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It was soon obvious how the seasonality of
the Kiwi system can mean a very varied
workload for vets. I was initially in the South
Auckland/North Waikato region in early
August for calving but good early spring
weather combined with a very poor forecast
for the milk price meant that there was not a
lot of work for the new enthusiastic 'Pommy'
vet to do! This meant that my stay here only
lasted a few weeks but through the Exchange
network I soon had a new job lined up in the
south of North Island. Calving was slightly
later here and by this time the forecast payout
had improved so we were busy enough!
Along with the usual emergency work spring
also involved monitoring cows for macro
element and trace element levels, and
adjusting supplementation accordingly.
Supplementation with magnesium was
achieved in a number of ways, either via
dosatron in water, dusted on pasture, in the
Maize/Palm Kernel supplement or in the
parlour drench! Trace elements were often
via dosatron into the drinking water.
The end of calving meant the start of the
Metrichecking season! Post-natal checking on
a herd scale using a metal device with a
rubber 'scoop' on the end! This was also my
introduction to the 'trolleys' that we used to
skate along the pit whilst examining cows in
the parlour. In most herds the incidence of
'whites' was 15-20% and the majority treated
with Metricure (which can be tricky when
trying to do this as cows go past on a
rotary platform!)
The end of the mating season is the
quietest time for the Kiwi vets before
pregnancy testing starts and this provided
a good opportunity to explore more parts
of New Zealand and Australia. I spent
some time visiting farms on the South Island
including a 1,200 cow dairy unit, a 20,000
head beef feedlot and some more typical
beef and sheep farms. The landscape of
the Canterbury plains was dominated by
huge centre pivot irrigation systems that
had enabled the stock carrying and
production capacity to be increased
considerably, especially in recent years
as more sheep farms have been converted
to dairy.
The scanning season awaited on my return
from my travels. The only difference being
that instead of holding the scanner in your
hand it is encased in an introducer, which
took a short while to get used to but proved
an invaluable arm saving device as well as
being quick! Whole herds were scanned
with empty rates anywhere between
0 and 25%!
Experiencing pasture based dairying first
hand was a big reason for my trip and this
is certainly an area I gained a deal of
knowledge and experience whilst over there.
You soon learn to talk in terms of 'clicks on
the platemeter', paddocks, residuals, rotations
etc and realise that the key to dairy farming
in New Zealand is managing the grass
primarily, and if that is done well then the
milk production will follow.
The grass growth in the late season persisted
so well whilst I was there that the biggest
dilemma affecting most farms was what to do
with the surplus of feed. Most farms grow a
late summer crop of turnips, which usually
coincides with a fall in pasture growth rates.
However this dip did not occur so there was
a surplus of grass and/or turnips, with a lot
of guys having already made more than their
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
A
s a new graduate at Bishopton when XLVets was in its infancy, the benefits of
being a member were being discussed at a meeting and the possibility of
exchange schemes in the future was mentioned. This immediately appealed to
me and I was therefore delighted when my application for one of the New Zealand
scholarships was successful.
XLVets in NewZealand
...the new enthusiastic 'Pommy' vet
Mark Spilman
Bishopton Veterinary Group
19
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...