Best NSW DPI Podcasts (2024)

1
Feed Conversion Efficiency – at What Cost? 32:18

13d ago32:18

32:18

Feed costs are typically the largest component of operational costs in a dairy business, typically making up 50 – 60% of total costs, depending on feeding system, seasons and conditions. Hence it is vital that what is being fed to the cows results in good milk production. David Barber, DairyNEXT nutritionist joins us this month to discuss the impor…

1
Decision Making and Risk Management with a Family Board 35:44

2M ago35:44

35:44

The use of a structured approach within a NSW dairying business to assist with decision making and risk management, is discussed this month with Kay Smith from Bulahdelah. The Smiths have been operating a family dairy business for over 40 years and 5 years ago, faced with a number of challenges, were weighing up their future options. One of these i…

1
Financing Dairy Farm Infrastructure 22:14

3M ago22:14

22:14

This episode follows on from episode 35 “Successfully navigating farm loans” but focusses specifically on financing for large infrastructure projects such as cow housing facilities. This topic was addressed by my guest, Greg Kuchel, Senior Insights Manager at Rural Bank at the 2nd Raising the Roof conference in Hunter Valley of NSW earlier this yea…

1
Successfully Navigating Farm Loans 25:21

4M ago25:21

25:21

My guest for this episode is Greg Kuchel, Senior Insights Manager at Rural Bank who spoke recently at the “Raising the Roof” conference in Hunter Valley of NSW about farm loans in particular for infrastructure loans related to cow housing facilities. Greg and I had such a good discussion that we have turned this into a two-part series. This first e…

1
Features of the Most Profitable NSW Farms in 2023 25:58

5M ago25:58

25:58

What were some of the features of the Top 25% of NSW Dairy Farm Monitor farms in the 2023 financial year? This month’s podcast provides insights into some of the physical and financial metrics associated with their productivity and profitability compared to that of the remaining 75% of farms in the project. Links to useful resources related to this…

1
Lifting the Lid on NSW GHG Emissions 25:22

6M ago25:22

25:22

With a national focus on reducing dairy GHG emission intensity by 30% by 2030, farm greenhouse gas emissions are currently getting a lot of attention. This month we take a look at what has been happening with emissions on NSW dairy farms through the lens of our Dairy Farm Monitor Project. Links to useful resources related to this podcast: NSW DFMP …

1
Highs and Lows of Dairy Farm Monitor 2023 35:25

7M ago35:25

35:25

The 2023 financial year saw the highest average profit for the Dairy Farm Monitor participants in the 12 years of the project in NSW. Jess Bell hosts this month’s episode as she teases out what the main drivers were behind this performance with Sheena Carter. It was yet another very challenging year with more floods which had a big impact on the ma…

1
Heifer Management in Dry Times 31:09

8M ago31:09

31:09

Rearing heifers well is an extremely important aspect of herd management. Selecting the right heifers and ensuring they reach target weights in a specified time period is integral to the future production of your herd. However rearing heifers is a costly exercise so thought and planning is important to ensure you get it right. Carrying too many hei…

1
Dry Times – Fodder Supply Outlook 23:11

9M ago23:11

23:11

With much of the State of NSW currently experiencing very dry conditions NSW DPI reached out to Tim Ford, Director at Feed Central to provide an update for the industry on the current situation and outlook for fodder supply. Tim presented this information at our recent Dairy Breakfast webinar in conjunction with a presentation from the DPI Climate …

1
Supporting Your Dairy Business 30:02

10M ago30:02

30:02

Dairies are complex businesses requiring a very broad range of skills to manage. In today’s environment, good business management skills are more important than ever. This is recognised by industry organisations whose role is to support farmers such as the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Dairy Australia as well as farm consultants who prov…

1
Economics and Risks of Raising Non-Replacement Calves 28:07

11M ago28:07

28:07

Recently a farmer reference group was formed in the Mid Coast region of NSW to provide information and guidance on an economic and risk analysis of rearing non-replacement calves. The project was led by Dan Armstrong, Senior Consultant with the RM Consulting Group. In the analysis, Dan and his team used two of the farms as case studies where the go…

1
Intensive Dairies - Drivers of Adoption and Profitability 45:47

12M ago45:47

45:47

Interest in NSW and Australia in intensive dairy systems has grown significantly in the last decade due to many factors. These systems require significant capital investment, so it is important that if this is a system that interests you, you really do your homework. Through DairyUP, a large research, development and extension program in NSW, NSW D…

1
Dairy and Carbon Emissions – What Does it all Mean? 34:52

1y ago34:52

34:52

Greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, carbon credits, mitigation strategies, emission reduction targets - these are terms that are bandied about regularly in relation to agriculture and dairying. What do they all mean and how do they impact you at a farm level? This month, my colleague Zita Ritchie interviews Blake Cheer a Dairy Development Officer w…

1
DairyUP – Fast Tracking the NSW Dairy Industry Through RD&E 35:48

1y ago35:48

35:48

NSW dairy farmers have faced many extreme weather and climatic challenges in recent years from severe and prolonged drought to bushfires and then widespread flooding. There is no doubt we will continue to see these events and others occur in the future. We need to get better at preparing for, responding to and managing our recovery in these situati…

1
The Economics of Silage Making 33:06

1y ago33:06

33:06

Silage is used to varying degrees and in different ways on NSW and Australian dairy farms, depending on the type of feeding system the farm has. It can be an important component of your herd’s diet and given that producing it comes with additional costs compared to directly grazed pasture, it is important to make sure you do it well to make it econ…

1
Breeding Better Kikuyu with Bill Fulkerson and Ken Bryant 37:09

1+ y ago37:09

37:09

Guests Bill Fulkerson and Ken Bryant speak with Zita Ritchie about a new cultivar of kikuyu which has shown resistance to fungal infections, particularly kikuyu yellows. Key management strategies are also discussed for kikuyu. Bill is a well know dairy researcher with many years of experience, particularly supporting farmers on the Far North Coast …

1
Five Things to Get Right for Autumn Sowing 29:33

1+ y ago29:33

29:33

It is coming up to a key time of the year for many of our dairy businesses, that being the autumn sowing period. There are many things to consider now to get the best outcome for your pasture production in the winter and spring period ahead. My guest this month is agronomist Josh Hack from Ag Farming Systems. Josh recently spoke at an autumn pastur…

1
How Can Genomics Benefit Me? 39:46

1+ y ago39:46

39:46

Genomics - to some farmers this is an amazing innovation that they have embraced with open arms. For others, it may be a bit of a scientific mystery but according to Rob Cooper, my guest this month it is actually very simple to use and a powerful tool that he is passionate about and would like to see more people in the industry adopt. Rob is well k…

1
A Profitable Year With Challenges 24:11

1+ y ago24:11

24:11

NSW Dairy Farm Monitor results were recently released for the 21/22FY. Analysis of the performance of the 36 farms involved in the project showed a wide range in profitability. All farms experienced above average rainfall for the year - many of them subject to significant flooding and prolonged wet conditions which impacted on performance. However,…

1
Managing Well in Wet Conditions 36:07

1+ y ago36:07

36:07

NSW dairy farmers have been faced with some incredibly challenging seasonal conditions over the last 2 years which has seen one in one-hundred-year floods, repeated floods and prolonged wet conditions on many coastal farms and now our inland farms as well. These conditions are not limited to NSW, most states on the eastern seaboard have been affect…

1
Real Farmers Managing Climate Risk 31:50

1+ y ago31:50

31:50

This month, Zita Ritchie interviews Paula Gray. Paula is a farmer form Rolland’s Plains on the Mid North Coast of NSW who farms with her husband Mick. The Gray’s have been the NSW case study farm for a project called Dairy Businesses for Future Climates which enables farmers to understand the likely impacts of climate on their farm and help them pr…

1
Technology – Hype or Reality? 34:39

2y ago34:39

34:39

This month our focus is on technology and my guest is Dr Nicolas Lyons, who is Leader Dairy with the NSW DPI dairy team. Nico has had a career shaped by his involvement with dairy farm technology, both in research and on farm implementation. Technology used on dairy farms and agriculture in general is ever evolving and, if suited to the farm and fa…

1
The Game Business Journey 49:48

2y ago49:48

49:48

Kevin and Brodie Game with their young family, dairy at Bemboka on the far south coast of NSW and have worked hard at achieving their goals over the last 12 years. From small beginnings they have grown into a large and profitable business, with the inevitable ups and downs along the way. They have also just reached the end of their first year as th…

1
Profitability Insights From 10 Years of Dairy Farm Monitor in NSW 34:25

2y ago34:25

34:25

In this episode we take a look at features of the Top 25% of NSW Dairy Farm Monitor Farms in terms of their profitability and productivity over the last 10 years. Funding from the NSW Farm Business Resilience Program enabled this project to happen. It has highlighted key physical and financial traits of the top performers such as herd size, usable …

1
Creating a Time and Labour Efficient Farm 35:41

2y ago35:41

35:41

Clear, simple systems to help you manage tasks and people on your farm can help with business efficiency and productivity. An aspect that is commonly spoken about in the dairy industry is the cost and efficiency of labour, not to mention availability, of skilled labour. In NSW labour total costs (paid and owner operator or imputed labour) on averag…

1
Understanding My Milk Price 25:53

2y ago25:53

25:53

It’s the 1st June - an important date in the Australian dairy calendar. Most listeners will know that under the dairy Mandatory Code of Conduct, processors are now required to announce their minimum farm gate milk price today in their milk supply agreements. My guest this episode is Janine Waller, Executive Director of Australian Dairy Products Fed…

1
Setting My Business up for Success 25:13

2y ago25:13

25:13

This month we take a look at business planning – getting clarity on what your business is about, what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to get there. A report by the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in 2018 identified 8 factors that characterised their top performing farms, one of which is ‘setting goals and …

1
The Art of Tax Planning 28:10

2+ y ago28:10

28:10

Farm profits will be interesting this financial year with strong milk prices and milder seasons being in our favour but then on the other side of the scales we have pricing pressures on key inputs such as fertiliser and wet weather and severe flooding impacting many dairy businesses on the east coast of Australia. Whether you are looking at a profi…

1
Fall Armyworm Impacts and the Feed That Gets Better With Time 34:52

2+ y ago34:52

34:52

The potential for reduced yields and fodder quality in corn and sorghum crops is something that now has to be proactively managed by farmers as a result of detection of fall armyworm in Australia. It is a plant pest that first appeared in QLD in February 2020 and also the NT and norther parts of WA. It has subsequently been found throughout the eas…

1
Covid-19 Impacts on Dairy Supply Chains and Pricing 20:45

2+ y ago20:45

20:45

Covid-19 continues to impact how we live and operate as individuals, communities and businesses. This month we look at the impact it is having on farm input pricing and the supply chain from the perspective of a rural produce store and a farmer. Troy Higgins, manager at Gloucester Rural Supplies, shares his perspective on how he is managing the cha…

1
Highest Profit in NSW Dairy Farm Monitor in 10 Years 28:53

2+ y ago28:53

28:53

This year marks the tenth year of the Dairy Farm Monitor Project in NSW and the most profitable we have seen in that period with an average operating profit or Earnings Before Interest and Tax of $2.07/kgMS which translated into a 4.9% RoTA. This project involves a detailed physical and financial analysis of dairying businesses in NSW and saw 41 fa…

1
Managing High Fertiliser Prices 34:14

2+ y ago34:14

34:14

Nitrogen fertiliser is a key input for pasture and fodder production in dairy businesses. In the last eight months we have seen urea prices increase on farm by around 80%. Is it too costly to keep applying with urea prices over $1000 per tonne? This month we are joined by Neil Moss, director and Senior Consultant with Scibus who consults to dairy a…

1
Are Automatic Milking Systems Profitable in Australia? 35:11

2+ y ago35:11

35:11

Commercially operating automatic milking systems (AMS) have been in Australia since 2001. While this system currently makes up less than 1% of the Australian dairy industry, positivity in the industry is currently seeing many farmers consider AMS as part of future investment in their businesses, with a number of farms installing them in the coming …

1
Tocal Dairy Breeding & Herd Reproductive Performance with Year-Round Calving 36:00

3y ago36:00

36:00

Breeding and reproduction targets in a year-round calving system are the focus this month. Matt Brett from Tocal Dairy joins us again to talk about the breeding program at Tocal, looking at their strategy, the systems they have in place to manage and monitor herd reproductive performance and their use of sexed semen. Dr Luke Ingenhoff, veterinarian…

1
Over-capitalisation – is my business at risk? 26:58

3y ago26:58

26:58

What is over-capitalisation, what does it look like on a dairy farm and how does it impact your business performance? It is important to be aware of how over-capitalisation can add to your business’s cost of production – adding to both cash and non-cash costs. This month, Jake Musson (Data Analyst – Dairy Australia) describes over-capitalisation in…

1
Lowering Total Feed Costs with Good Spring Pasture Management 27:34

3y ago27:34

27:34

Growing high quality feed and utilising it in the Spring period is a key opportunity to lower your total feed costs across the year. Agronomists, Josh Hack and Peter Beale talk about the importance of getting your ryegrass management right coming into the Spring period, the importance of nitrogen in growing this feed source and principles of good g…

1
Is My Business on Track with Justin Walsh 25:44

3y ago25:44

25:44

In this episode, we talk to dairy farmer Justin Walsh about his business structure, resources and goals and how he uses his Dairy Farm Monitor Report to measure and monitor the farm’s annual physical and financial performance. Justin also talks about the importance of getting the daily decisions right on farm by calculating metrics like his margin …

1
The Magic and Metrics of Tocal Dairy 32:14

3y ago32:14

32:14

Matthew Brett, Manager of Tocal College’s dairy in the Hunter Valley region of NSW, talks about margin over feed costs, nitrogen feriliser use, and monthly milk production among other things. Learn about the dairy, its goals, the role it plays in educating the next generation of people who have a passion for and want to work within the dairy indust…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

NSW DPI Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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