Daryl Fleming (left) and his son Lachlan are the fourth and fifth generations of the family operating a 486ha dairy, hay and contracting business, milking 375 cows twice a day at Willung in Victoria.
Victorian dairy farmer Daryl Fleming chuckles as he acknowledges that locals have christened the district around his family’s Willung farm, ‘Flemingville’.
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Daryl’s Irish great-grandfather and his English wife originally settled the farm near Traralgon around 1910, and their nine children and descendants proceeded to buy adjoining farmland throughout the valley.
These days, Daryl, his wife Emma, and two of his three sons, Lachlan and Ethan, are the fourth and fifth generations of the family operating a 486ha dairy, hay and contracting business, milking 375 cows twice a day.
“We’re very proud to be the fifth generation of Flemings in the district. We feel it’s an honour to continue the work of the families before us,” Daryl said.
“These days we all have designated roles. Lachlan is in charge of fodder and silage production — the making, carting and feeding of it on-farm; and Emma, Ethan and I handle the day-to-day running of the herd, and we have beef country too. It all works well.”
John Deere the first word in tractors
It’s not surprising that a fleet of John Deere machinery is integral to the smooth running of the Flemings’ business, especially since Lachlan’s first word as a toddler was not mum or dad, but “tractor”.
“Lachie was tractor-mad from an early age, and every time we considered making a purchase at the John Deere dealership, he was more excited about the free toys than the new machine,” Daryl said.
These days it’s definitely all about the machines and new technology for 22-year-old Lachlan.
“We run a range of John Deere 6M Series tractors and Combi balers and for us, the choice was easy, because these machines are reliable, tough and fuel-efficient workhorses,” Lachlan said.
“There’s never a day when we don’t have to feed cows, so it’s nice to be able to jump in a tractor and know it’s going to run reliably.
“It’s very important that we get crops in on time too, so the machines have to run at 110 per cent every day.
“The John Deere tech ecosystem is all integrated and easy for operators to use, and the Operations Center remote display means that anyone can jump in at any stage and go.
“Most days we’re in a tractor for eight hours-plus. The cab is essentially our office, and being comfortable is key.”
Lachlan Fleming says John Deere technology is becoming more critical because it allows them to monitor all their inputs to produce a high-quality feed for cows.
Precision ag technology is critical
Lachlan sees precision ag technology like John Deere’s AutoTrac and Operations Center as critical to the business of dairy farming, to monitor and control rising input costs such as fuel.
“My advice to anyone considering Operations Center is to definitely check it out — it’s truly something that needs to be seen to be believed,” he said.
“Fuel efficiency is a major factor for us, and we use Operations Center to assess how much fuel is used in transport, work or idle times. From there, it’s easy to make adjustments. Fuel is a massive input cost, so any saving is a good saving.
“I’ve started using remote display too, so no matter who is in the tractor, I can get on my mobile, go into remote display and talk the operator through any problems or queries about any of the settings.
“Operations Center is good for monitoring where a tractor is in the field and its exact settings, right down to how much hydraulic flow is going through a valve at any time.
“Dad was discing one day and rang me to ask how much hydraulic flow should be going through one valve at a time to operate the discs. By logging into Operations Center, I could tell him how much pressure was going through on his tractor and how much he needed to cut it back.”
Adding to profits through accuracy
AutoTrac is used for tillage, mowing, raking and seeding, and has also made their operation more profitable.
“I can remember teaching myself to drive our first tractor with auto steer, and thinking, ‘This is the way forward’,” Lachlan said.
“The John Deere AutoTrac system is very easy to operate, very streamlined, and because AutoTrac ensures that 100 per cent of the time we’re bang-on where we need to be, it’s lifted productivity.”
The purchase of a John Deere C451R Combi Baler has been transformational for the Flemings’ hay and silage production.
Combi Baler a ‘no brainer’ for dairy
The purchase of a John Deere C451R Combi Baler was transformational for the Flemings’ hay and silage production, combining the function of baling and wrapping in one machine and reducing the need for multiple tractors and operators.
Lachlan said the family liked the idea of not having to sit in the paddock until all hours of the night, wrapping silage.
“The Combi Baler was a no-brainer for us, and the number one reason was its ease of use. We’re very fussy about the bales we produce and the C451’s net system is very good, the rolls come straight out of the back and they’re wrapped very fast in one motion.
“The technology is also progressing. Hopefully we’ll soon have a baler that tells us exactly how much weight is in a bale, how much dry matter, so then we can calculate exactly how much needs to go into the cow's mouth.
Technology drives sustainability
In the future, Lachlan said he plans to “dive into John Deere technology a bit more” and looks forward to working in tandem with the company to continue another Fleming generation of dairy farming in Willung.
“The technology is becoming more critical because it allows us to monitor all our inputs to produce a high-quality feed for cows, and in this business that is the number one goal,” he said.
“It’s not as simple as just cows eating grass. At the end of the day, good grass puts the milk in the vat. And for us, it’s all about production, profitability and sustainability.”
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