With the financial backing of $400,000 from the Australian Government, the national feed.FIBRE.future program was launched in early June to provide farmers with one-on-one consultations, tools, information kits and a series of workshops to help them to assess and manage their feed situation.

Dairy Australia managing director Mike Ginnivan said the workshops, which will finish next Tuesday (July 10), had been a success with many farmers reporting they were crucial to their planning process. Farmers also reported they were continuing to benefit from the advice gained through the program.

“With the prospect of improved milk prices going into the new season, the immediate challenge is getting through the current feed shortage. However, farmers are telling us they have found it useful to discuss their options with an independent adviser and to go home with a clear plan of how they’ll feed their herds through winter,” Dr Ginnivan said.

“Even those who have already developed a plan have found it useful to talk to an experienced consultant to confirm they are on the right track,” he said.

Northern Victorian farmer Shelly Poole and her partner Paul Haley went into their one-on-one session concerned their farm did not have enough hay to get through the winter. The advice they got helped them to devise a plan to match the quality and quantity of feed on hand to the needs of their stock.

“Our cows will be better fed at the start of lactation because the consultation increased our focus on the cows’ diet and how to calculate what they were eating,” Ms Poole said.

Ms Poole added she liked the personal nature of the consultations.

“I really liked that we talked about the issues that I wanted to discuss. It is not often you get the opportunity to get free professional advice on nutrition and business management,” she said.

The 90-minute personal consultations are confidential and the topics discussed are guided by farmers’ needs. Information kits complement the consultations by covering the nutritional issues arising from the season’s tough conditions, such as making the most of limited fibre sources, assessing the risk of acidosis, using feed additives and closing the feed gap.

Dairy Australia co-ordinated and provided the leadership for the program, along with Australian Dairy Farmers, the Cattle Council of Australia and the Australian Government.

Farmers can find out more about the program by calling Dairy Australia on phone 1800 004 377. Fact sheets and the contact details of co-ordinators for each region are available here.

For more information, contact Sid Pickering on (03) 9694 3894 or 0418 175 611 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it