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Western Dairy Programs



Western Dairy runs a number of programs to help Western Australian dairy farmers with farm business management, feedbase and environmental management, as well as training and scholarship opportunities for farm workers and tertiary students.

Dairy Farm Monitor Project

The Dairy Farm Monitor Program collects farm data from up to 30 participating farms in Western Australia each year to benchmark the financial and physical performance of the WA industry. The data is independently verified and collated, providing a unique snapshot of the performance of the region.

Annual Report iconAnnual Report

WA DFMP Annual Report 2019/20

The 2019/20 WA Dairy Farm Monitor Project Annual Report.
Published:
Industry Statistics
Promoting Australian Dairy
Farm Business
Animals
WA DFMP Annual Report 2019_20 report thumbnail

Pasture Trials and Demonstrations

The Western Dairy pasture trials are an initiative of Western Dairy, incorporating three individual trials and demonstrations.

Western Dairy provides independent analysis of pasture varieties and management tailored specifically to the WA dairy industry and environment. These include The WA Seed Performance Trial (WASP), Grazing Management demonstration (Goldilocks Grazing) and Seed Mix Trial.

WASP trial partners include Nutrien, PGG Wrightson Seeds, Barenbrug, IH Seeds and Valley Seeds.

The trials are run in accordance with best industry practice protocols, as developed by the Pasture Trial Network (PTN) system.

They include:

  • Assured data integrity and confidentiality with Western Dairy independently running the trial.
  • Seed for the trial is purchased from the rural retail network and germination tested at the time, to ensure that it is suitable for inclusion in the trial.
  • The trial is intended to run every year for three years, to build a solid data set spanning multiple years and seasons, with the ability to capture new products as they enter the market.
  • WASP may also contain pasture seed retailed in WA that does not meet criteria for entry into the PTN system.

WASP

WASP is an independently run annual ryegrass trial over two sites at Dardanup and Forest Grove in the heart of WA's dairy region. The trial compares all retail seed products that are currently sold in WA and provides independent economic analysis to dairy farmers.

Report iconReport

WASP Trial Summary Results 2020

A summary of results from the 2020 WA Seed Performance trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
WA Seed Performance Trial 2020 report thumbnail
Report iconReport

WASP trial results 2019

A summary of results from the 2019 WA Seed Performance trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
Report iconReport

WASP trial background

Background information on the 2019 WA Seed Performance trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research

Grazing Management Demonstration (Goldilocks Grazing)

Goldilocks Grazing tests best grazing management strategies, with plots being grazed to the ideal residual, over-grazed, under-grazed and grazed too early. The performance of pasture production is then assessed over the growing season.

Report iconReport

Goldilocks Grazing trial background

Background information on the 2019 Western Dairy Goldilocks Grazing Trial.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
Report iconReport

Goldilocks Grazing trial results 2019

A snapshot of results from Western Dairy's 2019 Goldilocks Grazing trial.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research

Seed Mix Trial

The Seed Mix Trial assesses the benefits of early grazed available fodder and the subsequent yield of oats and ryegrass seed mix over the growing season.

Report iconReport

Seed Mix trial background

An overview of Western Dairy's 2019 Seed Mix trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
Report iconReport

Seed Mix trial results 2019

A summary of results from the third and fourth harvest of Western Dairy's 2019 Seed Mix trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
Report iconReport

Seed Mix trial results 2019

A summary of results from the first and second harvest of Western Dairy's 2019 Seed Mix trials.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems
Research
Report iconReport

Understanding the seed bag tag

A comparison of certified results from germination tests of commercialised annual ryegrass varieties and brands in Apr’19.
Published:
Feeding and Farm systems

Smarter Irrigation for Profit Program

Western Dairy is taking part in a program to better assess irrigation system performance and optimise pasture and crop yields.

A 220-hectare dairy farm in Dardanup is one of 46 sites on dairy, cotton, sugar, grain and rice farms across Australia participating in the Smarter Irrigation for Profit 2 program until 2022.

The project is supported by funding from the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program, and Dairy Australia.

Western Dairy will use C-DAX technology to regularly measure pastures over the growing season and map the correlation between soil moisture, water application and pasture growth.

Western Dairy participated in the first phase of the program between 2016 and 2018 and collected baseline data from four dairy farms.

For further information, visit the Dairying for Tomorrow website.

DairyCare Effluent Management Program

Western Dairy's DairyCare project assists farmers to review and upgrade their dairy effluent systems.

The project is made possible through the State Government's Regional Estuaries Initiative and Revitalising Geography Waterways fund.

Farmers are being supported to design, install and maintain fully-enclosed effluent systems that reduce nutrient loss off their dairy farms and improve the water quality of regional estuaries.

Farms in qualifying catchments may be eligible for funding towards developing plans and completing capital works upgrades.

Environmental Management

Western Dairy is committed to best-practice environmental management and supporting more WA dairy farmers to adopt sustainable practices.

Western Dairy, together with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Geocatch, have developed these farm guidelines based on best-practice environmental management on WA dairy farms.

Downloads

  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Farm Planning

    PDF331.63 KB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Soil Management

    PDF686.35 KB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Fertiliser Management

    PDF842.29 KB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Efficient Irrigation

    PDF1.92 MB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Effluent Management

    PDF1.46 MB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Management of Native Vegetation

    PDF999.01 KB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Water Management

    PDF1.07 MB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Weed and Pest Management

    PDF1.14 MB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Waste Management

    PDF477.43 KB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Weed and Pest Management

    PDF1.14 MB
  • Environmental Best Practice Guidelines Managing Silage Leachate

    PDF180.43 KB

Training and Development

Western Dairy offers two industry-accredited certificates in partnership with South Regional TAFE. These courses can be delivered within or outside of a farm traineeship:

  • Certificate III in Agriculture (Dairy Production)
    Accredited training for a wide variety of everyday dairy farm activities.

  • Certificate IV in Agriculture with a dairy focus
    Accredited training for management roles on a dairy farm

The benefits of formal training for employers include supporting employee career aspirations, greater employee retention, reducing the length of time training, and helping to develop a professional dairy workforce.

Western Dairy dairy trainer Rob LaGrange liaises with employers and students to ensure agreed outcomes are met and supports all participants through their journey.

Research Scholarships

Every year, Western Dairy seeks expressions of interest from university students completing their honours year, or undertaking a PhD with a dairy focus, to consider a project that will contribute to the knowledge bank of WA dairy research.

In 2018-19, Western Dairy awarded scholarships to University of Western Australia student Shilja Shaji and Murdoch University student Teanna Cahill.

Downloads

  • WA DFMP Annual Report 2017 18

    PDF2.04 MB
  • WA DFMP Annual Report 2016 17

    PDF1.52 MB
  • WA DFMP Annual Report 2015 16

    PDF2 MB
  • WA Dairy Farm Monitor Project Annual Report 2014 15

    PDF4.59 MB
  • WASP Trial Summary Results 2018

    PDF244.03 KB
  • WASP Trial Supporting Results 2018

    PDF569.29 KB
  • Goldilocks Trial Summary Results 2018

    PDF1.44 MB
  • SeedMix Trial Summary Results 2018

    PDF599.17 KB

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