Technology proves a boost for farmers

Graincorp Waikato technical support manager Ken Winter (left) checks Tracker with Te Pahu farmer Shane Swinerd.

Latest results show dairy farmers using an innovative online milk monitoring and prediction tool are achieving 9.15 per cent more production than the average Fonterra farmer this season.

To the end of April, 82 per cent of GrainCorp clients actively using Tracker were up 7.48 per cent on production compared to the same time last year. The average across all clients was an increase of 4.89 per cent.

The results come off the back of another previously successful season where Tracker, a free online tool provided by GrainCorp Feeds to its clients, helped farmers increase milk production by up to 30 per cent.

Tracker was launched by GrainCorp Feeds to the clients in June last year for dairy farmers wanting to improve pasture utilisation and feed conversion and increase their financial returns from both homegrown and bought-in feeds.

Since its release farmers have been praising the reporting and recording functionality of Tracker and the technical support provided to help maximise their production and profitability.

GrainCorp Feeds general manager Daniel Calcinai says the results show that is helping dairy farmers achieve profitable production levels that are "well above the industry average, and in many cases, well above farmer expectations".

"Despite it being a challenging season, our Tracker subscriber group have achieved significant production lifts over last year," says Mr Calcinai.

"Over a fifth of our subscriber group have increased production by over 17 per cent compared to last year".

By comparison, Fonterra reported that farmers averaged a 4.27 per cent reduction in production at April 30.

Using Tracker, GrainCorp Feeds and its clients set production targets each season. The programme collates live data around dry matter availability, feed conversion and margins, and a customised feed plan is developed to deliver profitable production growth.

"Our team's focus is to maximise on-farm feed utilisation and complement that with the right supplementary feed at the right time.

"Tracker enables farmers to continually see their progress towards reaching their targets and where they are heading in terms of milk volume, composition, quality and profitability," says Mr Calcinai.

Te Pahu dairy farmer Shane Swinerd says Tracker has added value to his overall business with an increase of 22.3 per cent for the season.

He believes it is a direct result of knowing exactly how much his cows are being fed, how much they are eating, and at what cost.

"Tracker has all of the information in it and it's easy to understand. One of the biggest things is that I'm not very computer savvy. It's a hell of a lot easier to use than I thought it'd be," says Mr Swinerd.

He says by using Tracker production and feed gaps are easily identified and he can project how to increase production and profitability in advance.

GrainCorp Feeds is launching a new app version of Tracker at this year's National Agricultural Fieldays and demonstrations will be available.

Registering a farm business on Tracker is free and includes complimentary support from GrainCorp Feeds.

* For more information on Tracker and other innovative products from GrainCorp Feeds visit www.graincorpfeeds.co.nz