A below average wet season throughout the Atherton Tableland has forced the region’s remaining farmers to make the most of their pastures without adding costs to production.
It prompted dairy producers like fourth generation farmer Chris Daley to dig deep into his experiences, and rekindling old ideas, to find a solution.
After attending a dairy forum in Queensland, he and his son, Owen, decided it was time to start an experiment.
«The guy said when they did the seminar, ‘the electric fence is probably still at the back of the shed and you haven’t used it for a couple of years’, well, that’s exactly where ours was,» Mr Daley said.
We get a daily report card on how you’re going so changes you tweak in your diet or management can be pretty quickly reflected on the vat dipstick.
Colin Daley, OurWay Holstein Dairy
By segregating smaller blocks, he adjusted the rotation length and grazing pressure on his tropical pastures, better utilising his available grass and enabling his cows to reach peak flows earlier in the lactation cycle.
«I guess that’s the good thing about dairy farming, we get a daily report card on how you’re going so changes you tweak in your diet or management can be pretty quickly reflected on the vat dipstick,» Mr Daley explained.
«Then you can get some feedback on the sort of changes you’re making and whether they are successful for the cows and whether you need to change it again.»
Mr Daley milks 260 Holstein cows at Millaa Millaa in the picturesque ‘waterfall way’, at the top of the Palmerston Highway.
His family has been dairying for more than 100 years.
When he looks at in monthly performance indicators, he’s clearly a happy man.
Not only has the herd’s total production increased, but it also achieved average gains of four to five litres a day per cow.
Importantly, fat and protein percentages of the milk also improved significantly, bringing with it a benefit to the overall price paid by the processor.
Mr Daley said the gains came without any additional supplements or inputs to the herd.
«We’re still feeding the same amount of concentrates,» he said.
«At times of the year, the cows have access to some whole cotton seeds and we’ve always fed the cows a grain ration and some molasses in the dairy as well and we’re committed to continuing that.
«So any increases have been due to our better utilisation of the forages.»
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-11/making-most-of-grass-means-more-milk-at-millaa-millaa/7239654