Animal Health

Nutrition will aid heifer growth

WELL-GROWN HEIFERS are more likely to reach their full potential for milk production and recover their rearing costs earlier, therefore it is key to have a management plan for your heifers and not neglect them. The critical times for feeding young...

Dairy News

The rise and fall of antibiotics

PERHAPS ONE of the greatest medical breakthroughs of our age was the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming in 1928. New antibiotics were rapidly discovered which revolutionised the means by which infectious diseases were treated. Common...

Gemma Chuck

Preventing lameness in your herd

LAMENESS IN cattle can occur at any time of the year but extremely wet conditions are associated with higher rates of lameness in dairy cows. This is because prolonged exposure to moisture causes the hoof to soften and increases the risk of...

Gemma Chuck

Preventing lameness in your herd

LAMENESS IN cattle can occur at any time of the year but extremely wet conditions are associated with higher rates of lameness in dairy cows. This is because prolonged exposure to moisture causes the hoof to soften and increases the risk of...

Gemma Chuck

Trace minerals issue universal

A TECHNICAL services veterinarian from the United States visited Numurkah last month to speak about cattle multi-mineral injection Multimin. Dan Tracy addressed a small group of farmers at MG Trading on June 18, and spoke about the research on the...

Dairy News

Farm activist inquiry

FARMERS ARE being urged to prepare submissions for a Victorian parliamentary inquiry which will look into how to protect farms from invading animal activists. The inquiry follows a series of farm invasions around Australia, and a public...

Dairy News

Welfare key in rearing calves

THERE IS not much Bernie McManus doesn’t know about rearing calves, after all he has been doing it for most of his life and has got the skill down to a fine art these days. Mr McManus and his wife Carol milk 130 spring calving Jerseys on their...

Dairy News

Farm security preparation

WITH THE intensification of farming and threat of emerging antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans, the demand for more preventative health measures is increasing. This includes proactive planning around biosecurity. Biosecurity is defined as...

Gemma Chuck

Swine fever impact

THE UNPRECEDENTED contraction in the supply of pork from China, due to African swine fever, will have a spill-over impact on the global dairy sector, according to a new report from global agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. The report, African...

Dairy News

Beware of feed risks

FARMERS WHO are using alternative feed sources as a strategy to manage dry seasonal conditions are urged to be aware of potential risks. Agriculture Victoria animal industries development officer Richard Smith said with the reduction of available...

Dairy News

Is your water just water?

WATER IS a basic resource. On a dairy farm it is used to grow feed, provide drinking water to stock, for washing, cleaning and a myriad of other tasks. And water is just water, right? Well, yes, but no! Water sources are many and varied on farms...

Rod Dyson

Tips to reduce mastitis risk at calving

For most cows, the highest risk period for new mastitis infections will be the calving period — we consider this to be from two weeks before she calves until two weeks after she has calved. During this stressful period, cows’ natural defence...

Rod Dyson

Farm safety: Why take the risk?

Even experienced farmers with good cattle handling skills and facilities cannot completely mitigate the risks associated with working with large animals and heavy-duty equipment. Dairy cattle are semi-domesticated which can sometimes lead to staff...

Gemma Chuck

Proof how critical calf care is

Half of a cow’s lifetime height and growth is achieved in the first six months of its life, according to a visiting American calf-rearing specialist. David Kuehnel was raised on a family farm in Wisconsin, which reared 1200 specially-fed veal...

Dairy News

Raising babies

Animal adviser Bob James provided an animated and colourful lesson in calf rearing for the crowd attending the South Australian Dairy Conference in March. The American scientist encouraged, cajoled and inspired the group to raise healthier calves...

Dairy News

Know your poison

There are more than 1000 plants in Australia that have been recorded as toxic to animals. This article discusses some common plant toxicities that can affect cattle. Nitrate/nitrite High levels of nitrate in plants is toxic to grazing cattle...

Gemma Chuck

Budgets and compromises

Tough conditions in the dairy industry have seen every farm closely scrutinising costs in an effort to allocate available funds to the most cost-effective options in virtually every area of their operation. The cost of treatment at drying-off is one...

Rod Dyson

Questions and compromises

It is now several years since we had been to John’s* farm. Back then he was milking 600 cows in a rotary dairy and had a significant problem with clinical cases of mastitis, mostly caused by Strep uberis. Some key changes to milking setup, dry-off...

Rod Dyson

Time to be vigilant on pinkeye

Pink-eye is a highly contagious, painful and debilitating disease that can severely affect animal productivity. In summer, increased sunlight and dust make the eye more vulnerable to the disease. Long grass and flies help to spread the infection...

Jeff Cave