How the Moore family’s data-driven approach drives dairy success

Meticulous record keeping and teamwork form the cornerstone of this thriving Dorrigo dairy operation. See how the Moore family do it.

The figures tell the story in a successful dairy operation run by Michael and Julie Moore at Dorrigo in the NSW mid-north coast region.

The couple, along with their son Stuart, run a 180-cow year-round calving herd and milk twice daily in a region that boasts a whopping 2500mm annual rainfall.

To say it gets wet is an understatement, and the region is known as one of the wettest in NSW.

Therefore, the longevity of the herd and conformational traits are essential.

For the Moores, keeping records of genetics, performance, and health logs is a daily task. It is something they upload into a computer system daily. These records have also helped improve the overall production in the herd and minimized any potential conformational concerns.

The herd of both Holstein and Guernseys grazing at Julie and Michael Moore's property at Dorrigo in the New England region of NSW. Picture: Supplied

The herd consists of 50 per cent Holsteins and 50 per cent Guernseys.

The Moores also run registered studs for each breed, with the prefixes Brushy Mountain Holstein and Meadowvale Guernsey. Running the studs side-by-side also lends itself to the ethos of meticulous record-keeping.

The two breeds are not crossed, but it is a matter of having the balance of Guernseys to bolster figures such as butterfat and protein.

“The Guernseys help to balance out the shortfall in the fat and protein content for the herd,” Julie said.

“We don’t get the litres out of the Guernseys that we do the Holsteins, but they are not far behind, and they have a higher fat and protein content.”

The milk results are currently 4.03 per cent butterfat and 3.3 per cent protein. The average age of the herd is five to six years.

“In saying that, we do have two 10-year-old cows and half a dozen nine-year-olds,” Julie said.

The Holstein cows average 9000 litres a year, and the Guernseys 7000 to 7500 litres.

“We get around 25 to 26 litres (a day) all year round from each cow, and have topped at 30 litres.”

Julie and Michael cemented their commitment to the dairy industry after deregulation in 2000.

It was a time when many Australian dairy farmers actually exited the industry.

However, they decided dairying was for them. They wanted to stay in the industry and make it work.

That meant looking for another farm and being prepared to increase their land size and expand on the number of cows to boost overall production, which last year topped at 1,503,710 litres, as it was all about the dollars and overall profitability calculations.

“We moved here to Dorrigo in 2002,” Julie said.

“We were landlocked at our previous place at Gloucester (NSW) and needed economies of scale.”

The choice to stay in the industry has paid off, and Julie said they enjoy the hard work and rewards it brings.

They have expanded from a 75 cow herd at Gloucester to now milking a highly productive herd of 180.

Careful management, attention to detail, and data collection have allowed for every part of the business to be monitored. And by nature, that is something that dairy farming lends itself to.

“You are your own boss, but if you feed your cows well and look after them, they will reward you, and you can see the rewards pretty quickly for your hard work,” she said.

Being involved in the dairy industry and on various boards including NSW Farmers dairy committee has also added to the rewarding side of the business.

Dairy farmer Julie Moore of Dorrigo, NSW. Picture: Supplied

It has been a chance to network, benchmark and advocate for the industry that Julie is passionate about.

“I’ve got great friends I’ve met in the dairy industry, and I like the camaraderie.”

Julie and Michael have been supplying milk to Norco for 11 years, establishing a strong partnership that has supported their success in the industry.

Julie says the farm is currently at the maximum capacity in terms of milking numbers, but incremental gains are being assessed and strived for all the time.

Balancing management of a dairy with high rainfall can pose challenges.

“The heavy rain can lead to feet problems and mastitis, we can have cows almost lying in water for four or five months of the year,” she said.

The feeding is a pasture and grain system based on kikuyu, ryegrass, and clover.

The cows are supplemented with 7kg of wheat in the dairy, and it has an additive of 1kg of a mineral pellet.

The dairy itself is a herringbone configuration and was on the property when the Moores moved there.

“It is quite old, but it functions well,” Julie said.

There is a central laneway through the farm, and the cows are rotated around specified day and night paddocks to balance grazing.

The main property is 243ha, and an additional holding spanning 73ha was purchased seven years ago.

“The cows still have to walk a fair way each day, and we need them to have good feet and legs,” she said.

The additional property is where the dairy bull calves are grown out. The target weight for the male calves is 280kg at 12 months of age, and they are sold direct to abattoirs and dress at about 150kg.

“We have done some pasture improvement on that block, and we are also able to make some silage to substitute for the cows in the winter months,” she said.

“Because of the high rainfall, we can’t make hay.”

The Moore family's Dorrigo dairy farm in NSW. Picture: Supplied

The Moores employ a contractor to produce 400 bales of silage a year. And a Hustler feeder mixer is used to prepare and feed out the rations for the cows.

The approach to reproduction allows for cows to be artificially inseminated twice.

If they aren’t in calf the first time, they will have a second AI. After that, they are joined to either a Guernsey or Holstein bull.

Record-keeping is something Julie and Michael pride themselves on. They run what is known as a Ginfo dairy herd, which has extensive genetic information relating back to milk yield, disease resistance, reproductive efficiency, and longevity of cows.

They also have cows fitted with GEA collars, which can help with health monitoring and heat detection. They are also part of the data-gathering process.

Julie said that with more advanced and accurate data, they have seen numerous applications in improving herd management.

“We are noticing that through measurement, we are getting better figures, fewer health problems, and an overall more productive herd,” she said.

Julie said they were not seeing as many udder conformation faults, simply as a result of better selection.

“We collect data on everything from calving to cow treatments,” she said.