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The Dairy Bulletin - October 2011
Northern Irrigation and Southern Riverina
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson
The Dairy Bulletin is produced by the DPI Dairy Services Branch
Inside this issue:
- Irrigation Flood Recovery Support
- Selecting for Mastitis Resistance
- Importance of Soil Carbon in productive landscapes
- North West Focus Farm
Is It Worth Growing A Summer* Crop?
Tom Farran, DPI Tatura
As a result of the long drought and expensive water prices many farms in the northern irrigation region of Victoria have shifted to growing less perennial pasture. The return of wetter years in 2010 and 2011 has provided more water in the storages and lower water prices, logically many farmers are considering increasing their area of perennial pasture. During summer many farms may experience a period when they don’t have enough directly grazed feed available to meet the herd needs and will need to rely on conserved or purchased fodder to fill this gap. Alternatively they may have plenty of land not being used and access to potentially cheap water. These resources can be used to grow summer crops to fill this feed gap, but is it worth it?
The main reasons most farms consider growing summer crops include:
- Growing more ‘relatively cheap’ feed for the herd
- Providing green feed over summer
- Having a clean area each day to graze the herd, for
animal health benefits such as mastitis - Part of a pasture renovation program
- Utilising relatively cheap water available
While these reasons sound beneficial it is important to make sure these really are good options and therefore each one needs to be considered individually:
Growing more ‘relatively cheap’ feed for the herd:
To determine if this is a good reason to grow a summer crop consideration needs to be given to the following questions:
- Does the herd need this feed or will there already be enough feed?
If feed is required:
- Is a summer crop the right quality of feed?
- Would a summer crop provide the best value for money feed source?
Prior to committing to growing a summer crop, it is a good idea to first complete a feed budget to work out how much feed is required for the year and how much of that will be supplied through other feed sources such as pastures, conserved fodder and concentrate. There are many people who can assist in completing a feed budget including nutritionists and milk supply officers.
Ideally the aim is to provide high quality feed to achieve good production. There is only so much poorer quality feed that can be included in a cow’s diet before production declines. While summer crops may appear to be green and lush, often the quality is fairly poor and they have a high ‘fill factor’. The quality can also vary greatly, with the biggest influence being the timing of the grazing.
“The more mature a summer crop is at grazing or harvesting, the poorer the quality will be.”
To help give an idea of the potential quality and yields of summer crops the following table has been included to show the average yields and quality from trials conducted at the Kyabram Dairy Centre. It is unlikely many farmers would actually achieve the same yields that were achieved on these replicated trials but it does give an unbiased indication.
| Crop | Tonnes/ ha/DM | Mean digestibility (%) | Mean Protein (%) | Metabolisable Energy (ME) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirohie Millet (3 cuts at 1m max) | 16 | 10.6 | 11.6 | 9.2 |
| Forage Sorghum | 16.5 | 10.2 | 9.5 | 8.6 |
| Sweet Sorghum | 28 | 16.2 | 5 | 7.9 |
The figures in Table 1 demonstrate a summer crop does not contain enough quality to sustain a reasonable level of milk production without a significant inclusion of higher quality feed in the diet. A trap that many farmers fall into is planting a larger area of summer crop than what can actually be utilised without suffering a drop in production.
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To calculate the ideal area of summer crop to grow an estimate needs to be made of the maximum amount of summer crop a cow will be allowed to consume each day and the maximum predicted growth rate per day of the summer crop. For example: If the maximum amount of summer crop a cow can eat on a particular farm is 10kg of dry matter (DM) per day and the summer crop is expected to grow at 100kg/DM/per day on 1 ha of land, then the maximum amount of Summer crop that should be grown is 1ha for every 10 cows (100kg/DM/ ha ÷ 10kg/DM/cow). |
Other Forage Options:
There are other options that can be used to provide feed to the cows during summer. The more common options are purchased fodder such as hay and silage as well as trying to grow and utilise more feed from the current pastures and crops on the farm. The most suitable option will be the one that represents the best value for money and manages the risk appropriate to your farm business.
To work out which option is the best value for money, it is a matter of comparing what the total costs are per unit of energy (or in some cases per unit of protein or dry matter). Utilise the services of your nutritionist or milk supply officer to help you calculate this. When doing the calculations, all costs need to be included so an accurate comparison is made.
For example if pricing purchased hay, it needs to be converted to a price per tonne of dry matter and it needs to include freight and an estimated amount of wastage for when it’s fed to the livestock.
For summer crops it needs to include all establishment costs such as cultivation, sowing, chemicals, fertiliser, seed and irrigation costs. If it is likely some of the summer crop will need to be conserved and fed back to the herd then these costs need to be included as well.
Growing and utilising more feed from the current crops:
The option of growing and utilising more feed from the current crops and pastures can be achieved in a number of ways. For many farmers one of the most effective and cheapest ways to achieve this is through improved management. A proven way of achieving this is to participate in a program like Department of Primary Industries' ‘Feeding Pastures for Profit’ where the manager can improve their knowledge as well as get some very practical tips and tools.
Another way is through the use of fertilisers such as nitrogen. This needs to be costed out carefully as well. It needs to be considered if the extra feed grown can be directly grazed or if the extra feed will need to be conserved and fed back to the herd later in the year, which is often the case with spring applications of nitrogen. Remember to include the cost of conserving and feeding back in any cost comparisons.
Another option is to maximise the length of time a crop or pasture is grown. For many annuals (annual ryegrasses and cereals) there isn’t much room to extend their growing season. However, often biannual or very late maturing annuals are being grown on farms for the same time period as the shorter annuals when some varieties (for example Italian ryegrasses) are capable of producing a reasonable quantity and quality of feed up to at least Christmas.
If summer is cooler (like last year) they can provide feed almost right through summer and could be irrigated up until at least the start of December. They might not be growing the same amount of tonnes of dry matter per mega-litre of water as a summer crop but there isn’t the cost of establishing new crops either.
Providing green feed over summer:
It is not advised to grow a summer crop for the sole purpose of providing green feed over summer. A balanced milker diet can be achieved by utilising all sorts of feeds as has been demonstrated over the drought years. Summer crops don’t provide anything that can’t be added to the diet. Often they are poorer quality than they appear and in some cases extra minerals need to be added to the diet when grazing crops such as sorghum.
To have a clean area each day to graze the herd for animal health benefits:
There are possible benefits to growing summer crops as a clean area for the herd to graze each day. However this shouldn’t be the major reason affecting your decision as there are many other ways to avoid animal health problems over summer. For example instances of mastitis can be reduced by rotating the paddock cows used for loafing.
As part of a pasture renovation program:
Growing a summer crop has been proven to be a good way of renovating a pasture if managed well. It allows for a spring and autumn knockdown of weeds as well as a chance to prepare a good seed bed. However this can all be achieved without actually sowing a summer crop. The summer crop should only be grown if there is the need for the extra feed of that quality and it is going to be cost effective.
To utilise relatively cheap water:
There is little advantage of growing a summer crop simply to utilise available water if other options are more cost effective.
Conclusion
A lot of thought is needed when deciding if a summer crop should be grown. It is not as simple as having water and land available. Often alternative feed sources can be more economical and have less risk involved. There are a number of different options and factors to consider and it’s advisable to work with trusted service providers where possible to assist with your decision.
Irrigator Flood Recovery Support
All flood affected irrigators can access support from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in a $4.96 million irrigator recovery program.
The Program is part of the $21 million assistance package for flood affected irrigators announced by Minister for Water Peter Walsh in April 2011. It is designed to help the region recover and ensure it is in a stronger position to reduce the impacts of future flooding.
The Facilitating Irrigators Recovery Program component is open to all flood affected irrigators in Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) Loddon, Campaspe and Central Murray Operations Areas.
It provides for:
- DPI staff to work face to face with individual irrigators to help flood recovery planning for the short and long-term future of their farm business. They will work to help irrigators understand and access the existing programs offering financial and technical support.
- The full cost recovery on irrigation whole farm plans to re-establish irrigation design and layout for flood-affected properties.
- The full cost recovery on soil salinity surveys to help farmers make sound decisions on where they will get best return from investing in flood recovery activities.
- Grants up to $2,000 to flood-affected irrigators for independent professional advice to help make decisions about their farms and business to recover from the floods.
If you are interested in any of these components you need to contact DPI (see table below) before engaging anyone to perform the tasks.
The objective of the Facilitating Irrigators Recovery Program is to help farmers plan for the future and make changes to their businesses. This can involve grasping new opportunities to change the scale or scope of the farm business. Some of the changes required may be challenging and involve some difficult decisions.
The range of decisions landholders may need to consider include:
- Rebuild or upgrade irrigation systems, including Whole Farm Plans, Soil Salinity Surveys.
- Connect the property to the modernised irrigation supply system, or relocate the farm business to land on the modernised irrigation supply system.
- Farmer’s business and lifestyle aspirations, enterprise changes, land suitability, succession planning, water trade.
The flood footprint will be based on the mapped extent of the January 2011 flood. Evidence of inundation or flood damage may be requested to confirm eligibility.
The flood recovery package will be available until June, 2012.
For more information please contact the following DPI officers.
| DPI Office | Telephone | Key Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Kerang | 03 5452 1266 | Adam Taylor Michelle Slater |
| Echuca | 03 5482 1922 | Kathy Long Susan Emmett |
| Tatura | 03 5833 5222 | Brendan Stary Ingrid Thomas |
Safety Checklists Cut Risks
A simple safety checklist can help maintain a safe farm working environment by identifying potential risks and taking steps to prevent accidents.
Dr Pauline Brightling who manages Dairy Australia’s The People in Dairy program says farms differ from most other workplaces because people live and work at the same location. Older and younger family members, as well as workers, are at risk from hazards on the farm.
“The prevention of personal injury and ill health associated with working and living on the farm is a priority for everyone in the dairy industry,” Dr Brightling said.
“All farm businesses have an obligation under law to provide a safe and healthy workplace for their employees, contractors, family, visitors and members of the public. Farm businesses who don’t act to fulfill health and safety responsibilities face significant fines and penalties.”
The People in Dairy website has a safety checklist to help identify potential risks and hazards and identify ways they can be eliminated or controlled.
It covers traffic, power and electrical, environment, manual handling, dairy hazards, confined spaces, farm chemicals, emergency response, workplace policies and machinery and equipment risks.
Dr Brightling said further help was available for those who need it.
A number of dairy companies are introducing programs to support improved farm safety which include an independent farm safety audit.
“An independent person can often help identify hazards, which may go unnoticed by people who work on the farm,” she said.
Worksafe Victoria also offers Victorian businesses with up to 20 employees a free 3-hour session with an independent health and safety consultant as part of its Safety and Prevention program.
The consultant visits the farm, helps identify safety issues relevant to the business and provides advice on how to go about addressing the issues.
For more information contact The People in Dairy at www.thepeopleindairy.org.au/ or telephone 03 9620 7283.
TicklersQ. Where do milk shakes come from? A. Excited cows. Q. What do you give a sick pig? A. Oinkment. Q. What do you get if you cross a steer with a tadpole? A. A bullfrog. Q. What has six eyes but can’t see? A. Three blind mice. |
Selecting For Mastitis Resistance
Selecting dairy bulls with mastitis resistance can help fine-tune mastitis management in the long term.
Dairy Australia’s Countdown project leader John Penry said although most mastitis control is achieved through management practices and the environment, genetics does have a small influence on mastitis resistance.
“Genetic variation for cell count exists and some bulls have been found to produce daughters which are more resistant to mastitis than others,” Dr Penry said.
While the heritability of mastitis resistance is relatively low at 10 per cent, the benefits are permanent and accrue with each generation.
This means an estimated 10 per cent of the variation in the Australian dairy cow population is due to genetics and the other 90 per cent is due to the management environment of the cow.
“For little or no cost you can make a long term difference to the level of mastitis in your herd by selecting bulls from the mastitis resistance list in the Good Bulls Guide,” Dr Penry said.
Australian Breeding Values for mastitis resistance – cell count ABVs – are available for AI bulls, based on their daughters cell counts.
Improving mastitis resistance involves selecting bulls with a Cell Count ABV which is more than 100 – the higher the Cell Count ABV, the greater the mastitis resistance.
The difference between the best bull (Cell Count ABV of 171) and the worst bull (Cell Count ABV of 20) is estimated to be $100 net profit per cow per year. Most bulls have a Cell Count ABV between 78 and 122.
Cell Count ABVs are incorporated in the Australian Profit Ranking because mastitis lowers farm profitability.
“If mastitis is part of your breeding plan then look at a bull’s Cell Count ABV, or use the mastitis resistance list in the Good Bulls Guide,” Dr Penry said.
For a fact sheet on the impact of genetics on mastitis and cell counts, please visit the Dairy Australia website www. dairyaustralia.com.au/countdown and type 'genetics' in the search box or telephone Countdown Downunder on 03 9620 7283.
Importance Of Soil Carbon In Productive Landscapes
As part of their spring 2011 Climate Webinar Series, the Department of Primary Industries Victoria invites you to participate in an interactive online seminar - Importance of Soil Carbon in a Productive Landscape.
The webinar (web-based seminar), will be held on Thursday, 3 November at 10.00 am, and will run for one hour.
The Climate Webinar Series is free and open to farmers, agricultural service providers and anyone interested in learning more about a range of climate and emissions related topics.
All you need is access to a telephone line and computer to participate.
Please visit www.dpi.vic.gov.au/climaterisk to register.
For further information please contact Chris Gerbing, telephone 03 9296 4758 or email chris.gerbing@dpi.vic.gov.au
North West Focus Farm
Article Summary:
Leigh Verhey and Angela Turner Location: Koondrook
Farm Goals: - Improve Equity - Dairy Upgrade - Forage base - Develop 25ha of land
Leigh Verhey and Angela Turner own and operate the North West focus farm located at Koondrook in northern Victoria. Leigh and Angela have dairying in their blood having both grown up on dairy farms in the region.
They first purchased the 56 ha farm in July 2005 and commenced milking 130 cows in a ten double-up herringbone dairy. They had very little equity in the business and the farm was run down but they could see its potential and took on the challenge.
In the six years since purchase, they have nearly trebled the land area increasing from the initial 56 ha to 156 ha. They have also doubled the herd size to 260 cows. This growth and development has occurred during a challenging period for the region which is a credit to their hard work, determination and the passion they have for their dairy farming business.
Leigh and Angela also have access to two lease properties in close proximity to the home farm totalling 106 ha. The lease properties provide additional fodder and are used for young stock and dry cows.
The property is serviced by two backbone channels and they own 320 HRWS and 143 LRWS. The lease properties provide access to an additional 306 HRWS and 146 ML of LRWS. The irrigation development work completed on the farm means they have good control over their irrigation water and are able to capture 100 percent of the irrigation run off in three separate recycle systems.
Leigh has a strong focus on utilising as much home grown feed as possible and sees this as an important profit driver for the business. The low water allocations in recent years has changed what is grown on the farm and currently the majority of the area is sown down to shaftal and annual ryegrass with a small amount of Lucerne (8 ha). The feed base for the farm in the future is one of the many questions that Leigh is keen to explore as part of the focus farm project.
They feed approximately 1.5 tonnes of grain per cow in the dairy and Leigh likes to see the cows produce their bodyweight equivalent in milk solids. They have a mixed Friesian/Jersey/Aussie Red herd with Leigh focusing on functionality rather than any strong alliance to a particular breed. However, in saying that, Leigh does have a slight bias to Aussie Reds. The herd is split approximately 50:50 spring and autumn calving and Leigh is aiming to reach 300 cows on the current farm area. Time in the dairy will be an issue for this many cows and is another important decision Leigh and Angela want to assess during their time as a focus farm.
During the drought, like a lot of farmers, Leigh and Angela had their moments and questioned their future, however they put their focus into strengthening their business relationships which they see as really important for the future success of their business. Looking to the future they want to see the equity in their business grow to help reduce some of their financial risk and to be able to invest in the farm to improve productivity and make life a little easier.
During the focus farm project Leigh and Angela have a number of goals they would like to work towards that include but are not limited to:
- Increasing business equity
- Upgrading their dairy
- Developing 25 ha of land close to the dairy
- Future options for the farm’s feed base.
Leigh and Angela are both excited to be involved in the Focus Farm project as they see it as a great opportunity to help them achieve their business goals.
Monthly Reminders
Pastures
- Check for any leaks from channels or bay outlets to make sure water goes where you want it to.
- Consider using nitrogen to boost growth if it is economical and manage your rotations carefully.
Stock
- Keep an eye on the cows’ diet – make sure it is meeting their needs. With joining just around the corner, it is very important the quality is maintained.
- When comparing between the costs of different feeds make sure you compare them on a Dry Matter basis. Also think about how much energy and protein different feeds can provide.
- Make sure the feed you are offering the cows is of sufficient quality. A feed test could be money well spent.
- Make sure you are ready for joining: order the semen and get the bulls ready; check any non-cycling cows and treat if necessary.
- If required, drench the stock, including milkers, bulls and young stock.
Business
- Review the cash flow budget to assess whether strategies can be financed.
- Get a milk income estimate and, if you haven’t already done so, organise a chat with the bank manager to keep them up to date with your plans.
- It might be useful to get someone into help you look at the options for your business for the coming season and beyond. People
- Keep in touch with your neighbours and friends. How are they travelling?
What’s On?
NCDEA Courses
Manage Estate Planning
Learn about the process required to successfully plan changes in farm ownership and control in this short course.
Beginning Tuesday, 18 October, in Shepparton.
Plan production for the whole land/farm based business
Beginning Wednesday, 26 October.
For more information please contact the NCDEA, telephone 1300 062 332 or visit www.ncdea.edu.au
Inspiring Women In Dairy Postponed
New Dates: 12—15 February, 2012 Follow-up day – 29 March, 2012
Location: Shepparton, Victoria
Cost: $175 incl.
GST (includes workshop, accommodation and all meals)
For more information contact Tori Rath at Murray Dairy, telephone: 03 5833 5927 or email tori@murraydairy.com.au
*For the purpose of this article, when referring to a summer crop the article is referring to millet or sorghum.
