Latest News• Add My News • Search Old News Gippsland › Latest news › Department of Primary IndustriesDare To Dairy…It’s Worth It!That’s the message organisers of the 2003 Target 10 State Dairy Workshop will send to delegates attending the Albury event on June 3-4. That’s the message organisers of the 2003 Target 10 State Dairy Workshop will send to delegates attending the Albury event on June 3-4. The newly formatted series of workshops, which will be held in place of the traditional annual Target 10 conference, will be held at the Albury Performing Arts Centre. How to recognise and manage stress and tips on effective organisational skills to help dairy farmers achieve a better work life balance, will be a key focus of the program. Other topics will include:
"We have been lucky enough to secure two of "Its important to maintain a sense of humour to help cope with the many and varied uncontrollables in our daily life…especially when you work with animals, machinery and small children on the farm. I think we are seeing that now especially during the difficult times we are currently enduring." A new element will be introduced this year with concurrent sessions running to showcase diverse career opportunities for young people who have already chosen a career in dairying, and for secondary school aged students about to make career choices. The workshop is being supported by Farmbis, so workshop, accommodation and travel costs will be subsidised for farmers eligible for the Farmbis subsidy. Registration forms are available from DPI offices in Orbost, Bairnsdale, Maffra, Leongatha and Ellinbank, or log on to the Target10 website (www.target10.com.au) for more information. KEEPING THE WRAPS ON SILAGE Are your farm cats having a detrimental effect on the quality of baled silage made on your farm? Sounds strange perhaps but it might be the case. Asked what makes the best silage, most farmers would mention pasture, manufacturing processes, the weather and possibly a dose of good luck. The local 'moggies' would be unlikely to get a mention. However research by Padraig O'Kiely and colleagues from Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, found that farm cats and birds could reduce silage quality by damaging the plastic wrap on baled silage. The studies looked at how the plastic wrap around bales can be damaged and assessed the effect of that damage. We can't assume that all the findings of the Irish research apply to our farms but they are worth considering. Holes made in bales during processing and handling were common, but were generally patched by farmers prior to storage as is done in Even small holes made in the plastic wrap reduce silage quality. They allow oxygen into the bales causing growth of mould and rotting of silage. The more holes in the wrap, the greater the incidence of mould and rot and the deeper they penetrate the bale. This reduces the proportion of the bale that is edible. Of the Irish farms surveyed, 63 percent of those with baled silage had incidence of bird damage to the plastic wrap. The damage was often severe with birds using their beaks to make many holes. Bird damage was confined mostly to the top of bales. The reason for the bird attack is not known. It was suggested they might simply be curious of the bales. They did not eat from them. The bird species doing damage to bales in Much of the damage by birds occurred in the first day after baling. It was thought that the birds were attracted to recently mown paddocks in search of exposed worms and insects. Early removal of the bales to the storage area therefore reduced bird damage. Storing bales on their ends rather than on their curved sides reduced bird damage. This was because of the increased number of wraps of plastic on the flat ends compared to the curved sides. Bales stacked three high received more damage than those stacked one or two high. The reason for this was unclear. Whist 17 percent of farmers surveyed in the Irish research painted marks such as circles, crosses or letters onto their bales as a bird deterrent, there was little evidence that this reduced bird damage. Painting an eye on bales had some effect. Enclosure of stored bales by overhead netting or monofilament lines strung 0.5m apart was effective but more expensive. Damage to bales by cats occurred on 29 percent of the Irish farms surveyed. Cats tore holes in the plastic on the sides of bales as they used their claws to climb them.
They did little damage as they walked on top of bales. The climbing was probably associated with hunting or guarding of territory. Storing bales away from the farm buildings reduced cat damage. Placing materials against the bales to let cats climb without damage was suggested. Keeping the area around bales clean and rodent-free should also help. It is worth keeping an eye on your baled silage during storage and patching holes as they occur. If damage by birds, cats or other animals is apparent, simply altering the place or manner of storage may help maintain the quality of valuable silage.That’s the message organisers of the 2003 Target 10 State Dairy Workshop will send to delegates attending the Albury event on June 3-4. The newly formatted series of workshops, which will be held in place of the traditional annual Target 10 conference, will be held at the Albury Performing Arts Centre. How to recognise and manage stress and tips on effective organisational skills to help dairy farmers achieve a better work life balance, will be a key focus of the program. Other topics will include:
"We have been lucky enough to secure two of "Its important to maintain a sense of humour to help cope with the many and varied uncontrollables in our daily life…especially when you work with animals, machinery and small children on the farm. I think we are seeing that now especially during the difficult times we are currently enduring." A new element will be introduced this year with concurrent sessions running to showcase diverse career opportunities for young people who have already chosen a career in dairying, and for secondary school aged students about to make career choices. The workshop is being supported by Farmbis, so workshop, accommodation and travel costs will be subsidised for farmers eligible for the Farmbis subsidy. Registration forms are available from DPI offices in Orbost, Bairnsdale, Maffra, Leongatha and Ellinbank, or log on to the Target10 website (www.target10.com.au) for more information. KEEPING THE WRAPS ON SILAGE Are your farm cats having a detrimental effect on the quality of baled silage made on your farm? Sounds strange perhaps but it might be the case. Asked what makes the best silage, most farmers would mention pasture, manufacturing processes, the weather and possibly a dose of good luck. The local 'moggies' would be unlikely to get a mention. However research by Padraig O'Kiely and colleagues from Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, found that farm cats and birds could reduce silage quality by damaging the plastic wrap on baled silage. The studies looked at how the plastic wrap around bales can be damaged and assessed the effect of that damage. We can't assume that all the findings of the Irish research apply to our farms but they are worth considering. Holes made in bales during processing and handling were common, but were generally patched by farmers prior to storage as is done in Even small holes made in the plastic wrap reduce silage quality. They allow oxygen into the bales causing growth of mould and rotting of silage. The more holes in the wrap, the greater the incidence of mould and rot and the deeper they penetrate the bale. This reduces the proportion of the bale that is edible. Of the Irish farms surveyed, 63 percent of those with baled silage had incidence of bird damage to the plastic wrap. The damage was often severe with birds using their beaks to make many holes. Bird damage was confined mostly to the top of bales. The reason for the bird attack is not known. It was suggested they might simply be curious of the bales. They did not eat from them. The bird species doing damage to bales in Much of the damage by birds occurred in the first day after baling. It was thought that the birds were attracted to recently mown paddocks in search of exposed worms and insects. Early removal of the bales to the storage area therefore reduced bird damage. Storing bales on their ends rather than on their curved sides reduced bird damage. This was because of the increased number of wraps of plastic on the flat ends compared to the curved sides. Bales stacked three high received more damage than those stacked one or two high. The reason for this was unclear. Whist 17 percent of farmers surveyed in the Irish research painted marks such as circles, crosses or letters onto their bales as a bird deterrent, there was little evidence that this reduced bird damage. Painting an eye on bales had some effect. Enclosure of stored bales by overhead netting or monofilament lines strung 0.5m apart was effective but more expensive. Damage to bales by cats occurred on 29 percent of the Irish farms surveyed. Cats tore holes in the plastic on the sides of bales as they used their claws to climb them.
They did little damage as they walked on top of bales. The climbing was probably associated with hunting or guarding of territory. Storing bales away from the farm buildings reduced cat damage. Placing materials against the bales to let cats climb without damage was suggested. Keeping the area around bales clean and rodent-free should also help. It is worth keeping an eye on your baled silage during storage and patching holes as they occur. If damage by birds, cats or other animals is apparent, simply altering the place or manner of storage may help maintain the quality of valuable silage. Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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