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Th Muster- Nathan Nelson: Dairy NZ · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:11
  Speaker 1: I love to have a beer with Duncan.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: I love to have a beer with Duncan. Welcome back
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: to the muster. Nathan Nelson of Dairy NZ joins us
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: on a hump day afternoon. G'day, Nathan.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: G'day, Andy. Good to be with you, as always.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, always good to catch up with the team on
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: what is an interesting period of weather. Well, what else
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: can you say about it, I suppose? It hasn't already
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: been said.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Oh, dead right, I think. And that's the situation that
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: we're all facing across the board, isn't it? So, yeah, look,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: extremely tough out there and very much in the trenches
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: and I think like you and I said off here,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: I think everyone's feeling it but our farmers are certainly
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: on the front line of dealing with that and trying
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: to keep up with the battle.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: So how is it from a dairying perspective I suppose
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: because you're getting well through calving now but grass is
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: the issue.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Yes, very much so and utilisation of that like as
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: we said, not telling anyone what they don't already know
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: but utilising what feed is actually in the paddock is
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: certainly the challenge with saturated waterlogged soil. So yeah, probably
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: just keen to spend the time without telling farmers what
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: they already know, but we've probably rounded up just some
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: top comments from speaking to the vets that are out
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: there on the front line one-on-one at the moment and
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: some of our leading farm consultants and obviously some of
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: our own DairyNZ insights. Just a few top tips, I suppose,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: or things to think about just to try and manage
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: that feed situation at the moment. Most guys will be
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: well and truly onto their second round and sort of
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: charging through that second round. And we're probably still just
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: in that tricky tail end of calving with still having
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: a few mobs to juggle and still a few tail
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: end calves and springer mobs and colostrums and dry cows.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: So yeah, that definitely adds a little bit of pressure
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: and juggle into the system. But Yeah if we have
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: a look at some of those options and again like
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I said it'll be you know range of options depending
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: on what you've got on farm or what your system
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: is but yeah first and foremost is probably looking for
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: you know the ability to stand cows off or even
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: hold them on the yard if you can after milking.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Ideally they have a palm kernel trailer or if you've
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: got a trailer or a feeder bale of baleage or
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: whatever you've got bale of hay or straw if you've
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: got a a trailer available, then put some palm cream
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: or even a DDG mix in it, just for a
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: bit of higher energy, so they've got something to eat
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: before they go back to the paddock. Ideally, feeding outwise,
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: in terms of silage or baleage, look, that's going to
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: be very dependent on your farm system, but feeding along
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: a secondary lane and behind a hedge line, feeding out
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: under a wire or along the edge of a paddock,
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: just pulling any of those levers to try and lift
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: the utilisation of that feed that is going out to
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: animals if you haven't got an ability or any infrastructure
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: on the farm. The other option, certainly if you're set
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: up with trailers for that palm kernel DDG mix, then
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: a trailer in the paddock, yep, you are going to
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: make a black circle or a ring in the paddock.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: That's just the reality of it. We'll have to fix
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: that or worry about that later, but again, just trying
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: to get some feed into cows in that way. If
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: you don't have that option or you have got a
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: little bale buggy or a hay rack or a straw rack,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: again having a bale in the rack in the paddock
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: with them just to give them some of that effective
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: fibre and give them a bit of room and fill,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: gut fill is a good option. If you've got a
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: herd size that you are able to split on, we're
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: seeing quite a bit of that happening so again just
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: probably prioritising out those mobs, anything that's a bit lighter
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: or younger cows going to get bossed around even more
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: so at the moment. in terms of feed competition. So
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: if you're at that point or running two herds or
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: multiple herds, definitely doing that split on younger stock and
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: body condition score just to help maybe prioritise that feed
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: or those mobs.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Supplement levels though after winter, how are they looking considering
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: normally around now, let's be honest, people have often done
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: a couple of, they've done a first go to baleage
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: almost or silage.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, definitely, we definitely went into winter with, you know,
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: like good stocks on hand, like autumn across sort of
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Lower South Island, sorry, South Island, Lower Southland was reasonably
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: favourable and like silage pits obviously did get filled back
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: up and baleage made. But yeah, no two ways about it. Definitely,
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: you know, like worthwhile just taking stock of where that's
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: at and Obviously the in-shed feeding option probably goes without
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: saying that will be the best tool for increasing utilisation,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: slowing the platform down. Yeah, trying to put, obviously feed
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: that way with it being higher energy and yeah, definitely
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: good utilisation as goes without saying. And then, yeah, look,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: probably the really only other practical option is having a
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: good look at if you have still got some of
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: those later calving cows and there's a hint of any
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: of them being empty or any obvious cows, then now's
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: a good time to probably go through and get them
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: scanned and just tickle away a few really obvious cows.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: It's not going to make a huge difference, but a
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: couple of less mouths to feed if they're not going
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: to be there for the season is probably the other
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: option to have a look at.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: A few sheep farmers looking at lambing dates going forward.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: Is it realistic to change your calving dates?
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Yes, certainly that's a discussion that, like we said, many
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: are having. I think once we're through the immediacy of
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: what we're dealing with at the moment, then certainly that'll
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: be a discussion in time heading into mating plans and
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: having a think about that, especially if you've got tight
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: calving patterns, sort of high stocking rates and on a
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: farm without any level of infrastructure or standoff. That's certainly
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: going to be a conversation for review, as we're certainly
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: seeing You know, some of those paper calving dates just
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: creep forward a little bit for various reasons. And yeah,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: like cows calving a lot earlier than what in theory
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: they should be in their calving dates. So, yep, I
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: think that's going to be a conversation and area that
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: we're very much going to look at in time and just,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: you know, cause for review around that.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: So you're encouraging people to get in touch if they've
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: got any concerns? I mean, it sounds like without telling
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: people to suck eggs, you've got to get out there,
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: you've got to talk to others. If you're feeling a
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: bit pigeonholed at the moment, everyone's in the same situation.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: That's the thing.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. We're probably at the point where we're encouraging
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: that phone call through to RST just to make sure
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: if you need a fresh set of eyes and you
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: haven't got a farm consultant or you're a bit newer
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: into the district or not as well connected as some,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: it's yeah, it's definitely the right option to do to
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: be able to get some support in there and just
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: come alongside people that need it and just, like I said,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: have a look at that fresh set of eyes. They
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: might just see something a little bit outside the train
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: tracks that, you know, could be a practical idea or
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: might be a little bit of a solution just to
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: help you through, yeah, the next period of weather that
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: we're facing and making sure animals are fed and just, yeah,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: checking in, conversation, human connection with those that need it.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: Good on you, Nathan. Thanks for your time as always.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Excellent, Andy. Good to catch up.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Nathan Nelson out of Dairy NZ. You're listening to The
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: Muster before the end of the hour. AJ Aitken. AJ Aitken,
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: I'll say that better. Southland rugby development coach. But up next,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: we're away over to Western Australia. Dave Biss, livestock rep
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: over there. We catch up.