Allflex tech’s powering up Litchfields’ dairy op
The Litchfield family’s investment in technology from Allflex Livestock Intelligence is paying dividends within their southern NSW-based dairy farming operation.
Ian and Karen Litchfield purchased the 182-hectare Kariana, situated near Mayrung in the Riverina, in 2000, and over the years they’ve purchased three other blocks, which including Kariana cover 760ha of which 600ha consists of flat flood irrigation country.
Together with their daughter Amy and son-in-law Jack, the Litchfields milk 800 Holstein cows each year out of a total milking herd of 950 head with their flat milk supply sold into the year-round milk markets.
Mrs Litchfield said they feed the breeding herd a total mixed ration (TMR) to optimise their intake.
“By operating with a TMR we efficiently utilise our feed base with a high producing and fertile herd that best converts feed to optimise feed cost margins,” she said.
As herd numbers have grown the Litchfields are using fixed time AI programs every six weeks, and although they’re getting good conception rates they were missing returns as the needling process was disruptive to the milking process for the cows and staff.
