CONTENTS

Dairy Farming Systems

Outcome:  Best practise information presented to farmers on a range of dairy farming systems to help improve the profitability on individual farms and therefore improve the viability of the South Australian dairy industry

Project Activities and Achievements:

• Best Practise Information and Case Study Farms
  Focus Farm Project, Dairy SA  Appendix 26
  Focus Farms Project Brief
  Focus on Forage Project Report - Jul 05
  Focus Farm Report Jul 05 - Sept 05
  
  Focus on Forage is an initiative of DairySA and the SA Dairy Network (SADN) to increase home grown fodder productivity and directly increase profitability from pasture utlisation. The program is directly responsive to significant farmer feedback to DairySA and the SADN claiming that increasing home grown fodder utilisation and productivity is a major priority on farm. This is supported by feedback from Taking Stock session with pasture utilisation being the second most significant area for improvement on farm. The program has engaged 8 farms across South Australia to become case study farms. Four of them are in the Osuth East and 3 are in the Murraylands regions. A dairy farm consultant has been chosen to facilitate each farm.  The consultants organises monthly discussion groups on each farm around the state providing best practise information to participants throughput the season.  

The outcomes of the project are:

• Facilitate sustainable increases in farm forage productivity and profitability.
• Build confidence, knowledge and best practise skills among dairy farmers in managing on-farm change within the feed base.
• Provide a return on investment to funding partners and therefore ultimately dairy farmers in SA through a professional and coordinated extension process.
• Extend information to all dairy farmers in South Australia
• Achieve an increase in home grown fodder consumption, targets being set specifically for each dairying region of SA.

The consultants have provided the following:

• Develop forage plan (one on one) and potential (group & interim consult) meeting dates for a 12 month period.
• Publicise /promote first focus group session within the region where the focus farm in situated inviting all local dairy farmers and relevant service providers people to join the group. The focus group is not exclusive and a wide coverage of promotion in the region/locality is expected.
• Hold determined number of farm sessions (with the focus farm group) within the 12 months to coincide with the critical times of the year for all aspects of home grown forage management. This includes planning, preparation, delivery and reporting for each session as required.
• Prepare at least two feed budgets (in conjunction with the focus group) for the focus farm, one at the beginning of the program and one at the end. Ultimately review of feed budgets would be carried out each session to assist farmers in adopting this technique on farm.
• Provide list of focus group participants and their contact details must be submitted to DairySA.
• Conduct soil, plant and feed testing at critical times of year (within the budget).
• Recommend improvements on all aspects of home grown forage management.
•  Monitor home grown forage on farm at each visit (focus farm sessions and interim consults).
• Submit yearly report to Dairy SA matching Focus Farm activities and achievements with project outcomes.

The focus of forage is a partnership program with DairySA.  It is part of a state wide initiative, while funding has been allocated to establishment and running the project, continuing work is to be funded by DairySA to undertake financial performance of farms, and to extend the project and information further to farmers outside the focus farm groups and geographical areas.  There is a financial analysis still to be conducted Which will link in with the restructuring and consolidation activity of this project if the proposed extended timelines are excepted by DAFF.

Financial Analysis