- A thousand ways to drought feed a sheep
- ‘No tag no buy’ – is this how EID for sheep will play out?
- Shearing shed design for maximum efficiency
- Production Pointers Part 5: Breeding Objective
- Upcoming Leading Sheep events
- Upcoming events
- eBulletins
1. A thousand ways to drought feed a sheep
Despite the dry, graziers in South West Queensland are devising ways to keep their businesses moving. Many of us have been through the decision to feed or not to feed and are aware of the weigh ups. Here are three graziers who have crunched the numbers, talked to neighbours and advisers, and made the call. The common ground seems to be, they all have clear plans and aren’t doing it by halves. Click here to read the full story.
Outlooks still don’t have us getting out our umbrellas, so if you’re revising your feeding strategy, check out these resources on drought feeding sheep.
Also, make sure you keep an eye out for the Drought Community Outreach visits throughout August-September, bringing drought support services together to provide opportunities for you to get one-on-one advice about what support you can access. With 16 locations in West and South West Queensland, click here to find out when they are coming to a town near you.
2. ‘No tag no buy’ – is this how EID for sheep will play out?
Could processors drive national uptake of electronic identification (EID) of sheep and goats? Victorian Farmers Federation seems to think so. While there are no clear plans yet, abattoirs seem to be tossing around the idea of ‘no tag no buy’, with greater market access and rewarding producers for high quality livestock expected to encourage uptake. Read the whole article here.
Many producers are already getting ahead of the game in Queensland and have seen benefits to using EIDs to improve commercial flock production records for reproduction, wool and growth traits, which can then be used to simplify flock selection or destocking decisions. Read more about the practical use of EIDs from local producers and industry experts here or hear how St George wool grower, Rod Avery uses EIDs in his flock here.
3. Shearing shed design for maximum efficiency
Is your shearing shed due for a face lift? AWI has just released its research on shearing shed design at an open day near Dubbo. The research is a combination of new ideas and refreshed old ones, which aim to improve efficiency in the shed as well as making the job easier and safer both in the shed and in the yards. A few of the features on the board include a 30cm tilt on the catching pen enabling shearers to drag sheep down an incline, alignment of the shearing equipment so that turning or twisting once at the stand is not required and shute design to reduce resistance of the sheep entering the shute.
Read more about the open day and producers’ first thoughts here and see the designs and more information here.
4. Production Pointers Part 5: Breeding Objective
Do you have a clear breeding objective that you use when selecting rams? Having a clear breeding objective can help you target where you really want to go with your flock. It’s very easy to do, but if you’re unsure, MLA has a video on what questions to ask yourself to define your breeding objectives and ensure they are balanced for productivity and profit. It also explains how this might translate to selecting rams using Australian sheep breeding values (ASBVs).
Click here to check out the videos for Merinos, prime lambs or cattle.
5. Upcoming Leading Sheep events
3 September Ramping up Repro training day, Longreach. For more information and to register click here.
6. Upcoming events
26 August Bet on your Books, Cunnamulla by GrazingFutures. For more information and to register click here.
27 August Bet on your Books, Morven by GrazingFutures. For more information and to register click here.
29 August Restocking, destocking and everything in between, Webinar by Grazing Futures. For more information and to register click here.
12-14 September QRRRWN Conference, Goondiwindi by QRRRWN. For more information and to register click here.
18 September Business EDGE, Warwick by Bush Agribusiness. For more information and to register click here.
17-19 September Nuffield Australia National Conference, Brisbane. For information click here.
21-23 September Outback Aerodrone Symposium, Barcaldine by RAPAD and Barcaldine Council. For more information and to register click here.