Donava Holsteins started cutting silage last week, a first for this time of the year for South Australia’s northernmost dairy farmers.
In a normal season the Zwecks would expect to cut hay in August or September. This season is one out of the box.
Early summer rainfall enabled them to sow on 20 March, with a crop of beast barley. Beast is known for its rapid growth, but with warm conditions and follow up rainfall, by July it was well out in head providing an excellent opportunity for a very early silage cut.
This early cut (of about 60 hectares) will ensure the cows maintain excellent milk production as the season progresses. The week of fine weather also enabled the hay to be cut, chopped and stored in less than seven days.
The Zweck family run a fully robotic dairy milking 300 cows a day. Their latest contract supplies La Casa Del Formaggio, an Australian manufacturer of premium Italian cheeses like bocconcini and mozzarella.
Originating in South Australia in 1988, its cheeses are sold on the shelves of thousands of Australian supermarkets.
If you would like to see a short video of the whole process, search for Eime Contracting on Facebook.
