From the Experts

From the Experts

Summer heat advice

PROVIDING LIVESTOCK with shade and water during extreme heat is ‘‘paramount’’ according to an owner of a northern Victorian veterinary practice. Keith Fletcher, of Rochester Veterinary Practice, provided some tips on the best way to handle...

Dairy News

From the Experts

March reminders

Hay and silage stocks Check your levels of hay and silage and do your sums on potential hay and silage use for the balance of the year. Allow for milking cows, dry cows and young stock. It’s often a challenge to feed the best feed you can and make...

Dairy News

From the Experts

New tech helps manage cows

A NEW cow ‘fit bit’ is making it easier to diagnose sick cows and influence management decisions around fertility and performance. Cow Manager uses a small ear tag to monitor and record cow activity, temperature, eating, rumination and resting...

Dairy News

From the Experts

New tech helps manage cows

A NEW cow ‘fit bit’ is making it easier to diagnose sick cows and influence management decisions around fertility and performance. Cow Manager uses a small ear tag to monitor and record cow activity, temperature, eating, rumination and resting...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Broad range of seminar topics

Eight seminars will be held at International Dairy Week, covering topics from improving efficiency to heat tolerance. Held at the Ballantyne Centre at Tatura Park, the seminars will run over three days with presenters from across the industry...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Bringing new pastures on line

GETTING YOUR grazing rotation right is critical to maximise your pasture production. A well-managed rotation will help not only to boost pasture intake per cow but enable a more effective use of supplements. Establishing a rotation with newly sown...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Genetics may ease heat stress

THE MODERN dairy cow is highly susceptible to the effects of heat and in the Australian climate, the effects of heat stress cause millions of dollars in lost production every year. Temperature and humidity that exceed certain thresholds lead to...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Invest in all aspects of farm capital

There are a number of future choices open to farming businesses. In short those choices are: retire, die, sell (in any order); hand over the farm to one child with the others unhappy; hand over to one child with all happy; build a multi-generational...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Good lucerne needs good management

The Accelerating Change Lucerne Masterclass drew a large crowd of dairy farmers, contractors and service providers to Scott Fitzgerald’s farm at Tongala in December. After a few days of heavy rain, the sun was out, making it the perfect...

Dairy News

From the Experts

New ideas will attract next generation

The dairy industry needs to place greater emphasis on attracting young people to secure its future, a panel told this year’s Murray Dairy Business Forum. Speaking in Shepparton on November 19, Australian Farm Institute executive director Mick...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Smooth transition between seasons

SPRING AT the Dookie dairy has been quite favourable. In mid-November the spring calving was well and truly complete and the artificial insemination program was under way. Pasture intake per cow was maintained at 11–13 kg dry matter/day through...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Time to take stock of the past year

IT’S DECEMBER already, after what can only be termed as a very significant year for many reasons in most dairy farmers’ memories. Compared to this time last year though, the season is quite different, with some experiencing a 20 to 30 per cent...

Dairy News

From the Experts

One size does not fit all

I OFTEN hear about the state of the Gippsland dairy industry as if we are all dealing with the same issues at the same time. It would be nice to think that when rain falls on Leongatha it would also give a good soaking to Orbost farms, but that just...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Forget wealth and enjoy your health

SO IT has been another busy and exciting year on the dairy front and who would have thought it would end in us saying goodbye to the last big Australian — Murray Goulburn. Whether you look at it as progress or not, either way it is quite a sad...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Five tips for growing better maize

FutureDairy’s Yani Garcia says management has a big impact on the profitability of a high input crop such as maize. “A profitable maize crop is achieved by optimising both yield and nutritive value,” Professor Garcia said. “Very high...

Dairy News

From the Experts

The fine art of cattle sale etiquette

IN A bid to boost herd numbers, we decided to attend a cattle auction. Then the night before, Hubby announced he didn’t have time and suggested Junior and I go alone. I began ruminating on the responsibility. Hubby trusted me to choose cows? Spend...

Katie MacAuley

From the Experts

Independent evaluation of pasture performance in WA

A NEW WA research initiative that has local science skills embedded in the suite of Western Dairy services is providing real-time and independent pasture variety analysis. “The objective of having a pasture variety trial in WA dairy regions is to...

Rick Bayne

From the Experts

An appetite for change

FARMERS OFTEN report that rapid changes to a dairy cow’s diet can lead to dramatic reductions in milk yield, presumably caused by variable feed intake, disrupted rumen function and possible health problems. This often happens in late spring or...

Dairy News

From the Experts

Prepare for global milk surge

THERE’S STILL a month to go, but dairy markets aren’t spreading much Christmas cheer at the moment. Swelling milk production across major exporting regions has again been leaning on dairy commodity prices, a year after the most recent recovery...

John Droppert