Partnership central to success on milk quality quest

Partnership central to success on milk quality quest

Josh Keightley and Remeny McCann are carving a path to success as share farmers in Wallacedale, western Victoria, following a two-year journey to improve their milk quality.

The couple partnered with Fonterra Australia’s Farm Source team to make improvements to their operations, herd health and milking practices, resulting in a consistent Bulk Milk Cell Count (BMCC) of around 100,000 for the last 12 months.

It’s been a long journey for the couple, who credit their relationship with Fonterra as central to achieving the quality results they see today.

“It started when we had around 30-40 per cent of cows coming out of post-calving with sub-clinical mastitis,” said Josh.



“At first, it was difficult to admit we were having troubles, or even think about contacting our processor about it.

“From that first phone call, we learnt that communication is the most important part of the relationship between farmer and processor.

Once Fonterra knew our situation, they did everything they could to support us,” added Josh.

Josh and Remeny had guidance from Fonterra’s Farm Source team in western Victoria, led by Area Manager and Responsible Dairy specialist, Brendan Hyland.

“Through our supply agreement we have access to expertise within Fonterra, and from day one, Brendan was committed to working with us to identify the cause of the problem right down to each individual cow,” said Josh.

“They’re an asset for us, and ever since I made that call, it’s been life changing.”

Brendan worked alongside Josh, Remeny and their vet to implement various changes, including a cell count investigation, herd testing, individual cow samples and a more careful dry-off strategy.

One of the actions was to split the herd into three which was central to identifying the cows at the root of the problem, and ensuring they could limit cross-contamination.

“We tell people this story and they say, ‘that’s a lot of hard work, I would have given up.’ But that was the advice we received to stop cross contamination, and it was the biggest factor in getting the ball rolling towards a healthier herd,” said Josh.

Caption: Josh Keightley with Brendan Hyland on their Wallacedale farm. Brendan was a regular visitor on farm, helping to implement new milking practices and herd testing.

Brendan Hyland was a regular visitor to the farm, overseeing milking processes and providing training in new skills.

“I went out for regular milkings to initially help identify the root cause of infections, and then we focused on new milking techniques and mastitis management to keep the infections away,” said Brendan.

Brendan’s presence during milkings provided an extra set of eyes and ears to notice things they were not aware were impacting milk quality.

“The first thing Brendan realised were noises and squeaks in the dairy that shouldn’t be there,” said Josh.

“That led to multiple machine tests and realising our clusters were the wrong size for our herd type. This meant the cows were not being milked out properly which was a contributing factor to our milk quality,” he added.

Josh and Remeny said the support of Brendan and the Farm Source team kept them motivated throughout the journey.

“Brendan would call us when he saw our quality results in the factory and was just as excited as we were when he told us the cell count,” said Josh.

“It was that positive reinforcement that kept us going and made it feel like a real team effort,” he added.

Caption: Fonterra Area Manager Jocelyn Bevin has also worked with Josh and Remeny to introduce occupational health and safety procedures, while supporting conversations with family on drawing up a share farming arrangement.

The couple are in their best position to keep chasing success, now with a healthy herd, penalty-free milk cheques, and focused on serving the animals as best as they can.