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Dairy Reminders for August 2005

By Department of Primary Industries - 24th August 2005 - Back to News

Pastures

Long term average pasture growth rates for August are 15 - 20kg DM/ha/day on irrigated and dryland farms across Gippsland provided pastures are not waterlogged.
Ryegrass leaf appearance rates for mid-August are estimated to be 15 days depending on soil temperature and growth conditions. Soil temperatures vary from paddock to paddock due to aspect, shelter and amount of pugging damage. Therefore your rotation should be out to 45 days in order to allow ryegrass pastures to develop 3 leaves prior to grazing. Southerly facing slopes and waterlogged areas will be performing below average and may need a longer rotation.
It’s about your last chance to control capeweed in new pastures. If left any later in the season capeweed will smother the new clover and ryegrass plants resulting in sparse plant density next autumn. See your chemical retailer for a suitable product and read and follow the label recommendations. Alternatively some control can be achieved through regular grazing or topping of the infested areas.

Milkers

Make sure the cows are receiving sufficient feed right from calving to allow them to develop their rumen capacity and to give them every chance of cycling before you begin joining again.

Keep records of cows that had difficult calvings, failed to clean properly or had metabolic problems so that you can make sure they recover sufficiently before joining starts. This may require a vet check to be performed on any you suspect that need to be confirmed as having fully recovered.

Cows hoof or foot problems

Winter is the time for hoof problems in dairy cows. Muddy tracks and sharp pebbles may be causing hoof bruising, particularly in the young cows with softer hooves.

Walking the herd through a foot-bath or over a chemical dispensing mat as the cows leave the dairy may help.

Adding minerals to the feed mix has also helped on some farms. Check with your vet for advice specific to your farm situation.

Track maintenance, improved drainage, reducing muddy areas and using a soft crumbling rock on tracks will reduce hoof problems in the long term.

Avoid pushing cows along laneways too fast (let them move at their own pace).

Remodel steep grades on tracks or sharp turns on the shed exit race.

Reducing the number of small stones being carried onto the concrete yard area will greatly reduce hoof bruising and damage. This can be achieved by using sand, sawdust, mulch or old carpet on the approaching laneway.

A footbath at the yard entry to wash stones off the feet may work but needs to be cleaned daily.

Calves

The NLIS white breeder electronic ear tags must be attached to the right ear of all calves born and reared on the property of birth or offered for sale other than direct to slaughter. Bobby calves sold direct to slaughter will require a bobby calf ear tag and the bobby calf vendor declaration.

Young stock

If you have not drenched in recent weeks now is the time for a worm drench for all young stock.

Dung testing for the presence of worm eggs to confirm the need to drenching may prove lower cost than continuous drenching, see your local vet for details and sample collection kits.

Irrigation water management

Drainage is important to get pastures growing early in the spring. Start on channel maintenance now to ensure delvers are clean to allow free movement of water.

Check that your irrigation water re-use system is empty at the beginning and at the end of irrigation to ensure storage capacity to capture water & nutrient run-off when spring rainfall events occur.

Environment

It’s tree planting season again. If considering direct seeding start preparing the site now ready for the spring direct seeding of native shelter belts. Fence off any areas planted to native trees or direct drilled to prevent damage caused by stock or pests.

BEE FRIENDLY PESTICIDE USE IN ORCHARDS

Orchardists across Victoria rely heavily on the pollination services of apiarists and their bees at blossom time. However, a serious conflict of this cooperative arrangement can occur if pesticides are irresponsibly or unknowingly applied in the vicinity of active bees.

Each season the Department of Primary Industry receives complaints of bee deaths in our fruit growing regions. In Victoria, the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992 includes the offence of damage by spray drift. This includes damage to plants or stock, which for the purpose of the Act includes bees.

However, regardless of the possible legal consequences, many of these bee deaths are unnecessary and avoidable. The majority of cases are the result of bees foraging either during or shortly after, a spraying event. Bees placed in an orchard for pollination may only be in that area for a short period. Ideally growers should not apply any pesticides toxic to bees during this period (this information will be on the chemical product label).

Unfortunately, experience shows that it is often the application of pesticides on a neighbouring orchard, which is the cause of the bee losses. If bees are placed for pollination at the optimum time then hopefully they will confine their foraging to that block, however the bees will ultimately decide how far they are prepared to travel to the most desirable flowering plants and that may be on a neighbouring orchard.

Clearly the two issues here are good communication and cooperation of all orchardists in the area the bees are pollinating and likely to be foraging. Apiarists and their orchard clients should provide timely notification to all adjoining growers of the introduction of hives and the duration of their stay. The display of eye catching and simple signs (including contact phone number for apiarist) at the perimeter of the orchard area, indicating the presence of bees, will compliment the initial notification of neighbours.

Before spraying any block, a simple inspection for bee activity may be sufficient to help manage the risk. Contact with the apiarist if spraying is urgent may allow them to close the hives down for the risk period. Avoid the application of carbaryl products to flowering plants as these chemicals may persist on the flowers for up to 2 weeks and pose a serious threat.

Finally, don't allow pesticides to pollute water surfaces, which may come into contact with bees or other beneficials.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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