Imagine a farm where ATV bikes can travel through gates but stock cannot. No getting off the quad to unlatch and open gates, drive through, get off, close and relatch the gate at every paddock. What a wonderful world that would be. Every great New Zealand invention begins with the thought “There must be an easier way”. When such a thought goes through serial inventor Phillip MacDonald’s head you can be assured the way will be found.
Contestants in the 2011 Young Farmer Contest Grand Final were tested on their stock handling and hoofcare abilities during the AgriSkills round of the competition in Masterton earlier this month.
With the recent announcement by ACC of the proposed ‘no claims discount’ there is more reason than ever to ensure staff have safe facilities. Under the proposed pricing framework customers with proven good health and safety and claims management behavior could be rewarded with a discount on their levies, and those with poor claims histories could receive a levy increase. The changes are intended to provide financial incentives for businesses to invest in methods of injury prevention for example better stock handling facilities.
A study of foot lameness in Taranaki showed 65% of lameness in cows is caused by walking to the milking shed and another 10% by individual cow variation. This leaves around 25% of variance unexplained, for which nutritional factors may be responsible.
Cattle foot trimming in Europe is a craft, and an important one. Freelance professional trimmers carry kits filled with an array of tools from a simple knife, to magnetic temperature gauges, and power tools. Their clientele? An average of 25 - 80 cows per day. These Bovine Chiropodists visit each herd four times a year to trim overgrown hooves and treat any problems.
Lameness is a major problem in New Zealand dairy herds. Treatment costs, milk with-holding, and wasted labour time are something dairy farmers could do without and especially during the busyness of spring!
Lameness is a huge problem in the dairy industry and, while there is much discussion about its causes and prevention, it continues to increase in incidence and cost every year. If farmers added up the cost of lameness they could find it is tens of thousands of dollars every year.