Innovative shelters reduce heat stress
News story from 'Climate Change, A NSW Department of Primary Industries special feature', in The Land, October 2008
Transportable stock shade shelters developed by Chris and Sally Maslen reduce heat stress in their herd.
Mid-north coast dairyfarmers Chris and Sally Maslen, have developed transportable stock shade shelters to reduce heat stress in their herd.
The Maslens, who milk 500 cows on their 366 ha Speldon property on the Avon River near Gloucester, identified their need for shade options based on future climatic predictions and the impact of heat on cow comfort and milk production.
Chris and Sally have been planting 300 to 500 trees each year but these need to be protected while they are growing.
Chris adapted the design for shade shelters from ones he had seen in south east Queensland, and also designed and fabricated mobile feed troughs to go with the shade structures.
They developed the structures with funding from the Hunter Central Rivers CMA by participating in the Farmer Targets for Change program run by NSW DPI.
The 20 shade structures currently in use have been highly successful with 25 to 30 cows congregating under each shelter during hot weather.
As the shelters are moved across the paddock, manure is spread more evenly rather than being concentrated in a small area.
Chris Maslen also designed and fabricated mobile feed troughs to go with the shade structures.
The existing shade trees on the farm now have a longer life expectancy due to the reduce pressure from stock.
Chris and Sally have a personal management system with the aim to leave their property to future generations in a better state then when they started farming.
At the recent NSW Dairy Products Awards dinner held in Sydney, Chris and Sally won the inaugural dairy farm innovation sustainability award for their transportable stock shade shelters.
Chris and Sally also carried out several major works which have: increased water quality of their river, eliminated stream bank erosion, and improved biodiversity.
These major works have also had a positive benefit to the dairy farm by improving herd health and thus improving production.
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