Dairy News

Fonterra to close Dennington

Fonterra Chief Executive Miles Hurrell has announced the Victorian Western District factory at Dennington will close. The announcement was made as part of a strategic review which is also looking at the company’s two farm hubs in China and examining...

Geoff Adams
Dairy

Swine fever impacts dairy

The unprecedented contraction in the supply of pork from China, due to African swine fever, will have a spill-over impact on the global dairy sector, according to a new report from global agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

Country News
News

Aaron’s message for farmers

Aaron Thomas reckons he wouldn’t be here today if he wasn’t a dairy farmer. Having suffered a serious mental health breakdown and endured the ravages of alcoholism, Aaron is now back on his feet and keen to share his story with other farmers who...

Dairy News
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Dairy

Apply now for UK trip

Applications are open for a United Kingdom youth exchange, organised by Holstein Australia.

Country News
Dairy News

Barry Irvin takes a break

Bega Cheese executive chairman, Barry Irvin, is taking a break from some of his duties while he recovers from an illness. In a letter to suppliers, this week, Mr Irvin, acknowledged that he had not been paying enough attention to his health and has...

Geoff Adams
News

Ag students inspired to be community leaders

Northern Victorian agriculture educator Leon Carter doesn’t just want students to become good farm workers; he wants to inspire them to be community leaders. Leon was sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation to participate in the Alpine Valleys...

Dairy News
News

Extra value to capture in technology

Dairy farmers use technology on farm to assist with everyday tasks and don’t necessarily make the most of the data it collects. That’s according to the preliminary findings of research into NSW dairy farmers’ use of the technology on-farm to...

Dairy News
News

VR Tokyo tops BPI index

VR Tokyo is leading the Balanced Performance Index (BPI) in Australia with a BPI of $298, according to April proofs. Viking Genetics Australian business manager, Anna Norgren said there was no doubt: this sire was one of a kind and a “must have”...

Dairy News
Dairy News

Barry Irvin takes a break

Bega Cheese executive chairman, Barry Irvin, is taking a break from some of his duties while he recovers from an illness. In a letter to suppliers, this week, Mr Irvin, acknowledged that he had not been paying enough attention to his health and has...

Geoff Adams
News

Ag students inspired to be community leaders

Northern Victorian agriculture educator Leon Carter doesn’t just want students to become good farm workers; he wants to inspire them to be community leaders. Leon was sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation to participate in the Alpine Valleys...

Dairy News
News

Extra value to capture in technology

Dairy farmers use technology on farm to assist with everyday tasks and don’t necessarily make the most of the data it collects. That’s according to the preliminary findings of research into NSW dairy farmers’ use of the technology on-farm to...

Dairy News
News

VR Tokyo tops BPI index

VR Tokyo is leading the Balanced Performance Index (BPI) in Australia with a BPI of $298, according to April proofs. Viking Genetics Australian business manager, Anna Norgren said there was no doubt: this sire was one of a kind and a “must have”...

Dairy News

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Management

Management

Data broadens management options

There has been a strong emphasis on data collection for farm businesses in recent years, but ensuring it translates into real, profitable outcomes remains a key challenge for many, according to one Nuffield scholar. Tasmanian dairy farmer Duncan...

Dairy News
Management

Soil trials aim to keep carbon on the farm

A series of soil trials starting on an Ecklin South dairy farm will test what types of applications are best for improving soil health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The trials are part of an ambitious pilot program that could create...

Dairy News
Management

Technology and lifestyle upgrade

A voluntary automatic milking system, recently built at Yannathan in Victoria, is the focus of a succession plan for Evan and Sheriden Williams. The couple recently made major changes to its dairy and lifestyle, adopting the GEA robotic machinery...

Jeanette Severs
Management

Maize success as business opts for barn

A bumper maize crop has not only provided a feed buffer for one northern Victorian family, it will now underpin its new way of farming. Dehne and Sarah Vinnicombe with children Hollee, 12, Macey, 10, Teagen, 8, and Henry, 7, milk 420 cows year-round...

Dairy News
Management

Profitable crossbreeding

Crossbreeding has always been a little bit of an unknown in the dairy industry but a recent two-year project led by Dr Jo Coombe and funded by Dairy Australia has started to shed some light on what was once quite an under-researched subject...

Dairy News
Management

Spot on with grazing management

Jan Giliam focuses on grazing management and benchmarks profit by how much of that home-grown pasture feeds his milking herd. To do that, he relies on an annual rainfall of about 1000 mm to produce grass and 2000 wrapped bales of pasture silage. He...

Jeanette Severs

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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

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

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Markets

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
Markets

Speculation mounts on farmgate milk prices

As farmers nervously await a definitive autumn break, speculation is concurrently intensifying around 2018–19 farmgate milk prices. Some processors have made early announcements, and more are likely to follow suit, as the battle to secure milk...

John Droppert
Markets

The rise of dairy alternative drinks in Australian supermarkets

Australians love dairy products and consume more dairy per capita than most other developed countries. In 2018 Australians drank close to 102 litres of milk per person with a proportion accounted for in coffees. More recently there has been an...

Sofia Omstedt

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Machinery & Products

Machinery & Products

Office to cab software

Farmers Edge has released an app-based in-field intelligence tool that provides a seamless digital experience from the office to the cab. Digitally linking growers, dealers, retailers, trusted advisers and other key stakeholders, the In-Cab Tool...

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

East Gippsland field days

Pictures from the East Gippsland Field Days

Dairy News
Machinery & Products

Aerator opens up pastures

A NSW farmer is using an Alstrong aerator to develop better ways to manage pasture for long-term productivity. The Alstrong aerator is available in Australia and New Zealand through the Duncan division of Giltrap Engineering. It features a unique...

Dairy News

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Animal Health

Animal Health

Tips to reduce mastitis risk at calving

For most cows, the highest risk period for new mastitis infections will be the calving period — we consider this to be from two weeks before she calves until two weeks after she has calved. During this stressful period, cows’ natural defence...

Rod Dyson
Animal Health

Farm safety: Why take the risk?

Even experienced farmers with good cattle handling skills and facilities cannot completely mitigate the risks associated with working with large animals and heavy-duty equipment. Dairy cattle are semi-domesticated which can sometimes lead to staff...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

Proof how critical calf care is

Half of a cow’s lifetime height and growth is achieved in the first six months of its life, according to a visiting American calf-rearing specialist. David Kuehnel was raised on a family farm in Wisconsin, which reared 1200 specially-fed veal...

Dairy News