September 5, 2017 at 3:32 p.m.
Dairying down under
U of M students learn about Australian farming practices through an international experience
Staci Sexton was able to experience milking cows on an Australian dairy farm first-hand during an international dairy class. Amanda Rasmussen and Virginia Westlie – two other University of Minnesota students – also participated in the class May 24 through June 18. An average Australian dairy farm consists of 250 to 300 cows with a rolling herd average between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds per cow per year. (photo submitted)
Virginia Westlie, Amanda Rasmussen and Staci Sexton spent just over three weeks touring the land down under, getting a taste of the Australian dairy industry and seeing the sites through an international class they designed to fit their specific wants and needs. On June 18, the three college friends returned to Minnesota, eager to share their experiences with others.
While they could have traveled to a more dairy-prominent country, their decision to go to Australia was a matter of personal choice.
"I really wanted to go to Australia," Virginia Westlie said.
The fact that Amanda Rasmussen had family friends who dairy farm in the country also played a role in their decision.
"We gave them the guidelines of what we wanted to see and do and they set up the tours for us," Rasmussen said.
Between May 26 and June 18, the three women toured eight dairy operations - including the University of Queensland-Gatton's dairy, a biodynamic dairy (similar to organic), pasture-based and partial mixed ration dairies and a dairy with a rotary parlor. They also attended a dairy conference, a farm festival and the Northern Victoria Holstein Breeders Annual Dinner, toured Australia's ABS Global headquarters and the Center for Agriculture Science Control and Research - a P3 biosecurity-level research facility certified to test for bovine tuberculosis (TB) and West Nile - and spent several days at a 1,200-acre diversified crop operation.
Although the trip was designed as an international dairy experience, Rasmussen, Sexton and Westlie did find time to do a little sightseeing. They saw the famous 12 Apostles and the Three Sisters rock formations, hiked through rainforests and the Blue Mountains, viewed spectacular waterfalls, visited the Crocodile Hunter's Australian Zoo where they held kangaroos and petted koalas, surfed in Surfer's Paradise, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, explored the sights of Sydney and learned to throw a boomerang at Aboriginal Park near Cairns. To top off their adventure, the three spent their last night in Australia attending a play at the Sydney Opera House. Their travels took them throughout eastern Australia, including stops in Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns and Sydney, by way of plane and rented car, staying in hostels, hotels and with host families.
"It was awesome," Sexton said of the whole experience.
Although they did research before visiting the country, the women were surprised at the differences between the Australian and American dairy industries.
"I thought their dairy practices were a lot different than ours," Sexton said. "From a management perspective, they are more lax than we are here. Management of their crops is more important than management of their cows because their crops are the baseline for their cows to do well."
Most Australian dairy farms are pasture based, "but it is popular to feed a partial mixed ration (PMR) consisting of corn silage and a grain mix of cracked corn, barley, wheat and a vitamin and mineral mix fed in the parlor," Rasmussen said.
"Most of the producers there thought it wasn't cost effective to feed TMR," Sexton added.
Due to a drought they have been in for the past seven years, Rasmussen said Australians are very water conscious.
"Because of the drought, their water rights were drastically reduced," she said. "A lot of producers have gone to selling their water rights [to other farmers] instead of continuing to dairy."
The majority of dairies in Australia have parlor systems, mainly swing parlors to reduce the overhead costs.
Technology and advancements in the dairy industry of Australia have been slow in the coming, Westlie said, "Especially those to improve milk quality and consistency, such as wearing gloves, milking preparation procedures and automatic take-offs."
Monitoring somatic cell count, however, is a different matter.
"They may be behind us on advancements, but they are ahead of us on SCC," Rasmussen said. "Their premiums get docked if they are above 200,000, so they like to stay under 100,000."
With their pasture-based diets and management practices, Australia's average production per cow is lower than that in the U.S; between 15,000 and 20,000 per cow. An average Australian dairy herd is between 250 and 300 cows. Although Holstein is the most popular breed in the country, the women said it wasn't uncommon to see Holstein/Jersey crosses and crosses with other breeds such as Illawarra - a breed similar in appearance to shorthorns with the adaptability of Brahmas.
Because of the high minimum wage - at around $15 per hour - very few farmers hire outside help.
The three agreed the best part of their international experience was visiting the different facilities and learning about the Australian dairy industry.
"It was great being on the farms and really learning about their dairy management," Rasmussen said. "[The producers] often wanted to talk more about what American producers do than what they do. We talked about dairy practices in the states and shared our knowledge with them, and they were open to talking about their goals for their operations."
Because the trip was designed as a college class - the first international dairy class of its kind at the U of M - there were requirements of the women before, during and after their travels. Before they left, each did research and wrote a paper about the dairy industry in Australia. During their trip they kept daily journals of their experiences and, now that they have returned, they will each write a paper summarizing their trip, how the Australian industry compares to the American dairy industry and how the Australian dairy industry compared to what the women found in their initial research.
All three encourage an international experience to other students.
"I would recommend something like this especially for students who don't have a lot of experience in the dairy industry," Westlie said. "You learn some very good ideas to keep in mind and take back to your own family farm."
"Set up your own international experience and tailor it to what you want," Rasmussen said. "Don't be afraid to set your own schedule and get your own goals accomplished while you travel."
Westlie graduated from the U of M last May with a degree in animal science-dairy production. She did not grow up on a farm but gained dairy experience on her grandparents' farm and during her internship at the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, New York last summer. She is now working as a herdsman for a 250-cow dairy near Lester Prairie, Minn.
Rasmussen also graduated from the U of M last May with a degree in animal science-dairy production and minors in agronomy and applied economics. She grew up on a crop farm and currently works as a sales trainee for AgStar Financial, with plans to continue her career as a dairy management or farm business consultant.
Sexton grew up on a 90-cow dairy. She will begin her senior year of college this fall and plans to graduate next spring with a degree in animal science-dairy production. Her plans include working in the field of dairy genetics and eventually taking over her family's farm.
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