Care for cows to lift returns

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Care for cows to lift returns

Passing on: guest speakers Frank Mickan from DPI, with Irwin Stockfeeds Shane Doherty and Peter Lowry and hoof trimmer Penny Cooper.

WHEN it comes to on-farm demonstrations, it doesn’t get much more hands-on than last Wednesday’s Young Dairy Development Day at Fish Creek.

Hoof expert Penny Cooper, from All State Bovine Hoof Trimming, grappled with grumpy and footsore cows as she showed South Gippsland farmers the tricks of the trimming trade.

A fascinated audience at Paul Hannigan’s Falls Road farm watched as Penny used the latest and greatest cattle crush to restrain the cow, making the process safe for woman and beast.

Penny’s mantra for the day was look after your cows feet and the cows will look after your bank balance.

“To get a cow producing high quality milk they need to be standing correctly and they need to be walking correctly,” she said.

“It’s like when you have a rock in your shoe; you are not going to be feeling yourself when you have that problem. “

It wasn’t just the hoof trimmer who held the 30-strong crowd’s attention.

DPI soils guru Frank Mickan was spreading the “Puggology” gospel to farmers who were wondering how to get their pastures back in shape when the rain finally stops.

With the sun shining outside, Frank stressed that making the effort to repair post-winter paddocks would pay off in the spring and summer.

Choosing the right combination of chain harrows, rollers and seeding methods were all crucial to a swift bounce-back in spring.

“But if you take one thing away from here today it is this – check if you have enough sulphur nitrogen and potassium in the soil,” he said.

Irwin Stock Feeds’ Shane Doherty and Peter Lowry spoke on the touchy subject of grain prices.

With the collapse of the northern hemisphere grain harvest, input prices have soared, putting further pressure on farmers after the farmgate milk price drop.

There was a silver lining in the message from the grain experts – things shouldn’t get any  worse.

“It’s possibly peaked,” Peter said.

“The projected view is that the northern hemisphere will have a much better season next year and that will impact positively on prices.”

YDDP Gippsland co-ordinator Irene Baker said the strong turnout was an indication that farmers want access to practical information.

“YDDP is funded by the dairy levy, so we want to return that investment in ways that directly help dairy farmers increase their production and profitability,” she said.

“It’s also a great chance to catch up with the neighbours and have a chat over a cuppa and snag.”

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Posted by on Aug 28 2012. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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