Farmer panel facilitator Bec Wyper from Murray Dairy, with dairy farmers Deanne Hore (Leitchville), Jacob Gardiner (Lockington) and Dustin Kemp (Lockington).
A three-person farmer panel talking about adaptation and resilience in a changing climate was one of the highlights of Dairy Australia’s Farmer Forum held in Moama recently.
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Facilitated by Murray Dairy’s Bec Wyper and featuring dairy farmers Deanne Hore from Leitchville and Jacob Gardiner and Dustin Kemp from Lockington, the panel shared details of how they were moving their businesses forward.
The Hore family transitioned its management to a housed barn system in 2019 and has moved its calving pattern to every day.
While the move hasn’t been without its teething problems, the family is comfortable with where it is and the direction it is heading, which has included one of the family’s children returning home to the farm.
They currently milk 500 cows and have a working staff of eight.
“We love our cows and we love farming, so we decided to invest in the barn system and we see a great future ahead,” Mrs Hore said.
The Gardiner family milks 900 cows on a hybrid partial mixed ration system.
Initially they ran a grazing system until the 2019 drought which saw them pivot to a total mixed ration — moving forward they have met somewhere in the middle which includes the use of a rock based, concrete trough feed pad used over the summer months and grazing over the winter months.
“Rather than invest in concrete I see our future in expanding land and water,” Mr Gardiner said.
Mr Kemp milks 180 to 200 cows as a sharefarmer.
He said while he was limited by the size of the dairy he was focusing on growing in other areas.
Feeding a mix of lucerne, annual rye-grass and summer fescue, Mr Kemp operates a flexible system which allows him to take advantage of cheaper water prices.
“I am focused on water efficiency and storing away as much fodder as possible,” Mr Kemp said.
“If water costs get too high, I can turn off the lucerne over summer and lean into my stored fodder.”
He also has a couple of shady paddocks to help mitigate heat stress over the summer months.
The forum also included Dairy Australia’s AGM and a Young Dairy Network presentation — Investing in the Next Generation.
YDN farmer Ebony Mull from Kiewa spoke about her participation in the 12-month Murray Dairy YDN Development Program, which included a 14-day United States study tour.
The program focused on succession and career planning.
Ms Mull milks 250 cross-breed cows with her parents and she said participating in the program was an amazing opportunity.
“I learnt a lot about succession and the benefits from setting goals which is helping me on my own dairy journey,” she said.
“Travelling to the US was also great, particularly looking at the way things are done in different systems.”
Since returning home she has changed the way they manage teat hygiene and she is also looking into fluid therapy.
As a qualified vet, Ms Mull said fluid therapy helped support pain relief while reducing anti bacterial resistance.
“We are also looking at diversification opportunities as well,” she said.
Dairy Australia managing director David Nation said it was great to get out and into the regions after COVID-19 and online meetings.
“The AGM was well attended and there was great local support from farmers,” Mr Nation said.
He said Dairy Australia saw a positive future for dairy in the Murray region contingent to access to water.
“The panel was a great example of how business has evolved and how dairy farmers are farming with confidence and embracing opportunity,” he said.
Some of the audience at the Dairy Australia Farmer Forum in Moama on November 28.
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