Managing in the Mud Forum attracts a crowd

This week has seen a number of events across the region to discuss options for managing in the mud.  Over 50 people attended the discussions at Meeniyan today. 

Some of the ideas for managing the wet conditions included;

Practical ideas

• New tyres on 4W motorbikes
• Lay down woodchips for calving areas or stand off areas
• Consider spreading fertiliser with a 4W bike spreaderor aerial spreading on areas that are not waterlogged
• Find a stand off area – old quarry, old cow yard, old tennis court, under  trees, old concrete base from piggery - anywhere firm and clean
• Consider grazing at 5 leaf stage not 3 leaf grazing
• Keep thinking through the situation, be open to ideas
• Feed silage along tracks
• Move stock off farm where possible
• You are not on your own – use your farm ’team’ for support
• Get off the farm and make time to do something for yourself
• Look to the future & spring recovery
• Take cows off pasture at lunch time, stand in the cow yard
• Roll out hay on wet tracks or put wood chips or saw dust down on high traffic areas
• Focus on teat health
• Foot baths may assist with feet condition

To have a listen to Fish Creek dairy farmer and the conditions he is facing - listen here to last weeks ABC rural report.