What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• Survey on the feasibility and benefits of using DNA for traceability within the red meat industry

BestWool/BestLamb

• Breeding your 'ideal' sheep = a goal and the right genetics
• WoolPoll 2021
• AWI Change Makers Episode 6: Scanning to manage

BetterBeef

• Technote: Growing weaner cattle during winter
• Tactical feed budget calculator

Ag Recovery

• Recovery After Fire: Practical Steps for Farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides

Quick Links

• Links to Feeding Livestock website, AWI, MLA, The Fast Break, Rural Financial Counselling Service and more

PLEASE NOTE: The events listed below may be subject to last minute cancellation in the event of an emergency or advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.

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An invitation for Australian beef and sheep producers, pastoralists, lot feeders, processors and service providers to provide input into the feasibility and benefits of using DNA for traceability in the red meat value chain.

The University of New England (AGBU/Animal Science) is conducting a project to scope out the feasibility and cost-benefit of a DNA-based traceability system for the Australian sheep and beef cattle industries. The project is funded via the Food Agility CRC under a theme called “Using Genotyping for Individual Animal Identification and to Support Provenance Claims”, and the CRC is working closely with Meat & Livestock Australia and their Integrity Systems group.

The online survey aims to collect a range of responses that will inform the team of elements that impact feasibility, desired outcomes from traceability, likely cost benefit analysis using DNA as well as potential barriers to implementation of DNA technologies for traceability.  Reponses collected within the online survey will be anonymous. 

Complete the survey online.

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The path towards profit can have more than one route, and what everyone wants from their sheep might just be a little bit different.  What is important is 1) knowing how you want your sheep to perform and 2) that their genetic potential lines up with your expectations.

The ‘Lambs Alive’ group run by Jason Trompf is undertaking a demonstration funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Agriculture Victoria, where all group members will have the opportunity to develop a breeding objective for their sheep enterprise.  Further to that, six ‘host farms’ will benchmark the genetic potential and improvement of their flocks over five years.  Genetic potential will be assessed via the ‘Flock Profile’* tool which provides  a flock average for key Australian Sheep Breeding Values, such as weaning and yearling liveweight, yearling clean fleece weight, staple length and fibre diameter, as well as eye muscle and fat depth.  Assessments of genetic potential at the start and end of the demonstration will be used as an indicator of genetic improvement.

Group coordinator Jason Trompf said while some sites will collect key phenotypic data to monitor changes in sheep (and ensure they are on track to meet the breeding objective), for others seeing the change in the genetic potential is what’s really important and will cement if the ram buying decisions have been the right ones to deliver the desired outcomes.

Host farms will undertake the initial benchmarking of genetic potential at the 2021 lamb marking; stay tuned for updates as the results come to hand.  For any producers interested in setting a breeding objective for their own enterprises, please contact Nick Linden from Agriculture Victoria 0438 369 486.

* The ‘Flock Profile’ is a genomic test of a random group of 20 ewe lambs – the science behind the flock profile test was generated from research undertaken by the Sheep CRC.  The materials required and the analysis of the samples is undertaken by Neogen. Read more about this online.

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Australian woolgrowers of any description – from dedicated Merino wool producers to mixed farmers running crossbreed sheep – are being called upon to have their say on the direction of the wool industry by voting in WoolPoll 2021.

Held every three years, WoolPoll is a voluntary vote of all wool levy payers through which the industry decides on its levy rate for investment in research, development and marketing activities, which are conducted by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).

Chair of the independent WoolPoll 2021 Panel Steven Bolt, a mixed farmer based at Corrigin, Western Australia, encouraged all wool growers to start considering their preferred levy rate now, ahead of the voting period opening on Monday 13 September.

“This year’s WoolPoll comes at an interesting time for the Australian sheep industry as we emerge from drought in large parts of the country and as we look to rebuild the national flock,” he said.
“We have also seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted supply and demand for wool globally.

“Given this context, it is important for all woolgrowers – not just Merino wool producers – to sit down with the people they farm with to discuss WoolPoll, and to start a conversation with their peers about what they want to invest in R&D and marketing for wool through AWI.”

Voting for WoolPoll 2021 opens on Monday 13 September and closes on Friday 5 November.

More information about WoolPoll 2021 and the voting process can be found on the WoolPoll website.

The requirements of single and twin bearing ewes vary greatly, and pregnancy scanning is your most valuable tool to allow for differential management. Join Nathan Scott as he outlines the considerations and benefits it provides, with practical management tips for deciding what will work for your operation  #AWIChangeMakers Episode 7: Scanning to manage.

Visit wool.com for further information on pregnancy scanning.

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John Bowman, Gippsland

You have done all the hard work with last year’s spring calves, grown them through to weaning, carefully yard weaned them and given them the necessary health treatments. Now it’s time to reap the rewards and capitalise on the current good prices.

What is your plan to get them through the rest of winter and make the most of when the pasture takes off in spring?  With the current prices of young stock making $4.00 to $5.00 per kilogram liveweight in the store markets, it can be very profitable to ensure your weaners grow at a steady rate during the winter months.  A well-managed weaner could be 50-100kg heavier by the end of spring if they have had the right feed and nutrition during winter.

How can we make sure that our spring born weaners perform at their best through the winter, and is it worth adding supplements to chase higher growth rates?

For any pasture-based finishing operation there is a need to balance the likely feed supply against the feed required. Matching the number of animals to the available grazing area is a key decision and enables any deficits in supply to be filled with supplements. A follow on from this is that we need to match the pasture rotation (the length of time a pasture is spelled after being grazed by stock) to the growth rates of the pasture. Having the ‘right rotation’ is critical to optimising pasture and animal performance. As a starting point it is suggested that animals enter a pasture at 2400 kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kgDM/ha) and graze it down to 1200 kgDM/ha.

Over winter when pasture growth rates are low the goal should be to have a 35 to 40 day rotation around the weaner grazing area. If you are grazing a paddock for three days before stock are moved, you would need 12 paddocks to get the 36 day rotation. If you only have six paddocks you can compromise by adding in supplements and shift weekly or run an electric wire to halve each paddock to enable the three day shift. A longer rotation period gives pastures more time to recover post-grazing to reach the target height before being grazed again.  As we move into spring and pasture growth rates start to increase the grazing rotation can be shortened, as it takes less time for the pastures to recover to the desired height. 

Grazing a pasture from 2400 kgDM/ha to 1400 kgDM/ha over the three day period will keep some leaf area on the pastures and encourage good regrowth. To achieve the goal of animals entering a high quality pasture of 2400 kg DM/ha, the pasture needs to be of good quality containing improved pasture grasses and clovers and hopefully some autumn saving will have built a feed wedge before the winter set in. If the rotation speeds up or the weaners are hungry before the next scheduled shift or are grazing the paddock too hard (below 1200 kgDM/ha), then a supplement will need to be added to the diet for optimal growth rates.

As much as we would all like to have 2400 kgDM/ha on offer when putting stock into a paddock, it’s often not possible at this time of year, as some areas have very low autumn/winter growth rates and some grass species grow slower than others and have varying leaf emergence rates. The most important consideration is that weaners are adequately fed for every day of winter regardless of whether the feed is coming from quality pasture or a mix of pasture and supplement. Remember the cheapest feed that you have on your farm is the quality pasture you grow yourself so it’s always good for home grown feed to formulate a large percentage of the diet.

Supplements can be used as a tool to balance up the animal’s diet and to lengthen the grazing rotation ensuring pasture is available throughout winter. Essentially adding supplements into the system enables stock to stay where they are for longer, giving the grazed pasture more time to regrow prior to being grazed again.

If a supplement is needed, consider your cheapest energy options. A quality pasture hay or silage may do this and if the grass fed market is not your target, then a grain or grain mix or pellets (formulated for growing youngstock) could provide extra energy cost effectively. Care should be taken to transition young stock onto a grain supplement as this takes careful management. (see resource on Feeding Livestock Website ‘Choosing feed’ or Chapter 7 ‘feeding grain to cattle’ ). Consider costing out a grain free pellet or northern clover hay if you are targeting the grass-fed market. Other safe options are vetch or oaten hay as a supplement for weaners on quality green pasture or crop. Weaners on a lush crop or young fresh pasture may benefit from the fibre content in the vetch, oaten or pasture hay.

A winter pasture where all the grasses are growing leaf (vegetative growth stage as opposed to reproductive growth in late spring) will have the required protein of all weaner stock classes. This pasture will also have enough energy on a per kilogram of dry matter basis. The issue with winter pastures is typically not having enough feed on offer. The quality will be good, but often the quantity of energy available will be lacking, so when pasture is limited, an energy supplement is needed to lift animal growth rates. Vegetative winter pastures are typically low in dietary fibre, thus the feed moves through the digestive passage quickly. A high energy more fibrous supplement may be a good option in this case, although there is still debate on the production and profitability of the addition of fibre to these pastures.

There is no reason why you cannot run bigger mobs in bigger paddocks and still have a 36 to 40-day rotation. In larger mobs it is important to draft off the tail of the mob, being the smaller, lighter weight or younger weaners.  These will be the shy feeders that get the last feed from the supplement if offered or may be bullied by the more dominant animals in the mob. You could consider drafting off the smaller weaners and giving them priority pasture and/or additional supplements. Do the sums and it may be a profitable option to sell these in the store market for a quick return.

Monitor liveweight and aim for a 0.75 kg liveweight gain per day from weaning to joining at 15 months of age. For example, a seven month old heifer weaned at 250 kg liveweight growing at 0.75 kg per day for the next 240 days gives a joining weight of 390 kg at 450 days of age. This is more than adequate for a young heifer to cycle. Your steer calves may be slightly heavier live weight at the same age thus not far from feedlot entry weight. Implement an animal health program so the animals receive an annual 5 in 1 clostridial disease vaccination. Monitor worm egg counts (WEC) and if needed administer internal parasite control treatments to give your weaners every opportunity to reach their target.

Assessing how well the pastures on your farm will deliver the targeted animal performance of say 0.5 kg, 1kg or 1.5 kg/hd/day is a difficult skill – it’s impacted by pasture availability, quality and growth rates – not to mention other animal factors such as genetics and health. While it’s still essential to assess pasture performance and set some targets for available feed and the pasture rotation, there is nothing like running a group of monitor animals over the scales to check that the intended growth is being achieved.

At the end of the day, the growth rate of your animals is up to you – you can have animals growing at 0.5 kg per day or you can add supplement and achieve higher growth rates. Deciding IF you should be chasing higher growth rates then becomes a matter for a simple cost-benefit analysis, but at least you are making informed decisions about what is happening on your farm. With attractive sale prices, it might just be worth rerunning some sums of what is and isn’t worth spending on growing your stock through the winter in readiness for the coming spring.

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Visit the Feeding Livestock Website to utilise  the Tactical Feed Budget Calculator.

Broken into four steps, the tool looks at current stock numbers and pasture level and quality, actual feed needs for stock, how much pasture maybe provided in future months and any options that could be utilised if there are feed shortages.

Hear about the calculator online, or download the template.

Visit the Feeding Livestock website for more information and resources.

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An updated recovery guide is now available to help farmers rebuild and provide a one-stop reference to the support available. The guide includes steps to take immediately after the fire and for short-term recovery and longer-term rebuilding. It covers re-fencing, dealing with erosion and flooding, pasture recovery, pest and weed control and preparing for the next season.

The printed booklet is available from Agriculture Victoria, by contacting our Agriculture Recovery Managers (details noted below) or the Customer Services Centre on 136 186 or digital version online.

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The Victorian and Commonwealth governments are supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria.

For more information on bushfire recovery or recovery from floods/storm event, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or contact:

Bushfire Recovery Victoria – 1800 560 760 or visit the Bushfire Recovery Victoria website.

Regional Agricultural Victoria Recovery Managers:

• • North East – Kylie Macreadie on 0428 975 728
  • Gippsland – Darren Hickey on 0457 609 140

For more information on bushfire recovery, contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or visit the Agriculture Victoria Website.

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Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) have an experienced team ready to assist primary producers and small rural business in recovery planning. Financial counsellors can help develop financial forecasts and business plans required for lenders or investors, plus connect with support agencies and services. RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. They can also assist with filling in forms and grant applications. For more information or to book an appointment call RFCS Gippsland on 1300 045 747 or RFCS North East on 1300 834 775

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The Regional Weather and Climate Guides project is part of the Australian Government’s Drought Assistance Package. The project aims to improve the resilience of farming businesses by providing localised facts about the likelihood, severity, and duration of key weather variables in regions across the country.

The weather and climate information will be delivered through a set of guides corresponding to Australia's Natural Resource Management regions. The project is a collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, and FarmLink Research. The guides have been developed in collaboration with representatives from each NRM region to ensure the information is tailored to the needs of local farmers and agribusinesses.

For more information visit the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Visit Agriculture Victoria’s website for the latest information and resources relating to livestock and animals.

Agriculture Victoria is delivering workshops, farm walks and information sessions online. Virtual events might include webinars, teleconferences or livestreams. Visit Agriculture Victoria events for a comprehensive list of upcoming activities.

The RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. Counsellors can also assist applicants to apply for the Farm Household Allowance (FHA).

For more information visit the RFCS or call the national toll free number on 1300 045 747 (select option four for Victoria).

The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) provides health and safety education and advice to farmers and their families via the Online Ag Health program. 

For more information visit the National Centre for Farmer Health or contact Cecilia Fitzgerald on (03) 5551 8533

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