Oct/Nov 2010 - Australian Jersey Breeders Society

He’s also kept busy with his kids, both of whom are
involved in local sporting groups.
The teenagers have kept the Braelyn prefix going
with a strong link to the Silvermine family and also the
Hazels.“They showed last year for the first time and won
a few ribbons.”
Wayne shows at Dorrigo and Bellingen, usually
winning a few ribbons. More competitive is the annual
on-farm challenge in November that he co-ordinates for
the Beautizone jersey cattle club, covering an area of
mid-north coast NSW and usually attracting 100-120
entries.
The slog paid off, the very fit and wiry Wayne bought
40ha next to his dad’s place. It is an undulating-to-steep
slice of very rich, basaltic soil boasting an average
annual rainfall of 2000mm.
He came to the property after his Dad retired from
dairying in 1992. When his Dad died two years ago,
his 80ha property was halved between Wayne and
his brother Murray, a beef farmer. Wayne built the
dairy, a 10aside herringbone … an improvement from
the original six-cow walk-in. Today he milks through a
basic one-person operation with no techno-wizardry.
“Just plain and simple,” said Wayne. ‘We’re not greatly
ambitious people. I don’t want to milk 300 animals.”
He is running 115 milkers year round. “I tend to have a
few calve in the autumn and the spring, about 70% of
calvings occur in those two seasons. With dries, heifers
and calves, his herd totals 200 and last year retained
about 50 heifers.
Pasture silage of 160 big round bales is cut off the home
farm. That, along with 5kg/cow/day of supplement plus
ad lib grass sees his girls clocking up a rolling herd
average of 5866 litres at 215kg protein and 260kg fat.
Out in the paddocks, “everything else goes in the cows’
mouths,” said Wayne.
The place is sown down in autumn to ryegrass, clovers
and plantain. The herb is a good crop in the autumn, he
said, and one that the cows seem to like. Other plantings
include chicory and some brassica. Running alongside
Wayne’s operation is his dad’s former stud, now the
interest of his kids Garth and Catherine, aged 15 and
13. (“Yes, and I’m 57 … quite old” he laughed.)
His links with the area are deep. He is vice-president
of the local show society treasurer of showground trust
and strong connections with local historical society.
Over the past 10 years he had trod the boards with the
local drama club and, having a bit of a literary bent, he
writes bush poetry.
The basis of the Moonpah family herd was a bull,
Banyule Quoit from near Heidelberg in Victoria, a stud
established in 1945. Strong families in the Moonpah
herd are Belindas, Models and Handsomes.Show
winners have included Moonpah Clinton Delight and
Moonpah Sambo Darlene, which won champion onfarm
challenge for two consecutive years.
The herd has included a lot of its own cows with the
inclusion of Katandra Hazels and aIngalala Clinton bull
sired by Lester, that is currently in use. “All our visitors
are very impressed to see these Clinton daughters
so uniform, with their udders so well-attached,” said
Wayne. “I like a nice, good type of animal that’s going to
produce well. She needs a good udder because that’s
the main part of the cow and that’s what’s going to earn
you money.”
Overall, he considers that the modern jersey is “a good
cow, she’s strong, But it’s up to breeders now to do their
homework. You need to breed individually. You need
to look at each animal.” A trend that Wayne is noticing
is the demand from lifestyle farmers for a house cow.
Located only 60km from Coffs Harbour means Wayne is
in striking range of sea-changers keen to hand-milk.
“I get heaps of calls these days,” he said. “People are
funny. A lot of them are hobby farmers who’ve never
milked a cow before. You’ve got to do a bit of spade work
with them some of them … they have no idea.” In the
past year he estimates he has sold “about half a dozen
cows and as many heifers… and it’s rising.”
He halter trains all his cows as calves and has a herd
that is exceptionally quiet.
He also speaks to them. And they answer back. Don’t
believe it? OK… just listen.
“Last year was an exceptional year,” said Wayne. “We
had four major rain events and got 120 inches before
June and then it never rained until November. It was a
highly unusual season. The cows were sick of the rain
and they kept saying ‘can you get us out of this mud?’”
See? Talking cows!
18 — JerseyJournalOctober/November 2010