"We get to come up with an idea, and as long as we can prove it could be of value to Fonterra Farmers, we can initiate our first steps, create a feasibility study and we get to run with it," he says of his job.
Six years ago, scientist Paul came to Fonterra after working with MilkTestNZ for 12 years. He had the initial idea for generic zinc testing across a herd and brought that idea with him to Fonterra to develop.
"We started to investigate the idea and it fitted into our goal of moving from intuition-based management to information-based management for facial eczema. There had been studies around the dosing of zinc and the effects that can be detected in milk and we went from there."
The typical facial eczema season starts in February, when warmer weather starts the production of spores in pastures due to the warm and moist environment. Depending on the year, cases of facial eczema can be seen as late as May as months stay warmer for longer.
Despite its name, facial eczema is more than a skin condition on the face of an animal. A cow's liver can be severely damaged by the ingested spores, resulting in chlorophyll from pasture not processed by the liver sufficiently and only then, when the skin starts experiencing a sensitivity to light, can the condition be diagnosed visually.
While good pasture management helps control the ingestion of spores, and dosing with zinc will reduce the toxicity of any spores that do get eaten, currently one of the best and most simple ways to ensure your herd is protected from facial eczema is utilising ZincCheck.
"Zinc helps to protect against facial eczema, but the levels must be maintained and correct. ZincCheck is a simple way to check the zinc levels in your herd by using a combined milk sample. If your result is in green, then you have at least 70% of your herd with sufficient zinc levels to help mitigate the effects of facial eczema," Paul says.
From red at one end down to purple at the other, ZincCheck can also tell farmers if their herd has potentially toxic levels of zinc due to overdosing.
"The results help to set up a dosing programme to ensure the herd is always at optimum zinc levels," he says.
ZincCheck is simple to order from a request in the online portal, says Paul. Collaboration with other like-minded organisations help to create the best result for Fonterra famers, he says.
"We work industry wide and have a really great collaborative approach with other agencies and organisations like DairyNZ and AgResearch. Working together helps us to identify best practices and bring the best back to our farmers."
What's coming next?
Paul says the release of a new milk sample test for liver damage is the next big thing on his calendar.
"In association with LIC, we will be releasing LiverCheck which will be utilising milk samples to determine if the herd has some level of liver damage. This will give us an indication of whether there is facial eczema in the herd. While facial eczema is not the only cause of liver damage it is the most probable cause over the late summer, autumn months. Outside this period it may allow us to detect other causes of liver damage, but more research is needed in this space," Paul says.
"A diseased liver is a hidden problem. If farmers don't see those clinical signs, then they think they don't have any issues. This will be a tool to monitor the whole herd and any levels of damage over time. It gives the farmer a greater understanding of their herd."
Our work is very targeted and based on how Fonterra can help its' farmers, he says.
"There is some crystal ball gazing. We need to think about what is coming their way, what might get in front of them and see how we can help them," he says. "It is not about the right here and now, but what's coming in the future. And that is why we are here."
For more information or to book a ZincCheck, visit nzfarmsource.co.nz/zinccheck.