Wes and Rita Hurrell: Adapting their dairy business to changing climates

AN ABILITY to transform their dairy business in line with changing climates is paving the way forward for Wes and Rita Hurrell.

Happy herd: Wes and Rita Hurrell, with their dogs Allie and Bindi, have switched to an expensive but effective total mix feed ration system.

2017 DAIRY FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

WES AND RITA HURRELL

TORRENS VALE, SA

AN ABILITY to transform their dairy business in line with changing climates is paving the way forward for Wes and Rita Hurrell.

The couple farm at Torrens Vale, on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, where a lack of rainfall and other climatic conditions mean grass to feed their herd of 410 Holstein cows is available for just a few months of the year.

Even when the grass is in abundance on their 586-hectare farm, from May to October, the Hurrells say the quality can be questionable.

To shore up supply and push production — the Hurrells’ cows produce about 700kg of milk solids a year with the herd having an even milk flow of 8000-11,000 litres a day — they have switched their reliance from grass to an expensive but effective total mix feed ration system.

The cows are fed a special mixture, which can include lucerne hay, vetch, brewers grain, canola and silage, on a concrete feeding area built 13 years ago for $170,000, but which paid for itself within 2½ years thanks to savings in feed wastage and extra production.

While feed rations can prove expensive, Wes says focusing on individual cow production is the key to making it work.

The Hurrells try to make as much feed as they can themselves to help reduce costs. But they also regularly crunch numbers, to ascertain the cost effectiveness of buying feed compared with growing it themselves.

In recent years, they have grown about 70 hectares of wheat, delivering up to 320 tonnes of the grain annually back to the dairy. It has helped lead to an 11 per cent decrease in costs.

Furthermore, a $110,000 investment in a 90-kilowatt solar system has reduced their power bill from $45,000 to $20,000 a year.

The family has also diversified into beef to make the most of the additional land not required for dairy while their Holstein stud has added 8-10c/litre to their bottom line through the sale of genetics.

It’s these decisions that are making dollars and sense for the Hurrell family.

Their income for 2015-16, including livestock sales, was $8.33 a kilogram of milk solids a 22 per cent premium to the state average. Last season, it was $7.80/kg.