Tassie Dairy News December 2012 (PDF 1.8 MB)

Tassie Dairy News
Produced for the Tasmanian Dairy Industry by the TIA Dairy Centre, University of Tasmania
Funded by Dairy Australia, DairyTas and TIA
ISSUE 6
DECEMBER 2012
THIS ISSUE INCLUDES: n DAIRY SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM n EFFLUENT FIELD DAYS n SMART N
Dairy Smart - Devonport
Alison Hall, TIA Dairy Centre
The objectives of the Dairy Smart Feedbase and Nutrition
groups are to increase awareness of the latest research
findings and how they can be implemented on farm to
improve home grown forage consumption; analyse the
risks involved with decisions around the feedbase and
animal nutrition; and analyse the limiting factors to forage
growth, understand how to address these factors, and
(where possible), put in place a plan to address them.
The Devonport Dairy Smart Feedbase and Nutrition
Group had their most recent meeting at Richard Smart
and Trina Hole’s farm in West Kentish. The theme for
the day was ‘getting the timing right improves operating
profit regardless of your farming system’. Specific topics
and issues discussed included silage, irrigation and heat
detection, and the importance timing has with each area.
The group began with an introduction to the host farm,
including an update of the current farm situation. The
main message emphasised by Richard and Trina was to
keep the system simple – it can be hard to get a simple
system as it takes time, but once you get it right it is
easy to maintain and the rest will follow. The group then
discussed how getting the timing right in terms of silage
making, irrigation start-up, and heat detection impacts
on the farming system and production. The group went
on a farm walk to look at soil moisture status by looking
at several tensiometers that had been put in place two
weeks earlier. This generated discussion around the ideal
soil moisture level and when you should start irrigating
and the potential effect starting irrigation one week too
late (or later) can have on overall pasture production and
profitability. The group also discussed the pros and cons
of silage making, whether to graze or harvest a paddock
for silage, and the effect good and poor quality silage can
have on milk production.
Guest speaker Mark Freeman from the TIA Dairy Centre
also discussed ‘What’s New in Heat Detection’. Mark
spoke about the cycle of a cow, and where heat detection
and pregnancy occur in the cycle. Mark also discussed a
number of different methods of heat detection, outlined
advantages and disadvantages of various methods,
where the technology was at, what is being used where,
and what may work best for you and your system. The
main message from this discussion was not to get too
invested in the technology, as currently the technologies
are not transferable between systems, a combination of
technologies are often required, and they are relatively
expensive on a per cow basis. The best advice was to wait
for a few years and see how the technologies develop,
Liz Mann from TIA leading the discussion on using tensiometers
to monitor irrigation start-up and scheduling
and in the meantime stick to the method or combination
that is working best for you.
If you are interested in participating in the Devonport
Dairy Smart Group, please contact Liz Mann at Elizabeth.
[email protected]. If you would like more information on
topics covered in the Dairy Smart Feedbase and Nutrition
Groups, or if you are interested in being involved in a group
in another region, please contact Dairy Smart project
manager Lesley Irvine at [email protected].
Plate Meter Equations
Lesley Irvine, TIA Dairy Centre
We have had a few enquiries recently about which
plate meter equation to use. The plate meter equation
for winter, spring and autumn (when the pasture
is green) is: kg DM/ha = height ÷ 2 ÷ number of
readings x 250 + 500. For an electronic plate meter,
because it automatically does part of the calculations,
the equation entered into the plate meter should
be: multiply by 125 and add 500. Over summer on
dryland areas (irrigated areas continue to use the
previous equation), the plate meter equation changes
to: kg DM/ha = height ÷ 2 ÷ number of readings x
320 + 500. On an electronic plate meter, the equation
should be multiply by 160 and add 500. If you have
any questions, please email [email protected]
or phone 0428 880 287.
TASMANIAN
INSTITUTE OF
AGRICULTURE
Australasian Dairy Science Symposium
The 2012 Australasian Dairy Science Symposium was held in Melbourne in mid-November. Over 130 dairy research
papers were presented at the conference. Several TIA staff delivered papers and had the opportunity to hear about
research projects in Australia, New Zealand and other countries that aim to deliver benefits for dairy farmers and
the wider community. The 500 pages of research proceedings covering animal production systems, feedbase
and nutrition, reproduction, animal health and welfare and biotechnology can be downloaded at http://www.
adssymposium.com.au/viewStory/Proceedings.
Farm Size Vs Return On Assets
Mark Fergusson, TIA Dairy Centre
Daniel Gilmour, DPI Victoria, presented at the symposium and posed the question: does farm size matter? The
analysis was based on five years of benchmarking data collected through the Dairy Farm Monitor Project and it
looked at the impact of farm size on income, costs and profitability of Victorian dairy farms. Given the similarities
between Tasmania and Victoria, the results of the analysis are likely to also apply to Tasmanian dairy farms.
The farm size category definitions are shown in the Table 1.
Table 1 Farm size categories
Farm size
Small
Medium
Large
Extra large
Cows milked
Less than 150
151-300
301-500
More than 500
Annual financial information for 56 to 74 farms was analysed for the five years up to, and including, the 2010-11
season. The average return on assets for each farm size is shown in Figure 1. Small farms clearly had consistently
lower return on assets than the larger farms, and the extra large farms had the highest return each year.
Another way to compare farm size is to look at the distribution of the returns over the five years (Figure 2).
Figure Average return on assets (%) by farm size, 2006-07 to 2010-11
Another way to compare farm size is to look at the distribution of the returns over the five years (Figure 2).
Figure 1 - Average return on assets (%) by farm size, 2006-07 to 2010-11
In Figure 2, the data is presented in box and whisker plots. The middle horizontal bar of each box indicates the
middle value for the data, while the top and bottom horizontal bars of the box represent the first (25th percentile)
and the third (75th percentile) quartile ranges respectively. The middle 50% of farms sit within the box. Finally,
the two long vertical whiskers at the end of the boxes represent the total range for all data. The box and whisker
plots show that the average return on assets increased with farm size. However, some well managed medium and
large farms were able to perform equally as well as extra large farms. The small farms stand out as having a lower
average return on assets.
Farm income and costs were analysed to track down the reasons for the differences in return on assets caused by
farm size. It was found that large farms tend to have slightly higher gross income per kg milksolids (MS) and lower
overhead costs per kg MS. When the overhead costs were broken down and analysed further, it was differences
between farms in their non-cash overhead costs (depreciation and imputed labour costs) that were the main cause
of the differences between farms of different sizes (see Figure 3).
22
Figure 2 - Distribution of return on assets (%) by farm size, 2006-07 to 2010-11
Figure 3 - Average annual non-cash overhead costs ($/kg MS) by farm size, 2006-07 to 2010-11
The variation between farm size categories in non-cash costs can be partly explained by the differences in labour
efficiency between farms. The number of cows milked per labour unit and the MS produced per labour unit tend to
rise with farm size because larger farms are more able to purchase labour saving capital equipment such as rotary
dairies and centre pivot irrigators.
The analysis helps to explain the steady increase in average farm size over the years, as farmers seek to lower their
costs and increase their returns by increasing herd numbers and farm size. Despite the existence of economies of
size among dairy farms, and the opportunity for large farms to spread their overheads over greater production, the
results show that some farms across all size categories were able to perform strongly across the years. So while
smaller farms tend to have a cost disadvantage when compared to larger farms, this can be overcome by working
smarter. Working smarter can mean using innovations and new technologies. The Dairy Science Symposium
highlighted a large number of new science based technologies that are in the pipeline (see article on p. 4).
Dairy Innovators Forum 2013
The Australian Dairy Conference and Dairy Australia are offering to sponsor one farmer from each dairy region
in Australia to attend the Dairy Innovators Forum being held at the Twin Waters Resort, Sunshine Coast,
Queensland from February 25-27. The sponsorship is targeted at young, or emerging, dairy farmers or farm
workers and will cover conference registration and up to $1000 in travel and accommodation costs. If you
would like to apply, please contact Mark Smith at DairyTas on 6432 2233 or [email protected].
3
Precision Farming Technology
James Hills, TIA Dairy Centre
Jenny Jago (DairyNZ) was one of the researchers at
the Symposium who spoke about some of these new
technologies and summarised the adoption, risks and
opportunities of precision dairy farming in Australasia.1
She posed the following three questions in relation to
the adoption of many technologies by farmers as: is it
plug and play, plug and pray or perhaps plug and PAY?
This summarises the experiences that early adopters
of technology often have. There is an expectation for
plug and play, but often the reality is plug and pray and
generally the technology can be very expensive in more
ways than one!
Precision dairying has been defined as ‘the use of
technologies to measure physiological, behavioural, and
production indicators on individual animals to improve
management strategies and farm performance’. 2 This
definition probably needs to be expanded to include
measurement of the physical resource in addition to the
animal and its performance.
Precision dairying has been made possible primarily due
to the introduction of electronic identification of individual
animals, leading to the ability to manage herds based
on an individual animal’s performance or status. This
idea of managing on an individual animal basis has
been practiced in the past, when herds were small, and
farmers knew all their cows by name. With increasing
herd size and the greater reliance on casual farm labour,
it has become difficult to know and respond to changes
exhibited by individual animals.
The types of precision technologies currently available
and being used by farmers in their dairies include herd
management software, EID tags, individual bail feeding
systems, automatic teat spraying systems, cup removers,
walk-over weigh scales, auto drafting, backing gates, milk
meters, heat detection and inline mastitis detection.
Other technologies that assist with daily management
of the dairy farm include measurement of pasture
biomass (e.g. using a CDax Pasture MeterTM), the
use of EM mapping of soils along with variable rate
irrigation technologies and variable rate fertiliser and
spray applications associated with GPS tracking for
environmental and management purposes.
Technology that would be considered to be still in
the developmental stage include pasture quality
measurements using reflectance sensing techniques
and sensors worn or attached to cows to track animal
behaviour and to monitor animal functions, for example,
rumen pH.
Of particular interest is the use of sensors to identify
behaviour that can be identified or associated with the
onset of disease or important physiological events (e.g.
oestrus). These sensors can assist with early detection
of health and welfare issues or improve the management
of reproductive performance. For example, there is an
increasing body of research data that suggests that an
animal will change its grazing behaviour and reduce
grazing time and intake even weeks before clinical
signs of a disease. Early detection may provide early
intervention and have a significant impact on reducing
production and culling losses. Animals that are going
through oestrus will also have altered behaviour, such
as an increase in standing time that may be able to be
identified and used to predict the most appropriate time
44
Technology that tracks individual animal behaviour
is still in development
for mating. The challenge arising with these sensing
systems is the volume of data collected that needs to be
analysed so that meaningful results can lead to timely
decisions. The cost and reliability of the sensors and the
need for these to be attached to every animal in the herd
means that adoption of most of this technology at a farm
level is still prohibitive. There are however commercial
systems available for certain behaviour that may be
beneficial at a whole herd or individual animal level (e.g.
CowAlert by Ice Robotics, www.icerobotics.com)
At the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture Dairy Research
Facility at Elliott, research is about to begin that uses
GPS technology in addition to activity monitors to enable
tracking of an animal’s grazing behaviour. Linking this
information with individual animal production data
being collected from the dairy and the ability to feed
variable rates of concentrate in the dairy will enable
an assessment of the impact of different nutritional
management protocols on pasture intake for animals at
different levels of performance. What this means is that
we will be able to be more informed about the impact of
individual versus flat rate feeding in the dairy and how to
best manage concentrate feeding to maximise the use of
our pasture base.
The benefits from precision dairy technologies are
primarily around automation (hence labour savings) and
the greater ability to make proactive decisions (e.g. in
relation to performance and health status) tailored to
individual or specific needs that lead to more efficient
use of limited resources. On the negative side, apart
from the cost of some of the technology, there are a
number of challenges that need to be considered with
their introduction, including a loss of key skills (e.g. basic
animal husbandry skills), knowledge silos (completed
technical systems requiring specialist knowledge to run),
reliance on data that might be of poor quality (rubbish in
means rubbish out) and data overload.
While there are many opportunities and benefits for the
dairy industry to make use of precision dairy technology,
adoption of some of these before they have been properly
tested and commercialised may lead to frustrations and
perhaps episodes of ‘plug and pray’ or even ‘plug and
PAY’!!!
1.
Jago, J., Eastwood, C., Kerrisk, K. and Yule, I. (2012).
Precision dairy farming in Australia: adoption, risks and
opportunities. In ‘Proceedings of the 5th Australasian Dairy
Science Symposium, Melbourne, Australia. pp123-135.
2.
Bewley, J. (2010). Precision dairy farming: advanced
analysis solutions for future profitability. In ‘Proceedings
of the First North American Conference on Precision Dairy
Management’, Toronto, Canada.
Getting The Extra Edge From Effluent
Alison Hall, TIA Dairy Centre
Are you making the most out of your dairy effluent? Is
your dairy effluent management plan up to date? Does
your effluent management system meet environmental
regulations? Are you turning your effluent into money?
DairyTas, Fonterra and NRM North recently held two field
days on effluent management in the north of the state.
Presenters included Scott McDonald from DPI Victoria
(Dairy Services Branch), who spoke about good effluent
system design and ways to operate your system for
maximum efficiency. Don Sandman, Quality Assurance
Manager with the Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority,
also spoke about the Effluent Code of Practice and what
farmers need to do to be compliant.
Effluent Management Code of Practice
From the 1st of January 2013, Tasmanian dairy farm food
safety audits will also look at whether effluent systems are
meeting the Effluent Code of Practice. The purpose of this
Code is to ensure that effluent from a dairy and associated
yards is managed in a way which is not likely to have an
unacceptable impact on the environment. There are three
outcomes of this Code:
1. Dairy premises effluent must not leave the farm
boundaries or enter surface waters or groundwater,
unless treated and discharged in a manner approved by
the relevant regulatory authorities.
2. There must be an appropriately designed and operated
system for the responsible management of dairy
premises effluent.
3. Spray irrigation or distribution of dairy premises effluent
is carried out in an environmentally sound manner.
To assist dairy farmers with their dairy effluent
management systems, an effluent management officer
was employed to assist farmers on a one-to-one basis and
develop individual effluent management plans. All dairy
farmers should have received a Code of Practice and an
Effluent Management Plan which has been developed
specifically for their individual farm. It is the responsibility
of farmers to ensure that any amendments are made
to their plan, assess the risks, and to ensure they are
meeting the Code for effluent management.
John Williams (centre) speaks to the field day attendees about
his farm’s effluent system at the NE field day
What should you do before 1st January,
2013?
• Find your effluent management plan
• Check to see it is current and make any
amendments
• Get advice from suitably experienced and qualified
people
Fundamental principles of effluent
management
• Keep effluent on your own farm
• Have a responsible manner of distributing effluent
• Have some form of management in place to avoid
run off and leaching
• Reduce odour from ponds for prolonged period
Collection, Conveyance, Containment
Questions to ask when looking at your effluent
management system, and/or when making changes to
your dairy system:
•
•
•
•
•
How much effluent is being generated?
How is it being collected?
Where is the effluent being collected from?
How is it being conveyed?
Can I contain it in a storage pond? How many ponds
do I need? What type(s) of ponds?
• How can I contain it on my land in winter when not
using a storage pond?
• Can I divert rainwater from the effluent management
system?
Recycle and Re-use
The effluent field days were a team effort (L-R): Don
Sandman (TDIA), Sophie Tilley (Fonterra), Scott McDonald
(DPI Victoria), Adrian James (NRM North), Rachel Brown
(DairyTas, Dairy NRM Co-ordinator)
To make money from your effluent, you need to be using
it strategically and managing the infrastructure you
have put in place. Effluent management systems and
infrastructure can be quite simple, and don’t require
hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on them. Simply
put, you need to be able to collect, contain and use your
effluent to grow more grass, and make more money.
It is important to know where the nutrients are in your
effluent system so you know where your money is,
and where nutrients are being lost, as nutrients equal
fertiliser. The majority of nutrient value is in first pond
5
5
sludge – you need to stir and agitate this sludge as this
is where the real dollar value of effluent occurs. Losses
and costs do occur along the way, and it is important
to know where this occurs so you can manage it
accordingly. Nutrient budgeting and soil fertility tests
can be used to determine the nutrient status of your
paddocks, and which paddocks you should apply
effluent to. It is important not to apply effluent to the
same paddocks year after year, but strategically apply
nutrients in effluent to areas of your farm that need it
to ensure you are getting an economic return. Using
the nutrients that are in effluent can save you money,
particularly if you can avoid buying them in as fertiliser.
Things to consider when making changes
or upgrades to your dairy system
Effluent management and design plans are very unique,
and your management plan and advice will vary to your
neighbour. Systems should be built based on future
use – if you are planning on increasing herd size or
installing a feed pad in the future, then your current
effluent management system needs to be able to cope
with these changes and/or be adjusted accordingly. Ask
yourself questions like:
• How am I currently managing my effluent?
• Can it manage the change I am making? Or do I
need to make changes to my effluent management
system?
Your effluent system has to be unique to you – you need
to know what is going to work best for your system,
and where you can improve to make the most of your
effluent and use it effectively.
Need more information?
For more information on the Farm Dairy Effluent
Management Code of Practice, or to obtain an Effluent
Management Plan for your property, contact Carolyn
Harris at the TDIA on 6421 7689, or Carolyn.Harris@
dpipwe.tas.gov.au. An electronic copy of the code
can be found on the DairyTas website at http://www.
dairytas.com.au/nrm/nutrients/.
Please contact Rachel Brown, Dairy NRM Coordinator,
if you would like to register for an effluent training
course. Dairy Australia is hoping to run a course in
Tasmania in autumn 2013. Service providers and earth
works contractors who are designing and constructing
effluent systems are particularly encouraged to
register. Email: [email protected] or phone 0409
333 381.
Alexis Perez
Alexis Perez, TIA Dairy Centre extension officer,
has recently returned to South America. Originally,
this was only to be for a short holiday but for family
reasons, Alexis will now be on leave until mid2013. A short-term replacement for Alexis is being
organised and all the Dairy Smart and AMS activities
that he was involved with will continue. If you have
any questions, please contact Lesley Irvine at Lesley.
[email protected] or phone 0428 880 287.
66
Robots Generate Rich Reports
FutureDairy
Dairy farmers with robotic – or automatic milking
systems (AMS) – are finding that the computerised
recording system provides a range of reports that
transform the way they make decisions and manage
the herd.
Dr Kendra Kerrisk, FutureDairy project leader, said that
most AMS farmers took some time to become familiar
with the AMS reports but once they gained confidence,
they found they managed their herd quite differently.
“AMS is a different way of farming and it takes some
time to get used to that. One of the big differences is
that you have instant access to detailed information
and reports,” said Dr Kerrisk.
The robots sample and test milk from each individual
quarter, providing very specific information after each
milking.
“We find that the farmer’s focus tends to move from
monitoring trends at the herd level to monitoring
individual cows, particularly in terms of mastitis
indicators, milk production and composition.
In effect you have every day access to information that
was previously only available periodically through herd
recording data. It’s a very powerful management tool.”
As well as recording detailed information from the
milking, the AMS software performs most of the
functions as other dairy management programs so all
the information is stored in a central place.
Most AMS have a set of standard reports which
are generated automatically each day, alerting the
manager to animals or issues that require attention.
At the robotic milking facility at Camden, the
FutureDairy team reviewed these reports each morning
to assess performance at the herd, cow and robot
levels.
“At the herd level we were most interested in average
milk production, milking frequency, concentrate
consumption and success of milking attempts.”
“Combined, these results gave us an indication of how
well our farming system was supporting automatic
milking and if we needed to make adjustments,
especially to improve voluntary cow movement around
the farm,” she said.
The FutureDairy team used information supplied at the
individual cow level, and even the quarter level as an
indicator of health and wellbeing.
“For example, we set up the system to alert us to
indicators of mastitis and oestrus. We also kept a close
eye on concentrate consumption as a fall in that can
be an early sign of a metabolic disorder or other animal
health issue,” said Dr Kerrisk.
Reports at the robot level were used to monitor the
efficiency of the automatic milking system and to
identify any emerging issues that required attention.
Reports included proportion of missed attachments and
incomplete milkings, milk harvesting rates, attachment
times and robot utilisation levels.
For more information, contact Dr Kendra Kerrisk,
FutureDairy project leader ph 0428 101 372, email
[email protected] or www.futuredairy.
com.au.
Smarter Nitrogen With Smart-N™
Alison Hall, TIA Dairy Centre
Robert Snare, a fourth year Bachelor of Agricultural
Science student at the University of Tasmania, has
recently completed his honours research project
with the TIA Dairy Centre. His project, titled ‘Lowering
nitrogen use in temperate pasture based dairy systems
through the adoption of Smart-N™ WeedSeeker®
Technology’, investigated the potential for Smart N
WeedSeeker® technology to be used on dairy farms.
This technology is designed to detect urine patches in
pasture, allowing liquid nitrogen fertiliser to be applied
to the pasture while avoiding application to urine
patches.
WeedSeeker® technology was originally designed for
weed control in fallow fields and uses advanced optics
and computer circuitry to detect the green colour of
weeds against bare ground. If a weed is detected, a
nozzle on the spray boom is activated (Figure 1) and the
weed is sprayed.
Smart-N™ WeedSeeker® technology uses this same
principle, however, it has been designed to detect the
differences in the concentration of the colour green
with the aim of being able to identify urine patches in
pasture. Typically, cow urine contains a large amount of
nitrogen and this is distributed in a small area, equating
to an application rate of 500-1000 kg N/ha. This
concentration of nitrogen in the urine patch results not
only in the change in colour of the grass but also leads
to loss of nitrogen from the system through leaching,
denitrification and volatilisation. Dairy farms in
Tasmania have traditionally low nitrogen use efficiency,
with less than 20% of nitrogen inputs leaving the farm
in end products. While not all losses of nitrogen from
a dairy system occur through urine patches, there is
potential to improve nitrogen use efficiency using this
Smart N WeedSeeker® technology through either (or
both):
1. Detecting urine patches and avoiding application of
nitrogen to those areas
2. Detecting urine patches and applying a nitrification
inhibitor to reduce nitrogen losses from those areas.
So how well does the technology work? Can it detect
urine patches?
The system was able to detect urine patches reasonably
well, but further work is necessary to improve the
sensitivity and accuracy of the technology to ensure
that as many urine patches as possible are detected
and not sprayed with nitrogen fertiliser, and conversely
areas of the pasture that need nitrogen have it applied.
Rob’s project discovered that the technology was well
adapted to spraying urine patches with inhibitors, but
again the accuracy would need improving to be viable in
a commercial situation.
The project was successful in determining whether or
not the equipment could be adapted to detect high
nitrogen-concentration regions in a paddock. A national
project has now been developed to investigate the
application of the technology on farm.
The unit will be on display and will be discussed at the
TIA Dairy Centre Open Day on December 5.
For more information on the project, please contact Dr
Keith Pembleton at [email protected].
Figure 1
Weedseeker technology uses optics to detect weeds
and then send a signal to the spray boom to activate
the nozzle
Circular Head Irrigation Scheme
Ian Herbert, TFGA
A proportion of Tasmanian Irrigation’s funding
submission to Infrastructure Australia, for a second
round of public funding to support further irrigation
development, is centred on the Circular Head region
in the state’s north-west. The drive to expand the dairy
sector in the region is well known and an irrigation
scheme in the region has been a long-held vision by
many in the area. The districts that have potential to be
supplied include Redpa, Woolnorth, Togari, Marrawah,
Edith Creek, Mella, Forest and Irishtown.
Tasmanian Irrigation will hold an information session
at Tall Timbers on the 4th December from 1:00 p.m.
to 2:30 p.m. to explain the process to gain Federal
funding and the commitment required from farmers
and local community to make the vision become
reality.
For more information please contact Ian Herbert (TFGA)
on 0400 006 095 or Paul Ellery (TI) on 0427 053 807.
Premier Giddings’ Dairy Farm Visit
Premier Lara Giddings took the opportunity to visit
a dairy farm at Meander recently. The informal visit
coincided with a farmer meeting on the DairyTas
nutrient management project in the region so it was an
opportunity for farmers to talk informally about what is
happening and where the industry is going. Thanks to
Brian and Michelle Lawrence for hosting the visit and
showing the Premier how to put cups on.
Brian Lawrence and Lara Giddings
77
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DairyTas is the Regional Development Board for Dairy Australia in Tasmania. The Board funds and
coordinates research and development activities for the dairy industry in Tasmania to improve the
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Ker,
Smithton
• Greg Bott, Rabobank
• Mark
JasonSmith,
Chilcott,
Meander,
TFGA Dairy Council
•
Executive
Officer
•
Richard
Rawnsley,
TIA
Dairy
At the meeting 10 dairy farmersCentre
were presented with their
• Greg Bott,
RabobankThese diplomas were secured
Diploma
of Agriculture.
• MarkaSmith,
Executive
Officer
through
recognition
process
based on the existing skills
At the
meeting 10
were presented
with their
and
knowledge
theydairy
had.farmers
It also helped
get resources
in
Diploma
of Agriculture.
These
were
place
to help
more farmers
getdiplomas
recognition
forsecured
their skills.
through
a recognition
process
based
on the for
existing
skills
The
program
was funded
by Skills
Tasmania
the Skills
and knowledge
they had.
also helpedsome
get resources
Institute
and farmers
also Itcontributed
cost and in
placetime.
to help more farmers get recognition for their skills.
their
The program was funded by Skills Tasmania for the Skills
The successful recipients were:
Institute and farmers also contributed some cost and
• Wayne and Angela Huisman, Togari
their time.
• Chris and Ali Small, Yolla
The successful recipients were:
• Wayne and Angela Huisman, Togari
• Chris and Ali Small, Yolla
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Derek McAdam, Edith Creek
Brett Schofield,
Plains
Cheryl
McCartie,Gunns
Ringarooma
Andrew
Lester,
Troy
Smith,
KingHerrick
Island
Derek McAdam,
Edith
Creek
Stephen
Saltmarsh,
Cressy
Cheryl McCartie, Ringarooma
Troy Smith, King Island
Stephen Saltmarsh, Cressy
Ten dairy farmers have achieved their Diploma of Agriculture
through a recognition process
Dairy
Farm
Tourshave
for Dairy
Trainees.
Certificate
Ten dairy
farmers
achieved
their Diploma
of Agriculture
through
a recognition
2&3 trainees and
apprentices
haveprocess
the chance to
participate in some dairy farm visits as part of their
Dairy Farm
forbased
Dairyaround
Trainees.
Certificate
training.
ThisTours
will be
industry
events and
2&3
trainees
and
apprentices
have
the
chance
organised farm visits to some of our best farms. to
If your
participate
in some dairy
farm
visits asthen
partcontact
of their
trainees
or apprentices
are
interested
training. to
This
will be based around industry events and
DairyTas
register.
organised farm visits to some of our best farms. If your
trainees or apprentices are interested then contact
DairyTas to register.
January 2013
2013 Events
Dairy Industry Events Calendar – December 2012
December 2012
16 Jan, TIA: Dairy Smart NW Feedbase 15 Feb, TIA: Dairy Smart CN Business
Dairy Industry Events
Calendar
– December
2012
& Nutrition
Group
Group
4 Dec, TFGA: Circular Head Irrigation Scheme
meeting, Tall Timbers, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Contact Ian Herbert
on 0400 006
095
December
2012
54 Dec,
Dairy
Centre
Open
Day, TDRF,
124
Dec, TIA:
TFGA:
Circular
Head
Irrigation
Scheme
Nunns
RdTall
Elliott,
10:001:00
a.m.p.m.
to 3:30
p.m.p.m.
Lunch
meeting,
Timbers,
to 2:30
provided
Contact Ian Herbert on 0400 006 095
DairyTas:
Tactics
for Tight
Times
Field
Days,
5 Dec, TIA:
Dairy Centre
Open
Day,
TDRF,
124
11:00
to 2:00
p.m.,a.m.
lunch
Nunnsa.m.
Rd Elliott,
10:00
toprovided
3:30 p.m. Lunch
• 7 Dec at M Twose & D Townsend with Penny
provided
Williams, 1004 Backline Rd, Wiltshire
DairyTas: Tactics for Tight Times Field Days,
• 10 Dec at S & K Burr with Lesley Irvine, 791
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., lunch provided
New River Rd, Ringarooma
• 7 Dec at M Twose & D Townsend with Penny
• 13 Dec at B & D Chandler with Basil Doonan,
Williams, 1004 Backline Rd, Wiltshire
154 Burns Rd, Caveside
• 10 Dec at S & K Burr with Lesley Irvine, 791
14 Dec,
mtg
New DairyTas
River Rd,Board
Ringarooma
•
13
Dec
at
B
&
D
Chandler
with
Doonan,
TIA = Tasmanian Institute
ofBasil
Agriculture
154 Burns Rd, Caveside
6430 4953
14 Dec, DairyTas Board mtg
January
2013
18 Jan, TIA:
Dairy Smart
CN Feedbase
&16Nutrition
Jan, TIA:Group
Dairy Smart NW Feedbase
& Nutrition Group
24
TIA: Dairy
DairySmart
SmartForest-Elliott
NE Business
23 Jan, TIA:
Group
18 Jan, TIA:
Dairy
Feedbase
Employee
Group,
11Smart
a.m. toCN
1.pm.
Hofing
& Nutrition
Group Rd, Mawbanna
Farm,
109 Bartletts
25 Jan, TIA: Dairy Smart Marrawah
Feedbase
& Nutrition
Group
24 Jan, TIA:
Dairy Smart
NE Business
Group
30 Jan, TIA: Dairy Smart NW Business
Group
25 Jan, TIA: Dairy Smart Marrawah
Feedbase & Nutrition Group
20 Feb, TIA:2013
RuralEvents
Professional
Meeting
15 Feb, TIA: Dairy Smart CN Business
Group
Feb 26&27 Dairy Innovators Forum,
Twin
Waters
20 Feb,
TIA:Qld.
Rural Professional
Meeting
March 26, DairyTas: DBOY awards
dinner,
Burnie
Feb 26&27
Dairy Innovators Forum,
Twin Waters Qld.
March 27, DairyTas: Tasmanian Dairy
Conference,
Burnie. DBOY awards
March 26, DairyTas:
dinner, Burnie
30 Jan, TIA: Dairy Smart NW Business
Group
March 27, DairyTas: Tasmanian Dairy
Conference, Burnie.
Mark Smith DairyTas
6432 2233
TSI = Skills Institute 6434 5836
Tassie
News is provided
free to
Tasmanian dairy farmers
is funded
by Dairy Australia.
contact a
TIA Dairy
= Tasmanian
Institute
ofall
Agriculture
Markand
Smith
DairyTas
TSIFor
= more
Skillsinformation,
Institute please
6434 5836
TIA Dairy Centre adviser,
phone
6430
5295
or
email
[email protected].
Electronic
copies
of
this
newsletter
are
available
at www.
6430 4953
6432 2233
tasdairyprojects.com.au
Disclaimer: This publication has been prepared for the general information of dairy farmers in Tasmania. TIA and the University of
Tassie Dairy News is provided free to all Tasmanian dairy farmers and is funded by Dairy Australia. For more information, please contact a
Tasmania do not accept any liability for damage caused by, or economic loss arising from reliance upon information or material contained
TIA Dairy Centre adviser, phone 6430 5295 or email [email protected]. Electronic copies of this newsletter are available at www.
in this publication.
tasdairyprojects.com.au