It`s time to fix the herd fertility cycle
Transcription
It`s time to fix the herd fertility cycle
August 2010 Your levy in action Good stockmanship and animal management is at the heart of good dairy farming. Every farmer knows that their fortunes depend on their animals thriving. This issue has relevant seasonal stories on reproduction, calving and what you need to do to get the best results for your farm business. Animal health and welfare is one of the top dairy farming subjects New Zealanders want to know more about, according to our recent public perceptions research. We surveyed 1000 people and conducted eight focus groups around the country to determine what people really think about dairy farming. There continues to be high awareness of the importance of dairy farming, with 87 percent of those surveyed agreeing the success of the dairy industry is critical to New Zealand’s economy. They also know how good we are at farming, with 59 percent agreeing our dairy farmers are the most efficient milk producers in the world. People also want to know more about what farmers are doing to address environmental concerns. We’ll be taking up this challenge at DairyNZ and our new Go Dairy campaign will showcase some of our industry’s innovation and achievements. It’s up to all of us to talk about the good things you’re doing on your farm. Together we can promote the great stories of our industry. I welcome your views on our work, you can email me at [email protected]. Tim Mackle DairyNZ, Chief Executive It’s time to fix the herd fertility cycle Experts agree – yes we can! Whether you recognise the head line above as belonging to Barack Obama, Bob the Builder or our case study farmers Diane and Peter Miedema, it doesn’t matter. The point is that many farms have a great opportunity to drive profitability and job satisfaction through a focus on getting more cows in calf, earlier. And the annual cycle of fertility management means that every month there is an opportunity to act in a way that will improve in calf rates. Bruce Thorrold Strategy and Investment Leader, Productivity Why start today? The dairy industry has committed to phasing out induction as a management practise – most farmers already do not induce – but for some farmers, management changes will be needed. Chris Glassey’s article on page 8-10 describes how this change can be implemented. See this month’s insert for your local InCalf advisors (cont’d p2) For more information or to send us your feedback, email [email protected] or ph 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969) ISSN 1179-4916 (cont’d from p1) There is plenty of scope to increase profit on most farms – the industry target is to achieve 78 percent in calf at six weeks of mating. For every 1 percent your herd is below that figure, the cost to you is $10$15/ha/year. Seventy-five percent of farmers are not achieving this target and with the national average at around 68 percent, there is a lot of money on the table. We’ve never had better tools – the InCalf Programme, developed by Dairy Australia and adopted by DairyNZ, and the Fertility Focus report (available from LIC, CRV AmBreed and InfoVet) are world leading. These tools take the big view of herd fertility on-farm and allow you to diagnose your situation and plan actions based on your data performance. It can be done – there are farmers achieving the six-week target already and case studies including owner-operators on average size farms such as the Miedemas, as well as large farms like the Riverside Vets-Pfizer study at Ma Taua near Ashburton, show that large gains are possible. You don’t need to clutch at the latest fashion. There has never been so much skilled assistance available. You don’t have to choose between good grazing management and good herd fertility. Eight years of data shows the perception that optimal grazing management practised at Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) has caused poor fertility, isn’t true. Herd reproductive performance at LUDF has been improving for the last six years – and page 6-7 summarises Mark Blackwell and Steve Lee’s LUDF presentation at SIDE 2010. 2 InsideDairy What can you do today? Call your InCalf advisor, get a Fertility Focus report and start to really understand your situation. Use their expertise – get used to paying for advice rather than buying the product and thinking people’s time is free. Involve your team – staff who understand both why and how, will be needed for success. Hugh Jellie and Sarah Watson discuss this further on page 3. In every region there is a group of trained InCalf advisors who can assist you – these advisors will take an overview of your situation, not just sell you more feed, minerals or drugs. There is a list of trained advisors in your region enclosed – the skill and expertise these people have is worth a lot of money to you (far more than you’ll pay them for their time). Today might also be a good time to: You don’t need to accept poor reproductive performance in your herd. DairyNZ and others in the industry have invested developing tools, skills and products that can help lift performance. All it requires is commitment from you – you can do it! • Check the weights of replacement stock • Plan how to collect better data through calving to improve your Fertility Focus report • Make sure your breeding programme is supporting progress on fertility • Get an accurate assessment of body condition score of heifers and mixed age cows. The truth might not set you free, but it’s a great place to start a plan from. Good stockmanship, great in calf rates Without good stockmanship and staff regimes, high in calf rates are virtually unachievable. Having a team who understand cow health and fertility will create success with six-week in-calf rates. Veterinary advisor and dairyconcepts founder Hugh Jellie says reproduction in New Zealand is losing ground because farms fail to get the fundamentals of staff recruitment and management right. “Reproduction requires good winter management, transition management, good capability for heat detection and bull management,” says Hugh. “Poor reproductive performance is a consequence of a whole raft of things – poor fertility comes from poor feeding and management. Getting these things right, particularly on large farms, is about getting the people to do it well.” Hugh is a founder of Caring Dairying, which in 2008 completed a national survey to identify key issues within large herd farms. Caring Dairying then began a two-year pilot programme in August 2009, with funding assistance from DairyNZ and Sustainable Farming Fund, to help eight large South Island farms achieve good practice. Hugh says having a good manager is a great start to a successfully run farm and having one person allocated to manage each herd will be a real benefit during the mating period. A trend to run more cows with less people on-farm reduces animal-people interaction – a real drawback during mating, when a high level of stockmanship is required to make key decisions. Hugh’s study has highlighted that good people can achieve more with good infrastructure, but it will never be a substitute for skilled people on-farm. “Technology will not replace base capabilities to run a farm. As our farms grow, our infrastructure copes less and less. People skills and infrastructure need to be in harmony.” How to manage your team for results The way you manage the people in your team can have a big impact on the results you get. You can minimise the likelihood of costly mistakes by ensuring everyone in the team has a break before mating, are trained in the skills they need and understand ‘what good looks like’. And by making sure you have enough resources (people) to get all the jobs done. What good looks like • Provide training to all staff before the planned start of mating, so all staff know the physical signs of heat, how to detect heat, the plan for your farm and the impact they can have on results. Don’t assume they understand this! • Make someone responsible for repro management in each herd – this has been shown to markedly improve results • Conduct pre-mate heat detection and use this period as a practice for staff and for testing procedures • Heat detection needs to be conducted in the paddock and shed – record the numbers • Use heat detection aids and make sure all staff are familiar with their application and use – show them. For more information get a copy of the InCalf Book dairynz.co.nz/incalf Getting our cows in calf requires: • Having a plan – what does good look like? • Tell the team the plan • Are the right resources available – enough people, appropriate facilities • Does the team have the skills they need? For example, you won’t get a successful in calf result if your team don’t know how to identify cycling cows • Review progress as you go - are things on track? - does anything need changing? • Involve staff in the review process - how are they doing? • Give your people feedback - do they know they are doing a good job, or not? InsideDairy 33 Peter and Diane Miedema Location: Hoe-o-Tainui, north-eastern Waikato. Herd size: 275 NZ Friesian Area: 110ha Reproductive issues: low six-week in-calf percentage, high empty rate, poor heifer reproductive performance. Animal Health Centre vet Katrina Roberts and Peter Miedema. Year-round focus for mating success Drought is never a welcome part of dairying and for farmers in the north-east Waikato it has become a way of life for the past three summers. However for a Hoe-o-Tainui couple it has also proved the catalyst to focus attention on their herd’s reproductive performance, understanding how decisions made under stress in summer affect outcomes months later in the following spring. For Diane and Peter Miedema the poor spring of 2007, followed by the drought in 2008, resulted in a Fertility Focus report last June that did not make for happy reading. They recorded a six-week in-calf rate of 44 percent, and a 30 percent empty rate in a 245 cow herd that had performed well in the past, with good submission rates and an acceptable 8 percent empty rate. “The spring of 2008 was also tough, and we knew we had to address the problems, it had eliminated our 4 InsideDairy ability to cull on anything other than empty cows, and we had also recorded poor in calf rates in our replacement heifers,” says Peter. He attended one of DairyNZ’s My Herd Fertility events run by his local vet clinic, to understand where they could improve herd reproduction. Peter learned one-on-one meetings could be arranged between veterinarians certified to deliver DairyNZ’s InCalf programme to farmer clients. Peter could see how the InCalf Book’s four-step Continuous Improvement Process could bring together the multiple tools already available to lift herd reproductive productivity in a way that was reviewable and measurable. The first step involved assessing current herd reproductive performance, something the Miedemas could do easily, thanks to their Fertility Focus report. Calving pattern and condition score identified “We clearly had to deal to the calving pattern aggressively through inductions before mating for 20092010, while herd body condition score (BCS) needed to improve to lift submission and conception rates. But regardless of improvements made in BCS, we chose to induce for the short-term or we would just see the poor calving pattern compounded into the following season,” says Katrina Roberts, a veterinarian from the Animal Health Centre. They set a conservative goal of achieving a 65 percent six-week incalf rate and 12 percent empty rate. Addressing BCS last June required focusing on both mixed age cows and heifers. Lower than ideal body weights in 2008 had resulted in poor conception rates in the heifers, and accounted for half the overall herd’s poor performance. The heifers the previous season had achieved only 28 percent calved by the end of week three of calving against a desired target of 75 percent, which flagged a yearling management issue. On Katrina’s advice, the couple weighed heifers before coming home last June, identifying lighter animals and building an allowance into overall feed budget for ad lib feeding of palm kernel. Induction to tighten pattern With BCS improved and lactation under way, the couple’s induction plan came into play. Both appreciated an aggressive approach would mean negligible use in seasons to come if the focus remained on the key InCalf practices. Both appreciated an aggressive approach would mean negligible use in seasons to come if the focus remained on the key InCalf practices. The decision to induce 12 percent of the herd helped lift the 2009 calving pattern to 54 percent calved in three weeks, up from only 38 percent in 2008. Meantime 100 percent of the main herd was under BCS 5 last June. The InCalf Book provided a clear calculation on what the gains were for lifting this to a more acceptable level of less than 15 percent under BCS 5 at calving. The InCalf Book clearly illustrates the greater chance earlier calving cows have of getting in calf within six weeks of mating. For the Miedemas, lifting the herd BCS represented a gain of $23,500, significantly greater than the value of the 30t of palm kernel Katrina recommended they feed through winter. This figure reflects not only the benefit of earlier calving cows, but the benefit in extra milk solids production through the year (totalling $14,000 alone) and having a lower empty rate. By calving time last year they had closed some of the condition score gap to an average of 4.8 BCS. Lighter cows and heifers were split into a separate milking mob in late August to help maintain BCS prior to mating by milking once a day. Cows that calve more than eight weeks after the start of calving have less than half the chance of conceiving during the first six weeks of mating. They also have double the chance of being empty at the end of mating, compared with cows calving in the first three weeks of calving. Tighter in calf rate follows tighter calving To tighten up the three-week in-calf figure, 100 cows (36 percent) were CIDRed right at the start of mating. Once six weeks of AB were over, Peter boosted his bull power from the usual five to nine to ensure maximum coverage for the remaining seven weeks. Early scanning revealed the success of their aggressive induction plan, CIDRs, more bull power and improved BCS. Calving spread was tighter, with a 67 percent six-week in-calf figure, up from 44 percent. Final in calf rates were also significantly improved, with a 7 percent empty rate after 13 weeks of mating, compared to the poor 30 percent figure in 2009. The couple enter the 2010 season feeling more empowered and optimistic. “We now have more options on what cows we cull out – not having a mastitis problem means we can cull on production.” For Peter the InCalf consultancy has given him a “bigger picture” view of his management, and how decisions made at the end of one season can have a big impact on reproduction outcomes in the next. “We ended up deciding to dry off at Easter, after weighing the options with Katrina, while BCS was still good. We were keeping one eye on what we wanted to achieve come mating this season.” They intend to stick with the InCalf consultations they enjoy with Katrina for at least another year. “She provides a very valuable sounding board, and keeping the meetings regular means we can review and be motivated to carry out the goals we set at each one for the next.” In calf success shows in the figures: Season: 2008-2009 2009-2010 targets 2009-2010 actual 2010-2011 targets Six-week in-calf rate (%) 44 65 67 75 Empty rate (%) 30 12 7 5 Mating length (weeks) 11 14 13 12 InsideDairy 5 Five stars for Lincoln Six-week in-calf rate success There is a persistent myth that poor reproduction at Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is associated with the success in lifting milksolids production by grazing to consistent residuals of seven to eight clicks. Six-week in-calf rates and empty rates (illustrated below) show where this perception came from – poor reproduction in 2002 got worse as LUDF shifted to the seven to eight clicks policy in 2003. For the first time in 2009, the LUDF herd achieved a six-week in-calf rate of 74 percent and a five-star rating on the InCalf Fertility Focus report, with minimal hormonal intervention, in line with industry targets for reproduction. A focus on reproductive performance reversed this trend rapidly in 2005 and 2006, and fertility has continued to improve while keeping the grazing policy. This has taken place while maintaining a zero induction policy and progressively reducing the mating period. In the process, LUDF has debunked the belief that good reproduction cannot be achieved while grazing to target residuals, viewed by some farmers as excessively low. Figure 1. InCalf project leader Mark Blackwell says despite the successes, challenges remain, including identifying what is limiting herd conception rate and performance beyond week six of mating. Conception rates did not exceed 45 percent until 2009, when it reached 57 percent. A study is now underway to identify underlying reasons for chronically low conception rates at LUDF and in other large South Island herds. Lincoln University Dairy Farm Six-week in-calf rate, empty rate and annual milk production Figure 1 shows where the perception of LUDF came from – reproduction was already poor in 2002 and got worse as LUDF shifted to the seven to eight clicks policy in 2003. However, with a focus on reproductive performance, this trend was reversed rapidly in 2005 and 2006 and has continued to improve while the grazing policy has remained the same. 6 InsideDairy So how did Lincoln University Dairy Farm improve its performance over seven years? Let’s consider key management areas identified by DairyNZ’s InCalf programme – the eight ingredients of herd fertility: Calving pattern LUDF has used synchronised AB mated heifers calving earlier than the main herd. This has been very successful for improving the calving pattern and the percentage of cows having a pre-mating heat. Heifer management The consistent five-star calving pattern for first calvers reflects good heifer rearing and mating at 15 months old. It has also contributed to a 93 percent three-week submission rate for first calvers in 2009, without non-cycling treatments. Heat detection The 2009 InCalf Fertility Focus indicated that heat detection performance was slightly below average. However best practice procedures with heat detection enabled a five-star 74 percent six-week in-calf rate, driven with a 90 percent submission rate and a 57 percent conception rate. Non-cycling The pre-mating cycling rate has improved over the last seven years and indications are the herd (cyclers included) is more fertile. In 2009, 90 percent of cows had a pre-mating heat. With this result, LUDF management elected not to use non-cycling treatments for the first time. Genetics and AB practices The breed type has moved from Holstein-Friesian to a cross-bred herd, using Jersey and Kiwicross AB over synchronised heifers and relatively high culling and replacement rates (24-27 percent). Genetics in the LUDF herd is no longer a reason for not achieving five-star reproductive performance. Bull management In 2008, the herd was mated entirely to AB for 10 weeks and in 2009, bulls followed six weeks of AB but left 13 percent of cows empty. The same bulls were used for yearling matings, with poor in calf rates for the heifers. Performance beyond week six was poor in 2008 without any bulls, suggesting that low in calf rates beyond six weeks may include some failure on the cows part or management unrelated to bulls. Cow health In 2008, the InCalf Individual Cow Health Tool assessed whether any abnormally high animal health problems might be influencing herd reproductive performance. Assisted calving was the only area identified. Body condition score (BCS) and nutrition The improved 2009 six-week in-calf rate may be thanks to the herd BCS average of 5.0-5.5 at calving. Monthly herd BCS recording will ensure BCS does not reduce reproductive performance. De-bunking the myths Myth: LUDF’s grazing residuals lead to high empty rates Farmers have interpreted early LUDF results as showing that grazing to residuals of seven to eight clicks result in high empty rates. This misplaced belief may cost farmers a lot of operating profits. Since 2003, the six-week in-calf rate at LUDF has risen from 61 to 74 percent, despite maintaining a policy to achieve consistent grazing residuals (around 1500kg DM/ha, or seven clicks). The lift from 67 percent in 2008 to 74 percent in 2009 is worth an estimated $115/ha in operating profit. LUDF’s empty rate has improved from 17 percent in 2003 to 13 percent in 2009, while the mating period has been shortened to 10 weeks. InsideDairy 7 Coping without induced calving According to a dairy farmer I met recently, zero use of induced calving can be managed easily. Chris Glassey Farm Systems Specialist, DairyNZ How to get there – a process “Milk Jerseys or Kiwi-cross, milk them all on once a day from January and you won’t have to worry about inducing ever again.” I doubt if it’s that simple, but zero-induced calving can be successfully managed. Just ask the 50 percent of farmers who already manage without it – many of these farms are highly productive and profitable. Their experience is supported by research and success at Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF). Phasing out induced calving will limit opportunities to ‘buy your calving pattern’ and turn late calving cows into capital growth. Change is required to avoid high levels of cow wastage. The difference is a small number of late-October calving cows. Does this make you any worse off? Probably not, as evidence shows herds with shorter mating periods can achieve empty rates much the same as those with longer mating periods (see Table 1). • Ask where your herds’ reproductive performance is at now. Each herd is starting from a different place • Identify what priority management areas to focus on e.g. heifer rearing, heat detection • Select the best options for your situation and implement them well • Measure results and review progress • Positive results from these changes are proven. Expect these to arrive incrementally over three years. This requires planning and patience • For a greater chance of success use the InCalf programme (tools, resources, advisors and training) to help identify opportunities to improve reproductive performance in your herd. InCalf Fertility Focus report – a must-have for all herds What to do – achieving zero inductions • So how do you go about making the change from induced calving, through restricted use and then to a no induction policy, over say three years? • Lift your expectations of reproductive performance. Aiming for the same thing using the same practices from the past, will likely mean the same or worse result • Get more cows in calf in the first three and six weeks of mating • Shorten the herd total length of mating to 10-12 weeks so no cows need to be induced • Prepare more replacements to cover a higher empty rate. • InCalf has a robust way to describe and assess overall herd reproductive performance and identify key drivers of that performance, based on research studies in several hundred seasonal calving dairy herds in Australia and New Zealand • InCalf also indicates areas of management likely to be contributing to poor performance and identifies actions for improvement • This approach is captured in the Fertility Focus report which is available to all New Zealand dairy farmers through LIC, CRV AmBreed and InfoVet, and offers a concise and consistent means to assess a herd’s reproductive performance. Table 1: Effect of reduced length of mating and non-induction on percentage of empty (Stevens, 2000) 77 non-inducing herds 730 inducing herds 81 days 102 days % empty 8 7 Empty cows per 350 cow herd 28 24 Length of mating 8 InsideDairy InCalf identifies eight areas that support high reproductive performance. Highlighted below are some of the most common focus areas which need attention when reducing inductions. However, these do not apply to every farm – to identify and address key areas specific to your farm, use the InCalf programme. Examine two-year-old heifer calving pattern and re-calving rate The key to having your herd change its six-week and 10-week in-calf rate lies with a compact calving pattern for the first calving heifers and reaching target 5.5 body condition score (BCS) at first and second calving. Having as many heifers as possible calve before or at the start of the herd’s calving pattern, at target 5.5 BCS, will help them return to oestrous earlier in the mating period. The money previously spent on induced calving could be redirected into synchronised mating of well-grown yearlings and feeding to ensure BCS targets are met. Successful progress has been made using these strategies, the most public example of a non-inducing strategy being LUDF where, in 2001 and 2002, 10 percent of the herd was induced. A zero-induction policy was introduced for the 2003 calving and LUDF has remained a zero-induction herd ever since. Farmers demanded demonstration of how a zeroinduction policy would work and a strategy for a sustainable zero-induction policy was based on synchronised AB mated heifers calving one week earlier than the main herd. This strategy has been very successful at LUDF, helping to shift the calving pattern from the InCalf one-star ratings in 2003 to five-star ratings (the highest) from 2005 onwards. Establishing this stable and desirable calving pattern for young cows has had flow-on benefits for other mating performance areas, such as a consistent reduction through seasons in the percentage of cows without a pre-mating heat. The AB synchrony strategy for heifers was expected to show a consistent improvement in calving spread and profitability to match the induction policy by year five, and this has gone exactly to plan (for more: see pg6-7). Cross breeding, using easier calving Jersey or Kiwicross semen is also important for these matings, and will have also contributed to improved reproductive performance since 2004. Heifer rearing and management The consistent calving pattern for heifers at LUDF reflects good heifer rearing and mating at 15 months of age. The high three-week submission rate for first calvers (since 2005) follows this great calving pattern, but also suggests that management of first calvers in early lactation is also working well for LUDF. The 93 percent three-week submission rate achieved by first calvers in 2009 was achieved without non-cycling treatments. Achieving the BCS targets for calving is likely a major contributor to this. Beyond 2004, heifer management has not been limiting herd reproductive performance at LUDF. Dealing with non-cycling Pre-mating heat detection can be used to assess the herd’s level of non-cycling and determine the cause first, then consider the need to treat. A higher rate could result from not achieving BCS targets at calving. On DairyNZ research farms this has been critical for a successful zero-induction policy resulting from a 10-week mating period over the last four years. Money previously spent on induced calving is now available for non-cycling treatments if necessary, enabling every cow to be mated at least twice in the mating period. (cont’d p10) InsideDairy 9 (cont’d from p9) Bull power In many herds, bulls fail to get as many cows in calf in the weeks after AB as they should. Herds have achieved the target six-week in-calf rate of 78 percent, only to find the bulls add just another 8 percent to that over the next four weeks (a 14 percent empty rate). A common cause is too few fit bulls available for the number of cows still to get in calf. The InCalf programme contains three management areas to consider in bull management: sourcing, managing and bull power/rotation. length is reduced. Many have found it useful to keep a small number of young, high merit empty cows that fail to get in calf in the reduced mating period and mate them as extra replacements to calve the following year. Previously farmers chose to ‘buy and sell’ improvement in their calving pattern, with purchases of early calving replacement stock, sale of late calvers, or milking a group of empty cows on extended lactation so they become available in subsequent years. With induced calving restrictions, selling late calvers for somebody else to induce will become difficult. Reduce the length of mating to 10 weeks Economics If mating length last year was 15 weeks, reduce it this year by 10 days, then annually over three years. A sudden change to 10 weeks is probably too drastic. Reduced induced calving should be viewed as an opportunity for extra income and cost saving, because accompanied by improved in calf rates in the first six weeks of mating, there will be extra operating profit. Removing bulls from the herd 10 days earlier each year, for three years, will get you there. The new phase-in period for reduced induced calving allows an opportunity to reduce mating length and reduce levels of induced calving in steps until 2013. Replacement rate The first year of a reduced mating period can be problematic in terms of maintaining herd size. Implementing an AB synchrony programme will not impact on the percentage of extra replacements entering the herd for three years, when extra AB heifer calves (born to first calving heifers) will calve. Plan for how heifer replacements will meet the need for your planned herd size over the next two years, if mating The InCalf Economics of Reproduction tool establishes the benefits for your herd. Discuss this with an InCalf trained advisor. Initially, some additional costs might occur due to a higher number of empty cows and a weaker market for late-calving cows. Accompanied by improvements in the right areas of reproductive performance, the overall effect will be positive. Plan improvements for the start of calving, not just the end. Seek advice rather than ‘struggling with the stragglers’. InCalf offers ways to minimise the impact of reduced induced calving and maximise the returns for money spent improving in calf rates in your herd. For more information: dairynz.co.nz/incalf or see the list of trained advisors in this month’s Inside Dairy. 10 InsideDairy Making InCalf even better Continuous improvement to make it more useful for farmers and advisors. The InCalf approach, which involves technical resources, Farmer Action Groups and veterinary involvement, is being tested through the National Herd Fertility Study, assessing its ability to motivate change on-farm and lift reproduction. Funded by DairyNZ and the Sustainable Farming Fund, the study is being undertaken by veterinary clinics in the Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury and Otago. DairyNZ Strategy and Investment Leader for Productivity, Dr Bruce Thorrold, says that InCalf was adopted by DairyNZ (based on a Dairy Australia programme) to support dairy farmers and their advisors to lift reproductive performance. The six-week in-calf rate and overall empty rates will be used as primary indicators to compare groups – those farmers using the InCalf programme and farmers not using it. Social, biological and physical factors which affect reproductive performance will also be explored, along with the effect of InCalf Farmer Action Groups. “While farmer experience and success in Australia backs the InCalf approach, we wanted to test the ability of InCalf to inspire reproductive success and support changes on-farm. From this we can improve the programme to be more useful for advisors and farmers.” Data from this study will provide an updated and comprehensive dataset on current management practice and success in managing reproduction. The National Herd Fertility Study is one year into the study, which wraps up in 2011. The National Herd Fertility Study involves: • 168 farms and 70,000 cows from four dairy regions: Waikato, Taranaki, North Canterbury and South Canterbury/North Otago • The study led by Dr Scott McDougall is being undertaken by veterinary centres which provide InCalf – Waikato’s Animal Health Centre and Anexa; Taranaki’s Eltham Veterinary Clinic; Canterbury-based Riverside Veterinary Clinic and in Otago, Oamaru Veterinary Services • LIC, CRV Ambreed and Infovet are also supporting the study, as providers of Fertility Focus Reports • Farms undertake body condition scoring on most herds, along with weighing replacement stock at specific points of the reproductive cycle • Early pregnancy diagnosis (12-14 weeks after planned start of mating) is done to ensure an accurate measure of the six-week in-calf rate • On-farm events (disease, assisted calvings, CIDR use and inductions) are recorded through MINDA or MISTRO. InsideDairy 11 Dairying: the public view By Sarah Fraser, General Manager Marketing & Communications, DairyNZ What do New Zealanders really think of dairying? Is there a ruralurban split, and how big is it? How strong is the support and understanding of New Zealand’s leading export industry? These are all questions DairyNZ set out to find answers to in this year’s public perception research. to our economy. Seventy percent agreed the success of major export industries affects their standard of living, but only 57 percent agreed that the dairy industry’s success, in particular, affects their standard of living. The research done previously has stood us in good stead, enabling us to evaluate the success of the Go Dairy advertising campaigns. But this year, in line with Aucklanders in particular found this a more difficult the fourth outcome of the Dairy Industry Strategy concept. Higher dairy product prices also came into it, (‘industry reputation enhanced locally and globally’) with them being seen as a direct negative effect of the we wanted to set a success of the industry. benchmark to measure This is a challenge for us,” public perception of the People are seeing dairy farmers as being says Dr Rick Pridmore, who industry. better at looking after their animals than leads DairyNZ’s investment And the results are in. in this area. “It’s not an they are the environment. easy concept to grasp. We surveyed 1000 Export earnings affect people across the our standard of living in many ways. Some of us gain country and conducted eight focus groups in Auckland, benefit directly by working for the industry. Christchurch, Hamilton and Invercargill, with the aim of finding out not just what impressions people had of the “A large proportion of our society benefits by industry dairy industry, but what was influencing their thoughts. earnings cycling through the economy. There is also a substantial tax associated with these export earnings Overall, the news is good, with 71 percent of people and that helps all of us by allowing the government to describing their impressions of dairy farming as favourable spend more on infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, or very favourable. This compares well with 72 percent of schools and social services. those surveyed a year earlier. But once you start to dig a little deeper, the results become very interesting. “This lack of understanding is highest in the cities, and it’s ironic given urban residents are relatively big users People understand how important export earnings are of national infrastructure.” to New Zealand’s economy, with 91 percent agreeing that the success of major exporting industries is critical On the subjects of the environment and animal 12 InsideDairy From feed to farm financials it’s all in here welfare, 70 percent agree that dairy farmers are doing all they can to look after the welfare of their cows, and 50 percent agree that the impact of dairy farming on the environment has improved in the last five years. The closer to a farm, the more likely respondents were to agree to that, with 67 percent agreement in Taranaki compared with 39 percent in the major cities. But only 35 percent of all those surveyed agree dairy farmers are doing all they can to protect the environment. “People are seeing dairy farmers as being better at looking after their animals than they are the environment. You’d have to argue that the main thing driving that is effluent non-compliance, as that’s what’s making the media headlines,” says Rick. When asked what they’d like to know about dairy farming and the dairy industry, the top three subjects were environment, economic contribution and animal welfare, with environmental concerns and addressing them being the clear leader. This is one of the dairy industry’s challenges – as well as working to improve the reality on-farm (such as ensuring effluent systems are fit for purpose and farmers understand the standards they have to meet) we also have to improve the perception of that reality. The new Go Dairy campaign is part of this work, and we’ll be sending you a preview of that in the next few weeks. Can’t find that key data on the DM percentage of mature maize or the optimal target age structure for a herd? Wouldn’t it be handy to have these facts at your fingertips? Just released from DairyNZ is the Facts and Figures booklet for New Zealand dairy farmers. A compilation of established research and practical knowledge, this handy booklet is jam-packed with statistics, facts and figures. “We saw the need for a comprehensive, quickreference resource,” says Rob Brazendale, DairyNZ Development Team Leader for Productivity. “Farmers who have been part of its development have described it as the Edmonds Cookbook of the dairy industry - a must-have for every farm office. “This has been a truly collaborative project. The list of people to thank is long and includes experts from throughout the industry.” Facts and Figures includes: • Cow and young stock feed requirements • Pasture growth data • Supplement feed values • Feed storage information • Body condition score recommendations • Breeding dates and periods • Shed water supply requirements • Milk composition • N fertiliser response rates • Cost of servicing mortgages • and much more. Farmers can order their own copy of Facts and Figures for New Zealand dairy farmers on the DairyNZ website, from their local DairyNZ consulting officer or by calling the DairyNZ Farmer Information Service on 0800 4 DAIRYNZ. InsideDairy 13 Tight management pays dividends for Rakaia farm Exercising discipline around spending and keeping an eye on key cost centres is a strategy that has proven effective season after season for Te Pirita dairy farmers, Leo Donkers and Terry Kilday. This season was no exception, with Leo and Terry’s Willsden Farm achieving farm working expenses of $3.35/kgMS, which is only $0.12/ kgMS over budget. The overrun is due to an irrigation pump failure, which Leo says they hope to recover through insurance and staff wages, there being 27 fortnightly pay periods in this year. “We’ve always been rigorous about watching our spending in key areas such as wages, fertiliser, irrigation, electricity, and feed and grazing costs,” says Leo. “We’ve also been disciplined about spending money in the winter to push our feed forward and ensure we have enough on-hand for the spring. “Traditionally, there is cheaper feed available in the winter, so it makes sense to push enough feed forward for the spring and avoid exposing ourselves to the market if the spring is tight and demand and prices increase. This requires constant cashflow monitoring and the confidence that we can recoup the winter spending later in the season.” Leo says running a successful farming business is all about ‘measure, monitor and manage’. “We prepare detailed budgets and review the budget to actual variances every two months. Our focus is on cost of production, as it is the only business input we can control.” Leo says the DairyNZ Tight Management campaign has given him and his staff more focus and made sure they follow their plan. “If we deviated from our plan, we had to have a good reason and provide a cost-benefit explanation for doing so!” Tight Management – top farmer highlights Tight Management dairy farmers nationwide recently attended the campaign’s wrap-up event in Hamilton, where they shared their highlights from the campaign. Two key themes emerged: Going back to basics Many compared the campaign to “being like a sharemilker again – when every dollar counts”. Justifying financial decisions, timing purchases well, doing the homework to underpin a financial decision and sharing financials with staff were a key campaign highlight. “I’m more aware of spending in the right areas for profit and monitoring the major expenses better, like animal health and breeding.” Accountability Setting goals and sticking to them – and having to justify any over-spends – was an aspect Tight Management farmers found rewarding. Measuring and monitoring progress throughout the eight months also brought attention to detail, particularly around pasture budgeting and financial management. “The need to explain and justify decisions in public forced more analysis and better decision-making.” 14 InsideDairy A Tight Management field day at the Rakaia farm. News in brief Dairy scientist recognised During a career which spanned forty years, former Ruakura scientist Dr Arnold Bryant left his mark on the dairy industry. The principles of profitable pasture management and dairy farming in New Zealand have been heavily influenced by his work and the industry’s success has been partly built on these principles. Mr Bryant’s contribution to dairying was recently honoured when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Much of his work was completed while with Dairy Research Corporation, a predecessor of DairyNZ, where he conducted research and participated in activities with farmers in the areas of herd management and dairy cow nutrition. DairyNZ CEO Dr Tim Mackle says Mr Bryant was also a great mentor for young scientists, such as Dr John Penno, Dr Phil L’Hullier and Dr Eric Kolver. Revamped DairyBase website The DairyBase website has been revamped. A web-based software tool that enables dairy farmers, accountants and consultants to analyse farm physical information and financial statements, DairyBase provides an overall business view from a management perspective. Visit dairybase.co.nz to find information on: • DairyBase reports • The benchmarking tool • Other farmers who use DairyBase for their farm business • Answers to commonly asked questions. “His genuine desire to see the young succeed was evident and he has inspired many in their careers. Mr Bryant’s work has not only impacted dairy farmers, but the wider New Zealand economy by helping to underpin the economic contributions made by dairy farming.” Mr Bryant’s ability to communicate with farmers, inspiring them to make positive changes, was unmatched. Even today he is quoted by farmers, almost 15 years after his retirement. Thumbs-up for small herds An event for smaller herd dairy farmers has been hailed a success. Around 300 people attended three Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH) events in Waikato and the South Island’s West Coast during June. Organised by a group of volunteer farmers supported by DairyNZ and assisted by AgResearch, the events provided a forum for those with small herds to discuss issues important to them. SMASH chairwoman Fran Allcock was delighted by the feedback from farmers who attended. Climate change workshops for consultants A nationwide series of workshops will provide rural consultants with an introduction to climate change issues and land management practices. The free workshops, led by DairyNZ and funded by MAF, will focus on providing rural consultants with an introduction to climate change issues, greenhouse gases and the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), so they can advise clients how to mitigate their emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The workshops began in the North Island during July, wrapping up in Southland in late August. For more: dairynz.co.nz/climatechange InsideDairy 15 s e r u g i F d n a s t d c n a Fa l a e Z w e N for s r e m r a f y r i a d Just released from DairyNZ, this handy booklet is a compilation of established research and practical knowledge. It is jam-packed with vital statistics, facts and figures. “This is the Edmonds cookbook of the dairy industry – a must-have for every farm office.” Order your copy of Facts and Figures for New Zealand dairy farmers at dairynz.co.nz or by calling the DairyNZ Farmer Information Service on 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969). Free to levy paying dairy farmers. For all dairy farming queries: 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969) www.dairynz.co.nz From feed to farm financials it is all in here!