■ Continued page 4

Dairyfarmer

‘Effects test’ win for dairy

QUEENSLAND Dairyfarm-ers Organisation (QDO), along with Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), has applauded the in-

troduction of an ‘effects test’ by the Federal Government, which will strengthen competi-tion across the grocery supply chain.

QDO and ADF have advo-cated strongly for the change since 2011, after Coles started the supermarket milk price war, which has seen many farmers forced out of that industry.

The provision, which will be included in section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, will address the current

unequal distribution of market power and encourage transpar-ency to the benefi t of produc-ers, consumers and retailers.

The commitment by the Federal Government came only two weeks after QDO and ADF, along with the Al-liance of Industry Associa-tions for Change to S46, vis-ited Canberra to meet with the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, the

The Northern

INSIDE■ A closer look at transition cows

PAGE 6

■ Young farmers tour WA

PAGE 8

■ Dairy not just a man’s world

PAGE 11

■ Resource effi ciency in focus

PAGE 14

■ Soil and nutrient planning

PAGE 16

■ Tick line proposals cause concern

PAGE 20

APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Federal

Government introduces ‘effects test’ to competition laws

■ Will help curb supermarket power

■ QDO led lobbying efforts

Representatives of farming and business groups recently met in Canberra with Federal Government representatives and ministers, including Minister for Small Business, Kelly O’Dwyer (front row second from left), and the Treasurer, Scott Morrison (front row third from left), to discuss proposed changes to the effects test. Dairy industry representatives included Australian Dairy Farmers chief executive Ben Stapley (front fow third from right), ADF senior policy manager David Losberg (front row second from right), Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation chief executive Adrian Peake (front row at right) and National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Maher (standing fi fth from right).

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THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

The current policies and actions by the Queensland Government around both animal biosecurity and vegetation management is clearly giving no consideration to the impacts on dairyfarmers or the scientifi c facts and market considerations of the issues. The pro-posed new tree clearing laws are claimed by the Minister, Stephen Miles, to be in response to rampant unsustainable clearing destroying the environment.

In fact, the recently published tree cover data shows cover in Queensland has increased by about twice the size of the Australian Capi-tal Territory and cover in the six critical reef catchments had increased from 74 per cent to 76 per cent.

As you would expect in the severely drought western areas there were small drought in-duced reductions. This selective use of data is deliberately misleading at best.

Even more disappointing is the continua-tion of Animal Health Australia (AHA) and the department’s determination to strip away the current protections from Bovine Johnes Disease (BJD), which on its current path will mean each individual farmers will have total responsibility in seeing BJD is not brought onto their farm.

As we found in the Queensland Dairyfarm-ers’ Organisation (QDO) survey on the issue, 96 per cent of dairyfarmers want current pro-tections to continue.

This has been ignored by the department and the Minister and at the time of writing

the Minister was still avoiding meeting with QDO.

On a much brighter note the Federal Gov-ernment has passed the reintroduction of an ‘effects test’ into section 46 of the Competi-tion and Consumer Act.

This has followed years of work by QDO and Australian Dairy Farmers highlighting the excessive market power held by large companies, especially supermarkets, and the impacts that issues such as $1 milk was hav-ing both on farm businesses and Australia’s ability to increase the nation’s milk produc-tion to meet world demand.

This change came only weeks after QDO and ADF took part in a combined industry alliance meeting with Scott Morrison, Kelly O’Dwyer and Barnaby Joyce and was a great example of what can be achieved when we work together.

It was great to catch up with many of you at our recent round of dinners. These dinners are key to Subtropical Dairy’s communica-tion network and provide an excellent op-portunity for us to meet with many farm-ers and to fl ag upcoming programs. Special thanks to our sponsors and speakers who supported these nights.

Subtropical Dairy is currently in the process of delivering two Dairy Australia activities covering Transition Cow manage-ment. One is designed for discussion groups while the other will be a full-day workshop. Not all regions will receive both of these activities, so please check with your local Dairy Australia extension co-ordinator.

Subtropical Dairy’s regional groups have been an integral part of our organisation for the past 20 years. Each regional group has an annual budget of $5000 to put to-wards local projects specifi c to each region. Some of these have gone on to be national projects. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, then please contact our ex-ecutive offi cer Brad Granzin on 0431 197 479 for more details.

In the next few months, we have work-shops planned in entry-level computer training (Far North Queensland, Central Queensland, Burnett and NSW), Employ-ment Starter Kit Initiative (South East Queensland, Mid Coast NSW and Far North Queensland) and Farm Performance Analysis using DairyBase with John Mul-vaney (June, all regions). Our YDN groups also have events planned as well. We will send out further details regarding these as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact your local Dairy Australia extension co-ordinator for more information.

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

Brian TessmannPresident

Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation

Policy impact on farmers ignored

Workshops planned in all regions

WELCOME 3

The Northern

Dairyfarmer

EditorialEditors: Carlene and Alastair DowiePO Box 59, Carisbrook, Vic, 3464Email: <carlene.dowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au>Phone: (03) 5464 1542Mobile: 0418 553 282

AdvertisingAdvertising manager: Peter RoachNorthern Dairy Farmer, Fairfax Agricultural Media, GPO 257, Melbourne, Vic 3001Email: <peter.roach@fairfaxmedia.com.au>Phone: (03) 8667 1127Fax: (03) 8667 1141Mobile: 0417 371 364

Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation LtdAdrian Peake, Executive Offi cerPO Box 13061, George Street Post Shop, Brisbane, Qld, 4003Phone: (07) 3236 2955Fax: (07) 3236 2956Email: <reception@dairypage.com.au>

Subtropical DairyBrad GranzinExecutive Offi cerMobile: 0431 197 479Email: <brad@dairyinfo.biz>

Mailing and distributionThe Northern Dairyfarmer is distributed to dairyfarmers throughout Queensland and northern NSW. If you are a dairyfarmer and are not receiving a copy, contact:Queensland Dairyfarmers’ OrganisationPO Box 13061, George Street Post Shop, Brisbane, Qld, 4003Phone: (07) 3236 2955Fax: (07) 3236 2956Email: <reception@dairypage.com.au>

CopyrightAll material in The Northern Dairyfarmer is copyright. Reproduction in whole or part is not permitted without written permission of the publisher.

Editorial contributionsEditorial contributions are welcome, but no responsibility can be taken for their loss. Copy is preferred by email in Word or text-only format with pictures and graphics as 300dpi JPGs. Deadline is two months before publication.

Printing

Published by: Agricultural Publishers Pty LtdABN 55 000 560 430

ISSN 1833-8887

The Northern Dairyfarmer magazine is a joint industry owned and operated publication targeted at delivering the latest research and development information and industry news to dairyfarmers and industry stakeholders of the northern dairy industry. The Northern Dairyfarmer is published on about the 13th of every second month in February, April, June, August, October and December.

Ross McInnesChair

Subtropical Dairy

Minister for Small Business, Kelly O’Dwyer, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce. (See more in story below.)

QDO president Brian Tess-mann said the new provision would prevent fi rms with sub-stantial market power from en-gaging in conduct that has the purpose, effect or likely effect of substantially lessening com-petition.

“The effects test is another tool to help provide integrity and transparency regarding the impact of retailer actions on

suppliers,” Mr Tessmann said. “QDO has been very vocal

in its support for the introduc-tion of the ‘effects test’ as it will deliver direct benefi t to our Queensland members.”

ADF president Simone Jol-liffe said that in conjunction with the government’s intro-duction of the Food and Gro-cery Code, which included a large number of our recommen-dations, this was a constructive step toward fostering a more competitive business environ-ment. “Further, the appointment of Mick Keogh as the Austral-ian Competition and Consumer

Commission’s fi rst Agricultural Commissioner and an Agricul-tural Engagement and Enforce-ment Unit, highlights that the government is committed to fostering competition across the supply chain,” she said.

In addition, the government has agreed to strengthen Un-fair Contract Protection Laws, which will assist small business and are set to take effect later this year.

Mrs Jolliffe said the reforms would support consumers’ in-terests as well as supporting dairyfarmers.

“Moving toward a more ob-

jective measure to assess the impact of anti-competitive be-haviour will build a more open and transparent marketplace,” Mrs Jolliffe said.

QDO and ADF are keen to see this new clause applied as a matter of urgency to see damag-ing practices, including preda-tory pricing, outlawed.

QDO and ADF thanked the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Minister for Small Business and the National Party, includ-ing Senator Matt Canavan, for their strong support and action on this important reform. ND

4 NEWS

Alliance critical to change in law

A meeting of business and farm-ing representatives with Aus-tralian Government ministers in March proved pivotal in seeing changes introduced to competi-tion laws.

The Queensland Dairyfarm-ers’ Organisation, Australian Dairy Farmer, National Farm-ers Federation and the Alliance of Industry Associations for Change to S46 met in Canberra with the Treasurer, Scott Morri-son, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Small Business, Kelly O’Dwyer, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, to discuss the critical need to now implement an ‘effects test’ in the laws governing the mis-use of market power (s46 of the Competition and Consumer Act). This follows the end of a series of consultations held by Assistant Treasurer and Min-ister for Small Business, Ms O’Dwyer.

This unprecedented Busi-ness Alliance of 21 peak busi-ness bodies, formed in October 2015, comprises small, medium and large businesses and repre-

sented more than one million businesses employing more than fi ve million people across a broad spectrum of Australian industries.

The Business Alliance cam-paign focused on the March 2015 recommendations of Harper Panel Review into Com-petition Policy, which included the introduction of an effects test.

The Business Alliance said all businesses, large or small, should be able to engage in rigorous competition based on their merits.

For this to be achieved Sec-tion 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act needed to be strengthened.

“There is a serious defi ciency in the competition dynamic in Australia,” it said. “We urgent-ly need a practical mechanism to ensure healthy competition in markets comprising business enterprises of all sizes.”

The change to the effects test reads: “A corporation that has a substantial degree of power in a market shall not engage in con-duct that has the purpose, effect or likely effect of substantially lessening competition in that or any other market.”

The Business Alliance said the amendment meant more competition, a better deal for Australian consumers and im-provements to productivity, in-novation and entrepreneurship.

The Harper Competition Pol-icy Review Panel, after weigh-

ing the competing arguments, recommended giving the Aus-tralian Competition and Con-sumer Commission (ACCC) more power to deter anti-com-petitive practices. It said the net result of this was more, not less, competition.

The ACCC restated this posi-tion during consultations with the Assistant Treasurer. Other competition experts, including Professor Allan Fels, endorsed that position.

The change to section 46 moves Australian law closer to international best practice, which prohibits unilateral con-duct by a dominant fi rm that has a harmful effect on competition.

The QDO and ADF held meetings while in Canberra on competition law and other im-portant industry issues with a number of other Federal politi-cians, including Senator Barry O’Sullivan and Member for Wright Scott Buchholz. ND

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

■ From page 1

KEY POINTS ■ Business Alliance

representing 21 peak groups

■ Campaign focuses on Harper Panel Review recommendations

■ Called for changes to competition law

THE election of Barnaby Joyce to the Federal Na-tional Party leadership and consequently the Deputy Prime Minister-ship has been an issue of greater public interest for some time. The Queens-land Dairyfarmers’ Or-ganisation congratulates Mr Joyce along with Ru-ral Health Minister Fiona

Nash, who won the depu-ty leadership, on their suc-cess.

It also wishes them strength, courage, energy and wisdom in carrying out their roles as the chal-lenges facing the Nation-als, the Australian Gov-ernment and the nation at present are signifi cant.

—Brian Tessmann

QDO congratulates Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce is the new leader of the Nationals. Photo: Andrew Meares

By Ross McInnesQDO vice president

WHAT would have been the re-action fi ve years ago if Coles had set the milk price at 70 cents per litre instead of the $1 milk? I am sure everybody would have said it was impossible and retailers would have faced a far bigger backlash than they have seen.

Yet this is where we are head-ing by stealth. The insidious na-ture of a dysfunctional market forced upon the dairy industry by the retail sector still has a large sting in its tail.

If the current 10-year deal be-tween Murray Goulburn (MG) and Coles runs its course, and few people think it will not, the consequences will be dire.

The huge problem with the MG/Coles contract for Queens-land dairyfarmers is that it forms the basis for national pricing across all retailers. While this contract obviously forms part of MG’s strategic plan, there ap-pears to be only negative effects for dairy regions relying on liquid milk sales in the domestic market.

If the price stagnates until 2024, that milk will be worth

70.1 cents in 2011 dollars. That is based on a 2011-15 infl ation rate of 2.3 per cent. If you use the 2006-15 infl ation rate of 2.6 per cent, that equates to 66.2 cents in 2011 dollars.

The average Murray Goulburn farmgate price has increased by 80-90 per cent since 1992. This has been able to be achieved to a large degree because of 50-100 per cent increases in dairy export markets during that same period.

How anyone could honestly think that artifi cially forcing a price to fl atline for 13 years and not expecting to have a negative impact throughout the supply chain is beyond rational reason-ing.

This highlights the diffi culties for the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation (QDO) in the past fi ve years supplying facts and rel-evant data that contradicts a good retail spin story that has not been seen as helpful to the debate. As we have seen in the past fi ve years there has been more rhetoric than facts — that being the two main claims from Coles and others that farmgate price would not be af-fected and there would be extra growth in milk sales.

Everyone in Queensland knows the farmgate price dropped and that every major liquid milk processor in Aus-tralia reported signifi cant drops in profi t, directly attributable to the sacrifi cial discount milk cam-paign.

A Murray Goulburn supplier who was nearly fully exposed to an export market that had risen 10-15 per cent in 2011 was used as “proof” that $1 milk was not a problem.

There was some milk sales growth in 2011 and 2012 above the medium-term trend, but after fi ve years we have population growth at 1.7 per cent per annum and milk sales growth at 1.8 per cent with the trend line continu-ing to move downwards. This is exactly where QDO said it would end up over time, as long-term milk sales track population growth, being an inelastic every-day dietary staple.

There is still huge potential for supply of milk in Queensland and we have a wonderful group of young farmers who should be able to take advantage of a fresh milk market that has huge growth potential. Unfortunately the mar-

ket outlook does not give enough faith to enough of our farmers to increase supply, and we are still seeing lower production in Queensland this year, even with most of our farmers experiencing reasonable seasonal conditions.

Apart from national pricing at the retail level that has a nega-tive effect on our farm systems, the other huge negative is the bundling of product supply con-tracts by major supermarkets to provide for cross subsidisation of margins, which enables them to keep sacrifi cial discount dietary staples such as fresh milk at an artifi cially low level for an ex-tended time.

It continues to frustrate the QDO that while the Austral-ian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) acted on cross subsidisation of fuel by the major supermarkets with the fuel docket program, it has not acted to date to stop cross subsi-disation in other areas, which has similar impacts on competition and longer term on consumer choice and price. This is why the Federal Government needs to strengthen the Competition and Consumer Act. ND

NEWS 5

Are you OK with 80-cent milk?

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

A number of agricultural groups have congratulated Mick Keogh on his appoint-ment as the Australian Competition and Consum-er Commission (ACCC) Agriculture Commissioner. Mr Keogh will lead the AC-CC’s Agriculture Enforce-ment and Engagement Unit established with fund-ing allocated through the Agricultural Competitive-ness White Paper.

“The unit will allow us to build our internal knowl-edge around the complexi-ties of agriculture supply chains,” Australian Com-petition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said. “This will inform the analysis, and ultimately the decision-making, of the ACCC.

“The new unit will focus

on investigating potential breaches of the Competi-tion and Consumer Act and, where appropriate, taking enforcement action; increased engagement with the agriculture sector; and advocacy on agriculture is-sues, including through the use of market studies.

“The ACCC intended to focus enforcement activi-

ties on agricultural supply chains to address anti-com-petitive conduct or unfair trading practices in breach the act.

“It is important to under-stand that the Act guides our enforcement action. What some may perceive to be anti-competitive con-duct or unfair trading may not be a breach of the law.”

To help clear up any mis-understandings, Mr Sims said the ACCC was looking to increase engagement with farmers and other agriculture businesses to ensure they were aware of both their rights and obli-gations under the law.

“Our new agriculture unit will enable the ACCC to have a far greater pres-ence in regional Australia — we will hold a series of

workshops to speak with farmers and agribusinesses about how competition and fair-trading issues af-fect them,” he said.

The Queensland Dairy-farmers’ Organisation looks forward to working with Mr Keogh in identify-ing and dealing with com-petition and fair trading issues in Queensland agri-culture markets.

Mr Keogh brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to the role as Agriculture Commissioner.

He has a long history of researching and analysing issues relating to Austral-ian agriculture and he has a deep understanding of the issues that impact on farmers’ returns and the impediments to improving those returns.

Mick Keogh brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to the role as Agriculture Commissioner.

QDO welcomes Keogh appointment to ACCC

6 TRANSITION COW MANAGEMENT

A closer focus on transition cows

IN the next few months, Sub-tropical Dairy, in conjunction with Dairy Australia, will be delivering some programs look-ing at the feeding management of cows close to calving and in early lactation (transition cows). These programs will be a two-hour group discussion (called Low Stress Calving) and a full-day workshop (titled Transition Cow Management). They are designed for farmers and advis-ers.

Transition cow management is one of the most signifi cant advances in dairy nutrition and production in the past 20 years. It can improve cow health, milk production and reproductive performance. Transition cow management has the targeted outcomes of cows at calving and mating being of correct body condition with no reproduc-tive, physiological or digestive abnormalities. This means that cows are in the best physiologi-cal state at mating, resulting in a better chance of conception.

A technical review undertak-en by Dairy Australia in 2010 showed that implementing an integrated approach to transition nutrition and fresh cow manage-ment could result in: • higher in-calf rates;• better use of labour;• lower culling and death rates; and• more milk (up to 300+ litres/cow).

Overall a fully integrated transition diet can provide rela-tive net benefi ts of up to $200 plus per cow per year

The Low Stress Calving and Transition Cow Management sessions focus on how transition cow feed management can: • adapt fresh cows’ rumens to high-energy feeds;• avoid milk fever and other health problems around calving related to hypocalcaemia; and• maintain high feed intakes post calving and control body condition loss in early lactation.

Table 1 sourced from Dairy Australia lists some target indi-cators for herd health and nutri-tion management that farmers may like to review. If the farm business does not meet some of these, it may be of value to at-tend one of the above sessions or to talk to a herd health and/or nutrition adviser. ND

To fi nd further informa-tion about transition cow management, visit website <http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Pastures-and-Feeding/Supplements-and- nutrition/Transition-cow-management>.

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

Table 1: Some targets for good transition cow managementHerd Health Target

(Less than x % of herd)Milk fever 1% RFMs (Retained Foetal Membranes)

4%

Assisted calvings 2% Displaced abomasums 1% Ketosis 1% Mastitis 5 cases/100 cows in fi rst 30 days Grass tetany None Lameness 2% with greater than Score 2 Lactic acidosis 1% % culls (inc. deaths) in fi rst 60 days of lactation

5%

Pre-calving nutrition TargetAverage days cows fed a transition diet before calving

21 days

Average days heifers fed a transition diet before calving

21 days

Daily intake per cow 10-12 kg dry matter (DM) per day Diet concentration and intake Metabolisable Energy >11 MJ ME/kg DM with an intake

of 100–120 MJ ME/day Crude protein 14 to 16% DM Neutral detergent fi bre >36% Calcium <0.6% DM Phosphorus <0.4% DM Magnesium >0.45% DM DCAD <80 mEq/kg DM Body condition (BC, 1-8) and reproduction (all year round calving herd)Av. BC Score at late lactation/dry off

4.5-5.5

Av. BC Score at calving 4.5-5.5Av. BC loss between calving and mating

<0.6 BCS unit

100-day in-calf rate >58%80-day submission rate >73%

■ KEY POINTSManagement of cows close to and just after calving is critical

■ Better management can produce benefi ts of $200/cow

■ Series of courses to be run in Subtropical Dairy area

The transition period is the critical period from just before calving to just after calving.

Transition cow management is one of the most signifi cant advances in dairy nutrition and production in the past 20 years.

ON FARM 7

App puts good bulls at fi ngertips

BUILDING on the popular Good Bulls Guide, the new Good Bulls app makes it easier than ever for dairyfarmers to identify bulls that match their breeding priorities.

Drawing from an expansive database of local and interna-tional dairy bulls, the Good Bulls App allows bulls to be sorted on Australia’s three breeding indi-ces: Balanced Performance Index (BPI), Health Weighted Index

(HWI) and Type Weighted Index (TWI).

Up to 50 fi lters can be used to fi nd bulls that match a farmer’s breeding objectives. Bulls can be fi ltered by any trait (e.g. protein, cell count, fertility or mammary system) or by semen company, pedigree, genetic characteristics and other factors.

The app provides detailed Aus-tralian Breeding Values (ABVs) on each bull, making it easy to compare between bulls and short-list bulls of interest. Shortlisted bulls can be exported to a trusted adviser to facilitate semen pur-chasing decisions.

Owen Daley milks 260 purebred Holstein cows on 180 hectares at Millaa Millaa, Qld. His family has been dairying for more than 100

years. Mr Daley said the new app was easy to use, to set preferences and to get rankings that suit the needs of the herd.

“I’d certainly recommend it to other farmers,” he said.

“Here we AI a lot for type and we are looking for purebred Hol-steins. We do 95 per cent AI, and use a lot of different bulls, and the Good Bulls app is a really handy tool where you can check the Aus-tralian proof.

“We also use bulls from places like America and Canada and some of those are also turning up on the app. It’s a really good tool to compare proofs.”

Mr Daley said another good feature of the Good Bulls app was that the user could drill down to fi nd out more about the

pedigree of a bull. “It just gives you that extra bit of information,” he said.

Choosing the right bull was a top consideration for the Daley operation.

“While we already had a fairly high-producing AI herd we’ve used genomics for some time which has provided cheaper and better bulls and we have really seen the bot-tom half of our herd improve over time,” Mr Daley said.

Sarah Saxton, from the Aus-tralian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS), said the app would be updated twice a year with the April and August release of the ABVs.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones and can be used on tablets. ND

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

KEY POINTS ■ Good Bulls

Guide app for smartphones

■ Allows bull lists to be created

■ Many options for fi ltering bulls

HERBICIDE resistance is an increasing threat for grow-ers and agronomists across Australia’s northern grain region. There are already 10 cropping weeds that have been confi rmed as resistant to herbicide in various parts of the region. Others have been identifi ed as at risk of developing resistance, par-ticularly to glyphosate.

In southern Queensland, seven weeds are confi rmed resistant to Group A, B or C herbicides. A further four weeds are confi rmed re-sistant to glyphosate (e.g. Roundup).

Other broadleaf and grass weeds are also at risk of developing resist-ance, depending on weed

numbers and management practices used.

Resistance remains for many years, until all resist-ant weed seeds are gone from the soil seed bank. It evolves more rapidly in pad-docks with frequent use of the same herbicide group, especially if no other control options are used.

Resistance is a costly prob-lem. If resistance develops, growers will have to use oth-er control measures or dif-ferent herbicides, and these may be more expensive or less effective. In some cases, growers will not be able to grow certain crops, or may have to change their farm-ing system to include more tillage. The impact will be

greater in the more margin-al cropping areas with lower and less reliable returns.

Prioritising the preven-tion of glyphosate resist-ance is particularly im-portant to give priority to preventing resistance to glyphosate, as this is likely to have the most adverse impact on cropping viabil-ity and sustainability.

The measures needed to prevent or slow the devel-opment of herbicide resist-ance could be equated to the payment of an insurance premium. The cost of this premium is proportional to the risk level to be avoided.

Action points for grow-ers to deal with resistance include:

• assessing level of risk with the online glyphosate resist-ance toolkit;• aiming for maximum ef-fectiveness in control tactics, because resistance is un-likely to develop in paddocks with low weed numbers;• not relying on the same mode of action group;• monitoring weed control regularly; and• stopping the seed set of survivors.

See website <https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/plants/field-crops-and-pastures/broadacre- f ie ld-crops /weed-management-in-fi eld-crops/herbicide-resist-ance> for more informa-tion about herbicide resist-ance and how to manage it.

Stopping herbicide resistance in Queensland

8 WA FARM TOUR

WA tour inspires Subtropical farmers

By Belinda Haddow

INNOVATIVE, inspiring and adaptive are three words that come to mind when refl ecting on the farms visited during the Subtropical Dairy ‘Best of the West’ tour to Western Australia in March. The tour group con-sisted of 22 dairyfarmers from Far North Queensland to the NSW Mid Coast.

The tour from Perth through to the Margaret River region took in 10 dairy farm visits plus network-ing events that brought the group in contact with many dairy-farming businesses and people.

The WA dairy region has wet winters and hot and dry sum-mers. It is located in the higher rainfall coastal areas of southern WA. The majority of farms are pasture-based with rain-grown and irrigated annual ryegrass pastures and perennial temperate mixtures. Major supplements fed are grain, hay and silages such as irrigated maize.

The farms visited represented a variety of different manage-ment styles, business stages and resource availability. All, howev-er, had one sentiment in common — confi dence. There is increas-ing buoyancy within the WA in-

dustry in response to a growing regional demand for milk and higher milk prices generally be-ing paid in the past 12 months. This trend was also refl ected in the 2014-15 report from the Dairy Farm Monitor Project (see web-site <http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Business-and-fi nancials/Dairy-Farm-Monitor-Project/WA-Da i ry -Fa rm-Moni to r -Project.aspx>). Many of the farms visited had taken stock and deliberately adapted their farm-ing system and management to make the most of current and forecast operating conditions.

The Harvey region was the fi rst dairy region visited. This region was close to the recent devastating fi res with many farms bordering the disaster zone. Dale and Leanne Hanks farm, Taylynn Farms, was the fi rst stop where labour manage-ment and succession planning were key standouts. One of Mr Hanks’s employees, Nick Hend-erson — fi nalist in the upcoming WA Young Dairy Farmer of the Year awards — joined the group discussion. Mr Henderson, from southern New Zealand, is a rela-tive newcomer to the WA dairy industry and has aspirations to share-farm in the future.

The Hall family business at Wokalup introduced the tour group to a smaller operation, but with a theme that was common

throughout the tour: they loved their cows. Their herd comprises fi ve breeds.

As the tour moved further south into Boyanup, Victor and Denise Rodwell introduced the group to the idea of keeping every-thing in balance — productivity, people and profi t.

Genetics and breeding were a key focus of the visit to the Kitchens’ farm. Ray and Donna Kitchen have a herd of 100 per cent registered Holsteins, which is currently ranked fourth in Aus-tralia for Balanced Performance Index (BPI) and Health Weight-ed Index (HWI) and second for Type Weighted Index (TWI).

Confi dence was evident as the tour group moved on to Dar-ren and Sharon Merritt’s farm at Elgin. The farm is to host the Western Dairy Dairy Innovation Day in April. The Merritts milk 700 Friesians in a 20-a-side, 25-year-old swing-over dairy.

The group was able to tour the farm’s new facility that is close to being commissioned: a 24-a-side double-up, rapid-exit dairy, with viewing platform for an intended tourism focus. The group was impressed with Mr Merritt’s in-novation and design, including a customised calf-treatment trailer.

Calf rearing came through strongly on many farms visited. The care and attention to detail all farmers displayed in their calf rearing stood out. The qual-ity and health of the calves were amazing.

Succession planning was a fo-cus as the group travelled to the Margaret River region to visit the Evans farm. Grant and his wife, Lauren, have a profi t-sharing partnership with Grant’s parents, Peter and Sue, which has ena-bled them to buy their way into the business in a staged process and also share in the profi t of the business along the way.

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Impressive WA

farms visited ■ High level of

confi dence displayed

■ High quality calf-rearing systems

The Negus family were the next farm to host the group and were another fabulous example of managing a workforce in a dairy enterprise. This farm had the largest herd on the tour, with up to 1300 dairy cows being milked and a workforce of 15. The maize crop under irrigation, close to harvest, was a sight to behold.

The group was fortunate to meet with Mat and Sue Daubney from Bannister Downs to hear about their story around the chal-lenges and opportunities they have experienced along the jour-ney of processing, marketing and distributing their own milk. They also spoke about the recent part-nership they have formed with the Hancock Group as invest-ment partners in their business.

As the tour came to a close, the

fi nal day saw the group visiting White Rocks Dairy at Brunswick Junction. Michael and Leanne Partridge milk 650 cows and have also diversifi ed to run an award-winning White Rocks Veal operation.

A visit to dairyfarmers, Michael and Sophia Giumelli, with their 400-cow dairy herd and relatively new gelato business was the perfect end to the tour. Truly inspirational, the Giumel-lis engaged the group with their contagious passion and enthusi-asm. The couple, who have four children under fi ve, have recently ventured into the Double Hand-ful Gelato business. The tour group was fortunate to taste test a sample of the vanilla, made with Australian vanilla beans, and of course, their own non-homoge-nised milk. Having also visited

the Millers’ ice-cream business in Margaret River earlier in the tour, there were defi nitely some thoughts among the group of pur-suing something similar in the Subtropical region.

Although the tour was focused around dairy farm business man-agement and there were a few good discussions about Dairy-Base, it wasn’t all dairy and busi-ness. Most evenings the group was also joined by some local WA dairyfarmers whose com-pany and enthusiasm certainly

helped make the tour a great suc-cess.

With such a busy week away and a mind-boggling array of farm businesses and ideas to put into context, the group brought home a range of new ideas and renewed confi dence. They will also have the friendships and networks they have formed along the journey and will hopefully have some WA farmers visit soon. ND

Thanks to all the supporters of the WA Tour for 2016.

WA FARM TOUR 9

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

Far North Coast NSW young farmers Jai Woolridge and Jeremy Miller (left) and South East Queensland farmer David Cox (centre) chats with a couple of WA young farmers.

The Best of the West tour group 2016.

Darren Merritt demonstrates his innovative calf-treatment trailer.

Vic Rodwell shows the tour group his crop of fodder beets.

By Lea Coghlan

A new Young Dairy Network has been launched on the Atherton Tablelands. The net-work — part of the Subtropical Dairy Young Dairy Network — supports young people working in the region’s dairy industry, through co-ordinated events and activities.

Subtropical Dairy appointed a new co-ordinator last year to reinvigorate the network, which met previously in the region many years ago, with great suc-cess.

Subtropical Dairy Young Dairy Network co-ordinator Kirsten Veivers said there had been a positive response to the group since the fi rst meeting in late 2015. “The young dairy net-work is a group that brings young farmers together for social activi-

ties and for them to discuss the issues they are fi nding on farms,” Mrs Veivers said.

“My role is to provide effec-tive support for the dairy indus-try by delivering innovative, well planned and collaborative regional co-ordination for dairy-related activities in Far North Queensland.

“The group has decided to meet once a month. It enables farmers to mingle with other younger farmers on the Table-lands who they may have not known. Farmers can talk about issues they are facing as a young-er farmer. It also helps immense-ly with knowledge.”

Mrs Veivers, a third-genera-tion dairyfarmer who grew up in Millaa Millaa and the daughter of industry leader James Geraghty, said groups like the Young Dairy Network were vital for the future of the industry. “We are fortu-nate to have some very passion-ate young dairyfarmers in the region,” Mrs Veivers said. “The Young Dairy Network is impor-tant so farmers don’t feel like they are living in a silo.

“They can talk to other peo-ple and realise they are facing

the same things. They can work towards solving that issue or fi nding a way around it if its not solvable.”

Since forming, the group has hosted a variety of activities, in-cluding a farm walk on an bio-dynamic dairy farm and forums on feeding grazing transitions, accounting and farmer debt. Sub-tropical Dairy executive offi cer Dr Brad Granzin delivered a ses-sion on nutrition.

The Young Dairy Network aims to enhance the future viabil-ity of the dairy industry through supporting its young people. Its

membership is typically made up of young innovative farmers who are adopters and seekers of information. It is a joint initiative of the Subtropical Dairy and the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Or-ganisation and is supported by the NSW Farmers Association, milk processing companies and the Queensland Government. ND

Anyone wishing to join the network can contact Mrs Veivers at email <kirsten@dairyinfo.biz> or for more in-formation visit website <www.dairyinfo.biz/young-dairy-network>.

10 NEWS

Network for young Tablelands farmers

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Young Dairy

Network group launched in FNQ

■ Helps farmers connect with others

■ Range of activities planned

April likely to be drierAPRIL is likely to be drier than average across northern Aus-tralia, suggesting a dry end to the northern wet season, accord-ing to the latest forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology. Central Queensland is also likely to have a drier-than-average April.

But April to June rainfall is more likely to be above average across NSW and the far-western corners of Queensland.

The far northern parts of Aus-tralia are also more likely to have a drier-than-average three months.

The bureau said the outlook refl ected a combination of a weakening El Niño, warm Indian Ocean temperatures and warm sea surface temperatures around much of the Australian coast.

The bureau is also forecasting a warmer April with both day-time and night-time temperatures

likely to be warmer than average for most of Australia.

Nights are strongly favoured to be warmer than average across the country, with a greater than 80 per cent (or eight in ten) chance of warmer nights for most of Australia for the April to June period.

The bureau said the El Niño was steadily declining, with models forecasting a return to a neutral pattern in late autumn to early winter.

During the breakdown period of the El Niño cycle, warmer days tend to persist over north-ern and eastern Australia, with warmer nights across much of Australia.

For winter and spring, climate models favour neutral condi-tions, slightly ahead of La Niña. However, accuracy of forecasts made at this time of year are low-

er than those at other times, and therefore some caution should be exercised.

Although the 2015-16 El Niño is weakening, it will continue to infl uence climate during the southern hemisphere autumn. In Australia, the breakdown of strong El Niño events has histori-cally brought average to above

average rainfall to many loca-tions. However, northern Aus-tralia typically sees less rainfall than usual.

Bureau climatologists contin-ually monitor the climate for any signifi cant developments. Up-to-date information is available at the bureau’s website <http://www.bom.gov.au/>. ND

Third-generation dairyfarmer Kirsten Veivers is co-ordinating the Young Dairy Network on the Atherton Tablelands.

NEW mother 27-year-old Maxine Moore is proving herself to be a Legendairy farmer in an industry traditionally seen as the domain of older men. Mrs Moore is leading a seven-member all-girl crew at a 250-hectare, 170-cow farm that she manages for owner Ross Le-hmann near Kalbar in south-east Queensland.

Some outsiders look on with a bit of curiosity and even surprise at Mrs Moore’s senior role, but she has no qualms about her place in dairy. “Being 27 and being female you do get a few odd looks when people discover you’re the manag-er,” she said. “A lot of our reps are men in their 40s. They ask where the manager is and look a bit shocked when they realise it’s me.

“Sometimes they might go to Ross and he’ll send them back to me. It’s very rewarding that Ross gives us (the crew) that support and has confi dence in the job we do.”

The crew ranges from a school-based apprentice to an octogenar-ian and, according to Mrs Moore, the all-female staff work well to-gether. “I fi nd women to be com-passionate, caring and patient,” she said. “We have the occasional dif-ference, but that’s sorted out pretty quickly.”

Mrs Moore lives with her hus-band, Tim, and new-born daughter Ashleigh on their family lucerne

and cropping farm. She’s currently on maternity leave from work and another young woman, Emma Lowry, has stepped up to take on the day-to-day management, al-though Mrs Moore still oversees from a distance.

Mrs Moore is pleased that more women are coming into the indus-try. “Emma is a prime example,” she said. “Until six months ago she had no exposure to the dairy industry. For her to be basically managing a farm now is quite an achievement which comes down to her personality and wanting to learn more.”

Mrs Moore grew up on a family dairy farm in the Atherton Table-land and hopes Ashleigh will en-joy a similar rural upbringing.

“I liked the whole lifestyle of growing up on a farm,” she said.

She also hopes Ashleigh will

inherit her love of showing cows, something that earned Mrs Moore the nickname ‘Jersey girl’ at school. “That was the breed my great-grandfather started with and my grandfather and father contin-ued,” she said. “I still have a soft spot for Jerseys.”

In fact, that love runs deep — she even had photos taken on the morning of her wedding with the farm’s pet cow Violet.

Mrs Moore starting work on Ross Lehmann’s farm fi ve years ago, but it was tough initiation. “My fi rst day coincided with the big fl oods of 2011 and I got stuck at work,” she said. “There was a lot of localised fl ooding but no perma-nent damage — we were lucky.”

Mrs Moore had previously done relief milking on the farm and af-ter completing her certifi cate study on another property, she asked if

she could come back. “Ross said I couldn’t have my old job back; but I could have the manager’s job. I thought `wow’,” she said.

The decision has been fruitful for both parties. Mrs Moore sees a good future for dairy and is keen to continue working in the fi eld. She’s also making her mark on the industry outside the farmgate.

She’s a strong supporter of the Legendairy communications initi-ative to raise the profi le and reputa-tion of the industry and sits on the state and local steering committee of the Young Dairy Network.

“You can never have enough ex-posure to dairy,” she said. “I think a lot of people in the city still believe milk comes out of a bottle and it just appears there.” ND

For more Legendairy stories, visit website <legendairy.com.au>.

LEGENDAIRY 11

Dairy not just a man’s world

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

KEY POINTS ■ Farm operated by

all-girl crew ■ Manager off a

family dairy in FNQ ■ Involved in industry

outside farmgate

Maxine Moore’s love of Jerseys earned her the nickname ‘Jersey girl’ at school.

12 NEWS

Scenic Rim 4Real Milk ‘struggling’

By Tim Schaefer

SCENIC Rim 4Real Milk found-er Greg Dennis has warned the milk brand is on borrowed time unless the community rallies be-hind it.

Mr Dennis, popularly known as Farmer Gregie, has launched a social media campaign in re-cent months pleading with 4Real Milk’s 14,000 Facebook fol-lowers to spread the word about the award-winning brand. The 4Real Milk brand produces about 30,000 litres of milk per week from the Scenic Rim Robotic Dairy at Tamrookum.

In June 2013, Mr Dennis made headlines when he decided to go it alone after processors offered to pay 25 per cent less than it costs to produce his milk.

Speaking to the Beaudesert Times in February, Mr Dennis admitted times were now tough

for 4Real Milk as big-name com-petition attempted to squeeze the brand out.

“We’re struggling. We’re liv-ing on borrowed time,” he said. “We haven’t been able to shift the volumes of milk necessary.

“As a milk company we’re paying more for the milk than we’re getting when we sell it and we can’t keep doing that.”

Mr Dennis blamed a number of factors on the situation, in-cluding bully tactics from other milk companies.

“We’ve had a number of stores tell us that other milk company representatives were coming in and telling them to get our milk out of the fridge. It’s ruthless bully tactics,” he said.

“Our milk has been shifted al-most out of sight in some stores. Where we might have had fi ve facings we’ve been cut back to two.”

Mr Dennis, who employs about 25 people across his farm and factory operations, said sales had plateaued and were not grow-ing according to initial expecta-tions. That is despite a 30 per cent increase in the number of stores 4Real Milk is featured in, now totalling about 240 shops.

Rapid growth, including the signing of a second producer in July last year, has seen costs rise while sales volume has fallen.

The passionate farmer said consumer apathy was also hav-ing an impact.

“I think some complacency is settling in,” he said. “Australians are so laid-back, so cruisey and I think people are looking at the media and the positive coverage

we get and are thinking we’re go-ing great guns.”

But Mr Dennis, who won Dairy Farmer of The Year in 2014, said he believed the loy-alty of customers would be what saved 4Real Milk.

He said 4Real Milk had many loyal supporters and he believed it was the direct relationship with consumers that would help the brand survive.

“That will save us I believe,” he said. “Those people are so in-vested in what we are doing that they’ll make sure that we won’t be broken so easily.

“That’s why I’m calling out right now, we need your help.”

Mr Dennis said 4Real Milk needed to see its customer loyal-ty and popularity online translate into sales in stores.

“Unless it helps milk fl y off the shelves, it means nothing,” he said. “We need to see the support of the people follow through and buy our milk.”

Mr Dennis said 4Real Milk had increased its efforts to en-gage with stores and put the brand in the spotlight, and said he would soon reveal a special video project currently in the works. ND

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Farmer processor

struggling with reduced volumes

■ Facing ruthless competition

■ Consumer apathy has an impact

Australia’s dairyfarmers will have greater fl exibility in determining their com-pulsory industry levies af-ter legislative changes were passed by Parliament last month to simplify the dairy levy poll process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agricul-ture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, said the change was a positive and logical step forward for the industry.

The changes passed streamline the process to set dairy levies by remov-ing the requirement for a dairy levy poll to be held every fi ve years.

“These changes are ex-pected to generate savings of up to $1 million every

fi ve years when dairyfarm-ers do not wish to change the rate of the levies paid,” Mr Joyce said.

“These savings can be re-directed to gain the big-gest possible bang for buck by investing in additional research and development activities, supporting in-dustry innovation, produc-tivity and improved profi t-ability.

“This Bill was introduced to the Parliament at the request of Australia’s dairy-farmers. Australia’s dairy industry enjoys strong unity and leadership driv-ing increased value of farm production and opening new export markets.”

Mr Joyce said the chang-es ensured the industry re-

tained a strong democratic process for dairyfarmers to have their say in setting the dairy levy rate.

“Instead of a mandatory poll, every fi ve years, an in-dustry advisory committee will review whether there is a need to change the levy or conduct a poll,” he said.

“If no change in the levy is recommended, there will not be a poll. However, a poll must be held if it is recommended there be a change in the levy, either up or down.

“The legislation also pro-vides a mechanism to allow dairyfarmers to request a poll with the support of at least 15 per cent of levy votes.”

Australian Dairy Farm-

ers and the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisa-tion welcomed Mr Joyce’s support for dairy levy poll process review.

ADF president Simone Jolliffe said the changes were expected to gener-ate signifi cant savings to farmers through a simpler, less costly levy poll proc-ess, while still ensuring ac-countability in spending levy funds is retained.

“This means these levy funds can instead be re-directed towards vital re-search, development and extension programs, in-creasing productivity and profi tability and continuing to strengthen innovation within our industry,” she said.

Dairy levy poll change passed by Parliament

Scenic Rim 4Real Milk founder Greg ‘Farmer Gregie’ Dennis has put the call out to consumers to back the brand.

Resource effi ciency is certainly in focus

ANDREW Wilson and his wife Kelly Boyd have become accus-tomed to being under the spot-light when it comes to their farm management decisions and busi-ness analysis data as the North-ern Rivers Resource Effi ciency Focus Farmers. In the fi rst 12 months, the couple has worked with facilitator Phil Shannon, and their committed support group, to take a challenging journey towards improved busi-ness sustainability.

However, what of their envi-ronmental sustainability? What has helped to focus their efforts in this area? Are there changed management practices that have delivered outcomes for both

business and environmental sus-tainability?

As part of the initial goal-set-ting exercising for the project, Mr Wilson completed the Dairy-SAT, or Dairy Self-Assessment Tool, which highlighted a need to address the way he managed effl uent from the dairy and uti-lise this valuable resource on areas of the farm.

“The Fert$mart nutrient management plan, which was developed in August last year confi rmed that mostly the farm had good soil fertility, however, there were a couple of areas which would benefi t from ongo-ing access to the potassium and have the right soil type to use more phosphorus from the effl u-ent,” Mr Wilson said.

Last month the couple were visited by the Dairy Australia’s national effl uent technical ad-viser, Scott McDonald, of Vic-toria’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, to discuss a de-sign to improve the capture of effl uent and help make it ap-plication-ready through either a

designated irrigator or through the existing irrigation system.

Mr McDonald focused on the possible cost-recovery aspects of investing in a better system. “The Wilson’s Fert$mart Plan outlined that nutrients in their liquid effl uent, when valued as an equivalent cost in fertiliser, was worth approximately $3000 per annum,” he said. “Addition-ally the nutrient value of solid and sludge reuse from various points in the system could also be factored into the equation to increase value even further. We can utilise this resource by in-stalling a simple solids trap sys-tem, enlarging the existing pond and using current equipment in place to get it out onto the pad-docks.”

Mr McDonald’s main purpose during his visit was to ensure proper sizing and design of the system, including an allowance for increased cow numbers to the herd.

Mr Wilson said: “It will be great to have a plan to move forward on this. Throughout the project, we have focused on pas-

ture management and increasing forage growth.

“Using effl uent nutrients to drive yield makes good business sense. I can also integrate solids when preparing soil for summer cropping for a cheap potassium and phosphorus boost.”

Another undertaking for the farm has been a calculation of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Assessed upon com-mencement of the project using production and input data from the 2013/14 fi nancial year, the ‘DGAS’ emissions calcula-tor, developed for the Austral-ian dairy industry, analysed the farm as having an emissions’ intensity of 18.2 carbon dioxide equivalents per tonne of milk solids (t CO2e/t MS) or total farm GHG emissions of 1641 t CO2e/annum.

Dairy Australia’s land, and carbon consultant for NSW, Marguerite White, explained the difference. “Intensity allows results to be compared between farms, irrespective of differenc-es between such as milking herd size and level of milk produc-tion,” she said. “A farm can be very effi cient in their intensity but have an overall total emis-sion far greater than their neigh-bours simply because they milk more cows. The NSW average intensity for the same period in 2013/14 was 13 t CO2e/ t MS, so the Wilson property came out quite high.”

As enteric methane (meth-ane produced from feed diges-tion) is the main contributor to GHG emissions on dairy farms, what is fed to the cow can have a marked impact on emissions intensity. The Wilsons’ DGAS Report suggested that improve-ments in diet quality could de-crease emissions quite signifi -cantly, as could use of effl uent more effi ciently on the pad-docks. The DGAS calculator also modelled the scenario of planting 5ha of trees in marginal lands to demonstrate sequestra-tion benefi ts — an intensity re-duction of 0.5 CO2e/ t MS.

“Looking at improvements in quality diet manipulation and cost-effective nutrient sources

14 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Environmental

sustainability examined at focus farm

■ Fert$mart nutrient management plan developed

■ Greenhouse gas emissions calculated

Support Group member Ken Bryant, focus farmer Andrew Wilson and facilitator Phil Shannon view one of the farm areas that will benefi t from effl uent fed through the irrigation system.

are compatible with the more production-focused aspects of the project that Andrew has been working through,” Ms White said. “The development of the annual forage plan, which set out to improve both availability and quality of home-grown feed in a cost-effective manner, pro-vides a diet of enhanced digest-ibility.

“A project closing GHG emis-sions calculation will be under-taken later this year based upon 2015/16 fi nancial year fi gures for the farm.

While overall emissions may increase due to the purchase of land and increased cow num-bers, some changed manage-ment practices may refl ect posi-tively on the emissions intensity for the farm.

Interestingly, the NSW aver-age in 2014/2015 had decreased by 0.8 t CO2e/ t MS. Hopefully Mr Wilson is able to demon-strate a comparative drop.”

Figure 1 provides an overview of the source of GHG emissions on the Wilson farm.

Mr Wilson said: “While I

wasn’t sold originally on what the resource effi ciency aspects of this project would offer, I knew it was important to the

industry because of increased market and government expec-tation.

“I now can see that this side of the business complements my business goals and can di-rectly improve profi tability. Resource effi ciency, or sustain-ability, can be a byproduct of staying focused on operating a more streamlined business overall.” ND

The Northern Rivers Re-source Effi ciency Focus Farm project is supported by Dairy Australia and the Australian Government, with ongoing contributions made by lo-cal organisations, the North Coast Local Land Services, Norco and the Subtropical Dairy. Keep up to date with the project by visiting website <www.dairyinfo.biz/focus-farm>. For further informa-tion on the project, contact the project manager, Marguerite White, mobile 0447 500 415.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 15

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

Figure 1: Source of greenhouse gas emissions Wilson farm 2013-14

Enteric Methane 53%

Indirect N2O53%Direct

N2O 8%

Pre-farm embedded16%

Energy consumption 9%

Waste Methane 4%

DAIRYBASE is a tool avail-able to dairyfarmers to help them analyse their re-sources, both physical and fi nancial, and how they are using them. In summary, it helps to analyse and give farmers an understanding of overall farm business performance.

DairyBase, through com-parative analysis, allows farmers to compare their farm business and perform-ance over time, and also compare with other similar farm businesses based on a range of different factors such as region, size and pro-duction system.

There are other farm business performance anal-ysis tools available to farm-ers, however, one of the attractions of DairyBase is that farmers are able to access the tool online, on either their computer, lap-top, tablet or phone, in their own time and place, and it’s as simple as going to web-site <www.dairybase.com.au> and registering for a password.

Once allocated a pass-

word, the secure tool al-lows farmers to set up end-less datasets based around their actual or potential scenarios. They can opt to keep their data for their own private use or make it available to their other business advisers such as accountants, bankers or business partners.

The biggest issue for many farmers will be data input into DairyBase — it takes a bit of practice to get to know what needs to be put in to get valuable re-ports out.

For many farm business-es, their fi nancial reports and cost categories are de-signed for taxation, rather than something that assists in farm business analysis or decision making.

The DairyBase tool itself is simple, however, good data needs to be put in, to get something usable out. Data needs to be in the cor-rect format and the user needs understand what the tool is seeking, for example, “what feeds should you in-clude in concentrates?” or

“what costs get recorded in calf rearing?”

There are a number of self-help guides on the DairyBase website to help with this process, including a Standard Chart of Ac-counts.

If users need more help, there is a free call number at Dairy Australia, or call the local regional exten-sion co-ordinator. Ray Mur-phy from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries can also help. Ultimately, the aim is for lo-cal accountants, consultants and bankers to be familiar with the tool and using it in their businesses with their dairy clients.

Figures and bookwork are not every farm busi-ness owners ‘cup of tea’ but understanding where the farm business is at and where the owners want it to be is crucial.

DairyBase, as a tool, has given dairyfarmers the abil-ity to record and analyse their fi gures anywhere they are online. So take the op-portunity and try it.

The benefi ts of having farm business fi gures and performance indicators at the fi ngertips to help make decisions is priceless.

Dairyfarmers in discus-sion groups in South East Queensland and the Bur-nett are looking at Dairy-Base in their discussion group meetings throughout February, with an aim of getting more familiar with the tool and the benefi ts it brings to farm businesses.

John Mulvany, from OMJ Consulting, will be back in the region in mid-June, to delve further into farm business analysis and look further at getting started with DairyBase and fi ne-tuning data and input re-quirements.

Mr Mulvany will run six one-day workshops throughout the Subtropical Dairy region.

Further details will be available soon. In the mean-time, take the time to visit the DairyBase website and register for a password at website <www.dairybase.com.au> to get started.

DairyBase helps farmers make most of resources

16 NRM UPDATE

NSW coastal farmers learn about soils

FARMERS in the north coast re-gion of NSW are learning more about their soils, through partici-pation in the Queensland Dairy-farmers’ Organisation and Sub-tropical Dairy Dairying Better ’n Better (DBnB) program.

The project, focusing on im-proving soil and nutrient man-agement practices, has recently conducted a series of soil sam-ples across 10 local farms in the Kyogle, Casino and Lismore re-gions.

The soil sample analysis then formed part of a series of soils workshops conducted in mid-March at Casino, NSW, and Bell-ingen, NSW.

A number of soils-related top-ics were discussed at the work-shops, including a discussion

on soil test interpretation, where farmers were provided with some understanding of the key factors to look for to understand future soil test analysis.

Soils consultant David Hall was on hand to discuss the is-sues and answer any questions

that the farmers had in relation to their soils.

An outcome of the workshop at Casino was the discussion re-lating to the plant root depth of local pastures and crops. Many of the farmers in attendance in-dicated that they were concerned

about the shallow root depth of many of their crops and pastures (including ryegrass, forage sor-ghum and oats), with many plant roots not reaching beyond the 0-10 centimetre range until after the paddock was cut for silage and regrowth was occurring.

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ Soil workshops

launch new program

■ Plant root depth concern

■ Demonstration farm to investigate issues

FERTILISERS, whether it be inorganic or organic, are a crucial component of the feedbase system. As an industry, dairy is trying to lower feed-related costs (FRC) on a cents a litre ba-sis, but farmers need to be careful about how they ap-proach this. Reducing or ceasing fertiliser application is not necessarily the answer to achieving lower FRC, and could in fact result in the op-posite.

The Law of the Limiting Factors states that a crop/pasture yield is determined by the most limiting factor. For example, more nitro-gen can be applied to grow pastures, but if there is not enough potassium or phos-phorus to match this, then the additional nitrogen is potentially being wasted.

This is why it is so im-portant to understand cur-rent soil nutrient levels and if there are any other soil health or structure issues. A good way to fi nd this answer out is through utilising inde-pendent agronomy services.

The Dairying Better ‘n

Better (DBnB) program has been delivering the Soil and Nutrient Management Planning service to farmers across the Subtropical re-gion since 2009, with fantas-tic results being achieved on farm. The service looks at a whole-farm approach to soil

and nutrient management, including assessing opportu-nities for better use of effl u-ent and manures.

In the coming months, the DBnB team will be commu-nicating with the farmers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment who were previ-ously engaged in this service to offer a subsided renewal of their Soil and Nutrient Management Plan.

Any farmers outside of this area who wish to learn more about accessing the service are encouraged to contact one of the DBnB team members for more information: Ruth Chalk, mobile 0400 669 994, Sarah Childs (South East Queens-land/Darling Downs), mo-bile 0459 989 102; or Joanna Srhoj (Far North Queens-land), mobile 0458 065 695.

Soil plans provide valuable insights

Participants at one of the soils workshops conducted as part of the NSW project.

The Dairying Better ‘n Better (DBnB) program has been delivering the Soil and Nutrient Management Planning service to farmers across the Subtropical region since 2009, with fantastic results being achieved on farm.

NRM UPDATE 17

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

New member for Dairying Better ’n Better teamTHE Dairying Better ’n Better (DBnB) program welcomes a new team member based on the Atherton Tablelands, Joanna Srhoj (nee Arthy). Mrs Srhoj has recently joined the DBnB team, with a wealth of knowl-edge in agriculture.

She was born and bred on a dairy farm in south-east Queens-land and has been living in Mareeba, Qld, since 1997.

Mrs Srhoj’s key roles and re-sponsibilities will be to assist dairy-farmers on the Atherton Tableland with completing QDairySAT and action planning, delivery of soil and nutrient management plan-ning, and assisting successful Reef Water Quality Grant recipi-ents with completing their project requirements, among a range of other tasks.

A little more information about Joanna SrhojAfter graduating from Year 12 at St Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane, I completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the Uni-versity of Queensland (St Lucia campus).

To satisfy the requirements for work experience as part of my degree, I travelled to Katherine

in the Northern Territory and worked for four weeks on Row-lands dairy.

To complete my fourth-year research project, I worked for six weeks at Mutdapilly Re-search Station on the heat stress team (lead by Tom Davison). I received the highest grade pos-sible for my fourth-year research project.

In July 1997, I accepted a po-sition as experimentalist (plant bacteriology), located in Mareeba with the Department of Primary Industries and have lived in and around Mareeba ever since.

As an experimentalist, I worked predominantly on bacterial diseas-es of tobacco, potatoes, capsicums and bananas.

I travelled in January 1999 to the Philippines and South Africa. While in South Africa, I presented a paper at the International Bacte-rial Wilt Symposium. When the experimentalist contract ended, I took another position in DPI as a horticulturist for lifestyle hor-ticulture. I was involved in three Rural Industries Research and De-velopment Corporation (RIRDC) funded research projects that fo-cused on the evaluation and selec-tion of northern Queensland native

plants for the cut fl ower and foli-age industry. I was also the north Queensland extension offi cer for lifestyle horticulture (cut fl owers and foliage, nursery, turf, land-scaping).

In November 2006, I completed my Masters of Agribusiness (UQ) and resigned from DPI before the birth of our fi rst child.

My husband and I have 3 chil-dren — Karolyna, 9, Raychelle, 7, and Zarek, 6. While raising our three children, I continued work-ing for Shepard Australia (avocado growers cooperative) and Cairns

Highlands Green (pumpkin grow-ers private marketing company).

In May 2015, I returned to my career and have been subcontract-ing to a private agribusiness con-sultant (Alison Larard) and am working on a Northern Gulf beef industry project.

This work involves analysing the fi nancial performance of beef industry businesses in the North-ern Gulf region using customised spreadsheets. For each business, 25 parameters/key performance indicators are calculated and ana-lysed to highlight key issues for each business.

This project is in collaboration with the Department of Agricul-ture and Fisheries Beef Team and Department of Natural Resources and Mines. The preliminary results of this project will be presented at the International Rangelands Con-ference to be held in Canada in July.

While I will continue to do the beef work, I am looking forward to returning to ‘my roots’ in the dairy industry through this work con-tract with Queensland Dairyfarm-ers’ Organisation and I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the progression of the industry on the Atherton Tablelands. ND

This issue will be further in-vestigated through the project, by development of a Soil and Nutri-ent Management Plan (SNMP) on one local demonstration farm (located at Fairy Hill).

A SNMP is a comprehensive report of the soil and nutrient sta-tus of the farm. It identifi es dif-ferent farm management zones across the farm, and involves an in-depth analysis of soil nutrient levels and soil health.

An independent agronomist will work closely with the farm to develop the SNMP and pro-vide advice on implementing any recommendations suggested in the report.

A key part of the SNMP is the analysis of shallow (0-10cm) and deep (10-60cm) soil samples that have been recently taken across the demonstration farm.

A key question to be answered will be whether the deep soil

samples provide more under-standing about the plant root depth issue.

The results will be presented at a fi eld day on the property in June.

It will be interesting to see if there are any indicators as to why plant root depth is so shal-low across many farms in the region.

The project is funded through the Australian Government’s

National Landcare Programme, and is delivered by the Dairy-ing Better ’n Better for Tomor-row program, a joint initiative of Subtropical Dairy (SD) and the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation. Additional fund-ing was provided by the SD Far North Coast regional group to cover the cost of soil sample analysis and development of a soil nutrition report for each of the 10 participating farms. ND

New Dairying Better ’n Better team member Joanna Srhoj.

18 NEWS

Fonterra searches for extra value

By Jason Dowling and Jared Lynch

LACTOSE-FREE, organic, per-meate free, gluten free, light, easy to digest — there is no end to the choices when buying the white stuff that comes from cows. There are more varieties of milk than there are of Coca-Cola. But what about milk that can sit in the fridge for three weeks without going off?

That’s the new frontier in the competitive battle for Australia’s multi-billion dollar milk market with a new $31 million plant opened in Cobden in Victoria’s west to process microfi ltered milk sourced from local farms. Microfi ltered milk is pasteurised like other milk, but also goes through a microfi ltration process that removes more than 99 per cent of the non-harmful bacteria that causes milk to sour.

The new microfi ltration An-chor brand milk will have a shelf life around a third longer than normal milk, a big edge for the brand with use-by date a key de-cision factor for consumers. Reg-ular milk lasts about 15 days on the fridge shelf. Microfi ltration extends this to 21 days.

While microfi ltered milk is already available in Canada and the United Kingdom, the new Anchor milk is the fi rst micro-fi ltered milk in Australia and will initially be sold in Victoria at Woolworths. Those spruiking the premium brand milk say it is “clean on the palate and has dis-tinctly no after-taste”.

Choice’s Tom Godfrey said the new microfi ltered milk was great news for consumers who had a problem with milk going off. But, he said, at $3.29 for two litres of full cream, Anchor milk consumers were paying 65 per

cent more for microfi ltered milk compared with supermarket pri-vate label milk, for a 40 per cent longer shelf life in the fridge.

Anchor milk is owned by dairy giant Fonterra and the company’s Kiril Simonovski said expiry date was important to consumers. “That is primarily because they want to make sure they are not wasting product and have enough to get through their regular week,” he said.

But he said the strength of the milk had to be in taste. “Ul-timately we think the strongest benefi t is around the taste of the product and the consistency of the taste through its entire shelf life,” he said.

Microfi ltration changes the bacterial level and not the fat level, so there will be low fat and regular full-cream milk varieties. Figures from Dairy Australia

show full-cream milk is making a comeback.

Full-cream milk sales are up 4.6 per cent, reduced fat is down 5.8 per cent and no fat sales are down 16 per cent, in the fi nancial year to September.

Nutritionist at Fonterra Aus-tralia Kim Tikellis said the aim of microfi ltered milk was to cre-ate a healthy product with an improved taste to increase milk consumption, especially among teenagers.

“If we can convert our chil-dren back to drinking cold glass-es of fresh milk — that is the big nutritional advantage,” she said.

The Australian dietary guide-lines recommend adolescents have 3.5 servings of dairy a day. A cup of milk is one serve.

Nutritionist and chief execu-tive of Nutrition Australia Vic Division Lucinda Hancock said

microfi ltration did not seem to af-fect the nutritional value of milk. “So it remains a great source of calcium and protein, plus many other essential vitamins and min-erals,” she said.

She said dairy was one of the fi ve core food groups that people should aim to eat every day but between 40-90 per cent of Aus-tralians didn’t get enough calci-um, putting them at risk of poor bone health and osteoporosis in their adult years.

Industry analyst with Dairy Australia John Droppert said the Australian dairy industry was increasingly concentrating on value-adding products in the global market, particularly infant formula and specialty cheese.

He said local milk production was approaching 10 billion litres a year. Despite Australians drink-ing more milk, branded product was struggling.

There has been a progressive shift away from traditional fresh milk brands since the big super-market chains slashed the price of fresh milk to effectively $1 a litre in 2011.

Even new product launches, which have tried to carve out a point of difference, have per-formed poorly.

The Complete Dairy — which Japanese-owned food and bever-age company Lion launched last November — has failed to gain any traction according to the lat-est Aztec grocery scan data. This is despite it including 70 per cent more protein than regular full cream milk, and including no powders or artifi cial ingredients.

Another brand that was launched recently and has strug-gled to gain market share, with less than 1 per cent nationally, is Paul’s Farmhouse Gold. The brand, owned by dairy giant Parmalat, has used nostalgia in its marketing, saying it has the “wholesome, extra creamy taste of real milk fresh from the farm”.

Even non-cow’s milk has struggled. Despite the hype around goat’s milk, which is a niche segment of the market, it is not growing, with less than one per cent of the overall market for the past four months. ND

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ New microfi ltered

milk produced in Victoria

■ Sells for premium over private label milk

■ Most new milk brands fail to gain market share

Fonterra’s Cobden production manager Brett Rowlands and production supervisor Brad Matin. Picture: Rob Gunstone

NEWS 19

QFF launches natural disaster support website

THE Queensland Farmers’ Fed-eration (QFF) has launched a new website <farmerdisastersupport.org.au> designed to assist Queensland farmers and primary producers with simplifi ed and localised support during natural disasters and drought. The web-site presents the full cross-sec-tion of postcode specifi c fi nan-cial and social wellbeing support available to farmers and primary producers. It will benefi t mem-ber organisations and the entire Queensland agriculture sector.

QFF chief executive offi cer Ruth Wade said the website al-

lowed farmers and primary pro-ducers to input their postcode, select their industry and then see results and services specifi c to their local area that prioritises on-farm and industry specifi c ad-vice and support.

It can often be confusing and overwhelming when trying to ac-cess assistance during drought and natural disasters. Much of the assistance on offer comes from a variety of organisations and different levels of govern-ment and these can often be dif-fi cult to navigate.

This website is designed to collate all these services and support networks into an easily negotiable, up-to-date set of lo-calised results. QFF has worked closely with the Queensland Government and its industry member organisations to ensure it has delivered a service that will help everyday farmers access the support that is available to them.

In Queensland, farmers have had a long association with cyclones, fl oods and drought, with many farmers having to endure one event after another.

<Farmerdisastersupport.org.au> was constructed through funding from Queensland Gov-ernment’s Department of Com-munities Child Safety and Dis-ability Services. Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman con-gratulated the QFF on producing a useful new resource to help farmers access information eas-ily in the midst of a disaster or to plan for the future.

“Queensland farmers are the cornerstone of our state, which is why it is particularly important that we support them in crisis situations to make sure they can get back on their feet,” she said.

Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson also commended QFF for developing this fantas-tic resource. “During this record drought, we have expanded fi -nancial and other assistance be-yond farm business support to help farming families and farm communities,” she said. “This project has been funded from the Queensland Government’s Com-munities Assistance package and provides a handy central source to access the range of organisa-tions providing assistance.” ND

Visit the website at <www.farmerdisastersupport.org.au>.

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

NOMINATIONS were called recently to fi ll the vacant positions on the Darling Downs District Council and the Queensland Dairy-farmers’ Organisation State Council created by the resignation of sitting member Wes Judd late last year.

Following on from the nomination process which closed on Friday, February 26, the QDO had received one nomi-nation for the District Council position and one for the district rep-resentative to the State Council. Those nomi-nations were received from Brendan Hayden, Clifton, Qld.

Mr Hayden was therefore declared the District Council mem-ber and State Coun-cil representative for the Darling Downs. He took up his positions with immediate effect.

QDO Darling Downs district positions fi lled

THE Queensland Dairy-farmers’ Organisation (QDO) has launched a new more modern web-site at <dairypage.com.au>. The new site will en-able members and the broader community to easily engage with QDO news, events and content.

The new website will act as a launching pad for QDO to increase its dig-ital and media presence and to more proactively represent the interests of dairyfarmers in Queens-land. Jump online today and become familiar with the new website.

QDO launches new website

KEY POINTS ■ Website to help

farmers in natural disaster

■ Provides localised information about available support services and funding

■ Easily accessible

20 TICK LINE

More than 1000 submissions on tick line

THE Queensland Government has received more than 1000 on-line and written submissions and heard feedback from more than 1000 people at public meetings during consultation on the future location of the cattle tick line.

Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson said the consultation process, which ended on Febru-ary 29, had ensured all interested parties had been heard. The sub-

missions and feedback will guide the fi nal decision on the location of the tick line.

“The information we have gathered will now be reviewed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and a fi nal decision will be based on minimising the impacts of cattle ticks on Queens-land’s livestock industry as a whole,” she said. “All through this process we have been com-mitted to listening to what pro-ducers want.

“The location of the tick line needs to take into account local knowledge and the special situ-ation of each individual region, and I am confi dent we now have the information we need to make the best possible decision.”

Ms Donaldson said her de-partment had attended 19 public meetings hosted by AgForce, the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Or-ganisation and community groups along the current tick line, and in some regions, strong opposing opinions had been expressed.

“This is a vital issue for Queensland’s livestock industry and it is inevitable that opinions vary,” Ms Donaldson said.

“This is the fi rst opportunity in 30 years for broad industry con-sultation to improve cattle tick management in Queensland.

“Yet some key themes are emerging from the surveys.

“About 85 per cent of respond-ents agree the tick line should be positioned to provide the greatest possible protection for the tick-free zone.”

The fi nal decision will be made by Ms Donaldson based on feed-back from the consultation proc-ess.

Industry will be briefed on the decision before July 1. There will be no appeal process and no com-pensation. ND

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

KEY POINTS ■ More than 1000

submissions received

■ 19 public meetings held

■ Vital issue for Qld producers

By Helen Walker

BEEF and dairy producers on the Eastern Darling Downs voted overwhelmingly to leave the tick line in its current location at a meeting in February.

About 70 producers attended a meeting, called by the Queens-land Dairyfarmers’ Organisation, on the Queensland Government’s proposed changes to the new tick line, which was addressed by Biosecurity Queensland at the Pilton Community Hall, 60km south-east of Toowoomba.

The Pilton Valley and sur-rounds is a clean zone that bor-ders the control zone, which in turn borders the infected zone on the eastern Great Divide.

Unanimously, producers at the meeting put in a group submis-sion to leave the tick line where

it is and justify their decision ac-cordingly.

Queensland Biosecurity’s David McNab told the meeting that if the current tick line was working, or if there was no better option, it would stay.

Producers responded saying

the present tick line had worked for them for the past 60 to 70 years, and it shouldn’t be moved west of its present position.

It was agreed that a group submission, showing they had a good case as there had only been two tick infestation outbreaks in

the controlled zone in the past fi ve years, would be put forward to Queensland Biosecurity.

Long-time resident of the Pil-ton Valley, Graham Stark, re-minded the meeting that no one wanted tick infestation and that it was in their best interests to maintain their boundaries.

“I have lived here for 35 years and never had a tick on my prop-erty,” he said. “Those in the clean area should be helping those on the tick line to maintain that boundary line.

“Producers should maintain double fencing about four me-tres apart with on-going mainte-nance and a cleared fenced area of about 20m each side.”

A new framework for manag-ing ticks will be implemented un-der the Biosecurity Act 2014 and will start on June 30. ND

Producers say no to changes in the tick line

• The new cattle tick line will start on July 1 2016 as a provision of the Bi-osecurity Act 2014.For more information about the Biosecurity Act 2014, visit website <www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au> or call Biosecurity Queens-land on 13 25 23.• Consultation with key stakeholders and industry

representatives continued for a number of months and included face-to-face meetings with cattle pro-ducers.• There have been 19 public meetings hosted by AgForce, Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organi-sation and community groups.• At those meetings Gov-

ernment representatives listened to feedback from more than 1000 people.More than 600 online sub-missions and about 400 written surveys were re-ceived.• Respondents were en-couraged to provide feed-back on three options for management of the tick line.

Tick line changes in a nutshell

Option 1: The current free zone is the new free zone. The remainder of the state including the current con-trol zone, is the infested zone.Option 2: All of the current free zone and control zones are the new free zone. The remainder of the state is the infested zone.Option 3: The free zone be created by aligning the new tick line using major double fenced roads to create a buffer where practical. This option would allow the line to be moved to the most sustainable position.

Tick line options

Producers at a Pilton meeting vote to keep the tick line in its current location.

BOVINE JOHNES DISEASE REVIEW 21

New national approach for BJD released

THE framework for a new nation-al approach to managing Bovine Johne’s Disease (BJD) has been released by Animal Health Aus-tralia (AHA). The framework out-lines a new approach to the man-agement of BJD across Australia and is the result of 12 months of consultation and evaluation of ex-isting practices.

Queensland’s Johne’s disease

review committee has been consid-ering options for Johne’s disease management in light of the new national framework, and imple-mentation of new legislation that recognises shared responsibilities for biosecurity.

The Queensland cattle, sheep and goat industries still want to maintain the current low preva-lence, so producers will still be re-quired to assess and manage BJD to minimise the risks and impacts of infection, but without the cur-rent regulatory burden.

Until the new Johne’s disease strategy for Queensland is an-nounced, the current arrangements for managing Johne’s disease in Queensland remain in place. It is important that livestock owners continue to practice good biosecu-

rity when buying and transporting livestock.

Queensland’s new Johne’s dis-ease framework will be introduced with the Biosecurity Act 2014 on July 1.

The national BJD frameworkThe national framework for BJD shifts the focus of BJD manage-ment away from regulatory protec-tion and towards minimising the impacts of infection at the indi-vidual farm level. Regulatory pro-visions such as zoning, interstate entry requirements and quarantine restrictions will no longer be sup-ported.

Under the new framework, live-stock producers will be able to ap-ply biosecurity measures that best

suit their specifi c situation. The na-tional Johne’s disease committee is revising risk profi ling and health-declaration tools to support pro-ducers to make risk assessments and management decisions in their own best interests.

AHA’s executive manager of biosecurity Duncan Rowland said the framework outlined a new ap-proach to the management of BJD.

“Throughout the consultation period, time and time again, pro-ducers talked about the signifi cant emotional and fi nancial stress they faced when dealing with ex-isting BJD management regula-tions,” Mr Rowland said. ND

Further information on the national BJD framework is available at website <www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au>.

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

KEY POINTS ■ New national

framework for BJD management

■ Producers required to assess and manage disease

■ Removes regulatory burden on producers

IT was interesting to hear radio reports where Ani-mal Health Australia’s (AHA) executive manager Duncan Rowland com-pared the future purchas-ing of cattle under the AHA proposed new Bo-vine Johnes Disease (BJD) management scheme to someone currently buying a used car. In the ABC ra-dio report, Mr Rowland was spinning the line that a car buyer could get someone (like the RACQ) to inspect the car or they could just look at it and take it for a drive to reduce risk of be-ing ripped off with the im-plication that it would be the same with buying cat-

tle in Queensland. What Mr Rowland fails to

mention is that a used car buyer must receive a gov-ernment-mandated safety certifi cate or what used to be called a road-worthi-ness certifi cate issued by a qualifi ed and authorised entity. While this does not indicate value for money or suitability for purpose, it indicates that the vehicle is safe and is what it appears. Further the car buyer can go to the relevant govern-ment agency website and access data as to whether there is any legal issue in the title of the vehicle, which means, for example, the buyer can be assured

the vehicle is not stolen. If the government had

accredited inspectors test cattle and give assurances they were free of BJD, or other notable diseases, and buyers could access a website that had the move-ment history, health sta-tus of the cattle and close relatives available, then you could say it would be like buying a used car.

So while the AHA spin the “like buying a car” sto-ry, what Mr Rowland should be truthful about and said is that the AHA, assisted by the Queensland Depart-ment of Agriculture and Fisheries, is trying to im-pose a system that avoids

giving any of the protec-tions afforded to a used car buyer and would leave farmers exposed to much higher biosecurity risks.

The Queensland Dairy-farmers’ Organisation (QDO) has sent letters to the Minister for Agricul-ture, Leanne Donaldson, on biosecurity issues, including BJD and ticks, which I urge the Minister to personally read rather than receiving a summary fi ltered by the departmental advisers. This is because AHA and the de-partment are trying to sell us a lemon but Queensland dairy is not buying it and neither should the Minister.

—Brian Tessmann

Comment: Is the proposed BJD system a lemon?

22 NEWS

Property rights battle starts again

TREE coverage in Queensland has increased by almost twice the size of the Australian Capi-tal Territory in just three years as farmers battle to meet a growing demand for local high-quality food and fi bre. AgForce general president Grant Maudsley said a study by farmers showed State Government Ministers and green groups were ignoring data behind vegetation management.

“The fact is that trees grow, and right now they are re-growing at a much faster rate than they are be-ing managed,” Mr Maudsley said. “The State Government’s own data, shows that tree coverage in Queensland increased by 437,000 hectares between 2012-to-2014.

“Moves by the State Govern-ment to reject simple data and

repeal the current vegetation management laws are the big-gest threat to Queensland farm-ers since the Gillard Government smashed the cattle export trade in 2011.”

The Statewide Landcover and Trees Study shows clearing rates increased to 296,000 hectares in 2013-14. Despite the clearing, the amount of tree coverage still in-creased by 437,000 hectares.

The study also shows that re-tained woody vegetation cover has increased from 74 per cent to 76 per cent across the 52 million hectares that make up the crucial six reef catchment regions.

AgForce and Queensland Dair-yfarmers’ Organisation (QDO) members and local residents met in Mareeba last month to discuss the impact of changes to veg-etation management on Far North Queensland’s economy.

Mr Maudsley said Queensland landholders should not be subject-ed to punitive laws, promoted by State politicians who fail to back up their claims with scientifi c evi-dence.

Tree coverage increased in 51 of 77 council areas across Queens-land with signifi cant increases in Far North and North West Queens-

land, including Cook Shire (an ad-ditional 237,000 hectares), Car-pentaria (229,000 hectares), Burke (85,000 hectares) and Mareeba (40,000 hectares). This was off-set by reductions in vegetation in Desert Channels and South West-ern Queensland due to drought and mulga being used as cattle feed. The largest reductions occurred in Paroo Shire (256,000 hectares), Barcoo (166,000 hectares) and Boulia (146,000 hectares).

At the Mareeba meeting promi-nent Cape York Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson reminded everyone of the theft of property rights by successive governments when landholders had their vegeta-tion clearing rights removed by Queensland Government without any compensation.

At the same time the loss of landholders rights was used by the Federal Government to make the largest contribution to Australia’s Kyoto agreement of greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Pearson said indigenous and non-indigenous landholders needed to stand together to protect and maintain their property rights in the interests of their families, communities, regions and the na-tion. ND

Feedback sought on weed, pest management

■ KEY POINTSRevegetation data shows Qld tree coverage increased

■ Repeal of current laws threat to farmers

■ Call for indigenous and non-indigenous landholders to stand together

PROPERTY owners and other af-fected parties are being invited to provide feedback on the future management of weed and pest ani-mals in Queensland. Feedback will inform the Queensland Weed and Pest Animal Strategy 2016-20, in preparation for the Biosecurity Act 2014, which starts on July 1.

General manager for invasive plant and animals with Biosecu-rity Queensland Dr John Robert-son said this was the fi nal stage of consultation, following signif-icant previous consultation with industry representatives on the Queensland Invasive Plant and Animal Committee in the past year to develop the draft strategy.

“It’s important that land man-agers as well as government have a clear understanding of their responsibilities when it comes to managing weed and pest ani-mals,” said Dr Robertson.

“Under the new Biosecurity Act everyone, including land-holders, will need to take an ac-tive role in managing biosecurity risks under their control.

“It’s estimated that pest ani-mals cost Queensland $215 million each year by preying on livestock, causing crop loss-es, competing for pasture and spreading disease.

“This doesn’t include uncosted environmental and social impacts such as disease spread and traffi c hazards — so in reality the cost is much higher.

“Invasive weeds are also a challenge, costing the state an estimated $600 million each year in primary production losses and control costs, and degrading the natural environment.

“Clearly defi ned and accepted roles and responsibilities are cru-cial to the success of minimising

these impacts through long-term management of weed and pest animals in Queensland.

“That is why community and industry leadership and co-op-eration in the planning and de-velopment of strategies is key to maximising the benefi ts of weed and pest animal management.

“I encourage anyone who has an interest in, or if you believe you will be affected by, weed and pest animals in Queensland to provide feedback on how we manage them into the future.”

The consultation will run until close of business April 26. ND

To contribute to the future management of weed and pest animals in Queensland, visit website <www.qld.gov.au/weedandpeststrategy> or call the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 13 25 23 to provide a written submission.

QUEENSLAND Dairy-farmers’ Organisation (QDO), along with the Queensland Farm-ers’ Federation (QFF), has been busy in the past few months con-tinuing to advocate for sustainable electricity prices. In late January, Queensland Productiv-ity Commission (QPC) released its Draft Re-port on Electricity Pricing.

QDO provided input into QFF’s submission to the inquiry with the continued to highlight the importance of agri-culture to the Queens-land economy, and that high electricity prices compared with inter-national competitors made it diffi cult for Queensland producers to be competitive on an international stage. Other key areas of the submission included:• increasing retail competition in regional Queensland;• future outcomes and uncertainty of the elec-tricity network includ-ing lack of a long-term plan; • future tariffs and their impact on busi-nesses including de-mand charges and the signifi cant impact they will have on bills;• transitional program for farms accessing transitional or obsolete tariffs; and• tariff reforms and impacts on vulnerable customers.

Update on electricity issues for Qld farmers

THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER APRIL/MAY 2016

Dates DetailsApril 12 South Burnett IT session - Computer Basics,

Nanango RSL, Nanango, QldContact: Belinda Haddow

Phone: 0423 003 638Email: belinda@dairyinfo.biz

April 19 Open Day C4 Milk High Milk from Forage Demonstrative Trial (Phase 2), Gatton, Qld

Contact: Ross WarrenPhone: 0418 749 340

April 29-May 1 Tocal Field Days, Paterson, NSWContact: Ruth Luckner

Phone: (02) 4939 8827Email: <fi elddays@tocal.com>Website: <www.tocalfi elddays.com>

May 15-16 Gympie Show, Gympie, QldContact: Gympie Show Society

Phone: (07) 5482 1721Website: <www.gympieshow.com.au>

May 17 Open Day C4 Milk High Milk from Forage Demonstrative Trial (Phase 3), Gatton, Qld

Contact: Ross WarrenPhone: 0418 749 340

May 17 QDO/ADF Dairy Industry Forum, Warwick, QldContact: Kylie Dennis

Phone: (07) 3236 2955Email: <kylie@dairypage.com.au>

May 18 QDO/ADF Dairy Industry Forum, Maleny, QldContact: Kylie Dennis

Phone: (07) 3236 2955Email: <kylie@dairypage.com.au>

May 19 Rural Discovery Day, Brisbane RNA ShowgroundsContact: Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation

Phone: (07) 3236 2955May 22-25 The 31st Annual Alltech International Symposium,

Lexington, Kentucky, USContact: Website: <http://one.alltech.com/>

May 24-26 Irrigation Australia 2016 Conference, Melbourne, Vic

Contact: Irrigation AustraliaPhone: (02) 8335 4000Email: <info@irrigation.org.au>Website: <www.irrigation.org.au/>

June 1 World Milk Day Contact: Website:

<http://www.fao.org/economic/est/est-commodities/dairy/school-milk/15th-world-milk-day/en/>

June 7-9 Farmfest, Toowoomba, QldContact: Rural Press Events

Phone: (02) 6768 5800Email: <farmfest@fairfaxmedia.com.au>Website: <www.farmonline.com.au/events/farmfest>

June 16-17 2016 Dairy Research Foundation Symposium, Wagga Wagga, NSW

Contact: Michelle HewardPhone: (02) 4655 0631Email: <michelle.heward@sydney.edu.au>

June 23-25 Primex, Casino, NSWContact: Rural Press Events

Phone: (02) 6768 5800Email: <primex@fairfaxmedia.com.au>Website: <www.primex.net.au>

DIARY DATESTo have an event included in the diary dates, send information to Carlene DowiePhone/fax: (03) 5464 1542Email: <carlene.dowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au>or submit to website <www.dairyinfo.biz>

APRIL/MAY 2016 THE NORTHERN DAIRYFARMER

NORTHERN DAIRY DIARY 23

Malanda’s sale of the centuryBy Lea Coghlan

FAR North Queensland’s dairy industry will celebrate the cente-nary of the Malanda Show with a special all-breeds dairy auction on July 9, the fi rst to be held in more than 15 years.

The All-Breeds Sale of the Century is attracting signifi cant interest in the industry with at least 35 cows, a mix of milkers and young stock expected to be auc-tioned, offering some of the best dairy genetics in the state. Nine vendors will be drawn from the Tablelands, with six vendors from the industry in south-east Queens-land offering up animals.

Greg English, Eachamvale Illa-warras, one of the show organis-ers, said the sale would offer cows from all breeds including Illawar-ras, Brown Swiss, Jerseys and Holsteins.

“A stud sale of this calibre is quite rare in Far North Queens-land,” Mr English said. “Each sale lot has been individually inspected

by Mark Patullo, from Victoria, to ensure the quality is upheld.”

Brian Leslie, regarded as one of the leading dairy auctioneers

in Australia, will control the ham-mer.

Mr English, who will offer a heifer from the family’s award-winning Eachamvale Chance 22, said the sale was aimed at com-mercial farmers but also visitors, with young stock which could travel easier being offered.

Stock offered for auction will be shown during the day in the dairy competition.

Mr English said it was signifi -cant for a show the size of Malan-da to reach its centenary.

“Not too many things last for 100 years and for a small show like Malanda to be going strong for 100 years, its quite amazing,” Mr English said. “We want to make this as special as we can, a moment in time.”

The sale will be held at 7pm. A tour of local dairy farms and at-tractions is also being held. ND

Eachamvale Illawarras will offer a heifer from award-winning Eachamvale Chance 22, pictured here, back from left judge Baden Teese, Bronwyn and Greg English, daughter Rachel, middle row from left Rachel, Patrick, Hannah, Catherine and Jerry and twins Mary and Frances at front.