News

Farmers win solar battle

DAIRY FARMERS near Camperdown have claimed victory after Victoria’s planning tribunal rejected a $150 million solar farm. Three neighbouring dairy farmers were among the objectors who feared the Bookaar solar farm could be a flood and fire risk...

Dairy News
News

Objectors lose

Disappointment was the main reaction of dairy farmers objecting the approval of three solar farms in northern Victoria, despite new guidelines not yet being implemented into the planning scheme. Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved three...

Dairy News
News

MG has $265m in funds

THE FINANCIAL shell of fallen dairy co-operative Murray Goulburn is sitting on $265 million in equity, but it is still unclear how much investors will see once the company is wound up. The group, which exists to fulfil financial reporting...

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News

Infant milk pushes up A2 result

CEO JAYNE Hrdlicka said the business results were driven by strong performance across their portfolio. “The continued growth of our infant nutrition products was a strong contributor to the results with sales totalling $1.1 billion for the year...

Dairy News
News

Farming smarter reaps rewards for SA farm

PRODUCING 2.1 million litres of milk with an annual rainfall of 350 mm has meant Gary and Ros Zweck and their son Justin have had to farm smarter. Their system is based around a TMR and a feed pad which can challenge controlling cell counts and...

Dairy News
News

Dairy gets heart health approval

DAIRY AUSTRALIA has welcomed new advice from the Heart Foundation which says regular fat milk, yoghurt and cheese are healthy options for Australians. The updated advice means the Heart Foundation has removed its previous restriction on regular fat...

Dairy News
Dairy News

Profit falls in Victorian survey results

The latest Victorian Dairy Farm Monitor report has shown varied performance across the three main dairy regions of the state. Northern Victoria has reported the worst year in the 13 years the Monitor has been reporting results. Agriculture...

Geoff Adams
News

Colliding views on inquiry focus

FARMERS NEED to ask trespassers if they are animal rights activists. That was the facetious view of Andy Meddick MLC, a member of the panel committee conducting a public inquiry into the impact of animal rights activism on Victorian agriculture. Mr...

Jeanette Severs
News

Farming smarter reaps rewards for SA farm

PRODUCING 2.1 million litres of milk with an annual rainfall of 350 mm has meant Gary and Ros Zweck and their son Justin have had to farm smarter. Their system is based around a TMR and a feed pad which can challenge controlling cell counts and...

Dairy News
News

Dairy gets heart health approval

DAIRY AUSTRALIA has welcomed new advice from the Heart Foundation which says regular fat milk, yoghurt and cheese are healthy options for Australians. The updated advice means the Heart Foundation has removed its previous restriction on regular fat...

Dairy News
Dairy News

Profit falls in Victorian survey results

The latest Victorian Dairy Farm Monitor report has shown varied performance across the three main dairy regions of the state. Northern Victoria has reported the worst year in the 13 years the Monitor has been reporting results. Agriculture...

Geoff Adams
News

Colliding views on inquiry focus

FARMERS NEED to ask trespassers if they are animal rights activists. That was the facetious view of Andy Meddick MLC, a member of the panel committee conducting a public inquiry into the impact of animal rights activism on Victorian agriculture. Mr...

Jeanette Severs

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Management

Management

Efficiencies in scale as US producers expand operation

EVERYTHING LOOKED new. There were no marks on the walls and any manure which splashed on the milking machines was quickly pressure cleaned-off. The 80 Holsteins calmly chewing their cuds where spinning around on a shiny rotary platform. Above all...

Dairy News
Management

Secret to top quality milk is all-round approach

AFTER YEARS on the cusp of the dairy industry’s top prize for milk quality, Yarroweyah dairy farmer Chris and Nicole Hibberson have been announced the 2019 winner of Dairy Australia’s Milk Quality Awards. Maintaining a focus on mastitis...

Dairy News
Management

Mastitis prevention maintains winning quality

NSW DAIRY farmers James, Peter, Cheryl and Katrina Neal have just won their fifth consecutive milk quality award − staying up-to-date with best practice for mastitis prevention and treatment is keeping them at the top of their game. James believes...

Dairy News
Management

Business prize for Tongala farmer

TRANSITIONING HER farm’s milk pool to A2 has seen Tongala dairy farmer Bonita Koch awarded Rabobank’s annual Dr John Morris Business Development prize at a graduation dinner in Sydney in July. Mrs Koch participated in the bank’s Executive...

Dairy News
Management

A decade in the making for three-way breeding results

A decade in the making for three-way breeding results THE USE of three-way cross breeding in dairy operations is a popular topic at present. With more farmers using the system, and herd conversions are obtaining critical mass due to decisions made...

Dairy News
Management

Data drives WA business

EVERY DECISION on Bob and Jacqui Biddulph’s dairy farm is data driven. There’s no stone unturned when it comes to measuring and monitoring performance for the self-confessed ‘number crunchers’. “We keep a lot of records, but that’s only...

Dairy News

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From The Experts

From the Experts

ABV release prompts sire review

The August release of Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) and the upcoming joining season will have dairy farmers around the country thinking about the next best sires to use over their herds. While breeding enthusiasts will delve into great detail...

Dairy News
From the Experts

Sires’ success is proven

THE DESIRE by ABS to make better cows faster has never been more evident than in the August ABV proofs, delivering top sires in both the Holstein genomic rankings and sires with Australian milking daughters. The success of the ABS genomic program is...

Dairy News
From the Experts

Scientists expand genetic horizons

Australia’s geneticists are leading the world in expanding the horizons of genetic selection of dairy cattle. WHAT DO you achieve if you take a team of clever geneticists, give them state-of-the-art research facilities and supply them with...

Dairy News
From the Experts

Trial sparks interest

A TRIAL of sexed semen three years ago ignited one Tasmanian dairy farming family’s passion for breeding and laid a foundation for the business’s future. Stuart and Kylie Nailer milk 215 cows at Ringarooma, in Tasmania’s north-east, with their...

Dairy News

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Markets

Markets

Value change in the Australian milk market

THE START of 2019–20 has seen record high milk price announcement as processers compete for a smaller national milk pool. Cost of production is elevated, due to high cost of feed, electricity and purchased irrigated water, which is impacting...

Sofia Omstedt
Markets

Australian milk production continues to slide, while global markets present opportunities

THE 2018–19 season will most certainly be remembered as an exceptionally challenging season for the Australian dairy industry. Universally high feed costs, record high temporary irrigation water costs and widespread dry seasonal conditions have...

Sofia Omstedt
Markets

Rain will be key to cow value lift: agents

There’s opportunity in current cow values for those who have feed, according to a cow leasing and agricultural finance company boss. This comes as livestock agents continue to report tough selling conditions, as farmers in northern Victoria battle...

Dairy News

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Machinery & Products

Machinery & Products

Sneak peek of new tractor technology at AgQuip

VISITORS TO this year’s AgQuip Field Days from August 20 to 22 at Gunnedah enjoyed a sneak peek at the next generation in Case IH’s high-horsepower tractor technology. The new AFS Connect Magnum, powered by the company’s Advanced Farming...

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

New equipment for big square balers

CLAAS WILL introduce a number of new equipment options, including an integrated bale weighing system, and a high-end LED lighting and a pull-out knife drawer, for its Quadrant 5300, 5200 and 4200 big square balers. CLAAS Harvest Centre Echuca dealer...

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

Award hat-trick for O’Connors

CASE IH dealer O’Connors has claimed a hat-trick of wins after being named Case IH Dealer of the Year 2019 (three branches or more) at the annual awards ceremony on the Gold Coast last night. The family-owned business was started in Birchip...

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Animal Health

Animal Health

Nutrition will aid heifer growth

WELL-GROWN HEIFERS are more likely to reach their full potential for milk production and recover their rearing costs earlier, therefore it is key to have a management plan for your heifers and not neglect them. The critical times for feeding young...

Dairy News
Animal Health

The rise and fall of antibiotics

PERHAPS ONE of the greatest medical breakthroughs of our age was the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming in 1928. New antibiotics were rapidly discovered which revolutionised the means by which infectious diseases were treated. Common...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

Colostrum key to calf development

The research, An investigation of dairy calf management practices, colostrum quality, failure of transfer of passive immunity, and occurrence of enteropathogens among Australian dairy farms by Dr Abuelo, NSW DPI dairy development officer Peter...

Dairy News