Welcome to our very first edition of “Around the Camp”, which will hopefully become a monthly feature in your inbox. If you have any news or stories that you think other sheep producers might be interested in then please feel free to forward them on.
Happy reading!
Topics include:
- OJD vaccination webinar recording
- Shire baiting dates
- Flood assistance
- Worm update
- Grazing system workshops
- BusinessEDGE workshops
- Collaborative area management EOI
- AWI newsletter
- Sheep industry scholarship
- Ewes for the future
- DNA testing delivers poll flock fast
OJD vaccination webinar recording
A recording is currently available if you happened to miss the OJD webinar that was conducted by Animal Health Australia. It’s aim is to provide technical information about the efficacy and role of vaccination in the control of Ovine Johne’s Disease.
Click here to view the recorded webinar and to find out more about OJD.
Shire baiting dates
A list of shire baiting dates has been compiled by John Cuskelly, Biosecurity Officer (Wild Dog Coordinator). If you want to be added to this wild dog control email distribution list which aims to share information across Qld, please contact John directly on 0427 063 218 or email john.cuskelly@deedi.qld.gov.au
To find out baiting dates for your area click here.
Flood assistance
A range of Queensland government support, including concessional loans and freight subsidies, is now available for producers and small business operators impacted by the floods.
Click here to find out about the flood assistance in your area.
Worm update
Worm Egg Counts (WECs) indicate that, despite the apparently hot conditions, worms—particularly barber’s pole—are still prevalent in many districts. The worry for the future is that if we get a late wet extending into autumn, worm challenges will continue into winter. Remember it does not get cold enough for long enough in Queensland to kill off barber’s pole. Some of the really great crashes happen in a wet winter. Keep monitoring, particularly in young stock that have been showing WECs in excess of 3000 epg in some districts.
To find out more visit the WormBoss site.
Grazing system workshops
South West NRM are hosting free grazing management workshops across south west Qld during February. They will be presented by internationally renowned grazing lands consultant Jim Gerrish.
To find out dates and locations for these grazing workshops click here.
BusinessEDGE workshops
All owners of highly profitable businesses have one thing in common …. They have made the effort to acquire the business skills needed to create wealth. Those skills are different to those needed to manage the herd or flock and they are not hard to learn. Find out how by attending a BusinessEDGE workshop in Hughenden, Roma and Blackall during March and April.
Click here to find out more about these BusinessEDGE workshops.
Collaborative Area Management EOI
South West NRM is seeking expressions of interest for the establishment of up to three clusters within the south west region, to explore the economic and environmental merit of “Collaborative Area Management”. This initiative involves building consensus from a group of land managers in a geographic area (cluster) for control of total grazing pressure, total pest pressure, control of weed presence and examination of options to improve land condition and overall biodiversity values in the cluster.
To find out more and obtain the EOI documents click here.
AWI Newsletter
The Australian Wool Innovation January newsletter is out now. Check it out to find out more about market intelligence, a new genetic program, Wool4Skool, Merino in sportswear and international Woolmark Prize preview.
Click hear to read the AWI newsletter.
Sheep industry scholarship
The Peter Westblade scholarship exists to promote the practical skills associated with the sheep and wool industry and aims to deliver hands on experience to young people aspiring for a career in this dynamic industry. Applications close 18th February.
To find out more about the scholarship click here.
Ewes for the future
What’s the best sheep type for a combination of prime lamb and wool production? This question has been debated by sheep producers for years. In January 2009, the Elmore Field Days trial began. The trial aims to compare the merits of five alternative sheep types (Crossbred ewes, Peppin merino, Centre Plus merinos, Dohne and SAMM). The main characters of interest in this trial are lambing percentages, lamb growth rates and wool production.
Click here to read the reports on the Ewes for the Future trial.
DNA testing delivers poll flock fast
Effective use of DNA technology can reduce the chance of breeding horned Merino rams by 80% in just one year and completely remove the horn gene from the flock in just seven years according to new data from the Sheep CRC.
Find out more about DNA testing by clicking here.
This email was sent on behalf of the Leading Sheep project.