Milk Quality Improvement Visits have been instrumental in enhancing the production, quality and efficiency of his 500-strong herd. Until recently somatic cell counts (SCC) were a thorn in the farm's side - despite good management practices across the farm and a new cow shed, the farm was consistently recording cell counts above 150,000. No matter what Chris and his team did, the cell count wouldn't budge.
Farm Source put Chris in touch with Paige McLaggan, Milk Quality Manager - Waikato. Paige is a dairy farmer herself and has a firm understanding of what is practical when providing recommendations to farmers.
"I am a person who needs to see something work before I promote it to others," she says.
Paige visited Chris on his farm to discuss how he was currently managing mastitis and the bulk SCC and what he was hoping to get out of the visit.
"I then observed milking so I could check different areas such as how machines were functioning, teat health, teat spray coverage etc. We then discussed what I had observed during my visit - what areas were working well and areas I thought could be tweaked to help him better manage his mastitis and help lower the bulk SCC," Paige says.
Chris says he received a written report highlighting the recommendations within a few days of the visit. "We were already taking standard Dry Cow Therapy (DCT) steps but one of the things the team and our vet suggested was changing to short acting DCT and teat sealing all cows," he says.
The results were, in Chris' words, "phenomenal", with the farm's average SCC dropping dramatically from 195,000 one season down to 110,000 the next. So dramatic in fact that the farm has now reached Te Tihi status under The Co-operative Difference.
"It’s been a real win-win for us," Chris says. "Not only with the financial incentive but it's given our team a real morale boost and has become a real source of pride for them. It has also saved a lot of time on farm. For every case of mastitis you get, there's a lot involved in running a separate mob - so it simplifies management."
And Chris' advice for other farmers who may have been in the same boat is to "go for it because it might be worth a few bob. It's a free service and you don’t have to implement what they suggest if you don't want to. You've got nothing to lose and maybe a lot to gain."
Fonterra's General Manager On-Farm Excellence (Milk) Chris Appleby says high quality milk is central to the Co-op's success. "Dairy is who we are and what we do best and our farmers are known for producing some of the finest milk in the world. Farmers like Chris take great pride in this so it's important that we continue to support him, and all of our farmers, when it comes to protecting this reputation. We also know that lowering SCC for some farms can be an effective way to improve productivity with no additional inputs, helping to reduce emissions intensity."
Advice on milk quality is just one of the services Farm Source offers farmers for no extra cost. Others include:
- Support on farming sustainably with tailored Farm Environment Plans and Farm Insights Reports, which outline what efficiency boosting opportunities exist on farm.
- A suite of digital tools which can make farm management simpler and save farmers' time.
- A dedicated and skilled on-farm support field team including Sustainable Dairying Advisors and Farmer Support Advisors, who can help farmers with compliance requirements.
- A range of financial tools to help farmers manage their shareholding portfolio.
Visit your local Farm Source store or call 0800 65 65 68 to find out more about Farm Source's milk quality support services.