Dairy Services e-newsletter | Edition 6: October 2011
Accurately Measuring Dry Matter
A group of researchers led by Victorian DPI scientist Janna Heard have found a more accurate way of estimating the amount of home grown feed cows consume each year.
This new method has been developed into a simple computer program. It supersedes an older method of estimating pasture intake which had some considerable limitations.
"There have been significant improvements in the genetic potential of cows based on milk component yield, such as milk fat, and there is now a much wider range of feeding systems than when the simple calculation method was introduced." Janna said.
"By providing the dairy industry with a robust, scientifically sound method of calculating on-farm annual pasture removal (t DM/ha), in an easy to use computer program, farmers can be more informed when making business decisions for the future".
Dairy farmers can use the program to benchmark the performance of their farm across the years and the program could also be extended to benchmark performance against other farms.
The new program is easily accessible for dairy farmers and stakeholders on the web.
This project was a joint initiative by the Geoffrey Gardiner Foundation, Dairy Australia, Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.
Collaboration and input from all of these groups has ensured the model is robust, scientifically sound and has resulted in a computer program that hits the target audience -the dairy farmer and their service providers.
For more information contact Janna Heard (03) 5573 0946 at Hamilton.
Managing Wet Soils
With Gippsland and the South West faced with some of the wettest conditions in a long time, Dairy Extension teams were on the front foot sharing information and offering dairy farmers options for managing their farms and herds, in the very trying conditions.
Dairy Extension Officer Helen Chenoweth said through a series of short and sharp field days, the DPI delivered concise and relevant information to attendees and offered strategies to deal with the conditions, as well as providing a social outlet and a little bit of hope for the future.
At the end of September a series of recovery field days were held which focused on issues including repairing pugging damage, pasture renovation and information on feed pads.
"Many dairy farms have become more intensive operations over the years, there is now probably a third to half the number of cows again in the same area so the wet conditions really hit people hard," Helen said.
Liaising with regional extension committees which included farmers, service providers and stake holders, the extension teams delivered practical information to farmers and provided opportunities to discuss and formulate long-term strategies for the future.
The field days also provided information and insights into what farmers had done in the past, and what they would do differently if they had their time again. These practical discussions were timely and useful for supporting better decision making for all involved.
These field days were well attended and feedback was extremely positive. Both dairy farmers and dairy company staff noted the information was informative and timely in helping to provide short and long term strategies to a very stressed group of people.
Relevant information was also delivered through newsletters and the local media so farmers who couldn't attend a field day, could at least read about the issues discussed.
For more information contact Helen Chenoweth (03) 5561 9912 at Warrnambool or Frank Mickan (03) 5624 2259 or Greg O’Brien (03) 5624 2288 at Ellinbank.
Analysing the figures in the Farm Monitor Report
Data collected from an annual study into the financial performance of dairy farms across three dairying regions of Victoria is used to provide important, timely and objective information to government and industry, as well as provide a direction for future policy and research.
For the last five years through the months of June and July, staff from the dairy services branch, along with private sector staff, have collected data from 75 farms.
Through one on one farm visits staff talk to farmers and gather accurate financial information on the business position of these farms.
Specialist for farm business economics Daniel Gilmour said with trained staff gathering the information, data collected was accurate and enabled the project to be completed to a tight timeline. This ensures the data has maximum impact as it is highly relevant being released so soon after it is collected.
“The staff that collect this data have a very good understanding of dairy farming systems which enables the data to be 'ground-truthed'- meaning the results published are always accurate, meaningful and sensible while anomalies from poor data are avoided,” Daniel said.
The data, which would not otherwise be publically available, is used to inform policy, research and extension decisions in the future and also complements the macro level data provided by other service providers such as ABARES.
This project is co-funded by DPI and Dairy Australia and all private and public staff involved under take training in farm business management to help build their capability in this area.
For a copy of the report contact Daniel Gilmour on (03) 5430 4395 at Epsom.
A valuable tool to make informed decisions
Soil moisture monitoring equipment (SMME) is a valuable tool which farmers can use to make accurate irrigation decisions on farm.
Recent funding through NVIRP has enabled the DPI to monitor five sites which have this technology in use and project manager Brian Holmes said, with an improved irrigation system in place, this project will illustrate how a modernised supply system can be utilised to aid pasture production increases and improve the bottom line for the regions farmers.
Allowing farmers to schedule their irrigations at a more optimum time, SMME monitors the soil moisture profile.
Data collected can then be used to extend or shorten irrigations to maximise production and limit plant stress. This technology improves water efficiency because farmers are watering their pastures at the most appropriate time.
This project is an extension of a previous project where 12 sites were monitored. It will continue for another irrigation season and enable more data to be collected and analysed, particularly now the modernised delivery system has been rolled out in these areas.
The sites are spread across the north of the state from Katamatite in the east, through to Kerang in the west.
Key partners in involved are NIVRP, DPI staff, farmers and the irrigation companies which put forward their technology for use.
For more information contact Brian Holmes on (03) 5482 1922 at Echuca.
DPI can twitter
Advancements in communication technology are making it easy for the world to keep in touch and in large departments this is extremely important.
DPI Media Advisor Amanda Money said while the foray into social media is only just beginning for the department, Twitter is proving to be an effective way of sharing information with communities, journalists and stakeholders.
DPI began using twitter last year during its response to the spring locust plague as a way of providing the community with new information on a complex and continually changing situation.
"Many of our followers were journalists and industry stakeholders so we began tweeting updates and links to new information through this technology," Amanda said.
"Since then we have begun tweeting DPI announcements, media releases and upcoming public events with our 350 plus followers.
"You can only send 140 characters on twitter- where possible we try link to more information on the web. People can already access a range of dairy information online so twitter is a great communication tool for getting this information out there."
Amanda said the department would continue to look into how it uses social media to share information and engage with the community.
If you have an active twitter account or a looking to join, you can follow DPI updates by searching for @DPI Vic and clicking follow on our profile.
