What should I consider before restocking after the drought or the fire

The last few weeks have seen a dramatic turn around in many parts of NSW and Qld.  It’s been very exciting to get phone calls from clients telling me they have full dams, and green paddocks again.  Of course the drought isn’t over for many people in the western and southern areas yet. And its also important to remember a lot of the recent rain has been storm rain and so its been a bit patchy.

Nonetheless there are quite a few people now starting to talk about restocking and getting business going again.  If you are thinking along these lines, I thought it would be worth taking the time to cover some key points before you become too committed.

1.     Pastures  

No doubt the green paddocks do look impressive.  I have even seen some offers of agistment already.  However, you need to make some objective assessments of what is really growing.  What species have recovered from the drought (or fire).  How well established are they?  

At the very least you need to do some monitoring or herbage mass and growth rates.  How much do you really have now in kilograms of dry matter / ha (kg / DM / Ha)

How much pasture do you really have in Kg / DM /Ha?

I’d also encourage you to think how fast is it growing?  Sub soil moisture takes some time to replenish and its possible the plants you have don’t have roots that go deep or are using the topsoil layer and the moisture from falls recently.  For your pastures to do well they need moisture and nutrition.  These could still be lacking in some areas.

Lastly, do a fodder budget.  How much feed is growing now?  How much do you have?  How long will it last?  

Source: Evergraze

Consider your pasture growth curve and manage stock numbers to pasture growth

Remember some areas will soon enter the traditional winter feed gap.  Plants will slow their growth and this really means that what you grow in the next four weeks is likely to have to last until Spring.  So that needs t be assessed and entered into your calculations for stock numbers.

2.     Weeds  

I wrote previously about the impact of weeds and the risks with poisoning and animal health.  You need to check that not all the green you see are due to weeds or less desirable species.  Weeds need to be controlled and removed not only for your animals, but to give your pastures the opportunity to grow. 

“Weeds need to be controlled for both your animal health and for your pasture to thrive”

It’s important not to be complacent with weeds.  Don’t assume that weeds will be restricted to areas you fed in.  The dust storms will have spread weeds, as will birds and feral animals that snuck in to eat rations you provided.  Weed seeds will have spread further than you think, so keep looking for their emergence.

 3.     Purchasing Livestock – Do the numbers!!  

The last few weeks have seen the market rapidly spike with the demand for stock as people try to get animals into programs.  Before you start to purchase stock I cannot stress enough the importance of doing some correct economic calculations!  The best way to do this is to use an enterprise gross margin.  

Gross margins are great in allowing you to do comparisons between enterprises.  The gross margin looks only at the variable costs associated with an enterprise.  For livestock you can compare on a per hectare or per DSE to see which enterprise gives the best return.

Use a Gross Margin to determine a realistic budget

I recommend using a simple template.  One of the best is available from the NSW DPI and is an excel based template that covers livestock (and cropping) enterprises.  The value in such a template is it allows you to check on a series of different assumptions, including various price increases to purchase and to sell stock.

It also includes costs such as health costs; fodder costs transport and sale costs.  The calculation will help you work out a break even price!

4.     Be realistic about growth of trading stock

Making money in trading stock depends on growth of animals in the period of time they are in your ownership.  Its important to do the sums based on realistic levels of growth.  This will depend on what pasture you have; how long your growing season is and ow much weight you need to put on.  

How much weight do you want to gain in the time period you have nominated?

For example if your budget is calculated at putting on 150kg from purchase to sale, then what daily growth rate does that require?  Not every pasture, particularly those entering a winter feed gap will sustain high growth rates.  Does that mean additional costs in fodder?  If it does what do those things do to your gross margin?

5.     Genetics

Restocking is a chance to start with genetics that are better than you previously had.  Good genetics need to be researched.  Think about the type of cattle that suit your environment and your markets.  You don’t necessarily have to go back and do the same thing.

Do the research and look for genetics that suit your environment and your market

 6.     Introducing new animals

When you do purchase new stock, you need to consider the risks (as well as the opportunities)!  New stock can bring issues associated with disease; weeds or the fact they are unfamiliar with your environment and need time to adjust. 

Firstly you need to request an animal health statement so that you can have some reassurance about the new animals health status as well as any treatments they may have had.  This should be kept, along with the appropriate NVD or waybill in your programs LPA records.

Your new animals need some time in quarantine or isolation from your existing stock.  This allows them to exhibit any health issues that may be of concern as well as voiding any weeds or pests they have bought with them.  

I generally recommend that this period is at least three weeks (21 days).  I’d use this time to treat all new arrivals with a broad spectrum drench and a 5 in 1 booster.  Its also a good chance for them to settle and get to know you and tour team.  Spend some time educating them by walking or driving around them.  If you use bikes or horses, these may be things new stock have never seen, so its better to educate them now in a confined paddock than later when they make really spook!

Get your new animals used to your methods

Its also a good chance to educate them to your yards and to your other methods such as feeding from feeders or racks.  

When you d let them int the main program I suggest letting them mingle with a coacher group to show them where the water sources and other paddock features are. 

7.     Update & maintain your records

Don’t forget that as a purchaser of livestock if will be your responsibility to update the NLIS database of the stock you are transferring onto your property. 

There are plenty of producers who forget to do this as they have really only sold stock and purchased bulls from sales where the transfers were done for them. Remember the obligation is on you as the purchaser to make sure the transfer is done.

Your LPA records need to reflect these movements as well. It’s handy to quickly be able to refer to where the new stock have come from and when.

Restocking is an exciting part of getting back into business.  It’s something I’m enjoying advising my friends and clients on.  However when you do, take the time to consider these points.  I think a good plan saves a lot of mistakes and avoids some unexpected costs.  Don’t forget if you want a hand, please get in touch. 

Watch out for these weeds

The potential for stock to consume poisonous plants is always much higher following droughts a break in the season or when moving into a new location.  The capacity of weds to quickly respond to moisture often means they are the only green and growing vegetation in the first period after rain.  And for hungry stock, the desire to nibble or chew these plants can be too great to ignore.  

There are literally hundreds of poisonous plants growing across Australia.  Some are endemic to locations, while others are much more common.  In the last few weeks there have been a few issues emerging with weeds across many areas and its worth taking a moment to look at a few common species.

Pig Weed (Portulacaceae) is one of the more common weeds to emerge after rain, particularly on bare and disturbed areas.  It’s a succulent lush feed that stock will readily eat if they have the opportunity.  However-Pig Weed is often high in nitrates and oxalates, which in high concentrations can prove fatal for stock.   

Pigweed is a common weed in disturb or bare areas

Caltrop (Tribulous) is another weed that is associated with nitrate poisoning.  Again, this plant rapidly responds to rain fall and spreads out across disturbed and bare soil.   The Yellow Vine Caltrop (Tribulus micrococcus) is an Australian species confined very much to NSW and the north west areas in particular.  Besides the risk of nitrate poisoning Caltrop is associated with staggers in sheep. Often this occurs when sheep have grazed paddocks that are dominated by caltrop over many months.  

Caltrop is associated with nitrate and staggers in sheep

According to NSW DPI this can lead to a progressive and irreversible weakness in a sheep’s hind limbs.  This gradually will progress to the forelimbs and eventually the weakness will prevent the animal from standing or accessing feed or water. The disease is only recorded in central NSW, and may take some moths to develop, so it’s one to consider if caltrop is dominating a pasture. 

While this disease has been recorded in NSW among sheep flocks, it doesn’t appear to impact cattle. 

Several other common weed species that pose risks for nitrate poisoning include Fat Hen; Variegated thistle and Blackberry.

Preventing Poisoning:  The biggest risk is often associated with hungry stock accessing these weeds.  This rapid consumption of the plant means the rumen microbes cannot quickly convert the high levels of nitrate to ammonia.  Animals that are in week or low body condition are also less effective in converting nitrates and are more susceptible to poisoning.

The simplest message for producers is to avoid allowing hungry stock to access these weeds.  This may mean fencing off areas that are dominated by these plants until other species have recovered.  It also means continuing to maintain drought rations a little longer while pastures re grow.  There is an added bonus with these rations.  NSW DPI research highlights animals receiving carbohydrate-rich feeds can tolerate high nitrate and nitrite levels better than stock who are not fed. This is because energy from carbohydrates (grain) helps rumen microbes convert nitrite to ammonia. 

Kikuyu Poisoning:  While an uncommon issue, the last few years have seen a number of coastal and northern NSW producers lose cattle to Kikuyu poisoning.  The reasons are not fully understood; however, some research suggests a fungus is associated with the plant and this may be a contributing factor.  

Kikuyu poisoning damages the stomachs of cattle, resulting in a situation where fluid accumulates in the rumen, but can't be absorbed into the blood stream.  When this occurs cattle physically can’t drink as their rumen is at capacity.  Cattle may try to drink however they are physically unable to take in any water.  This leads to dehydration and eventual death.  

The challenge with this disease is it’s almost impossible to determine if kikuyu is a risk as affected kikuyu does not look any different to safe kikuyu.  However, experience on the north coast of NSW suggests affected kikuyu is likely to be less palatable to cattle and they will avoid it if alternative feed is available.  

Kikuyu poisoning on the NSW mid north coast (Image: The Land)

Most of the recorded deaths in recent years have occurred in paddocks when the cattle have no alternative feed available and the losses seem to end when cattle are removed from the affected pasture, or at least when they are offered alternative feed (silage or hay).

The risk seems greatest in periods of rapid growth following the season break.  Again, having alternative feeds and not introducing hungry stock are major steps producers can take to prevent losses.

Lantana: Lantana poisoning is a major concern across many parts of Australia. Most poisoning comes when stock are introduced to areas where the plant is growing and start to eat it out of curiosity.  Yong stock are the most susceptible.  Cattle bred in areas where lantana is common have learnt to avoid the plants unless starving.

The risk from Lantana comes from triterpene acids, lantadene A (rehmannic acid), lantadene B. Research into lantana has shown a toxic dose for a 500 kg cow varies from about 5 to 20 kg of fresh leaf (one per cent or more of an animal's body weight), depending on the toxin content of the lantana eaten. 

Young cattle and stock new to an area are most at risk from lantana poisoning

Lantana poisoning can result in photosensitisation (which is extreme sensitivity to sunlight); liver damage and jaundice.  In extreme cases one feed of lantana can result in signs appearing within 24 hours and death may occur in 2 – 4 days.  Although if untreated death may take a week to a fortnight.

Treatment needs to occur quickly if animals are to recover.  Without raid veterinary treatment severely affected cattle almost invariably die within 10 days of eating the plant. However, cattle that are responded to quickly have a good chance of recovery. 

The key message is to avoid grazing new stock or young stock in areas where lantana grows.  No matter how aware cattle may be of lantana, hungry stock will always be at risk, so try and avoid grazing hungry stock in those paddocks.

“If you see something unusual, don’t hesitate, call your vet and get help!”

Ultimately most weed poisonings are likely when stock are hungry and tempted to have a feed.  As we come out of drought for the first few weeks the only green pants will be weeds. In those instances, try and restrict access and keep your rations in front of your stock.  Most importantly if you see animals showing any unusual signs or symptoms, don’t wait, call your vet and get help!

Do you know the residue status of your cattle?

One of the greatest marketing strengths of Australian beef is the reputation it possesses as “Clean, Green & Safe”.  With over 130 market destinations internationally, consumers choose Australian beef for those three words.  

Our ability to trade and ultimately to have a viable industry is underpinned by those words.  

Clean, green & safe. The reputation of Australian beef overseas

This is a restaurant in Shanghai promoting Australian beef - Natural & Safe

As producers there is a huge requirement to ensure practices on farm are consistent with these themes.  Over the past few years there has been a concerted effort not only to help shape the practices on farm that producers should embrace, there has also been a framework developed to allow producers to prove this if challenged.

The Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program is the most obvious on farm proof for producers.  The records kept on farm, including on farm Biosecurity plans are documented evidence that can be audited and used to demonstrate the commitment producers have to best beef production systems.

As most producers know, participation in LPA allows access to the current version of the National Vendor Declaration (NVD).  It’s practically impossible to sell livestock to feedlots or abattoirs without a correctly completed NVD.  

Correctly completed NVDs are essential in underpinning our production statements

An NVD provides potential customers with a range of information that underpins their decisions on purchasing livestock. Many of these decisions are linked to food safety requirements that form part of marketing arrangements or restrict access to markets.  So, getting this information right the first time helps reduce the risk of damaging the markets confidence in “Clean, Green & Safe”

As producers signing an NVD there are several questions that require answers regarding feed programs, health treatments and residue status.  Feed and health treatments can be cross checked with on farm LPA records.  But what about residue status?

“In the past 6 months have any of these animals been on a property listed on the ERP database or placed under any restrictions because of chemical residues?”

From the 13th of January 2020, its now possible to check the Warning status of any PIC on the National Livestock Identification Database.  In the past producers who may have received warnings as the result of residue or other programs assigned by State of Commonwealth government bodies were harder to locate.  This meant that the responsibility for correctly answering Question 5 on the NVD “In the past 6 months have any of these animals been on a property listed on the ERP database or placed under any restrictions because of chemical residues?” fell to the individual vendor.

While vendors have an obligation to correctly and honestly answer this question, there are concerns that cattle may have been agisted on properties where the ERP status was not known.  This made answering the question difficult.  Not to mention the occasions when the question was incorrectly answered.  This posed a risk for processors and for the integrity of our industry.

In order to make the system more robust, processors and feedlot operators were able to use the NLIS data base to check the status of a PIC consigning cattle to them.  This did help reduce the risk of animals entering the food chain before they were eligible.  However, for producers seeking to purchase cattle or who were sending cattle to agistment, this hasn’t been an option.

Producers, agents, feedlotters & processors can all check for status assigned to a PIC

However, the change to the Early Warning System announced by Integrity Systems, the operators of the NLIS database, now allows anyone who has access to the NLIS database to search for and see if a PIC has a status assigned to it.

It’s worth noting that it won’t be possible to see which individual animal may have a status assigned to it.  However, in the overall operation of the NVD question it refers to any animals that are listed on the form.  

These changes were made following a lot of industry feedback and should be seen as a way to increase transparency and certainty around cattle.  For producers it’s a chance to look for and manage risks with purchasing or agisting stock. It also means greater certainty in their responses to the NVD questions.  

While the ability to search and check the stats assigned to a PIC is important in determining the level of risk associated with purchasing cattle, I think its also a great way to keep abreast of your own PIC status. It doesn’t hurt to check regularly and make sure that all is in order with your own records.

 For more specific details or answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please follow this link to Integrity Systems Information pages.  

Managing the Green Pick

Its exciting to see the monsoon starting to bring much needed rain to northern Australia.  While its only early days, the reports from people fortunate to have been under falls have been great to hear.  

In southern Australia, particularly in northern NSW and Southern Qld, the changing weather patterns have seen storms finally starting to deliver reasonable falls in many areas.  Sadly like all storm rain, not everyone is fortunate enough to receive the rain they need.  While its also a long way from drought breaking, some places have had enough rain to see creeks rise and dams fill.  So it’s a good start, and hopefully one that sees the drought start to break.

Managing cattle on green pick may require maintaining supplements for a bit longer

One of the challenges that comes with these early showers and storms is the need to manage your livestock as pastures recover.  The early stages of regrowth, where there is plenty of green pick, can be a time where may programs come unstuck.

The short green feed that comes away post storm and shower will often be very high in moisture, as well as being fairly short and low in overall herbage mass.   The practical implication of this, is stock will use more energy in foraging and grazing than they are able to obtain from the green growth.

“Green Pick is high in moisture, and stock will use more energy chasing this feed than they can actually consume ”

Pastures that are less than 1400kg / DM / Ha will not really sustain cattle.  While sheep may be able to consume more feed as they can graze lower to the ground, their overall intake will also be significantly less than the energy they use to graze.

Its also important to recognise that the new growth needs some time to become fully established.  Grazing early will prevent good root development and can actually set pastures back as plants try to establish themselves.  

Pastures should be at least 5 - 6 cms high before allowing cattle to start grazing

In terms of livestock management, its important to stay with your prepared feeding program for a little longer. Your current rations should provide the daily energy and protein requirements for the stock you have on hand.  

I also recommend where possible you try to avoid allowing your stock to have access to larger paddocks for a little longer.  Larger paddocks encourage your animals to graze and “chase the green pick”.  This often sees them reject their rations and create a situation where energy loss occurs as they avoid their feed troughs to chase the green shoots.  If you can prevent this happening until pasture gains some greater mass, it will be better for both your stock and the new plants.

Livestock health is also an area to be conscious of as new pastures start to come away. There are also some potential animal health issues to be mindful of. The clostridial diseases are a major issue, particularly pulpy kidney.  If you have been feeding for a while your 5 in 1 vaccinations should be up to date.  However if not, you need to start this before you allow too much access to new growth.  Ideally you would try to give the first vaccination now and the second one in 4 – 6 weeks time.  Stock that have been vaccinated will require a booster.

Make sure health programs, particularly 5 in 1 are up to date

Fresh pastures can be deficient in minerals such as calcium and this can lead to metabolic diseases.  Typically this results in seeing animals collapsed as a result of Low blood calcium, or magnesium.  These issues need to be treated swiftly to minimise losses. It is possible to provide supplements to assist in addressing deficiencies, however you need to ensure the right disease issue has been diagnosed by your vet.

Finally one of the real issues with new growth are often weeds.  There are many weeds that can cause poisoning, and after a long period of feeding, there is a potential of new weeds you have not seen before.  It is important to check areas before allowing stock to access them for grazing and make sure the risk of weed poisoning is low.

The real challenge is to have patience for a little longer and give your pastures time to grow and build up enough reserves to support grazing.  Stay with your rations just a little longer.  When you do introduce your stock to paddocks, try to avoid letting them onto pastures with empty stomachs.  Keep a close eye on them for a week or so and ensure there are no issues with metabolic upsets or weeds you haven’t noticed.  

Tips for confinement feeding cattle in drought

Confinement feeding cattle has become a more frequently used strategy by producers as the drought continues to impact eastern Australia.  Confinement feeding offers a number of advantages for producers who have made the decision to continue to feed livestock.  

However to be successful some preparation ahead of starting the process is essential.  And once the process has started it needs to be managed and adjusted to meet the changing needs of the cattle being fed.

One of the first questions I’m often asked is “why would you do confinement feeding?”  It’s a good question, and there are several strong reasons for starting the process. 

“Why would you consider confinement feeding?”

From a livestock perspective, the process allows you to bring animals to a central location and fed them to their needs.  This can save a lot of time and ensure rations are more suited to the stock on hand.  

Another key efficiency is the reduction on energy demands for livestock.  Some interesting research from NSW DPI suggests that cattle in confinement feeding programs have around 8% lower energy demands as they don’t have to expend energy search for feed and water.

Courtesy of Ben Nevis Angus - Walcha

 It offers some people the opportunity to feed rations that will allow cattle to gain weight or even grow to lay down fat and so meet a market specification.  With the current price for cattle, particularly those with average fatness, this is a very attractive option for many.

For other producers, confinement feeding is a strategy to adopt as water resources become more limited.  Rather than a series of temporary tanks and troughs across paddocks, it can be more efficient to provide water to a central point.

And from a pastures and soil management perspective, sacrificing a smaller area to preserve ground cover over the larger part of the farm and so allow quicker pasture response when the drought does break is a well proven drought management strategy.

So in order to successfully undertake confinement feeding of cattle, what are some of the key things to consider?

The first thing is to recognize that a confinement-feeding program is a temporary process for use in drought management, or from recovery from fires and floods.  This makes it very different to a feedlot.  There is a clear guideline on confinement feeding in NSW from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.  

The Department states, “Stock containment areas are used for temporary stock management arrangements and are not intended to be used as routine farming operations. They are distinct from feedlots, restriction facilities and other permanent works or structures.” 

If you are thinking you want to construct a more permanent feeding facility, this does require consent and planning approval, so before you start you should contact your council and LLS for advice.

The location where you will undertake the feeding program needs some thought.  It should be a site that is relatively easily accessible to provide feed, and to move cattle out.   As a general guide I would suggest”

·      The site should have some slope.  Around 3 – 4% slope is considered ideal

·      If possible use the top of a slope

·      Avoid drainage lines or areas that are likely to become boggy hollows.  As soil will compact any run off rain will quickly become mud and its best not to have that in the main area of the yards

While you cant always choose your soil type, its best if you can look fro the clay loam soils.  Heavy clays will become an issue in wet weather.

The other key issue around location is distance from your house and neighbours!  There will be odour, dust, flies and noise, so you should consider trying to be at least 500m from anyone’s home.

Deciding on the size of the yards or paddock may not always be straightforward.  It will depend on location and on the number of stock on hand.  Its important to remember that high density will create problems on rainy days with bogging, while excessive numbers can cause dust that impacts stock and people.  

The NSW DPI recommends that cattle should be kept at the following densities:

·      Weaners:         9 to 10m2 per head

·      Yearlings:        12 to 14m2 per head

·      Dry cows:         15 – 25m2 per head

It’s important that no more than 250 head are kept in any one mob.  And for early weaned calves it should be no more than 100 head.

“I always recommend drafting cattle into groups based on fat score, weight and frame size”

I always recommend drafting cattle into groups based on size and weight.  Ideally I would have cattle drafted on fat score and weight and have a spare pen or yard on hand to draft sick animals or shy feeders off and manage those separately.

Well designed yards allow rations to be easily fed

Confinement yards can be constructed out of normal fencing wire.  Most people convert small paddocks and so the standard 5 strand wire is adequate.  Some people do add an electric wire to ease pressure on fencing, particularly if they use fences as part of their feeding system.

Feeding in troughs is a preferred method to reduce waste and avoid intake of soil and disease.  However I know quite a few people who have chosen o feed between two fences onto the ground.  Over time the ground does pack down and wastage is much lower as a result.  So it may be an option to discuss as you make your plans.

What is important is to ensure sufficient space to allow animal’s access to the rations.  If a daily ration is offered into troughs the following spaces are recommended to ensure easy access:

·      Weaner cattle             30cm / head

·      Yearling Cattle            40cm / head

·      Adult Cattle                 60cm / head 

Horned cattle may require additional space so this needs to be considered in your planning.  

Troughs can be as simple as conveyor belt, and I have seen many made this way.  I’ve also seen troughs made from folded tin and from hollowed tree trunks.  As long as they are accessible to stock and can be cleaned to avoid mouldy rations I think they are ok.

Troughs can be made of conveyor belt at a low cost

However troughs should be 45–60cm wide and deep enough to hold the ration with the top of the trough maximum 60cm from the ground. A trough that is 10–15cm higher at the back (outside) reduces wastage. For young stock, troughs that are too deep can cause baulking due to poor vision, while those too high can affect feed access and intake.

Finally don’t forget water.  Cattle will drink up to 100 litres in summer and in hot weather this can increase by up to 80%.  Cattle prefer to drink water between 16 – 180C and as water gets hotter they will drink less and this impacts their feed intake and general wellbeing.  

Ideally troughs should be deep enough to keep water cool and if water is piped from a tank it should be underground to avoid excessive heat.  

When a trough is sited, try and place it as far from feeders as possible.  At a minimum this should be 10m.  This helps reduce contamination from feed that may still be in an animal’s mouth.  Another suggestion is toplace troughs along fence lines can so stock on both sides of the fence can use it.

Troughs should allow 10% of a mob access

Water troughs need to be long enough to allow at least 10% of cattle in the mob to drink at any one time allowing a minimum of 300mm space for every 10 head. For example a 3m trough can water 100 head.  It’s worth working out trough size before you settle on final numbers in a pen if you only have a limited amount of water access.

There are plenty of tips and experiences people have had in using confinement feeding as a strategy.  If it is something you are planning to undertake, it’s worth getting in touch and seeking some advice.  Some of the tips and ideas people have can be big time savers!  

Early Weaning - Not Just Set and Forget!

Early weaning is definitely one of the more frequent topics for discussion among producers. As the drought continues to impact on businesses, many producers are looking at other management strategies within their drought program.

Early weaning is certainly a very important strategy, and can be used to successfully care for cows and ensure calf growth can be maintained. However, as a strategy it does require some planning and has to be done with a daily focus on ensuring calves are responding to the program. There are no shortcuts if you do choose this strategy!

Managing cow condition is a key reason for early weaning

As a strategy to manage cow condition, early weaning can be a vital tool in a drought plan. The minimum amount of feed a lactating cow requires each day is 2.5% of her body weight and that this feed should be a minimum of 10.5 ME / Kg and 13% CP.

This compares to a dry cow requiring only 1.8% of bodyweight a day and at an energy level of 8 ME / Kg and 8% CP. By early weaning you have a chance to adjust rations and focus on using high quality rations on those cows that are very light in condition and need special care.

If your cows are light and certainly anything that is AT RISK (Fat Score 1) then you should be planning to early wean the calves and look after the cows as a seperate group .

One of my first tips for early weaning is to plan ahead and ensure you have adequate facilities. This means having well secured yards that has access to clean water. Water intake is essential to ensure calves meet their daly intake requirements. Having an old bath tub that gets filled up once a day is NOT acceptable!

Your calves need to be drafted into groups that are of simile size. Generally this means they will be the same age. However size rather than age is the predominant consideration on drafting. I tend to recommend three groups. A small, medium and larger group. You also should have a spare pen. I call this the hospital group. Anything sick or not doing well should be put into this pen where you can give the calves some more specialised attention.

Draft your calves into similar size groups

Your rations need to be introduced slowly. It’s important to provide roughage that is of good quality. Poor quality roughage is often a limitation to intake. And you often find calves would sooner play with it rather than eat it! So its worth avoiding stubble hays.

Most people now use prepared pellets. Pellets are a convenient option and allow producers to feel confident in managing protein and energy levels. Protein levels (CP%) need to be between 16 - 18%. You should introduce pellets slowly. Build up to the amount that you are aiming for (based on the weight of the calves).

Feeding daily is more preferable to using self feeders. Firstly this allows you to monitor your calves and draft off any sick ones. Secondly it does prevent over eating and bloat occurring as some animals will hang around a self feeder and gorge themselves. Of greater concern can be shy feeders who hang back until the self feeder is free and then over eat. This often results in bloat.

“Feeding early weaned calves is a nursery job so you can not just feed them ad lib and get on with the other work”

Feeding calves in an early weaning program requires attention and a daily program. While I’ve seen good success with self feeders in pens, I’ve also seen some real problems!

Making sure each calf gets its daily ration is essential. Feeding in a trough, as long as the space is adequate (around 20 - 30cm head) gives your calves the opportunity to consume their requirements. It allows you to manage for issues like sickness or to remove dominant animals or those larger ones and place them into other pens.

If you do use self feeders then you need to make sure there will be enough space for the animals in each pen. So maybe you need more than one feeder per group.

If you do use self feeders, ensure you have enough room for all the animals in the pen

Early weaning can be a bit stressful on calves, and this can impact their immune system and general health. I definitely would be ensuring all calves were vaccinated with a minimum of 5 in 1 against the clostridial diseases.

This year several of the vets I work with have suggested calves coming from drought conditions would also benefit from a treatment of Vitamins A, D & E. So this could be something you also need to factor into your plans.

Ultimately early weaning can be a key part of your drought program if it is planned and managed as a key job. A daily feed, regular inspections and a planned ration are all vital for success. If you do want to plan a program and want some input, don’t forget you can get in touch with me and I’ll be happy to help you put a plan in place.

Producing Optimal Carcasses

What does it take to produce an optimal carcass?This is a question that producers often ask.While there are a number of things we can do as livestock managers, I think the first step it to actually define what an optimal carcass means.

In my mind, an optimal carcass is one that meets the target specifications for weight; fatness, eating quality – MSA Index and has a high yield of saleable meat. I also think this is something that producers need to do consistently, and do so with the most efficient use of resources.  There are a few steps I think producers focused on optimal carcass production need to consider.

1. Clearly define the breeding objectives for your herd. I’ve often talked and written about the importance of defined breeding objectives. The reason being, these objectives define the type of genetics you need to use to meet your market and to breed cattle suited to your program.

2. Know what you are actually trying to achieve! Markets are well defined for weight, fatness, and eating quality. If you know what these specifications are, you can start to plan on the process of growing to meet these. Specifications are readily available from processors and from feedlots. So you need to get in touch or at least look at the specifications on company web sites and choose realistic options for your program.

3. Focus on what you can control. There are three key areas you control as a producer. These are:

• Maturity pattern: This determines the ability of your animals to meet specifications. It also impacts on productions traits such as fertility, so you need to consider both aspects in order to be productive and profitable.

• Growth rate: Your ability to choose the correct genetics, and to manage nutrition to express those genetics, has a massive impact on optimal production. Using EBVs and feedback from previous sales can help you fine tune growth rates. But you still need to manage pastures, crops and supplements to make that growth happen.

Finally, you need to manage the way you finish and sell animals:  The final stage of production, selling and transport can derail your program.  Stress, poor handling or other factors can impact on your eating quality index and cause you to miss the optimal.  So this final stage should be managed as carefully as your genetic decisions or feeding programs. 

Managing Growth

A large part of optimal carcass production is the management of growth of animals.  This actually starts with your choice of genetics.  The ability to select for growth using EBVs is an opportunity you shouldn’t overlook.  It’s well proven by many research and commercial trials that, EBVs do work and can be a very effective tool for producers.  

However, genetic potential can and is often limited by nutrition.  Growth is a function of the daily intake of energy and protein.  Ensuring your cattle have sufficient to maintain growth paths is the practical aspect of management.  

The CRC for Beef Cattle highlighted the impact growth paths have on carcass yield, fatness and eating quality.  The research showed quite markedly that slow pre weaning growth resulted in cattle that were smaller than normally grown cattle.  

However these slower grown cattle never catch up in weight, even in feedlot conditions.  The simple message being that to meet carcass weights, these cattle had to be grown longer, and this ran the risk of impacting carcass fat specifications or lowering MSA Index values.  Either way, slow pre weaning growth is not ideal

Slow post weaning growth was also researched.  It was found that slower than the optimal 0.7kg / day resulted in cattle that grow faster in finishing programs.  They tended to be a bit leaner and have less marbling.  So if this is an issue for your markets, this may also be a path to avoid.  

The CRC data really suggests we aim for 0.7kd / day for animals up to feedlot entry.  To do this, you should remember that your cattle will need to eat at least 3 – 3.5% of their live weight on a Dry Matter basis each day.  Ideally this feed would have a minimum of: 

• Energy 10.5MJ / Kg

• Crude Protein 14%

• Fibre 30 – 40% NDF

A simple rule to remember is that the faster your cattle grow, the fatter (and slightly more muscular) they will be.

Eating Quality

There are many factors that have an impact on MSA Index values.  As producers, its important to focus on the ones that have a high impact and are controllable on farm.  High impact variables include Marbling and Ossification. 

Your genetic selection and nutritional management will influence your animal’s ability to develop marbling.  It’s a trait worth considering if this can be selected for without compromising your other production traits.  Ossification, can be improved by growth rates and achieving higher weight for age. Again it’s important to balance this with other traits that matter to you, like carcass fatness and marbling.

The amount of Tropical Breed Content will impact on your MSA Index.  But you need to be realistic. If your environment is nest suited to Indicus cattle, then you should use that to your advantage. You can still select for growth, marbling and fatness and achieve MSA Index scores that are quite high if you manage these traits well.

How you sell your animals also has a huge impact on your ability to meet optimum carcass specifications, particularly for eating quality.  The work done by MSA highlights the impact that sale yard stress and handling has on eating quality.  Cattle sold through saleyards have MSA Indexes that are 5 units lower than those sold direct to processors.

Summary

Producing optimal carcasses does require some serious attention across genetics, nutrition, and turn off.  More importantly, if you don’t have a clear idea of what your optimal carcass requirements are, and utilize past feedback to fine-tune your program, you’ll find it a much harder challenge.  Having some clear objectives and using the tools that are now available is the key starting point for anyone determined to consistently hit their targets.  

It’s important to remember that if you are not entirely sure where to start, to seek advice or help to define your goals.  Its one of the services I’ve been delivering over recent years, and it's certainly something you may want to consider in your program.

Whats your attitude towards farm safety

In Australia, Farm Safety week is generally held in the third week of July.The week is an opportunity to focus on the issues surrounding farm safety and ways to reduce the risk to farm staff, farm families and visitors to farms.

Personally I don’t think a week is long enough!  Farm safety should be the priority for all us every day!  The statistics around farming accidents are quite frightening.  The National Centre for Farmer Health highlighted some of the statistics:

“In 2017, the rate of work-related injury fatalities for agriculture was 16.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. Agriculture continues to be the highest risk occupational group—with over 10 times the rate of fatality when compared to the general employed population. 27% of all work-related deaths occurred in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries”

“Workers over the age of 55 years account for over half (55%) of all fatalities, with two-thirds of all deaths occurring in sheep, beef cattle and grain farming. Children under the age of 15 years are also a high-risk group, particularly when playing or helping out with farm jobs.”

The concerning issue is that in the past 10 years or so, the level of injury and deaths on farms haven’t really changed.  So I reckon we really need to do more to reduce those risks.

So why is farming so dangerous?  I think there are many reasons.  The combination of issues associated with working with machinery and large, fast unpredictable livestock can be a risk.  I also think that when you combine stress, fatigue, weather and exposure you increase the risks.  Lastly I think there is a real risk called “attitude”.

For some reason there is an attitude towards farm safety that sees trying to be safe as being “soft”.  This week I’ve been sharing posts on Facebook about Farm Safety.  The response to these posts has been interesting.  

For instance, did you know that horses and cattle are the most deadly animals in Australia?  In the years between 2008 and 2017, horses or cattle killed 77 people. In addition the number of serous injuries was significant.  I know several people who have suffered significant injuries working with cattle.  In response to that post, I received comments such as:

“We don’t all push pencils you know. Leave the bush to the bush let us do what we got to do.”

“If it is the life style you like you will not be worried about the knocks and bruising. If you do not like the chance of being hurt find another job.”

I find this interesting.  A little research shows many of these comments come from young males.  There is a level of friction there that sees thinking about safety as being something that will stop them enjoying their job or their career.  

But will it really?  Being safe in your job is something we all have to consider. It is the law, and we have a duty to ourselves and others to look out and manage safety at work.  

Doing your job and thinking safely doesn’t mean that everything has to change. Some things are always going to be inherently dangerous.  But there are ways to make the job safer.  

I use a risk matrix for many of my jobs now.  I’ve been using this largely in response to my roles as a leader and manager of other people.  When I was a fireman the most important consideration was that none of my crew would be injured or worse.  And its no different with my clients or co-workers.  I want to look out for them.  

The matrix looks at what is the risk of an event occurring (its likelihood) and the consequences of the event happening. Now just because an event or a job is considered high risk, doesn’t mean it cant be done.  What it mean is you have to think about ways to reduce the risk. 

Can you reduce the risk by changing the way you do things?  Can you reduce the risk by a mechanical means – e.g replacing a head bale on a crush; a guard around a silo ladder; or can you remove the risk. Would some training help?  Simple changes could be the difference between an event being high risk or medium risk.

Not long ago I saw this statement

“One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up instead of what they have to gain”

I think this pretty well sums up lots of responses to farm safety.  Making a change to be safe doesn’t mean losing your ability to enjoy being on a horse, driving a tractor or doing any of the other tasks we do in agriculture.  But if you can take a few moments to assess the risk, think if there is a safer way and work to that, you will be that one step closer to coming home safe every day.

Prepare for the cold fronts!

The impact of cold weather on your livestock isn’t to be underestimated.  So far this July we have already seen several strong cold fronts sweep across southern and eastern Australia.  These fronts have been accompanied by strong winds, snow and sleet and then days of intense frosts.  

These events have a big impact on your livestock.  The demand to stay warm requires extra energy.  At present the intense drought conditions mean many livestock are low in body condition and surviving on minimal rations.  The combination of low body reserves and reduced energy intake means your stock is less able to cope with the cold, and at greater risk of dying. 

How does cold affect your cattle?

We often assume cattle can cope with cold conditions more easily than other species like sheep.  However, cattle can be just as impacted by the cold as any other species.  As a warm-blooded animal, cattle have a normal temperature of 380C. Under most circumstances cattle can cope with some temperature fluctuations without needing to expend too much extra energy.  As the season changes they grow thicker coats, and in periods of cold weather they change their grazing patterns to find shelter.  

However this behaviour can only go so far.  If temperatures fall to what is known as the ‘lower critical temperature” your cattle will start to be cold stressed.  To cope they start to require more energy to stay warm.  And in this situation they need to have more energy in their diets. 

Some research by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in Canada identified the differing levels of lower critical temperature, depending on cattle coat thickness.  These levels do vary depending on coat thickness.

These temperatures don’t take into account the impact of wind speed.  Wind has the biggest impact on the lower critical temperature.  This can be seen below

Looking at the table, if the wind was only 8km /hour on a 40c Day, the actual air temperature is really 10C.  

This is close to the Lower Critical Level for cattle with a dry winter coat.  But a wet coat after rain means your animals are at real risk of cold stress.

Cold and wet conditions have a massive impact on sheep programs.  At greatest risk are lambs that are often unable to cope with the impact of cold weather.  Rain and moisture significantly increases the risk of mortality.  As with cattle, sheep manage to cope to some degree with cold by changing behaviour and seeking shelter.  They also have a fleece that will offer some protection.  

However its important not to overestimate how effective a fleece may be.  The table below highlights the Lower Critical Temperatures of Sheep 

As with cattle, when wind speed increases, the impact on Lower Critical Temperature is much greater. And for lambs with no fleece and a large surface area and low body mass, their energy loss is very high.  

Managing the Risk

In practical terms it's impossible to avoid cold fronts.  However we can manage for them.  The options that are available to help your stock cope with cold conditions include:

• Increasing rations ahead of the cold front: Hay is a very good option to increase a ration. It is more slowly digested and the process of digestion helps stock stay warmer as well as getting more energy. However it’s no good just offering a bit! You need to increase your rations by 10 – 20%. If your stock are light in condition or slick coated cattle I’d definitely be increasing to 20% ahead of and during the cold period.

• Provide shelter. Breaking the wind speed up can have a dramatic effect on improving conditions for your stock. Moving them to sheltered paddocks that have trees and shrubs that break up the wind will be vital. There are plenty of well proven strategies and studies that show the role shelter has in livestock survival

• Longer term, consider developing shelterbelts and wind breaks to moderate the wind across the farm. You certainly can’t grow shelter over night, so in the short term consider what other options you have to shelter your stock.

Cold fronts often only last for a few days, and with adequate warning you can prepare your stock to cope with the challenge.  It is important to make your plans happen when the fronts are forecast.  Don’t leave it to the day of the windy and snow to start doing something.  Often moving stock in those conditions makes it worse not better!  Pre preparation is everything to give your stock a chance!

Are you properly prepared to buy a new bull?

Purchasing new bulls for a program is a significant event for any producer.While many people consider the immediate cost of the bull to be the most pressing consideration, there is much more to consider than his actual cost! A bull will make a contribution to a herd that will extend for up to 15 years. So the lifetime cost of that bull in a herd is much greater than what you may pay at auction.

I spend a lot of time with producers looking at bulls before sales.  I’m often conscious that a large number of people I chat to have only a general idea of the characteristics of the bull that they want. As I wrote earlier, the question “what do I think of this bull?” is a hard one to answer. As we approach the spring bull selling season I’ve prepared a few suggestions to help producers prepare ahead of their next bull purchase.

1. Know what you want to achieve in your herd

A new bull should be the source of genetics to help move your herd closer to your goals.  So you need to be very clear on what you want to achieve.  I’d normally start by considering:

• Your current market – are your steers and heifers meeting the weight, fat and eating quality specifications?

• Your environment – are your cows the size that suits your pasture growth patterns throughout the year

• Is your herd fertility as high as it can be? Are your cows going into calf early, delivering calves easily and rearing those calves to weaning?

• Are there traits you would like to improve further or correct with genetics?

These are four key questions you should be focusing on as part of your business planning anyway.  In terms of seeking a new bull, the answers to these questions will give you a focus on the traits you should be seeking.It’s equally important not to rush this process!  You really need to take some time and review the market feedback you have, your fertility data and your paddock notes to see why you have been culling certain females from the herd.

2.  Search for bulls well before the sale

If you have identified the traits of bulls that you want bring into your herd, you should start doing some preliminary searching.  There are various ways to do this.  

• Use breed websites to search for bulls with specific EBVs that meet you criteria. This can be useful, however it may mean you need to do some additional searching to find the bulls you have identified with a particular breeder.

• I use on line sale catalogues available through the breed websites. This option will bring up the bulls listed at your chosen breeders sale. The easiest way to find the bulls that suit your criteria is to click on the option that asks if you would like to link to Breed Object. This will bring up the bulls with their EBVs and Index values, which makes searching much easier.

3.  Use the Indexes

Indexes were developed to help make selection easier in a couple of ways. The first is to remember that Indexes are developed to reflect both the short-term profit that would come from using a bull through his actual progeny.  While longer term profit is the influence his daughter have on a herd. The Indexes combine the animals EBVs for their impact on the traits that impact on a specific production and market system. 

I personally tend to find the Index that best suits a program and look at the top 5 bulls in the catalogue.  If you need to adjust a trait for a reason, one that you have identified earlier, you can then go and fine tune your selection on specific EBVs.

4.  Talk to the Breeder

Breeders have an interest in helping their clients. However you also need to make sure that the breeder you are approaching has the same focus or direction you have. Ultimately you have to be confident you are buying bulls from an operation that has the same focus and scrutiny you have for your own herd.  You need to do this well in advance of a sale.  Trying to make that decision on sale day is never a good idea!

5.  Have a physical checklist for sale day

I’ve been to hundreds of bull sales.  I know that some people find them exciting and a great day out. Some people find them over whelming and get swamped by the event. You need to go to a sale with plenty of time and a mission.  In short you need to: 

• Arrive early and spend as much time as you need looking at your chosen bulls. Don’t worry about the other bulls in the pen, or what other people like or don’t like! Your herd is your concern and the bulls you’ve identified are the ones that meet your objectives.

• Look at those bulls and have a checklist. Are the bulls structurally sound? Do they reflect your maturity pattern? What is their temperament like? Do they have the muscle pattern you need?

Ultimately you need to use your research and stick to the chosen selection. These bulls are those that fit your needs.  Don’t agonise about who is better in one trait but not another.  If they are all bulls that are in your specifications, rank them in preference, but then treat them the same!  Then in the pens use your observations to chose the best on the physical traits that you want.  If you do that you’ll have a preference list.  These and only these are the bulls you need to bid on! 

If you do this properly you’ll have time to enjoy the steak sandwich and the social catch up!  You’ll also find that when you ask me ‘what do I think of this bull?” I’ll be able to have a much more useful conversation with you!

What do I think of this bull?

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is the simple “what do you think of this bull?”  For such a simple question, there isn’t a simple answer I can give.  Occasionally I am tempted to say “not much” but if I am stalling for time I might fall back on the standard “I haven’t really thought about him yet”.  Either way, the question is one that is a challenge and requires a little time to consider a proper response.

My greatest challenge with this question is the context it’s being asked within.  Selecting bulls is a key task for any breeding program.  The decision made to use a bull is the start of a process that will effect up to three generations of cattle and play put over 15 years.  

In that context,  decisions around bulls need a lot more time than a quick “what do you think of him”.

Ultimately I try to get the person asking me that question to share more about what they are trying to achieve at home.  In simple terms, what are they breeding for?  What are the traits that matter to them.  Are there issues in the cow herd they want to focus on.  Is there an issue with suitability to their markets or the environment.  

These are all the basics of a breeding objective.  If you know that, you can start to determine if the bull is suited to their program or not.

The other challenge is when a producer comes up to ask what do I think of a few bulls, brandishing the raw data that is provided on the bulls.  I have to be honest and respond that I need a lot more information before I give a comparison.  Quite simply I don’t find raw data all that helpful, except to provide me with a weight of each animal on the day.  Other than that, to me it doesn’t offer anything terribly helpful in determining how a bull will fit into a programs objectives.

It’s very easy to compare bulls for visual traits.  In fact I think that’s essential.  So I am very happy to assess the muscle patterns, structure and gait of a bull as he walks around the pen.  I can look at his maturity pattern and make some comparisons with his sale mates. 

And I can see what his individual temperament is like as I follow him around assessing his physical attributes. But, what I cant see and compare, is the genetic potential those bulls offer without accurate data.

Raw data that is often provided at bull sales shouldn’t be seen as an insight into the potential of the bull.  With these supplementary sheets it's important to remember that these sheets record what the bull as an individual has done to that point in time. 

So when you look at that data, or when I have it shown to me, its important to acknowledge the role that nutrition and the pedigrees have in determining a particular bulls phenotype, these are not the only two areas to consider.

There are many additional influences, ranging from the bulls age; the age of its dam; was the bull a single calf or a twin or if it was produced as a result of ET? 

These are all non genetic influences on the bull that impact over and above nutrition and genetics.  And when you are standing in a paddock looking at those bulls, it’s very difficult to know what these additional influences are or how to account for them in a selection decision.

My greatest concern is that often producers end up selecting on differences that are a result of these multiple factors, rather than for the genetic differences in animals.  Selection on raw data is further complicated by the heritability of individual traits. Highly heritable traits such as coat color can be an easy selection decision, as these traits can be easily passed on to progeny.

However, as a trait becomes less heritable it is harder to see these differences reflected on the basis of raw data alone.  Producers attempting to manipulate traits to meet breeding objectives in areas such as female fertility have a harder job to select for improvement when they are reliant on raw data and visual observation.  Its not an impossible task, however it is a much more difficult, and drawn out process over several generations.

As if this isn’t difficult enough, there’s something else to remember! That’s the relationship between the trait that has been recorded and the traits that are the focus of particular breeding decisions?  

Not all traits follow linear progressions.  A good example is scanned data for EMA.  The size of EMA at a particular point in time may not be reflective of increased muscularity, but rather a result of growth rate to that point in time.  A larger EMA may be more reflective of the growth and weight of the animal when it was scanned. 

It really concerns me when producers place all their emphasis on the raw data of animals as the basis for their selection decisions.  Without knowing the cumulative impact of the environment, feed, and other non-genetic factors, bulls are being selected more on reflection of the year’s circumstances, rather than on their genetic capability.  This often works in a counterproductive manner to selection pressure placed on the breeding group at home.

So if you are choosing bulls, you need to make this a project and allow yourself some time to make decisions based on research and preparation, rather than a comparison of animals on the day of the sale! There is tremendous value in spending time considering what you want as an objective for your herd, and looking at a range of bulls to help achieve that goal.

Breedplan figures and the search tools in Breedplan can help you find the bulls that could suit your program.  Then you can go and look at them and see if they physically have structure, the muscularity and temperament to suit your program. 

If you do that then when you ask me what do I think of these bulls, I’ll be able to have a focused and hopefully more helpful discussion with you!

Selection to Increase Saleable Meat Yield

As cattle producers, we are focused on the production of red meat that can be used to feed people.  I’m not sure that many people really know just how much red meat comes from their cattle. I think it is an important trait to consider and work on improving.  After all increasing red meat yield per animal is a more efficient way to use your feed resources and be more profitable in the long term.

When considering Red Meat Yield, its important not to be confused with Dressing Percentage.  Dressing percentage is commonly talked about by people and confused with yield.  In simplest terms, Dressing Percentage is simply the carcass weight of an animal as a percentage of its live-weight.

Dressing Percentage is a useful tool to measure and to understand, particularly for producers who are looking to market cattle direct to abattoirs. Knowing how your animal will dress and so fit a payment grid can make a big difference in receiving the grid price or suffering a discount for being over or under the weights.

It is important to remember that Dressing Percentage is influenced by factors associated with an animals live-weight.  In particular the length of time off feed and water.  A simple rule to remember is that as live-weight decreases, Dressing Percentage will increase.  Other factors that can have an impact include pregnancy status (cows and heifers) as well as grain or grass finishing programs.  

So Dressing Percentage is something that has to be considered and managed in order to achieve optimum returns when livestock are sold over a grid.  However focusing on the yield of red meat should be a major focus for producers.  

In basic terms yield is generally described as Saleable Meat Yield (SMY).  It is defined as the proportion of the carcase that can be processed and sold to the consumer. This includes all the bone-in or boneless cuts that we commonly see at retail level, plus manufacturing meat that has been trimmed to a desired fat coverage or level.

The level of Saleable Meat Yield (SMY) can vary dramatically among animals.  A real issue for processors or butchers is this variation will impact the efficiency of processing or retailing.  It basically costs the same to process a carcase into its primal and retail cuts. 

Lower yields either as a result of less muscle or over fatness, quickly become financial issues for that portion of the supply chain.  In the longer term it reflects back on the producer who may find their lower yielding cattle are purchased for lower prices or avoided all together.

As producers the challenge is to increase the amount of saleable red meat each animal produces.  There most effective methods are to focus on meeting specifications for fatness.  Over fat animals require more trimming, and this impacts on the amount of product for sale after processing.  

The second and major way is to focus on selection for muscle volume within the herd.  This can be done using both EBV’s that address meat yield, and to visually select animals for their muscle score.  

Over many years, NSW DPI has researched the impact muscle score has on saleable meat yield.  One of the key findings from this research showed that selection for muscle score was a skill that could be used in all beef herds.   

More importantly the research highlighted that for each increase in muscle score at the same live weight and fat depth, dressing percentage increased by 1.7%. 

Saleable meat yield as a percentage, increased by 1.5 to 1.7 % and lean meat yield (denuded of fatness) increased by over 2%. In lightweight steers, this equated to 10–15% increase in value.

The research looked at this over three steers that were all the same live-weight and fatness.  The additional increase in yield of saleable meat through increased muscling was a significant contributor to the value of those animals to both producers and retailers. 

In the last few weeks I’ve been working through these concepts with several producers to improve their herd’s suitability to several emerging markets.  We have also been looking at the breakdown of a beef carcase and the proportion of red meat from each primal cut.  Selection for muscle has a positive impact on increase the amount produced as well as improving the shape and appearance of these muscles when they are processed into retail cuts.

Judging steers in a show ring

Preparing and showing steers is perhaps the most common of all livestock showing in Australia. I know for many people steer competitions are the starting point in their livestock career. In my own case, showing steers with my school was an integral part of my exposure to the broader industry.

Steer competitions allow many young people the opportunity to learn a range of responsibilities and gain skills and knowledge that can be used in their future careers and in their broader lives.

Preparing a steer requires knowledge of selection, nutrition and a commitment to ensure the steer grows according to a specific end point. For young people there is the responsibility of not only feeding and caring for the animal, its also about the preparation and training.

So what brings success in a steer ring? As a judge I have some pretty clear expectations for steers. The things I consider are important not just for the show ring. I am looking for the traits that are economically and commercially relevant. Through judging I hope that people preparing steers, learn to use that experience in their approach to commercial operations, and so produce more economically valuable animals for themselves and for the clients they hope to attract.

The traits that matter

Whenever I consider a class of steers, my first thoughts are about the class specifications. Specifications for weight and fatness are essential! The processor for various reasons sets a weight. These range from;

• ensuring that the primal cuts that the carcass will be broken down into are the correct size for further fabrication into retail cuts

• efficiency of processing within a plant

• ease of processing. For example a local butcher has smaller lighter bodies both for retail purposes and for the simple reason that there isn’t enough room in a small chiller for a larger carcass!

If a steer is too heavy or too light for class specifications, I automatically discount it as a place winner. In the commercial world this discounting happens with a lower price offer from the purchaser.

There are some important lessons to consider beyond the obvious discounting for price (or points in a competition). If your steers are too heavy then they should have been entered into a different class. Or in commercial operations sold to a heavier market. 

If you don’t direct cattle into the appropriate market then not only do you receive a lower payment, you have also lost money and time growing extra weight that isn’t being financially recognised at sale. So effectively you are costing yourself more money.

My second consideration for class specifications is for the specifications for fatness. Again there are fat depths set for a reason. These include the minimum required for MSA grading (3mm on the rib) as well as to ensure an evenly covered carcass. Over fat cattle create more issues with excessive trim. 

Again the consideration is not just the discounting that occurs for over fatness, but the cost and time spent to lay down this fatness that is then wasted.

The lesson to consider is that if you are preparing steers, for competition or for the market, know your specifications! If you are failing to meet the specs, does this mean you need to consider:

• Feeding program – are you growing at the optimum daily rate for your target? If it is too slow will you fall below the minimum? Too fast and will you overshoot?

• Fatness – Consider not just your feeding but also your animals maturity patter. Is your maturity pattern correct for your target market / class specifications? Later maturity animals lay fat down later, so will you be able to meet the requirements with your maturity pattern. Similarly are you not being too ambitious with early maturity patterns?

Once I’ve considered the suitability of the steers to their class specifications, I assess each steer for its overall muscle volume. Muscle is directly related to saleable red meat, and so the more an animal has, the more saleable red meat is available and so the value of that animal increases.

I assess muscle volume using the industry accepted muscle scores. I find it useful to think about volume in the same way it is calculated for any shape. Essentially it means to consider length, depth and width.

So I look at the length of the animal. I consider its width, through the loins and rib eye, and the width of stance and through the hindquarters. Lastly I look to see how deep is the muscle volume extending from the hindquarters down to the stifle. I like to see broader, rounder, longer steers.

My final consideration is to look at the overall fatness of the steer. It’s one thing to meet specifications. However it’s another to be evenly covered across the carcass. I look and feel over the major primals and over the carcass to see if the fat appears to be evenly distributed. Sometimes you can feel the fat coverage is uneven or hasn’t quite extended across the major areas.

As a carcass judge I’ve seen many bodies that are unevenly finished. This adds to the processors level of trim and overall reduces the value of the carcass to the processor. So its something I do try and consider and provide feedback on.

Essentially I use these three key areas to judge steers. Ultimately the steers that meet specification, display the high degree of muscle and even distribution of fatness are the ones I will select to be my place winners.

I don’t spend any time worrying about what the herd is like that produced these steers. I don’t worry about the heifers in the herd or anything outside of the ring. As a judge I can only assess what I see in front of me. Just as a buyer will only consider what is in front of them at the sale and if they will suit the processors needs. Focusing on these things does provide breeders with the information they need to fine-tune their program at home.

And for young people making their way into the industry, the lesson of knowing the market specifications, choosing cattle that suit their market and selecting for yield are lessons that will take them a long way into commercial and show ring success.

Know the risks of Nitrate & Prussic Acid in your feed

Feeding stock is a task that requires some prior preparation.  While most feeds can be provided to ruminants, it doesn’t mean that you can feed them without following a few simple rules.  

The rumen is a living environment, which hosts the micro-flora, fungi and other organisms that actually work to break feed down so that it can be absorbed and used by the animal.  Sudden changes in feed type, lack or roughage and reduced water intake can all create a situation where the environment of the rumen becomes unhealthy to the micro-flora and results in digestive upsets and illness.

Mostly the rumen remains fairly stable as livestock select diets that allow the rumen micro-flora to thrive and do their job of breaking down material for absorption and digestion.  Problems start to arise when diets and rations are offered that create unhealthy rumen environments. 

As mentioned before common issues are changes in feed types, particularly to including grains that have high levels of starch.  It also occurs when fibre is lacking or if rations are less than the animal requires and as it becomes hungrier it eats plants that may contain toxins that can result in illness or death.

Poisoning is a risk that many producers have had to consider this year. Common issues have been weeds that have been eaten as hungry stock eat whatever they can chew.  It also has been an issue as new weeds arrive in drought feeds. Stock may consume plants that are poisonous simply because they have never seen them before.  

However the biggest issue has been with sorghum crops that have been grazed or cut for fodder.  The cause has been either from Nitrate poisoning or from Prussic Acid.  

What is Nitrate Poisoning?

Nitrogen is needs by plants for growth.  They absorb nitrogen through the soil and root system.  Young plants and leaves have high levels of nitrates as they are growing. However when plants are stressed or not growing at a rate that allows the nitrogen to be used, the plant stores this as nitrate.  Some plants are more prone than others to do this (they are known as ‘nitrate accumulators’), but most plants will accumulate nitrates to some degree if stressed.

The issue for livestock is that when the material is eaten that Nitrate is converted to nitrite.  This chemical change allows the nitrite to be quickly absorbed from digested feed into the blood system where it attaches to hemoglobin.  These nitrites replace oxygen cells in the blood and cause rapid impacts on the animal.  

Within 15-20 minutes symptoms like staggering, difficulty breathing, spasms and foaming at the mouth start to occur. Many affected animals will lie down while some may thrash about.  I’ve had it described to me that the cattle looked drunk.  

Its mainly sheep and cattle impacted in this way.  Horses and pigs are less affected by nitrate because they don’t convert it to nitrite. If levels are high though, the nitrate can damage the lining of their gut.

According to a number of sources, most of the species commonly grazed in Australia can cause nitrate poisoning if stressed.  These are species that include oats, sorghum, maize, sudan grass, Johnson grass, canola, lucerne, kikuyu, turnip and sugar beet tops, soybean, wheat, barley and a range of weeds.

It’s essential that you consider feed testing any fodder that you purchase to see what level of nitrate is in the feed.  Ask a few questions from the vendor?  Was it treated with a big application of fertilizer or manure?  Was it stressed before bailing?  These questions can help you decide if it is suitable to feed to livestock

Prussic Acid

Prussic acid is a major concern for producers who graze or rely on sorghum varieties for fodder.  It is present in most sorghum, although some varieties will have lower levels.   

At a chemical level within the plant, prussic acids exist as a non-poisonous chemical called Dhurrin.  This chemical can react with another plant-based material known as Emulsion.  Under the right conditions, these two materials will react and create Prussic Acid.  It’s also known as Hydrocyanic Acid.  In simplest terms this is Cyanide Poisoning!

Damage to the pant through mechanical impact, environmental stress, trampling and even insect damage results in the mixing of these materials and the release of Cyanide.  

While sometimes this can evaporate from the plant, it doesn’t all disappear.  It also means that further damage, such as harvesting, or grazing will result in more Cyanide being released. 

The concern with Prussic Acid is its high level of toxicity.  Feed Central suggests that amounts greater than 0.1 percent (1000 ppm or mg/kg) of plant dry matter is considered highly dangerous. Some levels from the Washington State University place that level even lower at 750 ppm.

The effect on animals is very similar to that of nitrate poisoning. The acid is readily absorbed into the bloodstream and it then attaches to the hemoglobin and displaces oxygen.  

Since many producers look to graze or use sorghum forage there are some basic considerations to be factored into the decision making process.  Remember that: 

• Leaf blades normally contain higher levels than leaf sheaths or stems

• Younger (upper) leaves have more prussic acid than older leaves

• Tillers and branches (“suckers”) have the highest levels, because they are more leaf than stalk

Most sorghum should be grazed when they are more mature.  Often this is over 3ft in height.  As plants mature, there are more stalks than leaves in the overall plant causing prussic acid content in the plant as a whole to decrease.

With so much drought-affected crops its important to remember levels will be much higher as the pants are mostly leaves. Sorghum grown in drought may retain high levels of prussic acid, even if made into hay or silage.

My advice to all producers thinking about using or grazing sorghum is to get it tested first!  Know the levels before you feed it out.  There may be alternative uses to this feed. 

If you do have concerns, or you want some more advice, then get in touch with me. Asking questions can save you a lot of risk and the potential of stock losses.

How long will your stock water last?

The summer of 2019 has been another very hot and dry season.  Coming off one of the hottest years on record, with low rainfall, this summer has had a big impact on most agricultural programs.  

Perhaps the biggest challenge for graziers will be access to reliable stock water.  Of all the resources available to graziers, stock water is the most vital, and generally the most limiting. Water plays a role beyond ensuring survival.  The quality of water offered will impact on feed intake levels and can restrict livestock production if it is outside acceptable ranges.

So how much do your animals consume?  Daily consumption varies with the size of your animals, their production status.  Obviously a lactating animal will require more water than a dry animal.    The feed animals are consuming and weather conditions will also determine daily consumption levels.

As can be seen in this table, consumption for livestock is often higher than many people consider.  Dry cattle for example will require between 50 – 70 litres a day depending on their size. However, hot conditions will see that level of consumption increase significantly.  

Some research presented by Future Beef noted that rises of 10ºC (e.g. from 25ºC to 35ºC) can almost double daily consumption, particularly if there is high humidity as well. Its also important to recognize that lactating cows may have a 30% higher daily water intake than dry cows.

Water quality is a key factor in livestock intake.  There are several components to water quality.  

• pH will impact on consumption and influence feed intake and rumen function. Low pH (more acid) will impact on rumen acidosis levels and suppress feed intake. While higher pH levels (more alkaline) will cause rumen upset, diarrhoea and poor feed conversion.

• Salinity levels will also determine consumption levels. Salinity tests on water assess the sum of all mineral salts in water. Salinity can impact animal health as a result of their feed, temperature and humidity and the levels of salinity in the water itself

• Algae, contaminants such as mud or debris from storm run off, and contamination from faeces are all issues that will restrict intake or cause health issues.

If you are concerned about the quality of the water your stock are accessing you can obtain water test kits from your State DPI or Agriculture Departments. (NSW DPI)(Western Australia)

How much water is in your dam?

Part of any plan regarding water is to know how much you have stored.  Most people I speak with don’t really know how much they may have in a dam or in total, which can significantly add to the stress levels people feel.  

The easiest way to work through estimating a dam’s water amount requires:

• a tape measure

• some very strong twine (like plumbers line)

• two heavy duty lead sinkers

• a dozen (or more) fishing floats.

Firstly you need to attach the sinkers to the end of the line.  Then tie a slot every metre from the end of the line. Number each float with a large number suing a colour you can read easily.

Step 1:  Measure two sides of your dam (this allows you to work out your surface area in square metres)

Step 2:  Drag your sting across the deepest part of your dam and allow the floats to bring the line to vertical.

Step 3:  Read the number of the float holding the line vertically.

Step 4:  Multiply the surface area (From Step 1) by the depth you have just measured.  

Step 5:  To allow for the shape of your dam, multiply this figure by 0.4.  This will tell you the total volume of your dam.  

Step 6:  To convert this total to mega-litres, divide the number by 1000.  

Doing this exercise once a month will give you a fairly accurate stock take of water supply.  If you calculate how many animals you have, and how much they drink each day, you will soon determine your overall levels of consumption.  

Dividing this consumption by your total water supply will give you a time period for your current water supplies.

Effective plans need to have a time frame, and if your water supplies are the most limiting issue on farm, then it’s vital to have a time estimate.  This estimate gives you the chance to make new plans and be proactive in your management, rather than responding or reacting when your options are much more limited.

When you do these evaluations, you will quickly determine that trucking water to stock is a task that can't be done effectively. The shear demand of water, let alone time and access may make the exercise extremely difficult.  For many people trucking water is an impossibility when they realistically assess their livestock demand and the resources and time they have to meet the daily demand of livestock.  Early planning will help you weigh up your options and focus you on using your limited resources as well as you possibly can.

If you need help in making plans or you require some advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.  This is a key service I provide to producers and I’m happy to help where I can.

How Can You Help Our Rural Communities?

Across Australia, the impact of the extremes of climate is playing out with disastrous consequences for hundreds of families.  Its been easy for some people in metropolitan NSW to think that the coastal rain and storms have been widespread.  In fact the NSW DPI reveals in their latest Seasonal Update that the Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) has 99.8% of NSW experiencing drought conditions.

To break that down over a third of the state (36.8%) is classified as Intense Drought, The remaining areas of the state are considered wither in drought or drought affected.  The impact of heat waves and above average temperatures, plus no rain has many producers on edge.

Of course the drought is not confined to NSW. Many parts of Queensland are now in the fifth or sixth year of drought.  Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and parts of Western Australia have all recorded below average rainfall and are in drought or rapidly approaching drought conditions.

In Tasmania this has resulted in unprecedented bushfires. While many fires have impacted wilderness areas, there have been losses of homes, buildings and farming country.

Last week a huge part of North Queensland, some 20,000KM2 (almost the entire size of Kenya) was swamped by monsoon rain.  This event has inundated stations, roads, railways and swept away 100’s of thousands of cattle.  So many people in this region are struggling to start assessing the scale of their losses let alone even to consider rebuilding.

So what can you do to help?  It’s a good question.  The Australian way is to offer help and to want to look after those people doing it tough. I know that I feel that way myself. 

The reality is, these events are huge.  They will have an ongoing impact that will last for much longer than the news cycle or the next trend on Facebook.  It extends across farms to impact businesses, towns and communities.  

So any help that you would like to offer should be something that reflects the scale of the events and can be useful.  

If you would like to offer or donate money, the Country Women’s Association have appeals that are directly focussed on communities.  The CWA are community driven and have a long commitment of helping their community. In Qld, the QCWA Public Crisis Fund has been established to provide direct support in the event of disasters such as floods and fires. In NSW the CWA has established a fund specifically for drought aid.  Alternatively the Australian Red Cross and St Vincent De Paul are charities that I have worked with and are focussed on direct assistance.

However, there are two other things you can do.

Go and visit these communities for a holiday.

When the worst of this is over, and communities start to rebuild, the money your visit brings in is essential.  Small towns in the Huon Valley depend on tourism.  In the Central West of NSW or the Far West, the difference your visit can make to a café, motel, and service station is just as important to a community as anything else you can do.  And this is something you can do and make a difference in a real way over a longer term.

Support regional businesses. 

It can be as easy as having an extra beef or lamb meal each week!  However there are lots of small regional businesses that provide products and trade on line.  Many of these support faming families with a little extra income.  These little businesses are important to families, and communities so any support for them will have a direct benefit to people who need your help.

As communities recover over the coming months and years, don’t forget to check in on people you know.  Keep visiting, keep supporting communities in these simple and practical ways.  It will take a while to recover, so these are ways you can help for a longer time than just in the immediate aftermath of the disasters we are seeing right now.

Think safe in the heat!

This week I was talking with a colleague from the south west of the state. The topic of conversation was the recent heat waves and how they have been coping with it.  One of the points they mentioned was the decision to postpone a sheep sale to avoid the worst of the heat, and then to start subsequent ones earlier in the day.

I thought that was a great move.  Apparently while there was general support, there were still some people who were critical of the move!  I’ve been scratching my head about that for a few days now!  

All I can put that criticism down to is that there are just some people who like to criticise. However, it does expose the school of thought that does seem to prevail with some people that unless you are uncomfortable, you aren’t working hard enough!

I really struggle with that idea. I don’t think its helpful and often leads people to make decisions that can actually be dangerous. I think we tend to underestimate the impact that heat has on us. I know that I have often failed to consider the impact that heat and manual work will have on me. It's important to remember that there is a big difference between being hot, and overheating.  Overheating can have some pretty serious impacts that if not addressed can lead to death. 

Heat Exhaustion is something many people have experienced.  It's often characterized by sings like headaches; increased thirst; dizziness and nausea.  However if it's ignored it could continue to show itself with poor coordination, anxiety and poor decision making.

Heat exhaustion can be pretty debilitating and requires some immediate attention. Ideally you should lie down in some air conditioning or shade; drink plenty of water.  If you are very hot, then cooling your body with a cold shower or bath can also help. 

As a firefighter, we often had to cool down on protracted incidents.  Not having access to showers or baths, we would take off as much clothing as we could (down to shirts and pants) and then we would often rest our forearms in buckets of water or in chairs that had arm rests which we filled with water before putting our hands and arms in the water.

As a firefighter, we often had to cool down on protracted incidents.  Not having access to showers or baths, we would take off as much clothing as we could (down to shirts and pants) and then we would often rest our forearms in buckets of water or in chairs that had arm rests which we filled with water before putting our hands and arms in the water.

There is some neat research that shows immersing your arms and hands in water and sitting in the shade cools your core temperate down much more quickly than simply resting in the shade.  

If you don’t address the signs of heat exhaustion, you risk the more drastic impact of heat stroke.  Heatstroke occurs when a persons temperature is greater than 40°C.  As a result they may then experience confusion, convulsions, or  coma.

As with the symptoms of heat exhaustion, heatstroke could see a person have: 

• headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and confusion

• having flushed, hot and unusually dry skin

• being extremely thirsty

• having a dry, swollen tongue

• having a sudden rise in body temperature to more than 40°C

• being disoriented or delirious

• slurred speech

• being aggressive or behaving strangely

• convulsions, seizures or coma.

• may be sweating and skin may feel deceptively cool

• rapid pulse

Heat stroke is not to be taken lightly! If you notice any of the above signs of heatstroke in yourself or others, call 000 immediately for an ambulance. If you don’t treat heat stroke it can lead to permanent damage to vital organs or even death.

Heat can effect people very quickly.  Its vital not to think that you can’t be impacted or that you can get used to it!  While we think about the impact of heat, the time it takes to get over a case of exhaustion can see you recovering for a few days.   

Given the risks that heat poses, I reckon any plan to postpone work until its cooler is a sensible option.  There’s nothing so important it cant wait for a bit!