While the new system was implemented over a relatively short period, Luke is still reaping the benefits of the changes.
Luke – who is also the Subtropical Dairy Regional Development Program Chair – milks 110 Jersey cows in a 10-aside Herringbone dairy in partnership with his wife, Bek. He has been on his current 96-hectare property at Glenore Grove, located in South-east Queensland’s Lockyer Valley, since 2002.
In 2016, Luke joined the C4Milk project, a research initiative aimed at helping dairy farmers in the Subtropical and Murray regions improve profitability through efficient feeding systems and high-quality forage production. The project is jointly run by Dairy Australia, Murray Dairy, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, and the Gardiner Foundation.
Luke recognised that there was an opportunity to improve pasture quality and growth, and the C4Milk delivery team were engaged to help him address the issue, specifically on the milking cow grazing platform.
“There was a combination of things that were spiralling for us, and we’d got to a stage where we weren’t managing our pasture as well as we should have been,” Luke says.
With the assistance of the delivery team, the first step Luke took was shortening his pasture rotation from 23 days down to 12-14 days.
By shortening the rotation and being able to irrigate more regularly, pasture quantity improved – meaning Luke’s herd were only eating the top leafy stratum of the pasture and leaving behind the lower, less nutritious stemmy material. This method is the underlying principle of Proportion of Un-grazed Pasture (PUP) grazing.
With higher quality feed intake, it didn’t take long for the results to be seen in the vat. Within three weeks, milk production had increased by an average of two litres per cow per day.
Greater pasture quantity also allowed Luke to successfully switch from a partial mixed ration feed system – 50 per cent grazing, 50 per cent in a feedpad – to a total pasture-based system that incorporates kikuyu base in summer and ryegrass over autumn/winter. This was a large saving on feed costs and also protected topsoil.
“When we were using a partial mixed ration system, we were cultivating more land, and between that and multiple flood events, we were seeing quite a lot of topsoil loss,” Luke says.
“The C4Milk team helped convince us to go back to a total pasture-based system, and we haven’t looked back.”
Thanks to applying 100 kilograms per hectare of urea after every rotation, a shorter rotation meant fertiliser application increased by 50 per cent – but Luke said the benefits to milk production made the extra cost worth it.
Water usage also increased, but Luke now controls irrigation more efficiently with a solid set system installed about eight months ago, replacing the low-pressure boom. The upgrade – made possible with guidance from the C4Milk team – has been a gamechanger, and offers huge savings from a labour perspective.
With Luke’s system now as optimised as possible, he intends to increase his herd size up to 130-140 cows within the next 12 months.
He is grateful for the help of the C4Milk delivery team and encourages other farmers to be involved in extension projects.
“If someone else has the time and energy to do the research and then work with you on the extension side of things, it’s a fantastic opportunity as it saves you from going into things blind,” Luke says.
Australia’s dairy industry thrives on continuous innovation, and Dairy Australia plays a pivotal role in collaborative research that delivers tangible benefits for farmers.
To find out more about the C4Milk project, please contact Subtropical Dairy Regional Manager & Executive Officer, Brad Granzin, on 0431 197 479 or email brad@subtropicaldairy.com.au.
