May 5, 2021 â 3.12pm
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APA Group will embark on a major expansion of its east coast gas pipeline grid after signing a new three-year gas transportation deal with Origin Energy.
The $270 million expansion will increase the capacity of APAâs pipelines ability to transport Queensland gas to southern markets by 25 per cent and will help head off a shortage in winter gas supply in Victoria forecast to hit by 2023 or 2024.
APA will use the expansion to carry gas for Origin Energy.Â
The decision to proceed with the expansion follows the blocking last month of AGL Energyâs LNG import project in Victoria by the state government, which was also aimed at heading off shortages in the state. Domestic gas pipelines to bring Queensland gas south are in part in competition with LNG import terminals planned by several rival ventures in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Teagasc dairy specialist Nicholas McKenna outlines how to prepare facilities for calving this spring.
According to Nicholas one aspect of the calving season that may get overlooked is ensuring that you have enough calf space and accommodation to meet peak demand.
He outlines a number of factors which impact on the peak number of calves that will be on a farm which indicates the minimum calf accommodation required also.
6 week calving rate
Using your breeding records and scanning results you can predict what percentage of your herd will calve in six weeks, the target for this is 90pc with the average currently in Ireland sitting at 64pc. The higher the percentage calved in 6 weeks means the higher the peak number of calves that will be on the farm at any one time.
Have you enough space for all your calves at peak?
As 2020 comes to a close, many spring-calving dairy farmers’ focus has shifted away from drying off cows to calving in early 2021.
An aspect of the calving season that may be overlooked on many farms is ensuring that you have enough calf space and accommodation to meet peak demand.
A recent report by Nicholas McKenna, dairy specialist with Teagasc, has outlined this along with a number of factors which may impact on the peak number of calves.
In terms of adequate space for calves, Teagasc recommended to leave a minimum of 1.7m² floor space per calf. To make it simpler, a standard single bay of a shed measuring 4.8m X 5m (24m²) can house 14 calves.