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AR & BR PAILTHORPE |
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BECKHAM MATTHEW |
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BOYD FH & F |
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BURKE FARMING CO M & D |
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COLLARD T & BA & J & PA |
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COOPER PJ & JG |
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CRIGHTON IH & RM |
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CROUCH MH, RN & DA |
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EASTWELL VW & MJ, NW & MJ |
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GREER GR & JR |
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HARVEY A & HF |
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HENTSCHEL RL & NM |
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HERON JA & KM |
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JANNUSCH MD & BER |
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JOHNSON E, KRW & JG |
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JOHNSTON KS |
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KERR RL & BN |
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MARTIN IJ & PD |
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MULLER GA |
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O'BRIEN DN & HJ |
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PUKALLUS AW, ME, WD & IW |
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ROCHE GC EM SG & KM |
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ROCKVALE PASTORAL PSHIP |
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SCOTT DG |
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SIEBENHAUSEN SC & JE |
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STERNBERG DT & AR |
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SWEENEY JT |
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TREVOR DJ & CE |
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VAN LEEUWEN I.R., W. & J. |
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WALDRON KE & KF |
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WIECK N & FA |
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WIELAND GA & JE |
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WOLSKI GR & JE |
By: MONICA JACKSON
Northern dairy
farmers face the same problems as their southern counterparts, reports MONICA
JACKSON
DIVERSITY is the name of the game when it comes to dairy farming in Australia.
Not only are seasonal conditions as different as could be across the nation, but farming styles are as varied as the number of farmers.
Even within regions, the type of dairy farms are diverse.
Queensland Countdown Downunder co-ordinator John Miller said it was not rare to find an 800-cow feedlot farm a few minutes' drive down the road from a pasture-based system and a whole range in between.
Erratic climatic conditions play havoc on dairy farms, especially those in Australia's north, which is currently suffering severe drought.
But, despite these differences, the message to farmers about producing top-quality milk by lowering cell counts is the same.
``Cows are cows and mastitis is caused by the same bug throughout Australia,'' NSW Countdown Downunder co-ordinator Dick Buesnel.
Mr Buesnel said the Countdown Downunder courses had been well received by farmers and the industry.
``One of the big pluses is that the information provided is consistent throughout, regardless of whether it is coming from a vet, milking machine technicians or factory advisers,'' he said.
``All the information is in the technotes, so farmers know it has been researched and proven, not just someone's opinion.''
Mr Miller said farmers in south-east Queensland had been severely hit by drought and were concentrating on survival.
He said farmers were paying about $200 for a tonne of grain and $250 for a tonne of hay.
Mr Miller said farmers could not commit to the six days required by the Countdown Downunder courses.
But he said a couple of one-day seminars recently had been very well attended.
``We are looking at ways we can change the delivery of program to suit the farmers better,'' he said.
To celebrate the best farmers in the two states, we list the winners of The Weekly Times Countdown Downunder Milk Quality Awards and look at what has enabled them to among Australia's best.
The awards are co-ordinated by Countdown Downunder, the national program set up in 1998 to equip farmers with information and strategies to lower their herd milk cell count.
High cell counts in milk is caused by mastitis.
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For
more information on Countdown Downunder