Free-stall sheds 'work'

Dairy cows call free-stall barns their home for more than six months of the year and move back outside when the grass begins to grow again.

In Australia, there are a small number of producers bucking the trend of running their cows on pasture year-round, instead opting to see how a free-stall establishment could benefit their business.

In Gippsland, Nilma dairy farmers John Giliam and his wife Cobie are among this minority.

They installed a free-stall shed for their 300-head milking herd and admit the decision simply boiled down to the wet climate.

In the end, the desire to remove one element of risk fuelled the investment, Mr Giliam said.

“When you feed silage in a paddock in a wet winter like this one, half of it goes to waste,” he said.

“We’ve been able to save the pasture and it’s economical.”

The couple are now in their third season with the shed and are counting their blessings after seeing exactly how wet this year has been.

“I really don’t think I would be as happy now, if I didn’t have the shed,” Mr Giliam said.

“I couldn’t farm like I was anymore, I was getting so frustrated.”

Although it was a big financial investment to make - $2000 per cow to be exact, they were prepared to take the risk.

“We put in a feed-pad in 2000, but the cows still had to go in the paddock regardless,” he said.

“With the shed in now, the cows don’t have to walk as far to the dairy.

“That conserved energy goes back into making milk.”

Running a predominantly autumn-calving herd, he said the cost of buying a block of land was similar to installing the shed.

“This way - we’ve got more control over the elements,” he said.

Unlike many other farmers this season, there has been no pugging to pastures at the Nilma farm.

And the family-run enterprise also been able to run more cows and sustain production levels in what has been a trying time for the Victorian dairy industry.

“When you hear that lameness has put a dent in production levels around the State, you really understand how bad it has been,” he said.

While volume has not increased - the herd already is churning out an impressive 8500 litre average – the Giliams have noted an improvement in the quality of their milk.

“We were initially hoping for a 10 per cent increase in production, but haven’t seen that yet,” he said.

“What we have seen is that the heifers are doing much better and getting used to the system, and we are getting about 698 kilograms of solids per cow.”

After calving in March, the herd is housed until September, but with heavy rainfalls the period was longer this year.

“Even in summer when it’s hot, we’ll put them back in the shed, so they are kept cool,” he said.

A total mixed ration is used to feed the herd, based on a nutritional program.

“The cows get 3kg of wheat per day, as well as things like potatoes, citrus, canola,” Mr Giliam said.

In winter the herd also receives maize and grass silage, while pasture is utilised like any other dairy farm.

“We wait until the 2.5-3 leaf stage, before we cut the grass,” he said.

The Giliams use the ‘cut and carry’ system twice a day, with minimal wastage.

This season, he is hoping to really take advantage of extra growth to offset supplementary feed costs.

“This will be a good test to see how we can benefit from the shed,” he said.

At the moment, feed is split 50pc between supplementary and grass.

“If we can increase that to 60pc grass, it would be good,” he said.

Although there has been skepticism over the free-stall method in Australia, Mr Giliam says the operation is working for them.

“It is a viable system, but you need to be autumn-calving, winter-milking,” he said.

With peak production in June and July, he says a winter incentive from his milk company helps.