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The Muster- Morgan Greene: NS Vets · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Morgan Green joins us once again from NS Vets based
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: in Riversdale G'day Morgie since we spoke to you last
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: it's been wet but from a vet's perspective what's the
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: situation like?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Oh look yes it certainly has been wet and I
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: guess One of the challenges that that creates, in particular
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: for cows, is there's certainly a lot more lameness around
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: this year than what we normally expect. Though I guess
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: maybe the last two years is the new normal along
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: with this year, and it's something we're going to have
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: to deal with in the future. But when we have
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: cows that are in wet, soft conditions for as long
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: as what it has been, essentially their feet just soften up.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: So lameness has certainly been a big issue. And I
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: guess people definitely need to look at some strategies around
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: how we deal with that. So it's really taking cows
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: slowly coming into the shed. It's not pushing them too
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: hard when they're on concrete. And you really do need
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: to consider things like once a day milking, in particular
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: for the younger girls as well. Often that will be
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: the case just because of feed situation. as well. But
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: lameness certainly is a big issue. And then the other
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: thing that we're seeing a wee bit more of at
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: the moment is mastitis. And look, and that's just due
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: to the conditions that we have out there. And I
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: guess one of the major preventatives that we have around
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: mastitis is just making sure that teeth spray is being
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: applied correctly in sufficient quantities. And so most people now
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: have automatic sprayers. There's very, very little... manual spraying happening
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: in sheds these days, especially once they're out of the
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: colostrum mob. But, you know, it's just making sure that, hey,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: the sprayer is actually working adequately. And you do need
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: to stand there and watch it work and make sure
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: that it is hitting all teats of all cows. And otherwise,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: they're not really having that protection once they get back
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: out into the paddock. So, yeah, that's really, really critical.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: And then the other thing that you can do is
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: to do a teat score and just make sure that
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: teat condition is okay, and if not, coming up with
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: a strategy to try and fix that.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Going to once a day milking, this is just going
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  Speaker 1: to have to be something in the toolbox for people
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: to consider, considering the feed levels.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, 100%, and a lot of people will have
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: considered that already, and whether it's once a day or
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: just reduced frequency, three and two, whatever it's going to be,
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: it doesn't really matter, but just Reducing that frequency is
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: certainly going to help in certain situations. We need to
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: make sure that cows are not losing too much weight
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: because at this time of year, cows are designed to
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: produce milk. It's just making sure that we can keep
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: body condition score on them. Most of the cows that
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: I've seen recently, to be fair, are still looking pretty good.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: We did have that... That might have been two years
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: ago when we had that first really wet spring that
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: we were in a similar situation where guys really held
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: condition for a long period of time, but kind of
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: suffered for it a little bit later after that, just
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: because cows did actually produce quite well. So it's just
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: a case of continuing to monitor things, making sure that
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: you're doing all the basics as much as you can
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: each and every day. And look, and just being mindful that...
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: It is tough. It's not easy to get through things.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: Focus on the positives. Focus on the little wins that
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: happen each day. Focus on the fact that we've got
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: a reasonably warm, windy day today, which is helping to
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: dry things up a wee bit. All of those are
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: little positives, and it's a case of trying to control
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: what you can control and taking the little wins as
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: you get them.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Controlling the controllables. I like that saying. OK, lambing season.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: It's been a hell of a ride yet again. People
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: are supposed to be tailing at the moment, tractors going
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: and the likes, but it's not happening. So it brings
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: a bigger conversation into play. If you're a tailing contractor,
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: shout out to all you guys and gals out there. Jeez,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: you must be tearing your hair out.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, it's certainly not going to be easy. There's
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: not going to have been too many days when it's been...
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: when they've been able to get out there and do
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: the job. I know typically these school holidays are ones
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: where a hell of a lot of tailing happens when
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: all the kids are at home, but hopefully next week
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: might get a little bit done. When conditions are the
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: way that they are, the key, it kind of gets
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: back to some of the basics, the key being having
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: ewes that are in good condition, that are going to
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: be milking well, that the lambs then are, healthier, they're
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: hitting the ground well, the use trace element status is
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: where it should be. So lambs are getting up, they're feeding,
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: they're getting colostrum in as soon as possible. That's really
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: the key to it because unfortunately in wet, muddy conditions,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: if lambs are not thriving as soon as they hit
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: the ground and getting that colostrum into them, their immunity
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: is not going to be I guess, on track straight away.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: So they are definitely more prone to that. So we're
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: definitely going to see a lot more in the case
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: of joint infections following on from naval infections and all
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: of that. So, again, it's one of the extra complications
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: that you have. Obviously, some of the stock losses are
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: much higher when conditions are really, really poor, but then
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: there's also secondary health effects that happen then as well
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: as a result of that infection. But I say it
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: kind of gets back to not necessarily what's happening now,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: but what has happened already from the point of view
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: of having those animals in ideal condition at lambing time,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: which is really, really important. And I guess it gets
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: back to some of your conversations over the last couple
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: of weeks around what is the ideal lambing date? What
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: is the ideal calving date? Should we be making things
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: a little bit later in the year than what traditionally
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: they have been? just because we're potentially going to have
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: a little bit more grass around animals in better condition
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: when they're lambing and or calving. When you've got longer grass,
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: you do have less mud. So all of those things
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: are just so important, but it's a whole farm system discussion.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: It's not a quick fix as such. It's around potentially
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: having to change systems. Personally, I think it's a really,
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: really good idea to be lambing that a little bit later.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: Often those animals do catch up, but look, as I say,
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: it's an individual farm discussion and it is a whole
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: farm system discussion as well.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: In is Fitz. Morgie, how do people get in touch?
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, just pick up the phone, give us a call,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: 2025636 at Riversdale, 2497039 at Teana.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: Morgan Green, always appreciate your time on the muster.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: No, good to chat, Andy, and look, you know, As
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: I say, I think we're looking like we've a few
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: better days ahead of us, which, you know, will certainly
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: pick people's spirits up and, yeah, hopefully just helps to
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: dry things up a wee bit because it's certainly needed
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: out there.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Morgan Green of NSVETS, based in Riversdale. This is the
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: muster on Hakanui. Up next, Steve Henderson farming down Awarua.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: And before the end of the hour, Newstalk ZB's Jason Pyne.