News

Attracting young people

DR FRANK O’MARA says attracting young people to careers in Irish agriculture is a widespread problem at every level of the industry — farm workers, managers and at the science level. Teagasc has several programs reaching into secondary schools...

Dairy News
News

Burra Foods to pay for more fat

BURRA SUPPLIERS have the opportunity to be paid on a 1:1 fat to protein ratio, reflecting the strong market returns for fat. Burra suppliers had the option before the start of the season of selecting either a 1:2 fat to protein ratio or the 1:1 fat...

Dairy News
News

Farmers put back in charge of farm management

MILK PAYMENT structures are too complex. Enough is enough. UDV has now presented a simplified milk price structure model to hundreds of farmers and industry representatives across the state and the feedback has been unanimous — structures need to...

Dairy News
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News

‘Career path’ helps buck employment problems

EMPLOYMENT IS a major problem in US dairy with no immediate solutions on the horizon but a fourth-generation dairy farm is bucking the trend. Fiscalini Farms milks 1500 cows at Modesta in California’s Central Valley. It sells a variety of cheeses...

Stephen Cooke
Dairy News

Bega buys Koroit for $250m

Bega Cheese has purchased Saputo’s Koroit factory for $250 million. Saputo will supply 300 million litres of milk each year until June 30, 2020, under the deal. The transaction is subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)...

Stephen Cooke
News

Burra exports branded milk to Taiwan

GIPPSLAND-BASED DAIRY processor Burra Foods has launched its first retail product, Pure Source Milk, which it will export to Taiwan, backed by an integrated marketing campaign heavily focused around Gippsland’s ‘pristine’ farming environment...

Dairy News
News

Dairy industry in good hands

THE NUMBER of veterinary students wanting to work with large herds may be declining but Ellie Hodge has no doubt where she will apply her focus in the future. Ellie, 20, of Leitchville, is this year’s winner of the Greenham GOTAFE Dairy...

Dairy News
Dairy

Land sale approved

Australia’s largest genetics supplier Genetics Australia Co-operative has confirmed the $14.65million sale of one of its major property holdings.

Country News
Dairy News

Bega buys Koroit for $250m

Bega Cheese has purchased Saputo’s Koroit factory for $250 million. Saputo will supply 300 million litres of milk each year until June 30, 2020, under the deal. The transaction is subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)...

Stephen Cooke
News

Burra exports branded milk to Taiwan

GIPPSLAND-BASED DAIRY processor Burra Foods has launched its first retail product, Pure Source Milk, which it will export to Taiwan, backed by an integrated marketing campaign heavily focused around Gippsland’s ‘pristine’ farming environment...

Dairy News
News

Dairy industry in good hands

THE NUMBER of veterinary students wanting to work with large herds may be declining but Ellie Hodge has no doubt where she will apply her focus in the future. Ellie, 20, of Leitchville, is this year’s winner of the Greenham GOTAFE Dairy...

Dairy News
Dairy

Land sale approved

Australia’s largest genetics supplier Genetics Australia Co-operative has confirmed the $14.65million sale of one of its major property holdings.

Country News

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Management

Management

Water loss causes change in thinking

USING WATER in the right place at the right time is the key to future success for a young Western Australian dairy farming family. From Benger, two hours south of Perth, Mick and Sophia Giumelli are transforming their farm to reduce costs and the...

Rick Bayne
Management

Teat-sealing heifers slashes mastitis rates

ROB AND Jan Mortlock have all but eliminated mastitis in their heifers after taking part in a teat- sealing trial. The Mortlocks, who milk 850 head at Yanakie in south Gippsland, teat-sealed 150 heifers last year and 118 this year and recorded one...

Stephen Cooke
Management

New lease of life for former DemoDAIRY

THE FORMER DemoDAIRY at Terang in western Victoria has been purchased by neighbouring farmer, Paul Moloney, who has started a five-year regeneration plan. DemoDAIRY was established in the early 1990s as a research and demonstration farm but its role...

Rick Bayne
Management

Brothers keep pioneering spirit alive

TIM, GEORGE and Will Jelbart have embraced genomics in their quest to improve farm and herd profitability and reduce their reliance on milk income. The focus on genetics also continues the pioneering spirit of their late father, Max. Max and his...

Dairy News
Management

Pesky experts need a good spray

I’VE DISCOVERED a new species of farming pest. Self-proclaimed experts. Self-proclaimed experts have invaded agriculture in droves. Lately, it seems that no matter where I go, the moment I mention that I live on a farm, the unsolicited advice...

Katie MacAuley
Management

Jersey breeders honoured

IT CAN take a lifetime to build up a reputable dairy herd, but Col and Narelle Bacon from Colnarco Jersey Stud have done it in just over 17 years. The Bacons, from Lockington, were recently inducted onto the Genetics Australia Honour Roll for their...

Dairy News

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From The Experts

From the Experts

Cheese drip the new hip

We all know cheese is versatile. It’s one of the great food staples. It can also be a gourmet product and a marketer’s dream, used to sell everything from festivals, to wine and romantic getaways. But it wasn’t until recently that I found out...

Madeleine Brennan
From the Experts

Opinion: Farmers deserve mandatory code of practice

There’s an emerging issue occurring in the dairy industry between advocates of the industry’s current voluntary code of practice and a proposed mandatory code. The voluntary code of practice was adopted last July by the Australian Dairy Industry...

Stephen Cooke
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

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Markets

Markets

Tide turns but more needed to lift confidence

THE NEW dairy season has just commenced, and there is already plenty to keep track of. We have seen some of the highest opening prices ever announced coincide with farmer confidence hitting a multi-year low, more farmers than ever changing processor...

John Droppert
Markets

Is there a strategy in Trump’s trade war?

THE TURBULENT regime of US President Donald Trump has overturned virtually every bastion of public administration, in pursuit of delivering on a suite of promises to be a president like no other before. Not only has he attempted to dismantle or...

Steve Spencer
Markets

Prices to push past $6 but watch out for rising feed costs

MARKET CYCLES have little to do with rapid changes in demand — it is mostly about the effect of weather on supply, and how the demand side of commodity trade responds. The spectacular turnaround in prospects for the world’s dairy markets since...

Steve Spencer

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Machinery & Products

Machinery & Products

What to look for in a feed mixer

UNIFORMLY MIXED feed components provide better nutrition, improved feed efficiency and cost, and the opportunity to reduce wastage. In dry times, when much of the feed can be purchased off farm with higher costs, efficiency is even more critical...

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

Allflex wins two World Expo awards

Allflex received two Dairy Herd Management Innovation Awards at the recent World Dairy Expo for its SenseTime cow monitoring system and the eSense Flex ear tag. The awards recognise the top 10 dairy industry innovations introduced over the previous...

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

Polaris extends side-by-side range

POLARIS HAS added a new flagship model (XP1000) to its Ranger series of utility side-by-sides. A ProStar 1000 engine developing 82 hp is mated with a new clutch and redesigned driveline; the clutch is a large-ratio unit for low-speed drivability...

Dairy News

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Animal Health

Animal Health

Do you have the facts on mycoplasma?

MYCOPLASMA IN dairy herds is a topical issue. Much of the media coverage has related to farm biosecurity, management options and the decision to eradicate. This article discusses mycoplasma in relation to animal health: how does Mycoplasma cause...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

Detecting cause of lameness the first step

LAMENESS CAN be on par with multiple mastitis cases as one of the costliest animal health issues on a dairy farm. More than 75 per cent of all lameness in Australian dairies is related to non-infectious lesions, with White Line lesions being the...

Dairy News
Animal Health

An unintended consequence

CAMERON* WAS feeling comfortable. The expansion plan for the family farm had gone well. He had secured a long term lease on the block next door, added another 50 cows (with plans for more), extended the dairy shed, and employed a labour unit to...

Rod Dyson