On the cusp of the irrigation season resuming, Hans and Kerrin van Wees are looking at another good season, following the one just completed. Irrigation in the Macalister Irrigation District, where they farm, begins on August 15 and Glenmaggie Weir — where they get a significant portion of their irrigation water from — is full and overflowing.
They rely on pasture to drive milk production and harvest their home-grown silage.
“Last season we put about 600 tonne DM of silage into a couple of above-ground pits,” Mr van Wees said.
He uses a mix of pasture silage, lucerne green chop and oats, grown on the support country, to feed cows, heifers and calves.
The lucerne is grown on 35 ha of support country without irrigation, and in an average year is usually drilled with oats and barley to use it as a forage crop for young stock and dry cows.
“We then cut it for silage in October, with a second cut of silage or hay depending on how the season goes,” Mr van Wees said.
“It gives us a very reliable energy supplement that we can make cheaply. The contractors do a pretty good job and we’ve found it provides a good return on investment.”
The couple is in a 40:60 share farming arrangement with Jakob and Jean Malmo, at Tinamba in Gippsland. The van Weeses milk 850 cows off a 200 ha milking platform, plus 200 ha supporting country. They also own an out-block where they raise steers and cows for trading.
The 40:60 share farming arrangement began in 2008. The herd is owned by Jakob Malmo, and Mr van Wees provides the labour and machinery components.
“Kerrin and I pay for 40 per cent of the shed power, all of any bought-in feed and the nitrogen component of the fertiliser. A contractor spreads the fertiliser and Jakob pays for that,” Mr van Wees said.
“We pay for 40 per cent of the hay and silage making, which is done by a contractor.
“All fencing, grading and pasture undersowing — by direct drill — is paid for by Jakob.”
Fertiliser is applied, based on seasonal conditions, once a month using urea or another nitrogen-based fertiliser. Usually, 30 to 40 per cent of pasture is undersown, with rye-grass or a rye-grass and clover mix.
The van Weeses cover the labour costs of milk harvesting, calf rearing, joining and feeding out silage.
The three-way cross herd — Friesian x Jersey x Swedish Red — was dried off early because of flooding in the MID in early June. The normal drying off period is five weeks, but the early start extended it to eight weeks.
“We dried off early and estimate it cost us $75,000 in lost production, but it was better to look after animal welfare and staff welfare,” Mr van Wees said.
“Production up to when we dried the cows off, was 395,000 kg milk solids.”
Mr van Wees calves down 900 heifers and cows from July 31 each year, and this year 230 heifers will come into the herd.
“All cows are joined by AI, and all empty cows are sold in milk. Late calvers are also sold before they calve down,” he said.
“We don’t carry anything extra through.”
The labour component for the farm is very important. There is the equivalent of 3.5 people rostered on to every milking in the 50-unit rotary dairy.
“It’s easier to retain staff if people don’t have to milk too many cows,” Mr van Wees said.
Irrigation upgrades welcomed
Supporting the farm enterprise is a significant irrigation component, with 330 ha of the farm irrigated through a combination of pipe and risers, recycle dams and channels.
“The irrigation licence, including groundwater and diversion licences, gives us about 1400-1500 Ml,” Mr van Wees said.
“Kerrin and I pay for 40 per cent of any extra (temporary) water bought in over and above the normal allocations. We’ve had to do that in drought to keep production up.”
In recent years, irrigation has become easier as a result of improvements and upgrades that have automated the system managed by Southern Rural Water.
“The efficiencies on the farm are to the magnitude of 30-40 per cent water savings and water use,” Mr van Wees said.
“We also save up to 50 per cent in time spent irrigating. That’s where it’s so much more efficient.
“We now have 100 per cent water delivery on farm, on time, and that consistency is where we’re really getting maximum production gains — because there’s no problem with water supply.
“I can also be more flexible about when and where I irrigate now. I can choose the individual paddocks I want to irrigate, rather than be reliant on flood irrigation.”
They can also irrigate off season using four recycle dams that pump into the pipeline and from there to the pipes and risers.
“We’ve made it so 85 per cent of the milking platform can be irrigated in the off season,” Mr van Wees said.
“The recycle dams also enable us to add in extra irrigations during the season.”