A partnership formed between two Mount Compass dairy farmers 10 years ago is reaping rewards for the families. The Hicks family’s Misty Downs dairy and the Jacobs family’s Whispering Pines dairy are now both in a growth phase, with robotics introduced at Whispering Pines this year.
Perrin Hicks, one of the directors of the Hicks-Jacobs Dairies partnership, and co-owner of Misty Downs with his wife Kelly, said a sharp focus on milk quality was unpinning the success of the dairies.
Perrin is a first-generation dairy farmer, whose family bought his Mount Compass property in 1996. “I was 18 years old, and I didn’t know much about farming, but I had a lot of enthusiasm,” he said.
“It was a very small herd, about 80 cows, and the farm needed a lot of work. I did the Certificate in Farm Practice TAFE course, and I was able to apply what I learnt straight to the farm, so I got up to scratch quickly.”
The Misty Downs herd grew to 130 and Perrin leased a neighbour’s property for grazing, concentrating on breeding, feeding and keeping cell counts low. Meanwhile, Perrin was also managing the herd at Warren Jacob’s dairy Whispering Pines, just over the hill.
“In 2014, Warren came up with the idea that we could put everything together, lease all our assets, including our cows, and form a partnership. That would enable more efficiencies by sharing staff and equipment and we could spend less time worrying about herd management at two different businesses, and more time improving the business,” Perrin said.
“It evolved into a brilliant idea where two farms could operate together. Our mission statement was that I was there to help Warren retire and he was there to help me start. It was a win-win for both of us.
“Then four years ago, Warren’s son Asher and his wife Jenny came into the partnership. There are now three families running the Hicks-Jacobs Dairies business, which turned 10 in July this year. We celebrated it with… actually, we haven’t had time to celebrate, we’re calving. But one day we will.”
The herd at Whispering Pines has grown to 440 cows and the Misty Downs’ herd has grown to 330 cows. The families are also expanding their property footprint.
“Kell and I bought some neighbouring land over the road from Misty Downs, and in March this year, put a tunnel under the road, with some funding from PIRSA. This allows safe movement of the cows in the Misty Downs’ herd to move calmly from one side of the road to the other,” Perrin said.
A big part of the Hicks-Jacobs Dairies’ success is a sharp focus on milk quality. Perrin said he has learnt some tricks from working in different dairy businesses over the years.
“Firstly, you’ve got to be consistent with your milking, in the time that cows are milked and the way they’re milked. And people don’t like this, but no dogs. Especially, no dogs chasing cows. For good quality milk, you need calm cow movement, you need to service and maintain your milking equipment, especially cup liners and pulsators and herd test your cows every five weeks,” Perrin said.
“You’ve got to watch the cows and be attentive to what they want and need. And, when you’re milking, you must always have your eyes open for mastitis. Once you know what the signs are, they’re obvious.”
To assist with the growth plans, eight Lely robots were installed at Whispering Pines this year, which will allow the herd to expand to 500 cows.
“The robots are fantastic for milk quality,” Perrin said. “Both farms’ cell counts have averaged around 100,000 to 120,000 BMCC for the years leading up to the robots. But incredibly, since these robots were installed at Whispering Ponds, the cell count has halved, down to 60,000 BMCC.
“It supports my philosophy about the importance of having calm and happy cows. The cows walk in when they want to for milking. There’s no stress on the cows waiting to be milked. There are no dogs and they’re not getting chased.
“We herd test at our other dairy every five weeks to get a snapshot of where the cows are at. But to have an individual quarter analysis of the milk quality from every cow at every milking from the robots is incredibly powerful.
“But it’s important to note that a robot won’t fix your cell count. It’s the herd management that’s really important. The minute you get an alarm raised by a robot as far as cow health is concerned, you need to get onto it as quickly as possible and keep the cows healthy and happy.”
Robots also offer big wins in terms of cleaning efficiency. The robots flush the cups after every milking and do a full wash after any treated cows to ensure no residues get into the vat and removing any chance of cross contamination between cows. The robots also do a full wash and milk line rinse twice a day. At the conventional dairy, this is all done manually.
Milk from both farms goes to La Casa Del Formaggio. “Claude (Cicchiello, La Casa’s Managing Director) is only a phone call away. We’ve been working with them for 10 years and we’re proud to supply them. They make a great product,” Perrin said.
Perrin’s and Kelly’s sons Jack and Nathan are both now working on the farm and their 15-year-old daughter Chelsea also has the option to pursue a career in dairy farming.
“I think robotics keeps the kids interested in dairy farming. When you go into the robotic dairy, you can’t take the smile off your face. It’s great to watch the cows moving around freely and happily, especially when you’ve done some hard hours in a conventional dairy, starting work before the crack of dawn,” Perrin said.
“Now, with the robots, you rock up at 7am and the cows are walking in on their own and getting milked. I think it’s the future of the dairy industry.
“Robots are expensive, but if we keep getting good milk prices, then more farmers will future-proof themselves by investing in robots. It’s good for milk quality, better for the cows, and great for the sustainability of our industry.”
