot railway iron cattle grid
with concrete base.3-inch
aluminium irrigation pipes and
sprinklers. 9000 L refrigerated
milk vat. 40-teat Polymaster
single axle calf feeder trailer. Ph
Bruce 0409 333 025 or Brett
0417 478 026.
Proudly working together to bring you
FRESH
LOCALLY PRODUCED MILK