News Convoys line up for drought-hit Support for farmers affected by the drought continues to grow, with more than 100 trucks registered to run hay to northern NSW from this region at the end of the month. Country News 1 hour ago 1 hour ago
News Priestly: don’t rush solar plan There’s no need to rush the outcomes of four solar farm proposals for the city, nor on a framework for future solar developments, the Committee For Greater Shepparton says. Country News 17 Aug 2018 17 Aug 2018
Equine Pony club notches 60 years Kyabram Pony Club held its 60th anniversary celebrations on August 4. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
News Last banks ‘stump up’ to help The banks, who have long taken from farmers, have finally ‘‘stumped up’’ to help them in the drought, Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
News Drought stress hurts farmers Farmers who are under 35 years old, living and working on a farm in outer regional, remote or very remote NSW, are experiencing greater financial hardship, and more frequently report personal drought-related stress (PDS), according to research published by the Medical Journal of Australia. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
News Bega buys Koroit from Saputo BEGA CHEESE has purchased Saputo’s Koroit factory for $250 million. Saputo will supply 300 million litres of milk each year until June 30, 2020, under the deal. The transaction is subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)... Dairy News 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Dairy Giant jigsaw takes shape Fonterra’s Stanhope cheese plant reached another key milestone in its expansion this month, with the arrival of new cheesemaking equipment. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
Dairy ADF ready for code of conduct consultations A stronger dairy industry code of conduct would include a formal dispute resolution mechanism and penalties procedure to solve conflicts between farmers and processors, according to Australia’s peak dairy farmer group. Country News 11 Aug 2018 11 Aug 2018
Dairy Yalca dairy farmer has had enough The ‘for sale’ sign on Steven and Kristi Dalitz’s 200ha dairy farm at Yalca has been hanging on the front gate for the past year. Sophie Baldwin 09 Aug 2018 09 Aug 2018
Dairy Lack of demand affects prices A sale of a commercial Kyabram herd at Shepparton last week reflected softening prices for some dairy stock. Country News 02 Aug 2018 02 Aug 2018
Horticulture Free pest info offered Australian apple and pear growers are invited to attend free training in integrated pest and disease management to help preserve orchard health and viability. Country News 14 Aug 2018 14 Aug 2018
Horticulture Flying fox fix sought State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed has called on the Victorian Government to address the growing flying fox problem in the region. Country News 08 Aug 2018 08 Aug 2018
Horticulture Boots boost safety Orchard and farm workers from the Malaysian community in the Shepparton area are extremely thankful to a Tatura manufacturing business which has donated second-hand work boots to be distributed among them. Country News 07 Aug 2018 07 Aug 2018
Cropping Barley claims investigated The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Landmark Operations (trading as Seednet) for allegedly making false, misleading and deceptive claims in a fact sheet for its barley variety known as Compass. Country News 21 hours ago 21 hours ago
Cropping Performance boost for balers Precision and consistency are the hallmarks of Case IH’s round baler range, with recent improvements further enhancing its performance in the paddock and the bottom-line for producers. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
Cropping Sample carefully for best results The accuracy of fodder analysis depends on the sample you send to the laboratory. Country News 16 Aug 2018 16 Aug 2018
Livestock Breeding to beat drought Genetic selection for condition score (muscle and fat) is paying dividends during the drought, with Merino sheep able to handle the challenge for NSW farmer Chad Taylor. Country News 20 hours ago 20 hours ago
Livestock Projects seek poisoning fix NSW livestock producers are being warned to be alert to the potential emergence of pimelea as research continues into solutions to treat livestock poisoning from the potentially fatal plants. Country News 19 Aug 2018 19 Aug 2018
Livestock Health check During winter, ill-thrift and scouring is a common occurrence and one where multiple causes should be considered. Country News 17 Aug 2018 17 Aug 2018
Livestock Live exports in limbo City people ‘‘in soy latte cafes’’ and ‘‘keyboard warriors’’ have been criticised by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack for not understanding the complexities of Australia’s valuable live sheep export market. Country News 15 Aug 2018 15 Aug 2018
Water Catching ’em young A new fishing platform will be built on the banks of the Goulburn River in Seymour to improve accessibility to the water for fishing, particularly making it safer for children to have a go at wetting a line. Country News 40 minutes ago 40 minutes ago
Water No plans for Sugarloaf pipeline use The Victorian Government has no plans to use the Sugarloaf pipeline, built between the Goulburn River and Melbourne water storages, this season. Country News 2 hours ago 2 hours ago
Water New report says stop farm water transfers A new government report has failed to identify any easy ways of finding water savings out of agriculture for the Commonwealth’s environmental purposes. Country News 15 Aug 2018 15 Aug 2018
Management Subsurface drainage keeps farm on top FARMING SUCCESS all starts underground for Cooriemungle’s Andy Powell. His farm, just 15 km inland from the iconic Port Campbell National Park, receives about 750 mm of rain every year but, with subsurface drainage covering 98 per cent of the... Rick Bayne 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Management Gold plaque just reward for team approach COORIEMUNGLE DAIRY farmer Andy Powell has been named in the Top 100 dairy suppliers nationally in the Dairy Australia 2018 Milk Quality Awards. The annual awards recognise farms which have achieved the best milk quality based on annual average bulk... Dairy News 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Management September Reminders Grain feeding When the grain price and milk price change, the opportunity to make milk from grain for a margin also changes. Grain prices vary depending on the type of grain fed, additives used and volume delivered; the price is currently between... Dairy News 23 hours ago 23 hours ago
Management Education goes outside the classroom TESS BLAKE has just spent 12 weeks on work placement in the dairy industry as part of her final year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. Ms Blake’s placement was organised by Murray Dairy and was... Dairy News 20 Aug 2018 20 Aug 2018
From the Experts Bringing new pastures on line GETTING YOUR grazing rotation right is critical to maximise your pasture production. A well-managed rotation will help not only to boost pasture intake per cow but enable a more effective use of supplements. Establishing a rotation with newly sown... Dairy News 22 Apr 2018 22 Apr 2018
From the Experts Genetics may ease heat stress THE MODERN dairy cow is highly susceptible to the effects of heat and in the Australian climate, the effects of heat stress cause millions of dollars in lost production every year. Temperature and humidity that exceed certain thresholds lead to... Dairy News 16 Apr 2018 16 Apr 2018
From the Experts Five tips for growing better maize FutureDairy’s Yani Garcia says management has a big impact on the profitability of a high input crop such as maize. “A profitable maize crop is achieved by optimising both yield and nutritive value,” Professor Garcia said. “Very high... Dairy News 08 Mar 2018 08 Mar 2018
Markets World wheat crop, fodder supplies declining WE ARE now more than halfway through winter, and more than halfway through a year that has so far been unseasonably warm and dry. Rainfall for the year to date has been well below average in most of southern and eastern Australia and across the... Sofia Omstedt 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Markets What’s the alternative? THERE’S BEEN lots of discussion lately about alternative — or non-dairy — milks and whether they should be allowed to use the word “milk” at all. A lot people in the dairy sector are getting pretty excited about the US Food and Drug... Jo Bills 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Markets Tide turns but more needed to lift confidence THE NEW dairy season has just commenced, and there is already plenty to keep track of. We have seen some of the highest opening prices ever announced coincide with farmer confidence hitting a multi-year low, more farmers than ever changing processor... John Droppert 13 Jul 2018 13 Jul 2018
Machinery & Products Wrangler makes hoof work easy THE WRANGLER dairy crush, popular in New Zealand dairy sheds, is now available in Australia through De Wit Trading. “I had a farmer ask if I could import one in for him. I looked into it and thought this is brilliant and just what is needed... Dairy News 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Machinery & Products Weigh and go without woe THE HIGH cost of fertiliser makes it important to understand how well a spreader performs — in the quantity applied and the spread pattern. Quantity is taken care of by calibration, to compare set rates with actual weights, and spread pattern is... Dairy News 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Machinery & Products The toy for big boys ONE OF my favourite toys as a child growing up was a 1:16 scale Case 580D backhoe, a proper, quality Ertl piece made to withstand the rigours of childhood play, and last. I wore the paint off that thing not only carpet farming indoors, but sandpit... John Droppert 3 hours ago 3 hours ago
Machinery & Products Tractor lives up to expectations JOHN ALLEN’S career as a diesel mechanic and hay contractor has put him behind the wheel of a lot of tractors, but his latest purchase has impressed him like few others have. Last year, as his business continued to grow, he was in the market to... Dairy News 23 hours ago 23 hours ago
Animal Health Every picture tells a story AT OUR farm visits, we often take photos of key factors that we identify, and also the dairy shed layout — it helps us to quickly and easily recall the details later. But as the collection of images has got larger, finding a specific image has got... Rod Dyson 23 hours ago 23 hours ago
Animal Health Do you have the facts on mycoplasma? MYCOPLASMA IN dairy herds is a topical issue. Much of the media coverage has related to farm biosecurity, management options and the decision to eradicate. This article discusses mycoplasma in relation to animal health: how does Mycoplasma cause... Gemma Chuck 13 Jul 2018 13 Jul 2018
Animal Health Detecting cause of lameness the first step LAMENESS CAN be on par with multiple mastitis cases as one of the costliest animal health issues on a dairy farm. More than 75 per cent of all lameness in Australian dairies is related to non-infectious lesions, with White Line lesions being the... Dairy News 13 Jul 2018 13 Jul 2018
Animal Health An unintended consequence CAMERON* WAS feeling comfortable. The expansion plan for the family farm had gone well. He had secured a long term lease on the block next door, added another 50 cows (with plans for more), extended the dairy shed, and employed a labour unit to... Rod Dyson 13 Jul 2018 13 Jul 2018
