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Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Couple's first year on farm working well
PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE Water has been feast or famine for Brendan and Avril Lane during their inaugural season on their first dairy farm. The couple milk about 380 crossbred cows on their more than 100ha effective property Matau Farm at Inch Clutha, a delta between the branches of the Clutha River, downstream from Balclutha. The Lane family supplies The a2 Milk Company, which recently gave them $35,000 to launch a sustainability project. Their project aims to increase water-use efficiency on Matau Farm, including the installation of a system to recycle green water from the effluent pond to clean the yard at the milking shed. Matau Farm gets allocated 51,000 litres of water per day through the Bruce Water Scheme, Mr Lane said. "It is quite a constraint for the number of cows we are running here." A new green wash system would allow them to use less water, which would lower the level of the effluent pond. The project outcomes would make the farm more resilient, he said. "Everything that will help us minimise our water use is going to be of a huge benefit to us." Most of the herd had been dried off and produced more than 141,000kg of milksolids on their first season on Inch Clutha. The couple felt fortunate to have worked for people who have helped them progress in the industry to farm ownership. Brendan and Avril Lane have been given $35,000 from the milk company they supply for a project to increase water-use efficiency on their dairy farm at Inch Clutha. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE Neither of them had a background in dairy farming. She was raised on a sheep, beef and cropping farm in Scottish town Dunbar, on the coast southeast of Edinburgh. Their business name, Dinnae Ken Ltd, a Scottish phrase for "I don't know" was a nod to their Scottish connection. He was raised on a sheep and beef farm in Waimate, South Canterbury and Moa Flat, West Otago. During his teenage years in West Otago, he gained experience working for "exceptional dairymen" Tony Roberts and the late Noel Caulfield. "That's what planted the seed, those guys and what they could do with cows and their passion for the industry." The pair met when she was on a working holiday in New Zealand and they then travelled abroad together. When they returned home, he worked as assistant manager running a milking shed and a crew for Stewart Eden in Riversdale, Northern Southland for a year in the 2009-10 season. They accepted an offer from Peter Templeton to lower order sharemilk about 360 cows in Kelso, West Otago for about two years from 2011. After that farm sold, they went lower order sharemilking for Murphy Farms Ltd in Waimate for five years from 2013. They accepted an offer to 50:50 sharemilk on a farm in Morven, South Canterbury, which had its herd "wiped out" by Mycoplasma bovis. In Morven, they milked 880 of their own cows on a 230ha farm for six years from 2018. Heavy rain flooded about half of Brendan and Avril Lane's dairy farm at Inch Clutha in October last year. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Their herd produced more than 2100kg of milksolids per hectare, about 560kg of milksolids per cow, a "huge" milk production, requiring minimal imported feed due to strong pasture management. "It was an amazing place and super efficient and that got us into a financial position to get us to the next step," Mr Lane said. They took over Matau Farm on June 1 last year. "Inch Clutha is the jewel in the crown of South Otago for growing pasture — it has incredibly fertile soil." The selection process of which 380 cows to take to Inch Clutha from their herd of 880 included selecting those which produce A1 protein-free milk, so they could supply The a2 Milk Company. Early calving cows were selected to maintain natural fertility in the herd. Cows which could handle being milked once-a-day while maintaining production were selected to protect the business if pressure was put on the herd for any reason. Any surplus cows and heifers were either leased or sold. By breeding an efficient herd with "super-high" production and breeding worths had allowed them to progress quickly in the industry. The selection process had resulted in a herd having an 80% six-week in-calf rate and a 7.5% empty rate. Most of their heifers were set to calve on Inch Clutha about July 12 last year, a few weeks earlier than similar herds in South Otago. The first three months' weather on Matau Farm were "amazing" and calving was finished by mid-September. Then the pressure was put on the herd due to more than 200mm of rainfall in 48 hours in early October last year. PHOTO: SUPPLIED More than half of Matau Farm was flooded, he said. Fortuitously, rubber matting was installed across the milking shed, yard and exit race before the deluge, giving the herd somewhere to stand and eat during the flooding. The cows could be fully-fed and maintain production during a time of pressure by being healthy enough to sustain once-a-day milking rather than a twice-a-day. As the cows had proven they could perform the adverse conditions in South Otago, they could easily sell 90 of them to make the most of strong demand for quality cows and to make room for the heifers coming through. "They are great cows we are selling — it is so hard to do." Mrs Lane said as the cows handled the once-a-day milking so well, the frequency had been maintained for all the season. "We carried on because it was good for them and good for us. The cell count was low and there was no lameness, the cows are really happy so we didn't need to change it." Mr Lane said from once-a-day milking, their herd, on average, produced more than 370kg of milksolids per animal, despite 45% of them being heifers. The average milk production in New Zealand is 400kg milksolids per cow. If the milking frequency was increased to twice-a-day to lift production it could come at a cost, such as the health of the herd's feet or reproduction, especially if pressure was put on again. Other benefits of once-a-day milking include having more time to repair fences and pasture and spend with their three sons Cameron, 14, Fergus, 13, and Robbie, 11. "They are great outdoor boys — they love fishing, hunting and motorbikes," Mr Lane said.
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
a2 Light Milk (2L) pulled out of WA supermarkets due to Listeria contamination concerns
Western Australian consumers are urgently advised to check their fridge after The a2 Milk Company (Australia) Pty Ltd issued the popular a2 Light Milk (2L) for recall because of concerns of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recall is only for products labeled with the "Use by 06/06 #41" date code, which have been sold only in WA at major supermarket retailers such as Woolworths, Aldi, and Coles. Consumers are advised strongly not to consume the impacted milk and return it to the store of purchase for a refund. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has also highlighted the risk severity, saying: 'Listeria infection can lead to severe illness, especially among vulnerable groups. Anyone who has consumed this product and is concerned for their health should seek medical advice immediately.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Was The Dream Girl In The 80s, This Is Her Recently Undo The a2 Milk Company issued a statement saying sorry for the incident and guaranteeing customers that their products' safety and quality are always their top concern. 'We are working closely with health authorities to ensure all affected products are swiftly removed from shelves. Consumers' wellbeing is our utmost concern,' a spokesperson said. The a2 Milk Company, established in New Zealand in 2000, specializes in creating milk derived from cows that only produce the A2 protein naturally. The recall does not impact other a2 Milk brands. Live Events For more details, consumers can contact The a2 Milk Company (Australia) Pty Ltd or log onto the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website. If any person develops symptoms like fever, muscle pains, or gastrointestinal disturbances after consuming this product, they are advised to consult a doctor immediately. FAQs on Listeria What is Listeria monocytogenes? Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can contaminate various environments and foods, leading to listeriosis, a potentially serious illness. It's found in soil, water, animals, and can even thrive under refrigeration. Transmission to humans primarily occurs through contaminated foods, especially ready-to-eat meats, unpasteurized dairy, and unwashed produce. What are the threats? Listeria monocytogenes can lead to severe illness, especially among pregnant women, unborn children, newborns, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. Yet even healthy people may become sick after eating contaminated foods.
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Farm sustainabilityfund to help farming family trial biostimulant
Dewhirst Land has eliminated synthetic nitrogen from its Canterbury soils which are about to get a bacteria and fungi boost, Tim Cronshaw writes. A Canterbury dairy farming family with a herd of 1700 cows is about to go deeper into soil health after being free of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser for three years. Dewhirst Land has just won a $35,000 grant from The a2 Milk Company's farm sustainability fund towards a project testing bacteria and fungi added to the soil with a tailored pasture mix. The supplier of a2 milk for Dunsandel-based processor Synlait Milk will foot the remainder of the bill for the $90,000 project on part of the 435ha property in Selwyn. As a structural engineer by trade, managing director Isaac Williams takes an engineering lens to the farm he jointly manages with his wife's family. He said the family had been running regenerative, diverse multi-species pasture for three or four years on about 85% of the milking platform. This had been producing good results and they looked to push this further with a trial based on a RespondBio biostimulant system. "We are a farm trying to push the boundaries a wee bit and be innovative in sustainability and regenerative pastoral farming. "In doing so it's a bit of a space where there's no real hard and fast research or evidence supporting it, not because it's not working, but because it's just that nobody has put the money into it." Mr Williams said they initially dismissed RespondBio as another "sales pitch", before revisiting its fungi and bacteria-enriching potential to test it for themselves. "We had always known with the soil health on Canterbury dairy farms it is a challenge to maintain high populations of fungi and bacteria, particularly fungi as the bacteria we've still got. "For us, we have been very much on that journey with agronomists and soil specialists Agrownomics and AgResearch who have been doing some trials on our farm as well. Time and time again the fungi side of things had come up." Fungi helped to breakdown organic matter and spread and mobilise nutrients within the soil and between the root systems, he said. "We asked ourselves how we could get more fungi and nobody really had an answer and I recalled this conversation that RespondBio had floated to us about fungi and bacteria and we picked up the phone. The prices were a bit up there and as a structural engineer by trade I'm all about numbers ... The numbers they had were relative to a North Island system which didn't really relate to our system here in Canterbury. So I told them if we are going to do this I wanted to substantiate it with our own measurements and track it, but by the time you factor in the product cost and the time doing the recording I didn't know if it would stack up as a trial." However, the claims for substantial increases in dry matter yields were appealing as it would mean they could reduce their supplementary feeding of palm kernel extract by growing more pasture on the farm. About the time they were toying with canning the idea, they came across a2 Milk Company grants. Mr Williams said they were pleased to get the funding to progress the project after preparing a proposal with input from their agronomists and AgResearch. Dewhirst Land will begin the trial over one year on 40ha in about October. This land will be split into two parts of four paddocks each, with one of the paddocks in conventional multi-species pastures as a control site, another sown in a customised dairy seed mix with no biostimulant and the other two paddocks sown in the seed mix with the biostimulant. This will be repeated at another site. "The idea there is we get a feel for whether it is the dairy seed mix or the bacteria and fungi which are doing wonders. So we can control for those two things to get some idea of what is giving us the best bang for buck. If it's successful we will look to roll it out across our farm and if it's not we carry on." Dewhirst Land is part of several benchmarking groups as the only farm with zero nitrogen and growing and feeding well above average pasture rates. Mr Williams said the farming system was working and he credited his father-in-law for making the change. "I don't think anyone's excited about removing nitrogen from the system when it has for so long been associated as arguably almost an additional feed as you just put it on and get new grass. From a mathematical production point of view I understand it, but we've been on a journey with a focus on soil health for five years now and the soil health has come a long way." Nutrients are added to plant leaves via foliar applications by PFA Contracting rather than the soil at Dewhirst Land, with pastures added with fish hydrolysate soil improvers, seaweed, amino acids, potassium humate and fulvic acids which are tailored every grazing round. Depending on the time of year they might do a pre- and post-graze spray of paddocks to get trace elements and nutrients into feeding cows, and follow this with a nutrient mix to improve soil and plant health. Over the past two years they have been harvesting about 16.2 tonnes of dry matter to the hectare compared with an average 15t/ha to 16t/ha in central Canterbury. "This season coming up we will be more than that." Only 15% of the farm remains in conventional ryegrass and clover pastures, which also go without synthetic nitrogen. Nor are their nearby 220ha support blocks fertilised with nitrogen. Mr Williams said there were still costs involved as they had to pay for other products and higher spreading costs, but they were at a point they could reduce some of this soon on balanced soils. "We have also partnered with Synlait and are doing full farm soil testing and they are helping support us to do that. Every paddock will be tested every season. The idea is Synlait's milk has a sustainable market placement adding value to their customers." Other ongoing projects are soil carbon measurements, methane inhibitors via the seaweed and technology measuring cow health in the rumen. Another interesting part to Dewhirst Land's system is it operates Roto Rainer irrigators instead of centre pivots which partner well with multi-species pastures as they respond well under moisture stress. Leaching losses monitored via modelling remain relatively high as the farm has a lot of nitrogen-fixing clover in the system. "This is where we hope the fungi and bacteria will help redistribute that nitrogen to the plants that need it, rather than just having it fixed in the clover and immediately around it. So we do lose a bit and we are still very much learning." Multi-species pastures include three different clovers, Italian and other ryegrasses, tetraploids, plantain, chicory, fescues, lucerne and timothy. A trial of sunflowers in a paddock was not repeated because of the mess left after grazing. The cows complete about 10 grazing rounds per paddock for the season. Three plate meter readings will be taken of the pasture's dry matter cover before and after each grazing round, followed by a pasture cut which will be bagged, then sent for the testing of herbage data as well as plant sap testing for the nutrient uptake. Then the dry matter percentage is monitored with the initial wet weight gathered for each cut compared with the residual result to get an exact picture of each yield. This is repeated for each paddock over the season for a total of 80 herbage and 80 plant sap tests. On top of this will be the trial's 16 soil tests with the soil's microbiology also to be analysed by Soil Foodweb for a micro-organism count in the soil before and after the trial. As a larger farm, Dewhirst Land typically runs its cows in four herds with paddock-to-production performance also to be tracked. Some of the split herd are winter-milked with the herd generally milking twice a day during the peak of the season. Up to 30% of the herd is reduced to once a day in the shoulder of the season if they need their condition improved or for animal health reasons. Mr Williams said the family was grateful for the support of The a2 Milk Company to do the work. "This project aims to enhance the farming system, improve the profitability of the farm to ensure the land is protected for future generations and also maintain the welfare of our cows. Through this project we hope to produce beneficial results that can be shared with the wider industry." A total of 19 projects received grants from the $575,000 fund, including 12 in Southland and Canterbury, with the rest in Australia. They included initiatives reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing diesel operated machinery with electric machinery run through solar, and building calf sheds to provide shade and shelter. The a2 Milk Company chief sustainability officer Jaron McVicar said it was encouraging to see the impact the fund was making for positive environmental outcomes on farms.
