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Ag News

Wednesday 15 April, 2009

By Department of Primary Industries - 21st April 2009 - Back to News

REMINDERS FOR APRIL

Pastures and forages

Establishing and managing new pastures

• Try to get pasture seed in the soil before the end of April, the earlier the better.
• If you have concerns with ryegrass staggers then select one of the new ryegrass varieties with novel endophyte (such as AR1) which has less effect on cattle.
• Grazing with young stock can be undertaken once the new pasture will not pull out of the ground when pulled up by hand. For example the leaves tear off rather than the roots pull out of the ground (the pluck test).
• Ideally, the ryegrass seedlings should have three emerged leaves prior to the first grazing and ensure that stock do not overgraze.
• Graze if canopy closure is beginning to occur, ie no bare ground can be seen when looking from above.
• Avoid overgrazing; leave at least 6 centimetres residual.

Feed buying plan

• Dairy Australia’s Grains2Milk program advises farmers to have a feed buying plan. Having a whole year plan connected to your budget means you will not need to be buying on the spot, week to week.
• Farmers should use contracts, not vague arrangements on the phone, and understand how the grain and fodder market works.
• Check out Dairy Australia’s fortnightly Grain and Hay Report at www.dairyaustralia.com.au. You can obtain a free fax or emailed copy of this report by ringing 1800 044 377 member line to register.

Cows

• If possible maintain the current cows’ diet by continuing feeding supplementary feeds until the new pastures have reached the three leaf stage. This may mean providing the herd with a small portion of their diet in pasture and the remainder as fodder crop, palm kernel extract, silage, hay, pellets or grain so a long pasture rotation can be achieved to build pasture cover.
• If autumn calving prepare for the start of mating by ensuring all equipment is ready. Decide on heat detection methods, train and allocate jobs to staff.
• Make sure you have the necessary bull power.
• If running autumn and spring calving cows in the same herd, tail painting the spring calving cows with a different coloured paint may help by showing which cows do not need to be checked.

Heifers

• Feed quality supplements to dairy heifers. Heavier, well-framed heifers get in calf easier, produce more milk in their lifetime, need less help at calving and cope better with herd competition advises InCalf’s Barry Zimmermann.
• Use lightweight, portable troughs that can be moved from paddock to paddock to increase growth of smaller heifers. Larger grain or pellet self-feeders cost a bit more, but save a lot more labour as they don’t need refilling as often. Some can be shifted using forks; others have wheels for towing. But make sure you take action to minimise the risk of acidosis with self feeders.
• For larger heifers, a simple platform with metal skirting will reduce fodder wastage.

Milking management

• Now is a good time to get a shed test done to make sure the plant is functioning properly.
• Have a look at your laneways and upgrade if required.
• Clean out drains especially around culverts.

Water

• Clean out your effluent pond to create maximum storage capacity for the coming season’s rainfall.
• Irrigate if necessary and remember the value of late irrigation.
• Make a note in your diary of irrigation trouble spots that need maintenance. Farm channel maintenance, irrigation stop maintenance and pump maintenance need to be planned ready for the next irrigation season.
• Start planning for any dam construction you plan to do over winter.

Forward planning for May

• Tasks for May include making a feed budget for winter and looking after new calves.

NUFFIELD APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Applications for the 2010 Nuffield scholarship are now open and there are two specific vacancies for dairy farmers, one through Dairy Australia and the Australian Dairy Conference and the other through the Gardiner Foundation.

One group of scholars will travel to New Zealand, the United States (including Washington DC), Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe while the other will visit the Philippines, China, Canada, the United States, Ireland and France.

Nuffield Australia awards scholarships each year to farmers in Australia. The objective is to increase practical farming knowledge, and management skills and techniques generally.

The scholarships give Australian citizens the opportunity to study farming practices in New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the Americas, and promote a closer understanding between farmers in the countries visited.

On returning to Australia it is expected that scholars will be able to actively spread the knowledge and understanding they have gained to their fellow farmers and others.

Nuffield Farming Scholarships give a unique opportunity to stand back from your day-to-day occupation and study a subject of interest. You do not need academic qualifications, but you will need to persuade the selectors that you have the qualities to make the best use of an opportunity that is only given to a few.

Applications close on June 30. Application forms can be downloaded from www.nuffield.com.au or by contacting Nuffield Australia, PO Box 586, Moama NSW 2731. Phone 5480 0755 Fax 03 5480 0233 or enquiries@nuffield.com.au

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com