Best practice in Dairy
systems – Case study
MANAGING WET SOILS
TOBY, LYN and NICK LEPPIN – BENA
The Leppin family have been farming on their Bena property in
South Gippsland for the past 35 years. They started with an 80
cow herd of Jerseys and now milk 400 “Aussie reds”. Twenty-five
years ago - after inspiration from Swedish dairy farmers and
assistance from their bulls - a transition across to a red breed of
cows was made by Toby and his father. These cows are an
Australian red breed in which any mix of genetics from red breeds
around the world can be used. This results in a breed of cows
which have hybrid vigour and average 530 kg. They also hold
condition well in unpredictable seasons and are aggressive eaters
and foragers with moderate milk production and high components.
These factors make them ideal for the Leppin’s dairy system.
Photo – Toby Leppin
Toby and Lyn run the farm with their son Nick who joined the family
business after a period away doing an apprenticeship. They run their
milkers on 140 ha with an additional 150 ha of out paddocks used for
fodder and young stock. Some of the Leppin’s land is too steep for dairy
cows and hence a small herd of beef cattle is kept. The farm is
predominantly sown to perennial ryegrass, and on a small scale Nick
has been experimenting with some summer forages such as turnips.
The Leppin’s use a strictly spring calving system as they have found that
this fits well into the management of their farm. They aim to become a
self-sufficient (bar grain) dairy farm, seasons allowing.
Photo – One of the Leppin’s “Aussie Red’s”
Although the Leppin’s property is situated in Victoria’s South Gippsland region - a region which can boast of rolling hills,
good soils and plentiful rainfall - past years have proved to be extremely wet, resulting in waterlogged soils. In recent
very wet years, local soils were reaching saturation earlier than normal in the winter. If the Leppin’s had not managed
their grazing management of the very wet paddocks well, they would have become very pugged and churned up. If the
pugging was not minimised or avoided, pasture production and animal health would have suffered.
Managing Wet Soils - Leppin
Photo – The rolling hills of the Leppin’s South Gippsland property
Photo – Ground cover if left unmanaged in a wet season
Toby and Nick have identified barriers to production for different parts of their farming system. Wet soil is one such
potential barrier. Through trial and error, collaboration with other farmers, and some proactive thinking, they have been
able to come up with a combination of management strategies to deal with wet, very wet and extremely wet winters.
Hay rings
Hay rings are used to feed out hay to young stock. Rings are placed into paddocks and act as mini feed pads by
providing a centralised location for feed. This reduces wastage from feeding out hay into the paddocks. It is important
that the rings are moved regularly. This ensures that the soil structure and pasture around the ring can recover quickly
without encouraging weed growth. If the rings are left for too long then the continual movement of the cattle creates a
crater in the pasture around the ring perimeter, the soil becomes compacted and the ground “sinks”. Also when the feed
rings are regularly moved, small amounts of seed from the hay will drop and germinate beside the rings which allows for
the grass to regenerate. Calves also do better on fresh hay.
When feeding dry cows the Leppin’s use a very pro-active strategy. Rather than waiting for most of the grass to be
consumed before supplementing with hay, they strip or block graze and feed hay to extend the rotation and allow the
grass to keep growing ahead of them. This hay and pasture mix reduces pressure on the pasture residual and allows it
to recover faster.
Feed pad
A simple feed pad was established next to the dairy in 2004. It is 13m wide and
80m long and cost $25,000 to set up. The pad has the ability to house the entire
herd of milkers or dry cows (400 cows) at once if required. To ensure
construction of a quality feed pad it was important to select a location with a solid
ground / soil base. The innovative way in which the concrete base was laid
made this feed pad cost-effective. The concrete was poured with a specially
designed sled which runs behind a tractor. This was hired from a local contractor.
It took one day to be completed with four operators; one on the tractor, two
working with the sled and one following behind to ensure even coverage. The
sled was 2.5 m wide and was dragged up and down the pad 5 times – laying
Photo- Feed pad and feed pad grip
concrete in the process.
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary
Industries Melbourne, November 2013
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Melbourne 2013
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Print managed by Finsbury Green, November 2013
ISBN [Insert number for print and/or online]
www.depi.vic.gov.au
Accessibility
If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format,
please telephone DEPI Customer Service Centre 136 186, email
customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au (or relevant address), via the National
Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au This document is
also available in on the internet at www.depi.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its
employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind
or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims
all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you
relying on any information in this publication.
Managing Wet Soils - Leppin
The grip on the feed pad was provided by a patterned roller. This roller was moved over the concrete as it was drying to
get the Leppin’s desired pattern. Although at first having such deep grooves may have seemed like a harsh choice of
grip for the feed pad, the cows have had no issues walking or standing on the feed pad.
The feed pad is most intensively used when the herd is predominately made up of dry cows. They may spend all day on
the feed pad if the conditions are too wet and if required the cows can stay on the feed pad indefinitely. In wet situations
with low pasture cover, the use of the feed pad has reduced pugging damage and paddocks have been holding their
condition. This is helped by the cows leaving the feed pad when they are feeling “full”. This reduces the cows need to
search for grass and further churn up the paddocks. The Leppin’s have found it vital to clean out the feed pad regularly
as any remaining hay may turn rancid.
When the herd is milking, the cows also use the feed pad for extended periods of time if residuals become too low in the
paddocks or if paddocks are so wet that pugging would occur if grazed for too long. If the conditions are particularly wet,
the cows can be kept on the feed pad for an extended period. Toby and Nick have also observed that there is very little
wastage of feed on the feed pad. The cows are not able to trample feed into the mud as in the paddocks, thus feeding
efficiencies have increased.
Gate release timer
A relatively unknown but valuable gate release timer was introduced to the
farm management system in 2006. This allows for the time to be set when
an electrified “bungy” gate is released so that the cattle can leave the pad or
nominated paddock.
The gate release timer cost the Leppin’s $350 to purchase, a sum that has
paid for itself many times over. The timer works by releasing the gate of the
paddock where the cows are being held, at a predetermined time. If
conditions are not overly wet then it will open 30 minutes before milking. In
wet conditions it can be set to release as much as 3hrs before milking. This
Photo- Gate release timer
allows the cows time to walk at their own pace to the dairy, reducing stress on the animals and subsequently avoiding
expensive and time consuming foot and health issues. The cows walk in single file along the tracks as there is no time
pressure. In wet conditions this protects the drains on the edge of the laneways and reduces pugging, especially near
the gateways. As a result, very little laneway maintenance is needed most years.
The gate timer is then moved to the feed pad and opens at a set time depending on paddock conditions and how long
Toby and Nick want the cows to feed on the pad. The timer has reduced the need for the Leppin’s to chase down cows
and herd them to the dairy or to the paddocks they are being moved to. This has added benefits to their work-life
balance. To further reduce the need to move the timer between the paddocks and the feed pad, an additional timer has
recently been purchased. The gate timer has produced many benefits on farm but did require some initial animal
training.
Cows have been trained to not respond to the sound of the quad bike used on farm which was used for rounding up the
cows for milking. They were accustomed to hearing the bike and would crowd themselves near the closed paddock
gate. In wet conditions this caused severe pugging around the gateway and in a “v” shape out into the paddock.
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary
Industries Melbourne, November 2013
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Melbourne 2013
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Print managed by Finsbury Green, November 2013
ISBN [Insert number for print and/or online]
www.depi.vic.gov.au
Accessibility
If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format,
please telephone DEPI Customer Service Centre 136 186, email
customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au (or relevant address), via the National
Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au This document is
also available in on the internet at www.depi.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its
employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind
or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims
all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you
relying on any information in this publication.
Managing Wet Soils - Leppin
The cows have now lost their response to the sound of the bike as they have learned that there is no reward at the end
such as pasture or supplement. The initial issues of riding with or against the herd walking to and from the dairy are no
longer a problem. This allows for ease of farm work whilst using the quad bike. Heifers also soon learn the same routine
after a few days.
Grazing management
To gain the most out of the technologies and practices used on farm, good grazing management has been key to
reaching the Leppin’s goal of growing sufficient feed for their stock. This has been particularly important during wet
seasons as one bad year can cause long-term soil damage. In extreme wet seasons – before the feed pad was
established – the Leppin’s used a sacrifice paddock.
Because much of their land is steep, it was important to be aware of issues surrounding the safety of workers in wet
conditions and the potential for erosion. They identified a central flat paddock that had good water supply and was close
to the dairy. The use of the sacrifice paddock allowed the Leppin’s to stretch out rotations and give pastures time to
grow before being grazed. This often does not occur on farms with a ‘too short’ rotation. The use of sacrifice paddocks
meant that pastures didn’t have to be grazed in the wet and hay and silage could be fed out during the day. Cows were
given access to pasture at night.
Toby and Nick are quick to alter rotation lengths on the farm. In summer they run a 40 day rotation. This creates less
damage to the pasture and ensures that it doesn’t become over grazed heading into the wet months, where a 50-60 day
rotation is used. Toby has a preference to have long grass on his paddocks to ensure that when cows enter there is
plenty of feed in front of them. The pasture is grazed down to 4-6 cm between the clumps. Both Toby and Nick have
learned valuable grazing techniques from attending the DEPI Feeding Pastures for Profit programs in the past.
When it’s too wet to keep all the cows on farm and there is not enough stored feed, Toby and Nick send a portion of the
dry cows off the farm on agistment or to a turnout block. This has been up to two-thirds of the herd at times. It is usually
only for a few weeks which allows the pasture to recover and grow more bulk. Keeping on top of nutrient applications
despite sometimes adverse conditions has been important for the Leppin’s strong pasture growth. Urea is usually
applied 1-2 days prior to grazing. In wet seasons a compromise between the ideal time of nitrogen application and
timing of access to wet paddocks is required.
Light spreader
Traditionally urea is spread in bulk by large tractors and spreaders.
However in wet seasons when the soil is waterlogged, the weight of
these machines can cause permanent damage to the soil’s structure
and to the pasture’s ability to regenerate. The Leppin’s have devised a
way of reducing the impact of heavy machines through the use of a
quad bike-pulled spreader. This was purchased 10 years ago for
$1700 and during that time has only once required the replacement of
the spinner.
Photo- Urea spreader
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary
Industries Melbourne, November 2013
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Melbourne 2013
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Print managed by Finsbury Green, November 2013
ISBN [Insert number for print and/or online]
www.depi.vic.gov.au
Accessibility
If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format,
please telephone DEPI Customer Service Centre 136 186, email
customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au (or relevant address), via the National
Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au This document is
also available in on the internet at www.depi.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its
employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind
or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims
all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you
relying on any information in this publication.
Managing Wet Soils - Leppin
Toby added an extra two wheels to the outside of the existing wheels. These spread the compacting load, and provide
better balance and safety. The spreader travels at 15km/hr and is able to cover 2ha a load. It has managed to deliver
30 tonnes of urea to the Leppin’s farm each season it is used.
Seasonal Spring calving
Toby and Nick use a strictly spring calving system. They have found this gives them time for their on farm management
to be improved during the non-calving months. When they enter a really wet season, they are able to focus all their
attention to the management issues as they arise, keeping their system simpler. There is less pressure placed on
pasture throughout the year which results in a ‘forest’ for the cows when they enter the pasture .
Calving down pad and shed
A calving down pad is used for the cows and a calving shed for the
heifers. The use of these reduces the need for the Leppin’s to be
searching and travelling all over the paddocks to try and locate the
calving cows and heifers. This not only helps protect the pasture but
also reduces the likelihood of losing calves. The pad can hold up to
30 cows comfortably and the shed 15 heifers. The cows and calves
are located close to the shed, saving time and avoiding pasture
damage.
To reduce mastitis and keep the pad fresh, sawdust is used on the
calving pad floor and hay is fed at the pad. Another innovation used
by the Leppin’s is to regularly remove the cow pats by a five/six
pronged fork. The cleaning of the pad can be done throughout the
day with the cow pats being removed 2-3 times a day. This manure
Photo- The calving down pad getting ready for spring
is then stock piled and spread over the paddocks in the summer.
Herd numbers – being proactive not reactive
Toby and Nick are firm believers in being ready and willing to adjust herd numbers depending on the season ahead.
They identify the need to be ‘proactive’ if they think the season is going to be bad and wet, instead of ‘reactive’. Being
proactive means that when an unfavourable season arrives, the system has already been adjusted to cope and the
farm’s ability to ‘survive’ is greatly improved. In 2012 the Leppin’s had 438 cows which were ready to calve. They
calculated for the coming season that they should aim to have only 410 cows. Twenty eight cows in calf were sold that
year which assisted with cash flow. As it was a tight year with milk prices, this also reduced the amount of purchased
feed required and the pressure on the paddocks.
As demonstrated by the Leppin’s, managing wet soil conditions is best achieved by the combination of complementary
management practices. Through new technologies, good pasture, herd and feed management, along with a little
creativity and a willingness to plan ahead and act proactively, the Leppin’s have adapted their farming system to better
manage challenging seasons.
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Environment and Primary
Industries Melbourne, November 2013
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Melbourne 2013
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Print managed by Finsbury Green, November 2013
ISBN [Insert number for print and/or online]
www.depi.vic.gov.au
Accessibility
If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format,
please telephone DEPI Customer Service Centre 136 186, email
customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au (or relevant address), via the National
Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au This document is
also available in on the internet at www.depi.vic.gov.au
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its
employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind
or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims
all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you
relying on any information in this publication.