Animal Health

Animal Health

Udder health costs dairy $150 m each year

MORE THAN $150 million is lost to Australian dairy farmers each year through poor udder health. Mastitis is the major cause of this loss as it reduces milk yield and leads to poor quality milk. The investigation of mastitis does not rely on the...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

An assumption is just an assumption

WE REGULARLY find that our milking time and farm visits are quite illuminating. Not only do they allow us to demonstrate and reinforce procedures that have been discussed both at training courses and on the farm, they also allow us to see firsthand...

Rod Dyson
Animal Health

Teat vs tube feeders?

CALVES LEFT to suckle the dam for colostrum intake are at a greater risk of low antibody absorption and increased morbidity and mortality. Research has shown that dairy calves should be actively fed good quality colostrum as soon as possible after...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

“Just the person I wanted to talk to”

COFFEE AND a slice on a Saturday morning is a bit of ritual for us these days, and my coffee had just arrived when John entered the café. I have never been to John’s farm, but I had met him a few times over the years at various industry seminars...

Rod Dyson
Animal Health

Is off-label drug use off limits?

THE OFF-LABEL use of veterinary medicines on dairy farms is surprisingly common. This article discusses the safe use of veterinary medicines and scenarios where these medicines are unintentionally used off-label. There are many definitions...

Simone Dunne
Animal Health

Every picture tells a story

AT OUR farm visits, we often take photos of key factors that we identify, and also the dairy shed layout — it helps us to quickly and easily recall the details later. But as the collection of images has got larger, finding a specific image has got...

Rod Dyson
Animal Health

Is off-label drug use off-limits?

The off-label use of veterinary medicines on dairy farms is surprisingly common. This article discusses the safe use of veterinary medicines and scenarios where these medicines are unintentionally used off-label. There are many definitions...

Gemma Chuck
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
Animal Health

Virbac launches Australian-first combination treatment for BRD

ANIMAL HEALTH company Virbac Australia has launched a brand new combination treatment designed to tackle Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD).Virbac Technical Services Manager, Dr George Cox, said BRD is on the most costly diseases to affect cattle...

Dairy News
Animal Health

Assess internal development by hip height

REARING OUTSTANDING dairy replacement heifers is viewed by many successful dairy businesses as an absolute non-negotiable. So an appropriate contextual question to ask is, “How relevant is calf nutrition to sustainable business performance in...

Dairy News
Animal Health

Keep an eye on E.coli

THE RAIN and cooler weather has arrived in many dairying regions of Australia and while these changing conditions have been welcomed by most dairy farmers, cool wet weather also favours the survival and proliferation of many calf scour pathogens. In...

Gemma Chuck
Animal Health

There was no growth so what went wrong?

“THAT’S REALLY disappointing! What went wrong? How could there be “no growth”? They were all clinical cases! Do we need to re-train the milking staff?” These are not uncommon questions when discussing milk culture results and they arise...

Rod Dyson
Animal Health

Simple steps can prevent lameness

LEADING NEW Zealand vet Neil Chesterton visited the Murray region in April for a series of workshops and on-farm demonstrations focused on preventing lameness. Lameness is a significant cost to dairy businesses and to herds, and in most cases it is...

Dairy News
Animal Health

New factory will help MaxCare meet rising demand

MAXUM FOODS is now producing its MaxCare range of infant animal milk replacers through a state-of-the-art facility in Laverton, Victoria. The MaxCare products are formulated to give the best possible results for farmers, building a strong foundation...

Dairy News
Animal Health

Biosecurity critical to calf rearing success

THE BEST defense against calf disease is to implement sound biosecurity measures and hygiene practices on the farm and around the calf shed. Dairy hygiene specialist Gavin Smedley, Tasman Chemicals, said attention to detail in this area is critical...

Dairy News
Animal Health

Attention to detail rewarded at Jelbart Dairy

ATTENTION TO detail and a willingness to evolve are key factors behind the success of the Jelbart Dairy calf rearing team, Kerrie McCaughn and Libby Oakley. The two long-time staff members may work in an impressive shed, but the principals behind...

Stephen Cooke

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News

Farmers form new dairy co-op

Australia’s latest dairy co-op — Eureka Dairy — has been approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer commission and is looking for suppliers. ACCC approval gives it the legal governance required to operate. Interim director, Steve...

Sophie Baldwin
News

Fonterra posts $196m loss

FONTERRA HAS posted a $196 million loss for 2018, the first in the co-op’s 17-year history. The 2018 annual results announced today make grim reading for farmer shareholders; normalised EBIT was $902 million, down 22 per cent, gearing ratio was up...

Dairy News
News

Farmers form new dairy co-op

A GROUP of concerned farmers, formerly known as United We Stand, has formalised its commitment to the dairy industry and established a new co-operative — Eureka Dairy Co-op. The co-operative has been approved by the Australian Competition and...

Dairy News
News

Putting pain into words

TRAGOWEL DAIRY farmer Catherine Shepard is well aware of the pain the dairy industry is going through — it is what prompted her to put pen to paper and write her poem The Dairy Farmer’s Eyes. She said it was the mental anguish and suffering she...

Simone Dunne