Virtual Farm Tours
In line with the technology theme of the 2009 Victorian Dairy Conference, 'virtual farm tours' allow people to visit three dairy farms in south west Victoria without leaving their seats. These tours let visitors walk through each farm to explore the innovative approaches being used to position the farms for the future.
Adapting Forages for the Future
Mark Billing and Sam Simpson
Larpent
Mark and Sam milk 400 cows at Larpent, West of Colac. Although they have an average annual rainfall of 700 mm, the recent run of dry years has led Mark to rethink how they meet the feed requirements of his herd. To adjust to greater variability in rainfall patterns and seasons, they now use a variety of pastures and forage crops to reduce feed gaps and produce the protein and energy required to feed each cow to its individual production level.
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Managing Natural Resources to Enhance Dairy Production
Mick and Leah Ryan
Barongarook West
Mick and Leah milk 240 cows at Barongarook, south west of Colac. Mick believes that sound natural resource management can not only enhance the environment, but also improve milk production and the bottom line. Over the past eight years they have installed a reuse system to irrigate pastures with dairy effluent water, undertaken extensive tree plantings and improved the condition of their soils.
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Managing Dairy Effluent
Bruce Johnson
Hawkesdale
Bruce Johnson milks 680 cows on the converted grazing property “Patrick’s Day”, north of Hawkesdale in south west Victoria. Bruce constructed his dairy shed with the view to it being water efficient with an effluent system that was easy to manage. The end product was a system allowing for the reuse of effluent water through the flood wash for yard cleaning as well as being a source of irrigation water and nutrients for the growing of summer crops.
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