mg retains dairy vision

PROUD An MG supplier has
YOUTH CAMP Aspiring
called on farmers and the
dairy industry to be proud of
success. Page 4
future dairy leaders took part
in an annual Youth Camp and
visited an MG farm. Page 19
FEBRUARY 2014
Volume 29 No. 2 (Issue No. 336)
Rennae shares her breast cancer story to help others
‘I knew something was wrong’
By SOPHIE BRUNS
W
HEN you look at
Rennae McInnes, it
is hard to believe
that this young
mother of two daughters was
fighting for her life against
breast cancer at the age of 28.
Four years later and with the
nightmare behind her, Rennae,
or “Wally” as she is best known
in the Gunbower district, likes to
share her story just in case it
may help someone else.
Cancer really was the last
thing on Wally’s mind when she
initially discovered a lump in her
breast after she gave birth to her
first daughter Ava. As time progressed and her discomfort
increased she really began to
worry.
“I went to the doctors so many
times but they kept telling me
my lump had something to do
with pregnancy and then breastfeeding and they kept prescribing antibiotics. But by the end I
just knew there was something
really wrong,” Wally said.
“I just want to let women
know if you feel something isn’t
quite right and you aren’t happy
with the answers you have been
given, keep persisting - you
know your own body.”
● TURN TO PAGE 6
Rennae “Wally” McInnes with her two daughters, Indi and Ava with their pet dog at the family dairy farm at Gunbower. She has urged
women to persist in seeking answers if they are not happy with the advice they are receiving.
MG RETAINS DAIRY VISION
M
URRAY Goulburn, as a
farmer controlled cooperative retains a vision
to create a significant,
Australian-owned, globally
relevant dairy foods business.
And this vision remains
unchanged following MG’s sale
of its 17.7 per stake in
Warranmbool Cheese and Butter
to Saputo.
This was confirmed in an open
letter to suppliers by MG
Chairman, Phil Tracy and
Managing Director, Gary Helou,
who said MG wanted to capture
the global opportunity and
deliver its upside to Australian
farmers and their rural communities.
“We will continue to focus on
creating a stronger Australian
co-operative through operational
excellence and innovation,” they
said.
“We will renew the company’s
assets through investment in the
world’s best technology to
produce dairy foods that key
markets demand in the most
cost-effective way.
“Although disappointed to
miss out on acquiring WCB, and
the lost opportunity for a more
consolidated, stronger and efficient Australian dairy industry,
we are proud of our efforts in the
bid process and grateful for the
support we received.
“We extend our sincere thanks
to the many local supporters and
shareholders from both MG and
WCB, for their tireless efforts
towards our goal of returning
● TURN TO PAGE 3
2
FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
INTERNATIONAL MARKET REVIEW DEVONDALER
World market retains its stability
International Prices $US/MT FOB
T
HE result of Global Dairy
Trade Event 108, which
concluded 21 January
2014, produced a GDT Price
Index up 1.4 per cent which
underpins a relatively stable
market at the upper end of the
price range for an unprecedented
period of 10 months.
The most significant gains
were made in categories other
than milk powders where prices
were steady with Whole Milk
Powders recording modest gains
and Skim Milk Powders a
modest drop.
The upward trend in other
products is a clear signal that
prices for other Ingredients
products are converging to an
equivalent value to that of
WMP.
The gain in butter is reflective
of a market which is presently
tight on supply. Domestic butter
prices within USA have escalated well above $US4000 in recent
weeks as stocks are low.
European Domestic prices are
above $US5300 thereby eliminating them from the global butter market.
On the supply side it has been
reported that New Zealand milk
volumes are 3.8 per cent higher
for season to 30 November and
are forecast to grow 6.4 per cent
in the 2013/14 season compared
to last season.
We believe this growth has
already been factored into the
supply/demand balance.
There are reports that the
Waikato region in NZ is
experiencing dry conditions this
summer and Dairy NZ is
encouraging Waikato dairy
farmers to plan how they
manage their business to ensure
they maximise production
and profitability this season
without compromising next
season.
Because of little rain this year
moisture levels are as low this
year as they were January 2013.
In Europe milk production
was up significantly in October
2013 compared with 2012.
Leading the increase was Ireland
at 16 per cent, UK at 10 per cent
France, 6-11 per cent and
Germany four per cent.
With relatively mild winter
conditions and relatively low
feed prices, production forecasts
in Europe are bullish for peak
milk production which occurs in
May 2014.
This will certainly result in
more products to be available for
export markets.
Milk production in USA is relatively flat compared to last year
with the October to December
period yielding a 0.4 per cent
increase.
Lower feed prices have not
resulted in additional milk
which is likely due to feed
quality problems left over from
the 2012 drought.
December weather in the
upper mid west and north east
had to deal with the polar vortex
causing extreme cold which
limited milk production.
The outlook for the first half
of 2014 remains strong. There
may be some easing of prices
depending on EU production
during their spring time peak
and depending on whether milk
production in USA recovers
more strongly.
At this stage given continued
strong demand from the
emerging markets, and China in
particular, any easing of prices is
likely to be modest.
● Mal Beniston is MG’s
General Manager Ingredients.
Key results:
Main Products:
SMP down 0.5 per cent, average price $US4698/MT
WMP up 0.1 per cent, average
price $US4943/MT
AMF up 2.2 per cent, average
price $US5641/MT
Other Products:
BMP up 3.0 per cent, average
price $US5244/MT
Butter up 10.8 per cent, average price $US4657/MT
Cheddar up 10.4 per cent,
average price $US5133/MT
MPC 70 up 7.2 per cent, average price $US9657/MT
Rennet Casein up 4.2 per cent,
average price $US12,390/MT
The real value of a co-op for all to see
The Devondaler is published
by Murray Goulburn Co-Op.
Editor: Robert White (03)
9846 5188 or 0427 329 815
Email:
[email protected]
Adverising and classified
enquiries: (03) 9040 5000
Murray Goulburn Cooperative Co. Ltd.
Level 15, 2 Southbank
Boulevarde, Southbank,
Victoria 3006
Phone: (03) 9040 5000
MG suppliers and employees
are welcome to submit
photograps and editorial for
consideration. Deadline is the
24th of each month.
I
T’S quite humbling to sit a
table and share dinner with a
young couple whose life was
in turmoil because they had no
idea of their future.
They are dairy farmers on the
central coast of New South
Wales and have been considering their futures as milk prices
have tumbled as a result of
widespread changes in daily
pasteurised milk supply.
They are not on their own.
Like others around them, they
had determined that they could
not continue dairying under a
system that insisted on two tiers
of payment.
Once they had had a co-operative milk processor but when it
sold to a private processor, the
game changed.
Prices fell and more importantly, the chance to expand their
businesses was virtually forfeited as the processors had limita-
tions on the amount of milk they
wanted.
The arrival of Murray
Goulburn into the Sydney Zone
in October last year has changed
the dynamics of the dairy
industry in that region.
The Tier 2 system, a method
of payment which split the price
paid for milk into two compartments with a much lower price
for milk regarded as surplus to
requirements, was a four-letter
word among dairy farmers. It
has now gone and there is com-
petition once more.
There is also confidence.
Farmers can expand knowing
full well that their new co-op
will take all the milk they can
produce at a fair price.
As of the end of January, MG
had recuited 155 new suppliers
in justfour months and there is
an expectation this could rise to
200 by the end of June.
It is a lesson to us all. Those
outside the co-op movement can
make all the claims they want
about the need for competition
in the dairy industry but without
a solid, reputable co-op, the
farmer is at the mercy of private
companies whose sole aim to get
their raw product at the cheapest
possible price rather than the coop that returns as much as it can
to its farmer owners.
There is no competitive price
without a co-op. History has
shown too often, and in a variety
of agricultural sectors, that once
the farmer loses control of his
hard-earned production, he/she
loses control of the price he/she
is paid.
This is a factor that was lost in
MG’s bid for Warrnambool
Cheese and Butter. Critics
claimed that MG control would
reduce competition but in fact it
would have increased farmer
payments as it would have made
the co-op stronger and able to
pay its farmers more for their
milk.
I know I have said it before,
but make no mistake, those who
are supplying private companies
are being paid the price they are
getting because of what MG
pays.
If you don’t believe me, ask
one of our new Sydney Zone
suppliers.
They would be happy to tell
you the full story.
FEBRUARY 2014 3
MURRAY GOULBURN
IN THE NEWS
DEVONDALER
Members of the Board and Executive Committee joined New South Wales Field Officers for a tour of the new daily pasteurised milk factory now under construction at
Erskine Park in Sydney.
New Sydney milk factory on target
URRAY Goulburn’s
state-of-the-art daily
pasteurised milk
processing factory at Erskine
Park in Sydney is progressing
on schedule.
MG General Manager
Operations, Keith Mentiplay,
said he was very pleased with
the way the building was
progressing.
“We received all the building
approvals we needed before
Christmas and that has enabled
us to accelerate the building
works,” he said.
Keith, and the Senior Site
Manager for George Rydell
Constructions, Nigel Worne,
escorted MG Directors, senior
management and Sydney-based
Field Officers, on an extended
visit to the new building last
month.
Directors were on a tour of the
new supply regions in New
South Wales and met with new
suppliers whose milk will help
M
fill the factory and used the
chance to see construction works
first hand.
The plant has been built to
supply Coles’ supermarkets with
branded milk in the Sydney
region as part of a 10-year partnership which starts on July 1.
It will also produce Devondale
brand milk for sale at Coles and
other outlets. A similar-sized
factory is well under way at
Laverton to service Coles and
the Melbourne market.
The massive factory includes
significant world-class technology including driver-less forklifts
used to move pallets of product
into storage and onto trucks.
Three 300,000 litre milk silos
have also been installed to store
the milk ready for production.
Keith said the building
contained the most modern
equipment available and would
make MG the Australian leader
in daily pasteurised milk.
production.
MG Operations Manager, Keith Mentiplay, points out where the milk tankers will enter and leave
the new factory to MG Directors, from left, Graham Munzel, Chairman, Phil Tracy and Martin Van
de Wouw.
MG retains vision for dairy future
●
FROM PAGE 1
WCB to farmer hands, through
our co-operative.
“We are determined to maintain this energy and passion as
we strive to increase farmer
returns through our co-operative,
albeit without a combined MGWCB.”
Phil and Gary said they were
pleased that MG’s involvement
in the bidding process created an
intense auction and that all
shareholders were able to benefit
as a result, including MG
shareholders through our WCB
stake.
“The WCB share price
achieved during the bidding
process has re-rated the value of
dairy businesses in Australia and
headlined the extent of the
opportunity for the Australian
dairy industry,” they said.
“This reflects the strong outlook for dairy foods and confidence in the Australian
industry’s capacity to play a key
role.”
MG is now the only
Australian-owned company with
a large-scale milk processing site
in Western Victoria and remains
strongly focused on Warrnambool and the South West region.
MG’s Koroit facility is the
largest dairy processing site in
Australia and employs more than
200 people including factory and
transport employees.
It processes approximately one
billion litres of milk per year and
has recently had a state-of-theart butter line installed.
There are further substantial
growth plans for our Koroit
site.
“We encourage all dairy farmers from all regions to support
MG’s objective of growing into
a larger scale Australian farmer
controlled co-operative that is
uniquely placed to drive growth
and prosperity in the industry
and to truly capture the global
opportunity for the benefit of
Australian farmers and their
communities,” Phil and Gary
said.
4
FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
Be proud of success is Matt’s plea
SUE WEBSTER met
one of Victoria’s
young dairy leaders
and discovered a
man passionate
about his industry
and determined to
make a difference to
its future.
CKNOWLEDGE the
winners, put muscle into
our international presence
and unify industry leadership,
but most of all - tell our dairy
story.
Those are some of the hot-button ideas pitched to Australian
dairying in the recently released
Horizon2020 report.
Straight-talking Matt Reid was
a participant in the wide-ranging
Horizon2020 study.
The Carlisle River dairy
farmer was one of the ninemember working group for the
Dairy Australia/Gardiner
Foundation study led by Steve
Spencer.
The group travelled Australia
and the world to talk with dairy
and food industry participants,
opinion leaders and other influencers.
Its conclusions were direct.
● The Australian dairy industry
has not grown over the past
decade and has a diminished
global standing and reputation.
● Having to respond to climate
A
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and market volatility has robbed
the industry of the ability to successfully manage and grow dairy
farm wealth over time. A shortterm preoccupation with risk has
hampered the ability to respond
to a growing dairy market.
● Milk supply constraints have
resulted in factory under-investment in technology and scale.
● Consumer scrutiny is creating
industry resistance over perceived added costs and fewer
benefits.
● Dairy’s advocacy models are
outdated and under-resourced.
Matt puts it this way: “In
Australia I know very, very few
dairy farmers who are prepared
to put their hands up and say
‘I’m a successful dairy farmer
and I make money.’ It just doesn’t happen.
“And I can tell you something
… it’s not good enough. It’s got
to stop. We’ve got to change our
mindset and we’ve got to
acknowledge those people who
are successful.
“And we need to be able to
use that knowledge that they’ve
developed.
“We need to promote ourselves. We need to build our
self-esteem and we need to do it
fast.
“Part of our problem in
Australia is our inability to tell a
compelling story of what the
industry has achieved and what
it can achieve.
“When we were in China we
met with all the processors. At
one, we sat in a board room with
three of the key executives and
spent maybe an hour with these
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guys and had a really good
dialogue backwards and forwards.
“Everyone was feeling pretty
comfortable and one of the final
questions was: ‘Well, we’ve all
got thick skins, tell us what you
We need to promote
ourselves. We need
to build our selfesteem and we
need to do it fast.
MATT REID
think of the Australian dairy
industry’.
“And this fellow said something in Chinese to his buddy
and then he came back to us and
he said: ‘You had a drought. You
went away. We don’t know
where you are’.
“I can tell you that, from an
Australian dairy farmer’s point
of view, that was the biggest
kick in the guts that I’ve had in a
long time,” Matt said.
“So we need to address this.
We need to ensure that our
companies continue to push and
maintain the links with our
customers both here and certainly overseas.
“And if there’s any problem in
doing this, we need to work with
the government to help … as
opposed to what we do now,
where we go to the government
looking for a handout.
“We need to work to help
them do the job they’re
supposed to do.
“And we need to get better at
telling our story.
“As an industry, we need to
spend less time talking about
the problems and spend more
times talking about the things
we can do, things we can control.
“We need strong leadership
and it’s not for want of leaders.
There are heaps of leaders out
there, but there’s a shortage of
strong, united industry leadership.”
Matt Reid ... one of the young dairy leaders driving change in
the industry.
Busy life at Carlisle River
ATT and Alli Reid milk 750 cows on 450ha at Carlisle River,
south of Colac with their children Elijah, 10, Angu,s 9, and
Rylee, 5.
Trained as a boilermaker, Matt returned to his family dairy
property at Rochester in 2000 and then moved with his parents to
the south-west in 2003.
Over the past 10 years Matt and Alli used a lease purchase
agreement to gain entry into farm ownership and have been able to
grow their enterprise purchasing a further two neighboring properties along the way.
They are firm believers in the importance of people both in their
operation and to the industry and encourage their employees to
gain skills that will not only benefit the farm but themselves.
Most of the herd is black and white however there are only a few
pure Holstiens and every year a portion of the herd is crossed.
“We don’t want massive big cows and we do want them to get
back in calf and be profitable under our conditions,” Matt said.
The couple employ three full-time staff and two casual staff.
They also participate in community organisations, with Matt being
a farmer representative on the WestVic Dairy board and the
Australian Dairy Conference board.
Growth is definitely on the agenda for the Reids and not just
growth for growth’s sake.
They think that there are few other things that they could do
which could build the wealth that can be achieved through dairy
farming.
M
Dairy Business Forum at Moama
URRAY Dairy will hold a
Business Forum on
Wednesday 12 February, focusing on building the capacity of
dairy farm businesses across the
region.
“We have a fantastic day of
activities and line-up of speakers
and strong support from key
dairy industry partners,” said
Murray Dairy Chair, Malcolm
Holm.
“The forum is a great opportunity to celebrate the strength of
the region’s dairy industry and
to catch up with dairy farmers,
service providers and industry
experts.”
Murray Goulburn is a Gold
Sponsor of the event and this
M
year’s theme is Leading Dairy
Farm Business Success. A
strong line-up of industry speakers will provoke insightful discussions and debate throughout
the course of the day.
Opening with a Dairy Service
Providers’ Breakfast, the forum
includes key sessions on topics
such as water markets, capital
growth and the release of the
2014 Dairy Australia Situation
and Outlook.
The evening’s gala dinner
features the graduation of the
National Centre for Dairy
Education Australia participants
and is a chance to reflect on the
highlights from the day.
Keynote speaker Tristan
White, founder of the Physio Co
will share insights into becoming
a better employer to attract and
retain quality staff.
“The dinner brings together
dairy farmers, industry
experts and service providers
and the NCDEA graduation ceremony is an ideal way to end the
forum,” said Mr Holm.
The forum will be opened by
Dairy Australia’s newly appointed Chair, Geoff Akers.
The Murray Dairy Business
Forum will be held on
Wednesday 12 February 2014 at
the Moama Bowling Club.
To register or for more
information visit www.murraydairy.com.au or (03) 5833 5312.
FEBRUARY 2014 5
MURRAY GOULBURN
A win-win story for Fletcher family
By SOPHIE BRUNS
ETURNING home to
work on the family farm
was a decision driven by
family reasons for Cohuna
supplier, Leigh Fletcher.
His parents, Bluey and Karen,
had had enough and were looking to step back while Leigh was
looking for a job that gave him a
bit more time with his own family. Taking over the farming reins
has suited everyone.
Leigh has only been on the
farm for 12 months but it
certainly has been a busy time
with a shed extension and lasering and automation of 40ha.
“The first six months were
fairly hectic with a lot of late
nights working after hours on
the dairy but things have quietened down a bit and have
become a bit more flexible now,”
Leigh said.
“Working with mum and dad
is interesting and we have had a
few disagreements but we do try
to keep things business-like and
have regular meetings to keep
each other informed.
“We have had a couple of
major projects on the go and
once they are completed things
should be a bit easier.”
Renovating the dairy was one
of the first things Leigh was
keen to complete. It has gone
from a 10-double-up to a 19
swingover with stall gates and
cup removers.
The yard has been extended to
fit 300 cows and a 140-cow feed
pad runs the length of the dairy.
The shed has been designed as a
one-man operation so Leigh can
R
get relief milkers in to help ease
the work load.
“We bought a second hand
dairy and installed ADF which
helps save time teat spraying
while also helping with mastitis
control.”
Leigh believes his previous
careers have given him many
skills which he has been able to
bring back home to the farm.
“There is good and bad in any
job but I have learnt a lot of
skills from my other jobs which
have given me the confidence to
use these here in our business.
My biggest weakness is breaking
stuff occasionally and being
unable to work out how to fix
it,” he laughed.
“Pasture management and animal husbandry has been made
easier with the help of a nutrionist and herd health and production have improved as we continue to refine things.”
Currently grass is a bit tight
because land is out of action due
to irrigation works, but come
autumn, Leigh is expecting to
have around 120ha in production.
The split calving herd is a mix
of Holstein, Jersey and cross
breeds and numbers are currently sitting at around 240, with
plans to eventually milk around
320.
Leigh and his partner, Sacha,
and their two children, Jaspar
and Oskar, have settled well into
farm life. Sacha is a social
worker from the city and one of
the reasons they decided to come
back home to the farm was
because of her work.
“A dairy farm is a great place
MG Trading store at
Colac is now open
MURRAY Goulburn Trading’s
new store at Colac has been
operating for almost a month.
The store, on the Princes Hwy,
at the western edge of the town,
opened for business under the
MG Trading banner on January
2. It was originally a Landmark
store.
MG Trading Regional
Manager for Western Victoria,
Jeff Holmes, said it was the first
new store that MG Trading had
opened in a regional town for
more than 40 years.
Other new stores have been
built but they have been either
on existing sites or on new sites
within the same town.
Another new store opened in
Warragul, in West Gippsland late
last month.
Jeff said all Landmark staff
had been retained and that they
had all been very supportive of
MG Trading’s new role in what
was a major provincial centre in
south west Victoria.
“We have also had a lot of
local suppliers call in and they
really appreciate the chance to
shop at an MG store,” he said.
Jeff said January had been
spent converting the store into an
MG Trading layout and extending the range of product
available.
MG Trading General Manager,
Malcolm McCullough, said the
new store would provide all the
benefits provided at MG Trading
stores including agronomy and
animal nutrition advice, dairy
equipment servicing and direct
access to fodder sales.
He said the Colac store would
also become part of the
community providing support
for local events.
MG Trading’s strong
commitment to the community
has been reflected in the
appointment of Roger Trigg as
the new manager.
A Colac local, he was formerly an agronomist and manager
with Wrightson Seeds, Jeff said
that Roger would bring the necessary skills to run the store and
provide farmers with the
technical expertise and advice
they needed.
Karen and Bluey Fletcher and son, Leigh, and his partner, Sacha, and Jaspar and Oskar at the family
farm at Cohuna.
to help rehabilitate a client,”
Sacha said.
“They can help Leigh and
learn new skills and even if they
are no good at milking they can
help wash out the yard or help
with other jobs like fencing or
feeding out hay. One of the most
important things on the path to
recovery is keeping busy and a
farm certainly helps with that.
“We had a client from Melbourne come here and stay for
three months and it was quite
successful. He is back on his
chosen career path and I’m sure
the farm was part of his recovery. People in the country get
nervous about drug and alcohol
stuff but it is here and it is real,
and farming provides a real
opportunity for recovery,” Sacha
said.
It seems the decision to come
back home to the farm has suited everyone and despite the difficult workload of the first six
months Leigh and his family are
confident they and their families
are on the right track.
Gippsland dairy pioneer dies
ONE of the most influential
business and community identities in West and South
Gippsland, Jack Cuthbertson,
has died, aged 93.
Jack, with the help of business
partners, was involved in earthmoving, sawmilling, building,
land development and dairying.
His role in dairying enabled
many aspiring dairy farmers to
get a start in the industry and in
1975, Jack had 33 milking sheds
operated by sharefarmers in
Gippsland.
They have since been consolidated but there are still many
dairy farms in Cuthbertson ownership in Gippsland providing a
career start for young people.
Six of the Cuthbertson farms
in West Gippsland were damaged in the Black Saturday
bushfires of 2009.
Former Murray Goulburn
Field Officer, Ed Hanley, knew
Jack for many years and said he
played a key role in in the dairy
industry across Gippsland.
He said Jack’s used his many
farms to provide opportunities
to aspiring young dairy farmers
Jack Cuthbertson ... a key player in dairying in Gippsland.
to get a start as sharefarmers.
“Many of today’s successful
dairy farmers owe a debt of
gratitude to Jack,” he said.
Ed said that apart from his
support of the dairy industry
and his many business interests,
Jack was a committed community worker and supported
many clubs and organisations.
6 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
BUTTERFLY’S KITCHEN
T’S been a lovely start to
2014 here in the hills of South
Gippsland with showers of
rain over the Christmas/New
Year period maintaining some
grass growth and allowing us to
make it to mid-January before
the need to supplement the cows
and begin silage feeding.
This compares to last season
when we had to start feeding
silage early in December, so it’s
welcome rain extending our season.
In hindsight, if I had of had
the opportunity to peer into a
crystal ball prior to Christmas
we could have put on another
round of urea and really taken
advantage of this summer rain.
But, alas, no crystal balls here so
the decision was made to not
risk the dollars.
The hay making didn’t get
under way until early January
but once it did it was a hive of
action. The bulk of our hay we
buy standing in the paddock at a
farm about 70km from our dairy
and with 68ha to cut, rake and
bale. This year there were lots of
man hours put in.
We made the decision to purchase extra hay so we could
fully restock the hay sheds and
have surplus because I suspect
our good fortune with seasonal
conditions may not continue to
be so kind.
I would have liked to pay
down some debt, particularly
from last season, but then I also
know that hay in the hayshed
can be, at crucial times, better
than money in the bank. So
that’s where any extra milk
I
cheque monies will be going.
The coming weeks will see over
500 rolls of hay carted back to
our farm.
The shopping trip took place
for my new family of chooks!
Until now, I always had a pure
line of New Hampshires, a reddish hen bred for their meat and
eggs with the added bonus they
neve rwent clucky.
They were excellent foragers
and layers, but the issue is they
are rare and it’s very hard to find
a pure line. So that regretful
night I forgot to lock my hens up
was very damaging and disappointing. I was fortunate to still
have one rooster and four hens
remaining, however in true form,
Mr Fox only left me the tuff old
ones!
It was decided to not worry
about running about all over the
country in search of my favoured
hen and when my girlfriend Jane
rang one night to tell me of a
breeder only 10 minutes from
my farm with plenty of white
leghorns with distant cross back
to an Isa Brown for sale, it was a
rather hard deal to knock back.
Seeing as Jane had lost all her
chooks to a Mr Fox as well, it
was arranged and off we went to
collect 10 new hens each.
I now have a wonderful flock
of large white chooks with a dotting of old reds amongst them
pecking and wandering about
the sheds and yard.
It’s been rather funny to have
text messages going back and
forth with Jane on “how many
eggs did you get today? Wow,
how big are some of these
eggs?”
The one key point of discussion has been how these new
chooks don’t seem to graze as
well as the old ones because
their eating far more layer
pellets.
I am sure we will see them
adapt to our farming systems.
Plum trees are bursting with
fruit at the moment. I have a
huge blood plum in my front
garden and it’s great to see
young Jack out there eating
plums. I even have to smile
when I watch him from the dairy
as I milk. He throws plums over
the fence to the cows.
I am sure if you haven’t a
plum tree on your farm then
you’re most likely to pass one
on the side of road to town and
this where this month’s starts.
The recipe is a simple moist
cake, best baked a day before
serving, so as to allow the juices
of the plums to settle through
the cake.
That’s why it’s important to
place the plums skin-side up on
top of cake. It makes for an ideal
morning tea cake or serve it up
with a dollop of Devondale
cream for a dessert.
It seems fitting I leave you
with: “The key to everything is
patience. You get the chicken by
hatching the egg, not by smashing it”.
DEVONDALER
Plum Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar (plus extra 1 to 2 tlbs sugar)
115gm Devondale butter, softened
2 eggs
12-14 small plums, pitted & halved
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
METHOD
1. Pre-heat oven to 180˚C. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy and
light. Add eggs one at a time to butter and mix well.
2. Sift flour and baking powder then add to butter and egg mix,
mixing until combined.
3. Spoon batter into a well-greased and lined round cake tin,
smooth the top of batter.
4. Arrange plums skin side up all over the batter, pushing in
slightly.
5. Sprinkle the lemon juice and cinnamon and extra sugar over
the top of cake.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester shows no batter. Cool
on rack. Best served the next day so plum juices ooze down
through cake and thus develops flavour.
A cancer success story
●
With her breast cancer nightmare behind her, Rennae McInnes
can resume life and last November was judged runner-up in the
Gunbower Racing Club’s Fashions on the Field competition.
FROM PAGE 1
At her wits end it was her
sister who booked her in to a
doctor at Shepparton who
referred her to Jane O’Brien, a
breast surgeon and specialist, at
the Epworth Hospital in
Melbourne. It was a visit that
most certainly saved her life.
“By the time I was diagnosed
with cancer, two years had
passed and when they removed
my lump it weighed 400grams.
The cancer was in my lymph
nodes by then. If I had waited
much longer it would have been
too late.”
Faced with her own mortality,
she remembers that period as a
time of extreme anxiety.
Worrying about her husband and
her girls was always first and
foremost in her mind.
“I kept thinking ‘who is going
to look after them if I die’. I just
told myself to be strong and get
through this.”
In July 2010 she had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
She started her first round of
chemotherapy in September
2010 which was followed by a
year’s treatment of herceptain.
“I remember one of the doctors just rubbing my arm and
saying to me, ‘you are just too
young to going through this.’
The care and support I received
while in hospital really helped.”
In June 2012 by her own
choice, she had a second mastectomy and reconstruction.
She has just recently visited
her oncologist and been given
the all clear. Everything is going
really well.
“I had the second mastectomy
by choice for preventative reasons but lucky I did. The breast
surgeon said my cells were starting to change. I am really glad I
have no breast tissue left because
the threat of breast cancer
returning would just be playing
on my mind all the time.
“I know not everyone can
afford these types of treatments
and that is why it is so important
to have private health cover.”
It has been a long journey but
with a positive prognosis, Wally
is looking forward to closing the
door on that chapter of her life.
“The support I received from
family and friends and the com-
munity was unbelievable. A lot
of people cooked food for me
and it was little things like that
which really helped. My mum
was just amazing - she had the
girls for me whenever I needed
her too.”
Wally’s love of the outdoors,
and in particular gardening, was
the other thing that helped her
cope through tough times.
“Gardening was my sanity and
even if all I did was hold the
hose for a minute I always felt
better. I loved and still love
being outside in the fresh air - it
is so relaxing and I am positive
gardening really helped me in
my recovery.”
As a way of saying thank you
for the treatment she received,
Wally along with four other gardeners opened up their gardens
to the public and raised over
$2500 for the Breast Cancer
Network Foundation.
Today Wally and her family
have settled back into a normal
life on the dairy farm with
cancer treatments and surgeries
all in the past.The couple sharefarm with Ben’s parents Brian
and Wendy at Gunbower.
MURRAY GOULBURN
FEBRUARY 2014
7
8 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
Former vet backs value in dairying
By SUE WEBSTER
RENT Crawford makes
more money dairying than
he made as a vet – and
proves that small can be bountiful, as well as beautiful.
With his wife Belinda he milks
144 cows off 70ha at
Binginwarri in East Gippsland.
He also leased an additional with
50ha.
In terms of herd size, theirs is
among the bottom quarter for
Gippsland. But their budget in
2012/13 showed an operating
surplus of $125,273 or $875/cow
in what was a tough season.
Cash surplus for the year was
around $26,000.
Trent recalled: “I worked as a
vet for seven years. It wasn’t
challenging me.
“We’ve made a hell of a lot
more than I was getting paid at
the vets. Together with tax at 50
per cent … there’s definitely
plenty of money to be made
from dairying.”
Since the couple took over the
farm in 2009 they have built up
equity to more than 66 per cent
and their net worth was increasing – up $58,000 in the preceding season.
The couple had been sharefarming and Belinda’s mother
offered them a 10-year lease of a
rundown turnout block. The couple spent $58,000 upgrading the
old 12-a-side dairy and building
laneways and a bridge. It underscored their secret to success –
only spending money where it
would make return.
The pair is paying off debt of
$250,000 on land purchased next
door and $50,000 on their house.
“My assets are up in the seven
years of being a vet,” said Trent.
“We did not get given the farm,
so we have to make it pay for
itself.”
They dropped capital expenditure “to almost zero”. The dairy
T
revamp, for example, included
second-hand equipment: a
$5000 vacuum pump and a
$5000 vat.
Trent did all the concreting
and welding and connected the
milking machines.
The second-hand ute cost
$6000 four years ago and, for
the first three years of operation,
We’ve made a hell
of a lot more than I
was getting paid at
the vets. Together
with tax at 50 per
cent … there’s
definitely plenty of
money to be made
from dairying.
TRENT CRAWFORD
the $8000 tractor had no frontend loader.
Trent has since loosened the
purse strings and bought a 50hp
tractor with front-end loader for
$7000.
“I just can’t see the point in
spending $80,000 on something
that is sitting there most of the
time,” he said.
They also acquired a herd at a
cut-price.
“We had a bit of help from a
neighbour who sold us 40 cows
cheaply,” said Trent.
“He was going to sell them as
choppers and gave them to me at
chopper price. They virtually
cost me nothing and they are
still going.
“You are better off milking
sub-standard cows than milking
nothing at all. AI is how I want
to improve the herd.”
The herd now comprises
crossbreds, Jerseys and some
small-framed Holsteins. It aver-
Trent Crawford ... happier in the milking shed than his former role as a vet.
ages 1.15kg milk solids per kg
live weight or 542kg milk
solids/cow at 4.8 per cent fat and
3.48 per cent protein, grazing at
a stocking rate of two cows/ha.
“Supplementary feeding of a
half-tonne per cow with lucerne
hay was probably the best decision we made last year. It kept
the cows in good nick,” Trent
said. “Our main asset is the
cows.”
The Crawfords are aiming for
550kgMS/cow “and possibly do
it in terms of lower inputs,”
Trent added.
The pair does not intend to
grow bigger, but better. Trent
had worked on a 600-cow sharefarm and the pair decided they
wanted an enterprise that gave
them family time with their two
children.
They calve seasonally and shut
the farm down for a month each
year.
The Crawfords have two
daughters, Stephanie, 11, and
Charlotte, 8. The family has regular holidays as well as hopes
for their farm.
“We’re never going to milk
more than 144 cows. The day I
can’t produce any more milk or
grow any more grass – that is
going to be a sad day. I always
want to get better, not necessarily bigger,” Trent said.
The Crawford farm is a
GippsDairy focus farm and
consultant Matt Harms said:
“They are breaking all the rules
and challenging some common
perceptions, yet they are making
it work.”
A Stark reason for Dale’s change in career
By ROBERT WHITE
ALE Stark always felt
unfulfilled as he started
his career as a carpenter.
He didn’t mind the work at first
but always felt there was something else in his destiny.
And so it has proven to be as
Dale and his wife, Amy, are now
dairy farmers at Kongwak in
South Gippsland.
They are now in their fourth
season and despite a few challenges along the way, they have
no regrets about the lifestyle
change they have made.
“Financially it has been tough
but we still remain very positive
about our future,” said Amy.
Both Dale and Amy were
brought up in the
Mooroolbark/Lilydale area in
outer eastern Melbourne.
Dale left school and started a
D
Dale Stark
carpentry apprenticeship. But
when his parents bought an
investment beef property at
Kongwak, he found himself
drawn to the area and very
quickly he found that he was a
country boy at heart.
So 10 years ago, he and Amy
moved to Inverloch but most of
Dale’s working involved long
commutes to either Melbourne
or distant parts of Gippsland.
He then found a weekend
relief milking job with the
Jeffries family, MG suppliers at
Kongwak. And soon after he
was hooked on dairying.
He then heard that another
MG family, Helen and Roger
Perrett, were looking for a worker and Dale threw in his carpentry tools and took on dairying
full time.
The bug had also bitten Amy
and she started to do some relief
milking with the Jeffries.
Another role the couple had
was to keep an eye on Dale’s
parent’s 75ha beef block.
“In the end it was obvious
there was no money in beef so
we suggested to my parents that
we try dairying,” Dale said.
While the farm had run beef
for many years, it was once a
dairy farm and a small dairy
shed with a pit and cattle yards
still existed.
With Dale’s building expertise,
the couple was able to convert
the old building into a 10-a-side
dairy.
MG’s dairy service team
helped to fit out the shed with
locally sourced second-hand
equipment leaving Dale to handle all the steel work, concreting
and construction of feed troughs.
They bought a herd from
Hedley, near Yarram, and started
out with 113 cows.
The cows were a mixture of
breeds and spring and autumn
calvers and Dale and Amy are
slowly changing the breeding
system to autumn calving.
“We are milking 104 at the
moment but we would like to get
up to around 120,” Dale said.
“Both the farm and the dairy can
easily handle that number.”
Much of the past three years
has been spent improving
pastures, subdividing paddocks
and bringing laneways up to
standard.
“The paddocks are still too big
but we have been able to overcome that by using strip grazing
and it has worked for us,” said
Amy.
The couple say they owe a
great deal to the mentoring they
received by both the Jeffries and
Perrett families.
“Roger told us it would take
about five years to get on our
feet so that has prepared us for
the work still ahead,” Amy said.
The couple has three children,
Reece, 13, Miah, 10, and Lily, 2.
FEBRUARY 2014 9
MURRAY GOULBURN
Community rallies after bushfire
By NARELLE SAVIGE,
MG Field Services
HREE days into the
January heatwave that saw
temperatures above 40˚C
across Victoria, a lightning strike
in bushland on a beef farm in
Westbury in Central Gippsland
created a large bushfire damaging neighbouring farms.
Included among the damaged
farms were Murray Goulburn
suppliers, Mark and Lisa Wilms
who lost more than 100 bales of
hay and over half of the fences
on the new farm which they took
possession of in early December.
More than 25 Country Fire
Authority fire trucks and appliances from around Victoria battled the blaze for three days and
nights to ensure it did not jump
containment lines into neighbouring farms.
The fire was eventually downgraded and strike teams from
around the state returned home
or headed west where other fires
remained out of control.
In true Australian spirit, more
than 70 people from around the
community turned out to help
with the clean up and the fencing of the damaged farms..
They included CFA members
from Westbury, Willow Grove,
Ellinbank and Darnum brigades,
who had all been involved in
fighting the blaze, plus residents
of Westbury and surrounding
towns and friends of Paul Wilms
along with Mark’s brother who
organised the day, all
Local businesses also donated
food, money and materials to
assist with the working bee.
More than 5km of fencing was
achieved on the day with owners
of damaged farms Rob Saunders,
Rodney White, Mark Wilms and
John Pinch all thanking the volunteers.
“This is just overwhelming
and there are no words to
express how thankful we all are,”
said Mark Wilms.
T
A helicopter water bomber helps defend the Wilms’ hayshed.
Keegan Wilms helped out to clean up the family farm.
Paul and Mark Wilms thank volunteers for their efforts after the
fire at Westbury.
Lisa Wilms and Warwick Baum enjoy a break during a day of
fencing.
Cows die in heat
THE four-day heat wave in
mid-January took its toll on
dairy herds across the state
with nearly all suppliers reporting production losses.
But in Gippsland, the damage was at its worst with local
vet and Murray Goulburn
supplier, Jakob Malmo, reporting the deaths of at least 80
dairy cows through heat exposure.
One MG supplier lost almost
60 cows.
Jakob said he had never seen
anything like it in his years as a
vet.
“I have seen one or two
deaths through heat exposure
but nothing like the devastation
this time,” he said.
Jakob said the farmers
involved had been devastated
by their losses.
“These are people who care
deeply for their cows. They
love them and they look after
them.”
He said the extreme days had
been a lesson to farmers to take
even more notice of the
condition of their cows.
“On any days that reach 40
degree,s farmers need to take
definite measures, including
monitoring them every hour or
so,” he said.
“If you see them breathing
heavily, their tongues hanging
out and in a restless condition,
you need to act quickly.”
Jakob urged farmers to
provide shade for their cows on
hot days and urged them to
install sprinklers in the yard to
cool their herd down.
DA provides answers to
help keep dairy cows cool
ITH extreme temperature likely to continue
for some weeks, Dairy
Australia has suggested a number of initiatives farmers can follow to reduce heat stress in their
dairy herds.
● Check cows' breathing rate
twice daily. If the breathing rate
is more than 70 breaths per
minute, cows are beginning to
become stressed. If it is more
than 80 breaths per minute this
indicates that cows are under
severe heat stress and you need
to ramp up your cooling strategies further.
● Shade is king! Your first
priority should be to reduce
W
cows' direct exposure to the sun
by providing shade.
● Wet your cows to help them
off-load heat by evaporation. If
you have one, use your dairy
yard sprinkler system both
morning and afternoon.
● Sprinkle cows for at least 3060 minutes while they are
standing in the yard waiting to
be milked.
● Wetting the concrete of the
dairy yard for an hour before the
cows arrive can also help by
dissipating some of the heat
stored in it.
● Ensure your cows have access
to plenty of cool drinking water
wherever they are during the
day. Allow for 200-250 litres per
cow per day (this is double what
they usually need!).
For more information, visit
Dairy Australia's Cool Cows
website, refer to the Cool Cows
booklet or contact your local
dairy advisor.
The Cool Cows booklet is
available by calling Dairy
Australia's member line 1800
004 377.
Suppliers can also contact
their local field services while
MG Trading’s Ruminant
Nutritionist, Mark Brookes
(0447 500 450) can also provide
advice on feeding regimes
during the extreme heat.
10 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
MG Trading Agronomists and Nutritionists during their visit to the farm of Yarroweyah suppliers, Greg and Michelle Anderson.
Back to school for agronomists, nutritionists
Workshop helps to spread knowledge
By ROBERT WHITE
O the lay person (and I
count myself among that
group), it was a bit hard to
follow all the technical information.
There was talk about ME,
kilojoules, megajoules, dry matter, protein, starch and glucose
precursor, among other things.
And then there were cow pats
and all the information that
could be gleaned by just passing
T
Animal Nutritionist, Ian
Sawyer, was one of the speakers at the workshop.
a dirtied boot through a recently
provided sample.
But then I wasn’t one of the
group of MG Trading
Agronomists and newly
appointed MG Trading
Nutritionists who were part of a
special workshop to provide the
group with up-to-date technical
information that could be passed
on to suppliers.
And the group seemed to lap
up the information and clearly
understood what they
were hearing.
The workshop was led by MG
Trading Sales Nutritonist, Mark
Brookes, and MG Trading Feed
Services Manager, Gerard
Murphy.
They enlisted Ian Sawyer and
David Huggins, both Animal
We want to help
farmers put more
milk in the vat by
making the most of
the inputs they are
already using.
GERARD MURPHY
MG Trading’s Feed Services Manager, Gerard Murphy, left, discusses silage quality with MG
Agronomists, Sven Koljo, centre, and Chris Scott.
MG Trading’s Sales Nutritionist, Mark Brookes, right, with workshop farm host, Greg Anderson and
his daughter, Katie.
Nutritionists with Feedworks, to
share their knowledge of the
increasingly vital role that better
feeding plays in providing higher milk production.
At a time when Murray
Goulburn is seeking more milk
to satisfy the ever-increasing
international demand for dairy
produce, the opportunity to lift
per cow production rates is critical.
Both Ian and David said that
information on what cows needed to provide a greater output
was available but the delivery of
that information was now the
key issue.
Gerard said the training workshop was aimed at providing
more extensive training to allow
both the agronomists and nutritionists to provide a broader
service to MG co-op suppliers.
“We are putting on new
agronomists and nutritionists to
help farmers to make decisions
to improve production from their
feed and agronomic inputs.
“We want to help farmers put
more milk in the vat by making
the most of the inputs they are
already using.
“If that results in more milk,
that is a great result for both the
farmer and for their co-op,”
Gerard said.
Murray Goulburn suppliers,
Greg and Michelle Anderson
from Yarroweyah, opened their
farm to the workshop group and
discussed ways of improving
feed management.
The Andersons milk 250 cows
which are averaging just under
10,000 litres a year.
Greg said he had long been
conscious of the need to
continually monitor nutrition and
feed intake.
“I learnt a long time ago that
the cost of growing grass was
not what the cows ate but what
they didn’t eat. It was an important lesson,” he said.
Gerard said the opportunity for
MG Trading Agronomists and
Nutritionists to visit the
Anderson farm was important as
they could discuss issues directly
with a Murray Goulburn supplier
and understand their needs and
expectations.
MG Trading’s Harold Hanlon, right, with MG Trading Agronomists,
Sven Koljo, left and Ash Bryant.
FEBRUARY 2014 11
MURRAY GOULBURN
Three new nutritionists join MG Trading
FORMER MG Trading
manager is one of three
new nutritionists to join
the co-operative.
Greg Pronk, who managed the
Myrtleford store, started last
month along with Kate Smith
and Marion French.
Greg will be based at MG
Trading at Numurkah while Kate
will work from the MG Trading
store at Koroit and Marion will
be located at Maffra.
Greg has a strong background
with MG and was brought up on
the family dairy farm which supplied the Kiewa plant from the
Kiewa Valley.
He trained as a butcher then
worked on the family farm
before the drought forced him to
seek an alternative career.
He worked at MG Trading’s
Myrtleford store before taking
on the role as manager. When
the store closed, he was transferred to the Kiewa store
Greg and his wife, Sandi,
decided to return to the family
farm about five years ago but in
September last year, they took a
break from milking cows.
The couple has five children,
Carly, 30, Morgan, 28, Hanna,
20, Blair, 17, and Isaac, 11.
Kate grew up on a sheep and
A
cropping farm near Winchelsea,
just west of Geelong.
She studied agricultural science at LaTrobe University.
“I guess my farming background drew me towards studying agriculture and I had a particular passion for animal nutrition,” she said.
Kate said she was looking forward to meeting with suppliers
and helping them to improve the
nutritional quality of the feed
given to cattle.
“I am also looking forward to
seeing the smile on a farmer’s
face when the advice we have
provided begins to show benefits,” she said.
Marion has a dairying background, growing up on a farm in
New Zealand and then in
Tasmania when her parents
moved across the Tasman Sea.
She completed her schooling
in Tasmania and married her
husband, Peter, who was the son
of dairy farmers.
“I spent two years at university
but decided that I really wanted
to milk cows so I went back and
worked with my in-laws,” she
said.
It was then back to the
University of Tasmania for four
years to study agriculture, a
MG Trading’s three new nutritionists, from left, Kate Smith, Greg Pronk and Marion French.
course she finished last year.
“I have always loved working
with cows and have always had
an interest in animal health and I
think I can best tackle this
through better nutrition for
cattle,” Marion said.
She saw the MG job advertised and was encouraged to
apply by her husband who has
now joined her in Victoria.
“There is going to be a learn-
ing curve as I have to get a handle on all the different areas as I
am sure the nutritional challenges at Maffra will be a lot
different to the north west of
Tasmania.”
12 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
ON THE ROAD IN SYDNEY ZONE
From left, supplier, Michael Fraser, General Manager Shareholder Relations, Robert Poole and
suppliers Chris McRae and Lindsay Fraser at Taree.
Jenny Hurrell and Jane Polson with six-month-old Isabella after
the Taree meeting.
From left at the Taree meeting are suppliers Chris Chick, John Polson, Rod Lattimore and Chairman,
Phil Tracy.
Director, Martin Van de Wouw with suppliers from Tamworth, Rob
Cooper and Sherri Prisk at the Taree meeting.
Director, Bill Bodman with suppliers, Basil and Kerrie Schneider
from Firefly at the Taree meeting.
Suppliers from left, Shane Debreceny from Comboyne, Daniel Leimgruder from Gloucester and Alison
German from Dolly’s Flat at the Taree meeting.
Director, John Pye with suppliers from Tinonee, Nicole and Vernon Brown.
Paul and Lisa Minett from Upper Lansdowne with Les Gibson from
Killabakh at Taree.
FEBRUARY 2014 13
MURRAY GOULBURN
ON THE ROAD IN SYDNEY ZONE
MG Board meets new suppliers
By ROBERT WHITE
URRAY Goulburn board
members were overwhelmed by the support
they received last month when
they toured the dairy regions of
New South Wales, both north
and south of Sydney.
The four-day tour took them
as far north as Taree, as far west
as the Hunter Valley and south
to Berry.
The tour was two-fold. The
first reason was to explain MG’s
capital restructure plan but
directors also wanted to see firsthand the regions where the new
milk was being collected and
meet with suppliers.
Three separate meetings were
held at Taree, Singleton and
Gerringong while directors also
visited farms in the Manning
Valley, Singleton and Bowral in
the Central Highlands.
Two dinners were also held to
meet with new suppliers on a
social level.
MG Chairman, Phil Tracy,
said it was a significant move for
MG to become part of the
Sydney milk market and it was
important for directors to see the
region for themselves.
“We wanted to come and welcome the new suppliers to our
co-operative but we have been
overcome by the enthusiasm
shown by farmers towards MG,”
he said.
M
“It has been gratifying to the
Board that farmers have
recognised that we are a co-op
that owns processing facilities in
the Sydney milk market.”
Phil said the co-op’s involvement in the new NSW regions
would not have been possible
without the 10-year partnership
arrangement with Coles to
supply daily pasteurised milk
into the Sydney market.
“Farmers have also been
grateful that our arrival has
signalled the end of Tier 2 milk
payments by Sydney processors
and this has been regarded as
both timely and significant.”
Dairy processors were offering
one price for Tier 1 milk and
another for what was called Tier
2 which was regarded as surplus
to factory requirements.
Farmers were not aware from
month to month exactly how
much of their milk was to be
rated as Tier 2.
Many farmers were being paid
as low as 12 cents a litres for
Tier 2 milk which in some cases
made up 75 per cent of their
production.
Phil said it had been important
for directors to see the different
systems of farming in the
Sydney zone and give the new
suppliers a chance to see who
we were and what we stood for
as a dairy company.
He said the suppliers understood MG’s co-op values and the
Chairman, Phil Tracy caught up with the new field officers for the Sydney Zone, from left, Michelle
Blakeney, Vicki Timbs and Ray Johnston.
commercial way in which the
business was run.
“But most importantly they
know they will share in the
spoils of MG and that is very
much the co-op way,” he
said.
“Some regions we visited lost
their co-ops many years ago and
have suffered because of that situation.”
Phil said the move into new
regions in NSW was a signifi-
cant point in MG’s history.
“We have considerably
increased the footprint of the coop and this has added value for
all members.”
Phil congratulated the work of
MG’s General Manager
Shareholder Relations, Robert
Poole, and MG’s General
Manager Milk Supply and Field
Services, Ross Greenaway and
their team for the work they had
done to set the ground work for
the expansion.
He also recognised the efforts
of the three new Field Service
Officers, Michelle Blakeney,
Ray Johnston and Vicki Timbs
for their efforts in spreading
the MG message among new
suppliers.
“The fact that we have signed
155 suppliers, with more on the
way, in such a short term is a
credit to the work they have
done,” Phil said.
New supplier, Mark Bice, left, with Director, Graham Munzel at
Gerringong.
General Manager Shareholder Relations, Robert Poole, left, with suppliers Brian and Alan Bowley
and Jack Miller at the Gerringong meeting.
At the Gerringong meeting are from left, suppliers John Miller and
Barry O’Sullivan with Director, Bill Bodman.
Director, Martin Van de Wouw, left, with suppliers Stephen King and Chris Coulthart at the meeting at
Gerringong.
14 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
ON THE ROAD IN SYDNEY ZONE
Farmers welcome MG’s arrival
By ROBERT WHITE
D
Bruce Sherwood and his mother, Edna, with Field Officer, Michelle Blakeney at Singleton.
Director, Duncan Morris, left, with Keith Isaac and Graham Berry at the Singleton meeting.
From left, new suppliers Neville and Pam Whitehead, Chairman, Phil Tracy and supplier, Mark
Fraser.
General Manager Milk Supply and Field Services, Ross Greenaway, at the Singleton meeting with
new suppliers, Ron Barlin and Lionel Wilson.
AIRY Farmers on the
central and southern
coasts of New South
Wales have welcomed Murray
Goulburn to the region, with
many saying that would have
closed their businesses if MG
had not arrived.
The first new suppliers joined
MG in October last year and
there are now 155 new co-op
members with more set to join
this month.
The area stretches from
Bodalla on the south coast to
north of Port Macquarie and also
includes farmers as far inland as
Tamworth and Forbes.
The milk from the new
suppliers is currently being
traded among a number of milk
processors in the region but will
predominantly find its way to the
new MG Sydney daily
pasteurised milk factory at
Erskine Park which is due to
open by July this year.
Speaking at a dinner in Taree
last month, new supplier Daniel
Leimgruber, told MG directors
and fellow new suppliers that he
was “really pleased” to join
MG.
“The arrival of the co-op has
given encouragement to farmers
to go for it.
“You have provided the
opportunity for growth and that’s
the main thing,” he said.
Daniel said that under his
previous processor there were
times when he was paid a Tier 2
price of 12 cents a litre for more
than 75 per cent of his milk and
this wasn’t sustainable.
“MG represents opportunity
and we look forward to a long,
ongoing partnership,” he
said.
Dairy processors were offering
one price for Tier 1 milk and a
much lower price for what was
called Tier 2 which was regarded
as surplus to factory requirements.
Farmers were not aware from
month to month exactly how
much of their milk was to be
rated as Tier 2.
The Tier 2 component has
been lifted since MG became
MG represents
opportunity and
we look forward
to a long,
ongoing
partnership.
DANIEL LEIMGRUBER
involved in the region.
Murray Polson said MG’s
arrival had enabled his family to
look forward to a good future.
“There have been four
generations of our family in this
district and we are keen to
continue in dairying,” he said.
He said the arrival of a cooperative of MG’s size had also
been critical because it provided
stability and security.
“It also provided the
competition we needed,” he said.
Other farmers told of their
heartbreak at having to consider
closing their farms under the two
tier pricing deals they had
signed.
But the arrival of MG had
given them a new outlook and a
confidence for the future.
Many were also pleased that
MG had taken on new farmers as
early as last October, rather than
start up in June this year.
“Many of us, including myself,
would not have lasted until
June,” one supplier said.
New supplier, Greg Harris at
Gerringong.
Director, Martin Van De Wouw, left, with new suppliers, John and
Debbra Polson at the Taree dinner.
FEBRUARY 2014 15
MURRAY GOULBURN
ON THE ROAD IN SYDNEY ZONE
New suppliers face individual challenges
By ROBERT WHITE
LL went quiet for a
moment when John
Whatman told a touring
party of Murray Goulburn
Directors about land prices at
Kangaloon in the New South
Wales Southern Highlands.
“You’re looking at between
$20,000 and $25,000 an acre …
could be more,” he said.
It is one of the key reasons for
a fall in the number of dairy
farmers in the area area Bowral
and Moss Vale.
Once a strong dairying area,
new freeways have provided
greater access to and from
Sydney and investors are buying
up large chunks of land for
lifestyle interests.
The high land prices means
existing farmers cannot expand
because of land prices.
The Whatman farm was one of
three new suppliers visited by
directors during last month’s
four-day tour of the Sydney
Zone.
The Whatman family, which
includes John and his wife,
Lyn and their sons, Brad and
Steven and their wives, Melissa
and Susan, operate two separate
dairy farms, about 5km apart.
On the main farm, which is
managed by Brad and one full
time employee and two casual
workers, the family milks 300
cows on 182ha, of which 28ha is
irrigated. The farm produces
about two million litres of milk a
year.
The second farm which is
operated by John and Steven
with the help of two casual
workers, is 91ha with a further
61ha leased.
The farm milks 210 cows and
produces 1.3 million litres of
milk a year.
The family is currently considering combining the two farms
and expanding the overall
A
Keith and Gwen Lambkin are new suppliers at broke in the Hunter
Valley.
operation.
There is also consideration
of the construction of a new
dairy.
Directors also visited the farm
of Peter and Lynette Brown at
Wingham, near Taree.
Their farm is 46ha with a further 48ha leased for the milking
herd and a further 55ha used as a
run-off block to graze dry and
young stock.
The herd peaks at 250 cows in
the spring.
Key issues facing the Browns
and other dairy farmers in the
region include control of dairy
effluent and irrigation and Peter
has played a key role committees and organisations such as
the Natural Resources
Management program which has
seen projects worth more than
$5 million spent on dairy farms
in the region.
He has also been involved in a
committee organising energy
audits for dairy farms, a member
of the Farmer Targets for
Climate Change steering com-
Suppliers Robert Miller, left, with Geoff and Mel Bailey at the
Gerringong meeting.
Directors, Bill Bodman and John Pye with Manning Valley
supplier, Peter Brown.
John and Lyn Whatman with their son, Brad, at their farm at
Kangaloon in the Southern Highland of New South Wales.
mittee and has supported local
Landcare initiatives.
At the third farm at Broke,
near Singleton in the Hunter
Valley, directors heard of how
the Lambkin family mixes its
role in dairying with the sizeable
coal mining activities in the
region.
While directors were visiting
the farm, contractors were compacting an area of the farm that
had subsided because of underground mining.
For the past three years the
family, Keith and Gwen and
their son, Graham (another son,
Terry, also assists when not
working at a local coal mine)
have been negotiating with a
local coal company to remove
gas from underground coal with
further talks on access to the
farm, laneway construction,
compensation and the
construction of a 100 megalitre
turkey’s nest dam.
The family milks 220 cows
with the herd being 85 per cent
Holstein and the balance made
up of crosses to Jersey cows.
Last year the farm produced
1.5 million litres of milk off
405ha with a further 93ha outblock used as a heifer run-off
and 53ha used to grow maize
and sorghum crops.
Directors said the visits were
important for them to fully
understand the different systems
of dairying used by suppliers in
the Sydney Zone.
New suppliers at the Singleton meeting, from left Ken and Karen Turnbull and Lew Brennan.
16 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
FEBRUARY 2014 17
MURRAY GOULBURN
Many factors determine lactation success
HE success of a cow’s
overall lactation is the
result of many factors
coming together to support all
the cow’s post-calving functions.
These include the rapid
increase in Dry Matter intake
post-calving, good milk production with high milk solids,
sound cow health throughout the
lactation and early re-breeding
success.
The odds of a successful lactation are greatly increased by
applying good nutritional management of the cow before she
even calves. The period from
three weeks pre-calving to three
weeks post-calving is called the
transition period. Any feeding
of dry cows involves a commitment to expenditure. It is often
this that stops farmers from
adopting even a basic transition
feeding program, in an effort to
do the dry period as cheaply as
possible.
THE SCIENCE:
THE onset of colostrum and
milk production increases
requirements for energy and
protein as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins and trace minerals.
T
As a result, metabolic systems
are stretched and the immune
system is compromised.
Additionally, appetite is
depressed at the same time as
there are extreme dietary
changes.
Getting the Dietary CationAnion Difference (DCAD) right
pre-calving allows the natural
metabolic processes required
post-calving to be activated.
This helps reduce the incidence of postpartum metabolic
disorders, avoids off-feed issues
and prepares the rumen for the
upcoming lactation.
The importance of good lead
feeding to manage the transition
of cows:
1. Rumen Conditioning: The
starch in the grain stimulates the
increase in the bacteria to condition the rumen for the higher
starch diet the cow will be
exposed to after calving.
2. Improved Nutrient Supply:
Without the extra nutrients being
available, the cow’s nutrient
requirement would have to be
met from the cow’s own body
tissue being mobilised. This
would mean an increased risk of
sub-clinical and clinical ketosis
developing at calving.
3. Improved Mineral Balance:
The presence of DCAD mineral
salts in the lead feed has a positive effect on many metabolic
processes especially Calcium
mobilisation.
4. Reduction in Metabolic
Diseases and improved Cow
Health: Better nutrient balance
reduces the risk of sub-clinical
ketosis beginning before the cow
has even calved.
5. Better Milk Production in
the following lactation: The
Dairy Australia research review
by Lean & DeGaris (2010) suggests an increase in milk production in the subsequent lactation
with this quantity varying
depending on the quality of the
transition feeding programme
used.
THE PRODUCTS:
THREE ProfeHerd Lead Feed
product options will be offered
through Murray Goulburn
Trading:
Option1: ProfeHerd Fire Up
(25kg powder): This is a premix
with DFM and DCAD salts then
added to on-farm grains and forages.
Option 2: ProfeHerd KickStart
DFM (25kg powder): This has
DFM, Rumensin, BioChlor (a
high protein and MgCl source)
and DCAD salts then added to
on-farm grains and forages.
Option 3: ProfeHerd Transit
DFM (1MT Bulka bags pellet):
This includes the Kickstart DFM
along with a blend of grains and
protein meals to make up a top
of the range Lead Feed.
Available direct through
Stockfeed mill and charged back
through MGT.
THE ECONOMICS:
THE potential economics of
feeding lead feeds of varying
qualities is shown in TABLE 1
● It is planned that this lead
feed initiative will be launched
March 2014.
TABLE 1
No. days on lead feed
Est. lead feed cost/cow
Est. litre increase milk/cow/day
Total extra milk revenue/cow
Extra gross margin/cow
Pay back period -days in milk
Ave. no. cows/supplier
Est. increase in milk/supplier
Potential extra margin/supplier
ProfeHerd Transit
DFM
15
$42.75
2
$150
$107.25
43
250
75,000L
$26,813
ProfeHerd
Kick Start DFM
15
$37.44
1.5
$112.50
$75.06
50
250
56,250L
$18, 765
ProfeHerd
Fire Up
15
$25.08
1
$75
$49.92
50
250
37,500L
$12,480
Figures show benefits in lead feeding
URRAY Goulburn supplier, Ross Berryman
from Berrys Creek in
South Gippsland, had been using
DCAD salts in his herd in past
years.
But he had stopped the program during 2011-12 because he
had problems with clinical milk
fever in these years.
He said he was prepared to try
the lead feed supplement supplied by ProviCo on his 2013
calving herd to monitor any
reductions in milk fever.
The lead feed fed at
3kg/cow/day consisted of a lead
feed supplement, CRU Kickstart,
at 750g/cow per day mixed with
2.25kg of crushed barley.
The minimum feeding period
was 14 days prior to calving. All
animals were fed their 3kg in the
milking shed daily. This provided a good opportunity for the
first calf heifers to adapt to the
platform prior to calving.
Ross said: “Temperament was
definitely better this year due to
increased handling of two-yearolds. First calvers’ adaptation
M
was better than in 2012 with 1025 per cent better milk production in early lactation. There
was hardly any udder oedema in
this group.”
Ross’s results (See TABLE 1)
show increased milk production.
Despite a significantly higher
proportion of first calvers in
2013, the herd average production/cow was 199.2 litres higher
per cow during the study period
(119 days) than in the corresponding period in 2012 (121 days).
The production curves in the
graph shows a far better adaptation by cows of all ages to the
start of lactation and a more consistent production trend in the
first four months of lactation.
In the first 63 days of the
study, the production was 190.8
litres higher than in 2012, which
was 18.9 per cent higher that the
break-even production necessary
to cover the cost of the lead
feed.
On this farm the payback period for the cost of the lead feed
was 53 days using extra milk
TABLE 1
Milk production comparison: Winter 2013 vs Winter 2012
Herd test no. days in milk
2013: no. cows in milk
Increase in cows in milk v 2012
Increase in 1st calvers v. 2012
Comparative days in milk @ test
Improve in herd av. litres/day
Improve in herd average %
1-36
174
32
18.4%
4
2.0
8.2%
2-63
256
33
16.9%
3
4.4
18.8%
3-91
297
44
18.4%
-2
0.1
0.4%
4-119
294
35
20%
-2
0.2
0.7%
production alone.
Improved Cow Health and
Reduced Health Costs
There was an improvement in
almost all health parameters in
the first four months of lactation
with a consequent reduction in
potential and actual health costs
of $17,202 year-on-year.
This is equivalent to 91.5 per
cent of the total cost of the Lead
Feed fed to the entire 308 head
in 2013.
CONCLUSION:
IN economic benefits, this study
showed a 118 per cent return on
investment in milk production
(at 38c/L) in the first 63 days of
the study when compared to the
cost of the lead feed.
The response of this herd to a
good quality lead feed in the 2-3
weeks prior to calving was very
smooth and matched the expected response to good transition
feeding as reported in the Dairy
Australia Transition Cow
Management review (Lean and
DeGaris, 2010).
More information on this case
study can be sourced from
ProviCo and your MG Trading
Nutritionist.
References:
Lean I.J. and P. DeGaris, 2010,
Transition Cow Management:
Dairy Australia
MG supplier, Ross Berryman.
18 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
Couple’s dairy career turns full circle
By ROBERT WHITE
EVENTEEN years ago,
Ken and Tahne May had
their eyes on a lease property at Boolarra South in South
Gippsland.
They didn’t go ahead with the
deal. But today, they own that
same farm. It is the final part of
the couple’s round-about journey
in dairying.
It will be two years in May
since Ken and Tahne moved on
to their 90ha farm where they
milk up to 145 cows in the peak.
It was Tahne who was the
driving force behind the couple’s
career in dairying. Her grandparents were dairy farmers and she
always had a soft spot for dairy
cows as she grew up.
On the other hand, dairying
was the furtherest thing from
Ken’s mind. He was a fitter and
turner by trade and worked with
the State Electricity
Commission. When that
government operation was
privatised, he joined he joined a
conveyor belt company that sent
him to work on the mines at Port
Headland in Western Australia.
While he was away, Tahne
took up a job on a dairy farm at
Yinnar, near Morwell.
“I had always wanted to have
my own herd of cattle and I
guess this was my start,” she
said. “I started relief milking a
couple of days a week and
before long I was full time.”
A shoulder injury brought Ken
back home and Tahne concedes
that she virtually issued an ultimatum.
The owner of the farm on
which she had been working
offered it for lease and Tahne
told her husband that was what
they were going to do.
They laugh about the events
now, but Tahne concedes she
S
Tahne and Ken May at their farm at Boolara South in South Gippsland.
was determined to follow a
farming life.
Although Ken kept working
off the farm for a short time, the
die was cast and he and Tahne
leased the 80ha property for 13
years.
Following the property’s sale,
the couple moved to Nyora in
West Gippsland where they
leased for more than two years.
It was not a happy time at
Nyora with constant issues with
herd health.
“We knew we had to make a
move and we looked at a few
properties around Korumburra
but we were always keen to
move back into this area because
it was where we had friends.
“It’s funny to think that we
looked at this farm 17 years ago
as a lease opportunity but we
couldn’t get a loan at the time to
buy any cows,” Tahne said.
There can be no doubting that
the couple has thrived in their
new surroundings.
The original 15-a-side
swingover shed has age issues
but it has been updated since the
Mays arrived and suits their
needs. New works have included
installation of electronic
pulsators, a new hot water
service, a 7500 litre vat as well
as equipment upgrading.
“Owning our own farm has
given us the chance to really be
our own bosses,” said Ken. “We
can do what we want, when we
want to. And we are making
improvements to our own property and building our assets.”
One major farm improvement
has been the construction of a
laneway more than a kilometre
long which has given the Mays
direct access to one of the
remotest parts of the farm.
Originally the cows had to be
walked along the road to make
the trip from dairy to paddock,
creating safety and health
issues.
“It took us about three days
to build the laneway and put in
the fences and just that work
has really enabled us to get
better use out of the farm,” Ken
said.
The work is not yet done with
the couple saying they needed to
further improve the pastures and
provide better access to water
troughs around the farm.
The couple has four children,
Lucinda, 30, Rebbecca, 27,
Karyn, 25, and Robert, 24.
Karyn has continued the
family interest in dairying, only
she works on a 4000-head goat
milking farm at Westbury, just
north of Moe.
MG employees share the festive baking skills
Sharing the special Christmas Bake Off samples are from left, Lorraine Donohue, Darryl McFarland
and Jason Wotzko.
EMPLOYEES at Murray
Goulburn’s headquarters at
Freshwater Place and all manufacturing sites participated in the
Devondale Christmas Bake Off
in the lead up to the festive season.
All employees were given
a Devondale cooler bag
containing a UHT milk and a
Christmas butter to help with
their cooking
An example of winning
recipes (all using Devondale
product) were chocolate
brownies, choc chip cookies,
lemon sponge cake and savoury
scones.
There was an outstanding
response with just under 100
dishes being entered into the
Bake Off and all were shared by
employees.
A member of the Executive
Committee visited each manufacturing site to help judge the
Bake Off and thank employees
for their contribution during
2013.
Tina Rossi enjoyed the festive
activities at Freshwater Place.
FEBRUARY 2014 19
MURRAY GOULBURN
$2000 scholarship for new supplier
Report and pictures by
SUE WEBSTER
M
URRAY Goulburn
supplier, Cameron
Yarnold, won the top
honour at this year’s National
All Breeds Dairy Youth Camp.
The 20-year-old sharefarmer
from Wingham in northern New
South Wales won the $2000
Genetics Australia scholarship as
the most outstanding participant
at the five-day camp.
It was the first time Cameron
had been to the camp, only one
week after he had signed up as
an MG supplier.
He was among 48 participants
from across Australia and NZ
attending the camp which
focused on judging, parading
and handling dairy cattle.
The camp was at the Royal
Melbourne Showgrounds, but
included a day trip to the Drouin
farm of another MG supplier,
Robert Anderson.
MG field staff attended the
farm to help serve up the barbecue lunch, supplied by MG.
Exactly one week after becoming an MG supplier, Cameron Yarnold, 20, of Wingham New South
Wales, attended the Dairy Youth Camp. He is pictured with fellow MG supplier Alex Walker, 26, of
Inverloch.
Farm host, MG supplier Robert Anderson, discusses some of his marketing strategies with the youth
camp attendees.
Kallan Young, 20, of Leongatha South and Ronald Walmsley, 19, of
Numurkah.
Taylor Hawker, 18, is studying
his Certificate III as a dairy
apprentice on his grandparents' farm at Hazelwood, in
Gippsland. His grandparents,
Lyn and Marv Fraser, have
recently moved to a new farm.
Taylor is hoping to become a
dairy farmer milking around
400 cows in the Loch/Bena
region.
MG Field Officer, Jol Dutton, with Meg, 12, and Emily, 14,
Anderson who welcomed the guests to their Drouin family farm.
Kimberley Henningsen, 16, of Mt Gambier South Australia, left with Maddy Miller, 18, and her brother,
George, 16, of Berry New South Wales.
20 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
‘No return’ policy for Bulka bags
INCITEC Pivot Fetilisers are
saying goodbye to what has
formed part of the landscape on
most dairy farms for a number
of years now.
Starting early this year IPF
will no longer offer the option
of a returnable bag when
purchasing Bulka Bags of
fertilisers.
Only single trip bags will be
available.
This move joins one made
recently by MG Trading to
supply only single trip bags from
our fertiliser depots, this move
was made purely on bag integrity and user safety.
The move is expected to
reduce administration and
logistics costs and increase the
overall efficiency of the supply
chain.
The decision will also improve
the quality and integrity of the
bags, making handling on farm
far safer than the previous
method.
The key dates of the changes
are as follows:
● March 1: Incitec Pivot
Fertilisers will cease supplying
“multi trip, returnable” Bulka
Bags.
● April 15: MG Trading and
IPF will cease accepting returns
of Multi Trip Returnable Bulka
Bags.
Help MG Trading by returning
as soon as possible any Incitec
Pivot Bulka Bags which may
already be laying around on
farm as each bag holds a $30
deposit on your MG Trading
account. Note that MG Trading
will only be able to credit
deposits to the account they
were charged on.
Both MG Trading and Incitec
Pivot Fertilisers are working on
setting up collection points for
the new single trip bags as a
voluntary return system for
recycling.
More information will be
provided as we move forward.
Bulka bags of fertiliser will no
longer be available.
Phosporus, sulfur key to pasture success
P
HOSPHORUS and sulphur
are critical for pasture production and there are a
number of key message for
farmers.
● Get paddocks soil tested to
refine fertiliser applications.
● Gather paddock/management
zone information to better close
nutrient budgets.
● Spread fertiliser early to avoid
logistic bottlenecks in autumn.
Legume based pastures are
highly responsive to phosphorus
and sulphur nutrition. Superfect
(high quality single super) is the
cornerstone product in supplying
a ratio of phosphorus to sulphur
which suits high performing pastures.
In establishing a fertilising
program, soil tests need to be
taken to identify soil nutrient
status. These results used in
conjunction with nutrient
removal from milk, livestock and
fodder as well as nutrient
addition through brought in feed
and effluent, establishes a
nutrient account that assists in
maximising nutrient efficiencies
and returns.
Ideally, for a dairy pasture
system, the soil Olsen P value
should be 15-20mg/kg to achieve
95-98 per cent of potential pasture production (Gourley et al.
2007).
Based on experience, the
majority of dairy farmers prefer
to see the Olsen P range slightly
higher in a range of 25-30mg/kg.
However, excessively high soil
phosphorus values >30mg/kg,
will not grow any more pasture,
decrease P efficiencies and
ground cover to reduce overland
movement of P, in the event of
significant rainfall.
Even though P is immobile
within the soil, it will rapidly
enter the soil in the presence of
minimal moisture. Light rain
and even morning dews are
enough to take P into the soil
within a few days.
Superfect also supplies
Sulphur which is a critical nutrient for legume based pastures.
Soil test values should be KCl
(40) >8mg/kg, with annual
applications of 10-15 kgS/ha.
Superfect is ideal pasture fertiliser and can be confidently
spread early in the season to
avoid logistical bottlenecks in
the autumn.
Spreading superphosphate on a paddock in preparation for autumn sowing. MG Trading can organise
supply and spreading of superphosphate.
potentially be lost to the pasture
system.
In most soils, phosphorus will
only diffuse short distances (up
to 5cm) away from the fertiliser
granule, with the nutrient’s
concentration decreasing the
further away from the granule it
moves.
Thus, this phosphorus is only
available to the plant when its
roots extend into this “diffusion
zone”.
Superfect, being a low analysis
fertiliser, needs to be applied at
higher rates to achieve a similar
phosphorus rate compared to a
high analysis product.
This means there are more
granules influencing a greater
area of pasture. Williams and
Lipsett (1969) reported both
yield and P uptake decreased
with increasing distance between
plant and the superphosphate
particle, however varied somewhat based on soil probably as a
result of P status.
Leaching losses are generally
miniscule so, unless the soil type
is a light sand, early season
application can be made with
confidence knowing that leaching will not be an issue.
Summer thunderstorms immediately following the spreading
of single superphosphate pose
the greatest risk to phosphorus
losses.
Research conducted by
MacLachlan (1961) showed no
differences in pasture yields
between phosphorus fertiliser
applied in summer compared to
autumn applications.
For farmers wanting to take
advantage of any early season
delivery incentives, when
spreader availability is generally
good and to ensure P is on the
ground for the autumn break,
then applying Superfect early is
a good option.
If applying over the summer
then ensure paddocks have some
References:
Gourley CJP, Melland AR,
Waller RA, Awty IM, Smith AP,
Peverill KI, and Hannah
MC (2007). Making Better
Fertiliser Decisions for Grazed
Pastures in Australia.
Victorian Government
Department of Primary
Industries.
McLachlan K.D. (1961) Time of
application of superphosphate
and the yield of pasture on an
acid soil. Australian Journal
Experimental Agriculture and
Animal Husbandry 1, 81-84
Williams C.H and Lipsett J.
(1969) The Effect of Particle
Size of Superphosphate on the
Availability of its Phosphorus
and Sulphur to Pasture Plants.
CSIRO. Australian Journal of
Agricultural Research 20(2) 265
- 278
MG sponsors dairy conference
Take delivery of your
SuPerfect from MG Trading
this summer and benefit from
their extended terms.
MURRAY Goulburn will be a key sponsor of
the Australian Dairy Conference to be held
at Geelong this month.
Managing Director, Gary Helou, will
address the conference on behalf of MG.
The conference runs from 25-27
February at Deakin University, Geelong.
The conference includes pre and postconference tours to local dairy farms.
Full event details are available at
australiandairyconference.com.au.
MG at Allansford field days
MURRAY Goulburn will have a presence
at the annual Field Days at Allansford,
near Warrnambool, from February
12-14.
The MG marquee will welcome suppliers
to enjoy a break and meet with directors,
field services staff and the MG Trading team
from south west Victoria.
FEBRUARY 2014 21
MURRAY GOULBURN
MG project to improve Nitrogen use
NY dairy farmer would
love to be able to increase
their pasture production by
improving their on-farm
Nitrogen use efficiency, which is
the aim of a new project Murray
Goulburn is undertaking.
As part of the Federal
Governments Carbon Farming
Futures Program, MG has been
successful in obtaining funding
to undertake a three year project
looking at the use of nitrification
inhibitors to reduce nitrous oxide
emissions from soils, and
increase pasture productivity.
The project, based on 10 farms
in North Eastern Victoria will
trial the use of nitrification
inhibitor amended fertiliser in
the form of ENTEC Urea, as a
method to directly reduce onfarm nitrous oxide emissions and
to determine if increased costs
associated with its application
are balanced by yield increases.
MG Trading has appointed a
Project Coordinator, Luke
Visser, to work in conjunction
with the University of Melbourne and landholders to conduct the three year project with
the first applications of urea
occurring over the next few
months.
Luke is completing his studies
in a Bachelor of Agriculture
with the University of
Melbourne and will be based out
of the Kiewa fertiliser depot to
run the project.
As a greenhouse gas, nitrous
oxide is more than 300 times
more potent than carbon dioxide
with the majority of emissions
arising from agriculture, including the use of fertilisers.
While it is important for the
dairy industry to maintain a
green image in the face of growing environmental concerns and
climate change, this project also
sets out to assess the economic
viability of the use of nitrifica-
A
tion inhibitors at a farm gate
level.
If less Nitrogen is leached
from the soil profile or lost as
nitrous oxide gas to the atmosphere there should be more
Nitrogen remaining in the soil
and made available to plants.
As a result, yield increases or
a reduction in applied nitrogen
are expected to be obtained from
these trials and an economic
assessment on the value of these
increases will be conducted.
This project will trial the use
of ENTEC urea, distributed in
Australia by Incitec Pivot
Fertilisers. which is a granulated
urea with a DMPP chemical coat
applied to it. This chemical
interrupts the action of nitrifying
bacteria which convert ammonia
N to nitrate N, stopping the
applied Nitrogen being converted into mobile forms.
This will allow more nitrogen
to be available to plants and it is
expected that it will result in an
increase in production.
From the trial sites, data will
be collected that will give an
indication of nitrous oxide
emissions, pasture/crop quality
and yield comparisons, climatic
conditions, changing soil
conditions, etc.
As well as providing yield and
nitrous oxide emissions comparisons between ENTEC and normal urea, data will be gathered
that can provide information on
the effect of rainfall, soil conditions and other factors relating to
the Nitrogen use efficiency of
the trial sites.
This project enables MG to be
at the forefront of research into
Nitrogen use efficiency in agricultural systems and it is expected that knowledge gained from
the project will be a great advantage for suppliers.
From more information contact Luke Visser 0402 895 555.
Luke Visser, left, visited MG supplier, Stuary Crosthwaite and his children, Indi and Otto at the family
farm in the Kiewa Valley.
Super price rise now likely
A
sustained drop in the
Australian Dollar and
strong demand for phosphate
fertilisers globally, combined
with low global stocks, has
meant that a price rise is
looming.
In the past eight weeks
Ammonium Phosphate (AP)
prices, MAP and DAP,has risen
more than $150 per tonne
domestically.
On a more positive note
prices have risen from some of
the lowest levels we’ve seen in
years. Phosphate fertiliser
today is still at very attractive
levels, however we expect
SuPerfect, as an alternate phosphate fertiliser to MAP and
DAP, will more than likely follow suit of the APs with expectant increases.
With SuPerfect pricing at its
lowest point in some time,
MG Trading has secured large
volumes of SuPerfect with
the aim of providing value to
our suppliers and customers
with an attractive offer
this autumn.
MG Trading also has a suite
of flexible finance offerings to
approved suppliers including
Deferred Terms and Seasonal
Operations Loans.
Pricing, delivery and spreading is currently available until
the end of April and can be
secured and held.
With prices set to rise,contact
your MG Trading Fertiliser
Depot, Agronomist or Trading
Store as soon as possible to see
what we can do for you.
22 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY WEEK
Illawarra heifer
has show style
By SHARON CAIN
USTIN and Brooke Evans
started preparing their
cattle for International
Dairy Week in November last
year.
They have attended IDW for
the past 15 years and this year
they brought five entries to the
National Illawarra show.
Justin and Brooke dairy farm
at Laceby, Wangaratta, milkng
220 cows.
“We start our preparation for
IDW in November,” said Justin.
“Brooke and I prepare the cows
with the help of a friend.”
Brooke said: “In the lead up to
IDW we separate our show cows
out from the dairy herd and feed
them on a high protein diet to
add body and to condition
them.”
Their two-year-old heifer,
J
Justin and Brooke Evans with their daughter, Fairlie, and Champion Three Creeks Rosarian 4.
Three Creeks Rosarian 4, was
placed first in her class (heifer
in milk 1/11/11-30/6/11) at
IDW and then went on to
receive the ribbon for Reserve
Intermediate Illawarra
Champion.
No stranger to the show ring,
in 2013 Three Creeks Rosarian
4 won first place in the Victoria
Red Cow On Farm Challenge
in the two-year-old class and
then went on to win Reserve
Intermediate Illawarra
Champion in the Royal
Melbourne Show, followed by
Intermediate Illawarra
Champion at the Shepparton
Show.
“We really enjoy having
good cows and showing
them. We like coming to IDW
each year and meeting up
with people we know,” said
Justin.
Guernseys prove to
be a family affair
AN and Sherie Gallus have
been coming to International
Dairy Week since it first
started and now it has become a
truly family affair involving
their children Grant, Greg and
Shelby.
“We enjoy coming to IDW
and I believe it is a good bonding time with the kids and it
gets them interested in showing
cattle,” said Ian.
“Each year we meet up with
friends from different parts of
Australia,” he said.
Ian and Sherie farm at
Strathermerton, where they
milk 200 cows.
Before IDW, the cows that
they choose to show are separated from the main dairy herd.
I
Their diet is changed slowly
and they are fed extra grain.
“We arrive with the cows
and set them up on the Friday
before the start of the show.
We have a team of eight
helpers, family and friends,”
Ian said.
This year the Gallus family
had 14 entries in the National
Guernsey Show at IDW and
were successful with a second
place in the heifer dry born
1/7/2010-30/6/2011 with
Riverton Warden Pet and a
third and fourth placing in the
heifer category born after
1/7/2013 with Riverton
Bradman Emaline and
Riverton Magic Miss.
- SHARON CAIN
Ray Perkins and assistant, Shirleen Evans, with two of Ray’s Brown Swiss heifers.
Ray takes home MG award
By SHARON CAIN
AY Perkins is fairly new
to International Dairy
Week, 2014 being only his
second year exhibiting at the
National Brown Swiss show.
Ray currently sharefarms in
northeast Victoria at Laceby,
Wangaratta.
“My grandparents were dairy
farmers and I am passionate
about farming and it has always
been my main goal to have a
dairy farm with my own
stock,” he said.
R
Grant, Greg, Shelby and their father, Ian Gallus, at IDW.
Ray’s parents own a beef farm
at Laceby, part of which is in the
process of being converted to
dairy in time for calving this
autumn.
Ray currently has cows parked
on two of his friend’s farms. He
will have 90 cows to start on
his parent’s farm in May this
year.
There will be 25 Brown Swiss
and the balance Jersey and
Friesian.
“I love the Brown Swiss breed
because of their longevity and
ease of temperament.
“My goal is to have an entire
herd of 150-160 Brown Swiss
cows,” he said.
This year Ray brought four
heifers to the show and received
two awards including a third
with Loxby Premium Eva in the
heifer born 1/7/12-31/12/12
category.
Ray also received the
Exhibitor Encouragement award,
sponsored by MG, which
recognises the achievement of
new exhibitors who have
competed for less than three
years.
FEBRUARY 2014 23
MURRAY GOULBURN
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY WEEK
Big week for
dairy showcase
I
T was another bumper event for International Dairy Week
with outstanding numbers represented in all dairy vreed
categories.
Murray Goulburn suppliers, the Boyd family, from Finley in
the southern Riverina of New South Wales, were one of the
major winners, taking out Grand Champion Jersey Cow.
MG was again a sponsor at IDW with many suppliers taking
advantage of the MG Trading marquee while other visitors
were able to sample Devondale products.
MG Trading representatives, along with regional field
services, were available to meet with suppliers and discuss
dairy matters.
Pictured at the crowning of the Grand Champion Jersey Cow are from left, Trevor Saunders (Jersey
Australia), Judge of the Jersey Show, Michael Heath, Nathan Thomas (handler), Milton Johnston
(Jersey Australia), and the Boyd family, Lyn, Brooke andDavid.
Grand Champion reward
for Jersey breeders
By SHARON CAIN
T
Hard work pays
off for Kaitlyn
I
T was a just reward for a lot
of hard work when 12- yearold Kaitlyn Wishart was
crowned top junior handler at
this year’s International Dairy
Week.
For Kaitlyn, showing cows is
a joy and she has been breaking-in and preparing them for
the show ring locally for a
number of years.
She loves competing against
other studs under the Rowlands
Park prefix and has a real passion for cows and cow families.
She can reel off the names
and sires of many of the cows
in her family’s herd at the drop
of a hat.
Kaitlyn was happy and excited by her win.
“I was really surprised to win
because I still have another year
to go in that age group. I had to
put in a lot of work to get my
calf right and she was really
good in the ring.”
Rowlands Park Medallion
Trina had only been broken in
a couple of weeks before the
show and was the wildest
member of the Wishart’s show
team.
Mum Tina said she was the
prettiest calf in the paddock but
the craziest when they bought
her in, but none of that mattered as she faultlessly paraded
around the ring.
Judge, Matt Templeton, was
impressed with Kaitlyn’s
knowledge of her animal and
the way she handled it around
the ring, particularly as she
stood it up for judging. He
pronounced her a clear winner
on the day.
-SOPHIE BRUNS
HE Boyd family, Murray
Goulburn suppliers from
Finley in the southern
Riverina of New South Wales,
have taken out the major prizes
in the Jersey section at
International Dairy Week.
The family won best heifer
dry born and Junior Champion
with Brunchilli Reagan Rose
and winner of the senior two inmilk class with Brunchilli
Bowtie Belle. Brunchilli Sambo
Priscilla won her category in the
aged cow class, going on to win
Champion Cow and taking out
the prestigious award of
Supreme Champion Jersey Cow
Exhibit.
Brunchilli Jersey Stud also
received the award for Premier
Breeder for the 12th successive
year and was also named
Premier Exhibitor.
David Boyd and his wife,
Brooke, farm in conjunction
with David’s parents, Maurice
and Lyn.
Originally from Canterbury,
New Zealand, where Maurice
and Lyn first established their
Brunchilli Jerseys and started
showing their stud cattle in
1981, David moved with his
family to their 200ha farm at
Finley in 1997 where they currently milk 320 cows.
Before Christmas and in the
lead up to IDW, the Boyd family
chooses cows that are looking
good in the milking herd. They
are separated into a group on
their own, fed a high protein diet
of hay and grain and are tied up
and washed daily to get them
into a routine for the show.
The Boyds have a team of nine
helpers from interstate and two
people from the United States.
“Our family has been coming
to International Dairy Week
since 2000 and have always
shown a large team of cows,”
said David.
“I enjoy showing our cattle,
meeting with other breeders and
sharing ideas. We show our cows
at the local Finley show, NSW
state show, Sydney Royal Easter
show and the Melbourne Royal
Show,” he said.
More champions: David Boyd with his mother, Lyn, and handler, Jenny Thomas, from Columbus USA
with heifers Brunchilli Reagan Rose and Brunchilli Tequila Rebecca.
24 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
High-performer gets in on the mix
MG Trading will be offering a
new ryegrass blend this season:
one that boosts the growing season and offers better quality
silage options.
MG Agronomist Chris Scott
said: “In the past Crusader has
been the benchmark but this year
we are blending it with Sonik for
our Rejuvenator Italian blend
because it has the same seeding
head date. Sonik offers lush
feed and can deliver high-quality
silage.
“The Sonik compliments
Crusader to give us high-quality
hay and silage right to the end of
the season,” he said.
MG Cobram supplier, Erwin
Van Den Berg, is a fan of Sonik.
In the five years he has used the
variety it has grown to become
his predominant pasture seed
used over his 660ha of loam in
northern Victoria.
He runs 1400 milkers and
about 900 replacements, a herd
that he has increased from 700
cows about five years ago.
That herd growth coincides
with his increasing use of Sonik.
“I reckon it holds quality better than any other variety.
There’s blokes around here who
only grow Sonik and have done
so for years.”
About five years ago his farm
was used by Smyth Seeds for
field trials comparing Sonik and
Erwin van den Berg, with his nephew, Corrin, 10, and Timmy the terrier at the silage pit.
Crusader, Tetila and the annual
Zoom.
“Sonik stood out as it was a
later seeder. I would have said
Sonik outran everything.
“Tetila starts to get coarse in
the third or fourth week of
September. A month on, the
others were still not as far gone
as Tetila was in September.
“If we score a couple of rains
in the spring, those biannuals
will just keep on running whereas an annual will start going
coarse. They’ll start throwing
heads. You lose a couple of
tonne of dry matter.”
These days Erwin sows heavily with an estimated sowing rate
of 25kg Sonik mixed it with
25kg of Saia oats, 2kg of
Balansa and 10kg of Shaftal.
After an initial watering, the
pasture received about half a
dozen irrigations up to
Christmas.
“It pulls well over 10tDM/ha,”
Erwin said.
He likes Sonik for a number
of reasons, predominantly the
length of growing season.
“I had stuff not going to head
prematurely,” he said. “I grazed
my last Sonik/Shaftal on
January 10. That was sown late
March, although it‘s been a
good season. But even in a bad
season it pulls up only slightly
earlier.
“It grows right through the
winter and gives you good-quality feed in the spring for the
silage,” Erwin said.
He also likes the feed characteristics.
“It’s come back a second year
and it has tillered thicker, but it
has thinner leaves. I think the
leaves are more palatable than
the perennials.
“Also I like it for its persistence. It keeps growing. Sonik
will stay for sure on the turnout
block. It’s fantastic.”
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR SALE
New Holland M115 Tractor &
Great Plane Seeder.
Price: $44,000
Phone: 0448 262 210
Vetch hay 8x4x3 bales. All
shedded and feed tested. Pr 20,
ME10, NDF 45 . Nhill area.
Transport available.
Price: $ 210 per tonne plus
GST.
Phone: 0409 130748 or (03)
5391 0230
26 complete GM isolator, 3 cup
removers including 26 sets of
service kits,
Phone Shane: 0429 964 684
Tonnuti V8 trailing rake in fair
condition. Can view in
Leongatha.
Price: $2500 plus GST.
Phone: (03) 5687 1386
Farm Pro paddock roller, truck
tyre type, 3.6m wide, in good
condition.
Price: 2000 inc. GST
Phone: 0409 641 300
2003 John Deere tractor
280hp, 16-speed power shift
transmission, 9000 hours.
Price: $56,000 plus GST
Phone Michael: 0429 635 511
Yarmaster effluent pump RH3,
3hp, single phase, new impeller
and base, good condition.
Price: $1900 plus GST.
Phone: (03) 5684 1313
48 drop Northern feed system
feeder spiral-type auger $8000
Nelson pellet silo approx 15 –
18 ton - $4000
Delaval VP 78 Vacuum pump
with oil recirculating muffler &
motor - $2000
Delaval VP77 Vacuum pump
with oil recirculating muffler &
motor - $1000
1.5kw Westfalia milk pump 3PH
- $1300
0 .55kw Delaval Milk pump 1PH
- $1000
Flo-Tek Milk filters (950 x
150mm sleeves) - $400
Westfalia Industrial plate cooler
6000ltr/Hr, 33 plates - $2800
24 Westfalia Apex M Pulsators
- $120 each
48 Delaval/milkaware claws
and cups - $45 each
48 Vari-Flo No 6 Jetters with
fold out low line - $1200
16” Milk receival can, 1 x 16”
Vacuum tank, 1 x 75mm Milk
loop line, 2 wash tanks Poly
680 litre.
All prices plus GST or nearest
offer
Phone: 0427 567 121 (Cohuna)
25 Alfa Laval clusters - $100ea
for the lot plus GST
NFS additive dispenser, good
order - $1500 plus GST
Lely Hibiscus hay rake, new
drive gear - $5000 plus GST
Daedong/Kioti 90hp tractor,
4200hrs, good order, new
front tyres, air conditioner,
completely replaced last summer - $35,000 plus GST ONO
Phone Brad: 0429 422 227.
12 inch Robin grass flood
pump.
8 metres of suction pipe and 6
metres delivery pipe. Can be
PTO or electric motor.
Phone Michael: 0448 111 143
8 tonne pellet silo.
Phone: 0409 504 482
WANTED
10,000 litre vat.
Phone Jo Duffy, MG field
services Leongatha: 0427 304
138
FARM FOR LEASE
238ha dairy farm for lease at
Dixie. Possession available
April 2014.
The property features a 50unit rotary dairy with cup
removers, computerized feed
system, 14,200 litre vat, flood
wash, 2 x 50 ton silos with
roller mill, dispenser and 20
ton feed silo.
The property also features a
freshly renovated 3 bedroom
house,- feed pad, 100 capacity
calf rearing shed, machinery
shed, workshop and hay shed.
The property has a good bal-
ance of high country and heavier late flats and has a very
good fertiliser history. It is well
sheltered and sub divided with
electric fencing with access via
central laneways. Water is
available to all paddocks
through pressurised 2” main
line to 1000 gallon troughs. It
is very suitable for autumn
and split calving with a 35”
rainfall.
Terms available on application.
Phone: 0430 588 034.
Starting in March/April for 180
to 200 cows. 120ha of Kiewa
river flat. 56ha run off 5 km
away. 34 inch rainfall. 3 BR
house . On Kiewa valley Hwy at
Dederang with Kiewa river
frontage. 100mgL of water, 20
swingover dairy with stall
gates, 8000 litre vat, 200 cow
yard with yard blaster.
Email your interest and references to:
[email protected].
Phone: (02) 6028 9352
POSITION VACANT
400plus cows, rotary dairy in
Mitta Valley, north east Victoria.
Must be reliable, able to put
cups on, able to work
unsupervised, pay attention to
detail, good calm stock handling
skills, good with machinery.
House available for right
applicant. School bus at end of
lane.
Phone Jonathan: (02) 6072
0292 or
[email protected]
Relief milking work in
Leongatha area. Experienced,
fit and reliable person required.
Monday to Friday mornings or
afternoons.
Phone Jess: 0474 228 399
SHAREFARMER WANTED
Sharefarmer for 120ha with
48ha leased turn out block at
Shady Creek in West Gippsland.
250-280 cows plus machinery,
24-a-side herringbone dairy
with stall gates, ACRs and feed
system. Yard blaster, 11,000
litre vat, 50 paddocks, 50/50
share, 3 BR house.
Phone Murray Widewould, MG
field services Maffra: 0438 316
183
FOR HIRE
New Holland M115 tractor &
Great Plane seeder for hire.
Finley Deniliquin area.
Phone: 0448 262 210
BLACKBERRY SPRAYING
All other weed control,
Boom and spot spraying,
Phone Geoff: 0420 684 225.
AGISTMENT
Quality dairy agistment available long term in south west
Victoria. References available.
Phone: 0438 831 526
MURRAY GOULBURN
FEBRUARY 2014 25
26 FEBRUARY 2014
MURRAY GOULBURN
NUTRITION NEWS
DEVONDALER
A feed budget is a good insurance
TABLE 1
MARK
BROOKES
S
OME of the latest research
coming out of the Bureau
of Meteorology is predicting only a 40-45 per cent chance
of exceeding the median rainfall
for February to April 2014 (as of
24/01/14).
This will vary from region to
region but, given this information, undertaking a feed budget
on your farm is probably a good
insurance policy.
Guesstimates aren’t good
enough when it comes to doing a
feed budget. You need to know
what quantities of feed you need
each month to produce the
monthly volumes of milk, and to
ensure your livestock are fully
fed.
There are a number of feed
budgeting methods and tools
available and many advisors who
can help assist you.
Below is a step by step
process to give you an indicator
of the feed you will require for
the milking herd. A feed budget
involves calculating the gap
between home-grown fodder and
feed needed to produce good
milk over the autumn months.
Step 1: Calculate your monthly feed demand
a. Do a head count of the
milkers that are to be fed for the
next five months.
b. Calculate the daily
metabolisiable energy (ME),
requirements for the milking
herd.
c. Calculate the tonnes of dry
matter (DM) required for the
milkers each month, based on
ME requirements and stock
numbers.
STEP 1:
Calculate ME requirements for milk production per month
a. Monthly litres x 5.5 MJ
b. Milking cows x 70 MJ (Maintenance) x no. days
Cow Production
No. of milking cows
Litres/cow
Monthly Litres
Monthly MJ req milk (a)
Monthly MJ/maintenance (b)
Total MJ /need/month a+b = (c)
February
200
25
140000
770000
392000
1162000
March
200
23.5
145700
801350
434000
1235350
April
200
21
126000
693000
434000
1127000
c. To calculate the tonnes of dry matter (DM) required for the milkers each month.
Convert monthly total MJ from (c) ÷ 11mj (assuming each kg DM = 11 MJ/ME) ÷1000
DM requirements Tonnes/month
February
March
April
Milking cows
105.6
112.3
102.4
May
180
19.5
108810
598455
378000
976455
June
160
17
81600
448800
336000
784800
May
88.7
June
71.3
STEP:
Calculate your total feed required to fill any feed gaps
a. Total milkers x kg DM of feed fed x no. days in the month
Feed/tonnes
February
March
April
May
Grain
33.6
33.6
30
27
Silage
33.6
33.6
Hay
10
10
10
10
Other
Pasture*
28
28
42
42
Feed required
0
0
20
9.7
*You may need help from a Nutritionist/dairy advisor to help work out your pasture growth rates
The example in (TABLE 1)
shows that this farmer will only
have enough silage till the end
of March for his milkers.
He has decided to plan for
lower than normal pasture
growth rates through the
autumn. He has limited amounts
of hay left and thinks he may
need to buy some more.
If pasture growth rates do end
up being lower than normal for
the next couple of months then
there will be a shortage. Given
this example, 30 tonnes of feed
should be purchased as a back
stop.
Deciding what feed to buy?
DECIDING what feed to buy is
determined by its intended use.
Need help in calculating a feed budget?
Talk to one of our MG Technical Sales Nutritionists who can
help you with this.
Mark Brookes – North East 0447 500 450
Marion French – Gippsland (03) 5147 1994
Kate Smith – South West (03) 5565 8643
Greg Pronk – North (03) 5862 2799
The diet needs to be nutritionally
well-balanced, maintain sound
rumen function and good feed
conversion efficiency.
If necessary seek help from a
nutrition specialist.
If sourcing hay it is always
good insurance to buy hay early
if you can.
Historically, hay supplies generally run shorter as time goes
by, and the quality may not be as
good.
The overall result of this is
supply and demand, and historically hay tends to increase in
price as the season pushes into
winter.
So what hay is on the
market?
MG Feed Services have some
really good quality supplies of
June
24
5
42
0
protein and cereal hay. The
range and price will vary from
region to region.
If you are sourcing extra protein for the diet they have some
really good quality vetch and
limited supply of lucerne.
The price depending upon
location is in the range of $250
to over $300/tonne delivered.
The feed tests are excellent at
around 10 mj and 20 per cent
CP. Given the shortage of other
protein sources like canola meal
they will be a great inclusion to
the ration.
Mark Brookes is MG
Trading’s Ruminant Nutritionist
0447 500 450
●
MG FarmC@re
Survey to help understand farm employment issues
THE National Farmers’
Federation is encouraging
Australian farmers to head
online and complete the Farm
Sector Employment Survey to
help build an accurate picture of
the employment challenges
facing the farm sector.
NFF General Manager of
Policy, Tony Mahar, is calling
on Australian farmers who
currently employ, or have
previously employed farm workers, to head online to www.surveymonkey.com/s/VHLGMHF
and complete the five minute
survey.
“The survey forms a critical
component of the Agricultural
Workforce Development Plan, a
joint government-industry
initiative, and will provide
valuable data on the key employment issues affecting the farm
sector,” Mr Mahar said.
“As the NFF has long said,
people are our sector’s greatest
resource, and ensuring we have a
capable and sustainable workforce is vital, not only for farmers, but also the wider food and
fibre sectors.
“The lack of skilled workers
available to farm businesses and
across the broader sector
emerged as one of the key
challenges in the NFF-led,
industry-developed Blueprint for
Australian Agriculture,” Mr
Mahar said.
It is anticipated the Farm
Sector Employment Survey will
help address the lack of robust
data that currently exists around
workforce development, and in
turn, inform the future direction
of agricultural workforce policy
discussions.
“The survey is an opportunity
for farmers to quickly document
their experiences and key con-
cerns relating to the on farm
employment process,” Mr Mahar
said.
“The more responses we
receive, the more valuable the
survey will be in reflecting the
current situation of farmers
accessing skilled workers, so we
encourage participants to take
the time to complete it, and
further promote it to other
farmers.
“Respondents of the survey
can be assured of complete
anonymity, and that the
information gathered will be
considered and analysed on a
collective basis.
“The survey will be conducted
over four weeks, concluding on
Thursday, 20 February 2014,”
Mr Mahar said.
Murray Goulburn, through the
MG FarmC@re program,
provides ongoing advice and
support to suppliers about
employee engagement and
management as well as
advice on attracting overseas
workers.
For more information call your
local Field Services representative or regional FarmC@re
Facilitator.
MURRAY GOULBURN
FEBRUARY 2014 27