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Winter Feed Options/Management

with Tahnee Manton – Livestock, Land Services Officer, Glen Innes

The rainfall we have seen over the last few months has meant there has been quite a response in pasture growth. A large proportion of these grasses have been summer growing annuals and they have gone to head quite quickly, which will reduce their feed quality. Due to the pasture quality decline, you need to consider what class of stock you are running and the energy demand they require and if the pasture is meeting those animal requirements. We can increase the utilisation of these lesser quality pastures by feeding some form of protein supplement, so you can make the most of your paddock feed.

Some things to consider when looking at winter feed options are:

- Utilise the pasture you have available in your paddock

- Fodder budgeting heading into winter is important

- Work out the cost of commodities and determine your goal as to what product you use

- Consider the availability and costs of feed and if it would be a better option to sell

It is important though to keep an eye on herbage mass to ensure groundcover and plant composition are maintained at an optimum level. This is where we need to look at fodder budgeting and evaluating how much feed you have left in the paddock. This is especially critical if hay and silage is scarce and you are trying to source it from far away.

Work out how much you need to get you through the winter period, and work on a worst case scenario to ensure you don’t run out. If we get no growth until the end of October/November, do you have enough paddock feed or good quality hay to get you through?

When looking at a protein source, do your sums and look at your goal. Calculate the cost of protein and if the goal is to maintain or increase weight. This can help with which product to use to achieve those results. Also, are the animals you are intending to feed through the winter period just going to cost you money, or would selling them now be a better option?

Commodity, Cost Current, availability

White Cottonseed, $660/t, Good*

Barley, $440/t, Good

Maize, $530/t, Good*

Soybean Meal, $640/t, Good

Canola Meal, $555/t, Good

Cereal hay, $440/t, Good

Vetch hay, $480/t, Good

Lupins, $730/t, Good

Field Peas, $630/t, Good

Dry licks (blocks & loose), $1200 - $2000/t, Good

Fortified molasses mixes, Approx. $565/t (ex. del), Good

Pellets Approx., $555/t (ex. del), Good

*White cottonseed if purchased in the next 4 weeks will be more expensive than if you wait until the end of April. Supply through April, May and June will be pretty good, with supply becoming tighter after June. Maize is a little bit light on in terms of amount, but supply should still be okay over winter. All prices quoted were delivered to the Northern Tablelands as of 11/3/2020.

For further information on this topic or any other livestock topics, please contact Tahnee Manton on 0438 600 473 or email: shaitarna.manton@lls.nsw.gov.au

Restockers – Risk or Reward?

Northern Tablelands Local Land Services District Vet – Amanda Walker

Restocking options are on the minds of many across the region as seasonal conditions continue to improve. The current weaner sales will provide an opportunity for some producers to source restockers, whilst many others are being forced to source stock from further afield.

All introduced livestock pose potential threats to farm biosecurity, including restockers, cattle returning from agistment or cattle coming on to your farm for agistment. These animals may carry diseases, parasites and even weed seeds onto your property.

How to reduce the risks:

· Source from biosecurity conscious suppliers

If possible, inspect the stock prior to purchase. These background checks may help you identify the health status of the animals and the biosecurity measures and attitude of the vendor.

· Consider the disease status of your own herd/flock

You should always try to purchase stock with the same, or a higher health status than your own. But don’t forget that when introduced, new stock may succumb to diseases already present on your property if they haven’t been exposed to these previously. One such example is exposure to Theileria. This condition is widespread across the Northern Tablelands and introduced cattle that have no resistance may become infected and die.

· Request National Health Declarations with NVDs

Always request a National Sheep Health Declaration or National Cattle Health Declaration from the vendor. This document gives animal health information that is not found on the National Vendor Declaration (NVD), including disease status information about Johne’s disease, footrot, lice and ovine brucellosis.

· Quarantine all incoming stock

Once you’ve made the decision to introduce stock, don’t forget the importance of quarantining them once they arrive. Incoming animals should be kept separate from other animals for a minimum of 7 days after introduction. Use a potent worm drench on all new arrivals to avoid the introduction of resistant worm strains, and check the drench was effective with a worm egg count 10-14 days later. The quarantine period will need to be significantly longer if you are concerned about diseases such as Johne’s or footrot.

The decision of when and how to restock is a complex one, particularly with unknown seasonal conditions ahead. If you would like advice on your individual restocking situation contact any Northern Tablelands Local Land Services office for assistance – Glen Innes on 02 6732 8800, Inverell on 02 6720 8300, Armidale on 02 6770 2000 or Tenterfield on 02 6739 1400.
 

Soil Testing

Your soils have been through a lot lately, with low groundcover levels, possible effects of fire, and now a lot of welcome rain. These conditions can markedly effect the concentration of nutrients in your soils.

While limited uptake by plants during a drought can result in elevated levels of some nutrients, this may be cancelled out in areas that have had substantial topsoil erosion. While it’s nice to see a lot of green across the region, you may have seen some areas on your farm respond to the rains better than others. With this in mind, it will help to get a picture of the soil fertility to plan investment decisions.

It is timely that Fertcare has recently updated the advice on soil testing. The first step is to decide on the purpose for sampling, whether that be to assess fertility levels, diagnose a constraint, or continue to track the status of a soil property. It is important to sample carefully, based on representative soil types and management zones, so you can interpret the results against benchmarks.

Recent results we have received show a wide variety on the level of properties such as soil pH, phosphorus, sulphur and organic carbon throughout the northern tablelands. Some of these patterns can be related to soil type, landscape position and management, but some situations might be unexpected.

Remember that a surface sample represents only part of the picture – the whole root zone is important. Subsurface conditions can restrict root growth and plant productivity, particularly when rainfall is intermittent and the surface dries out. Grab a shovel to dig a bit deeper and see what the roots are doing. If you would like to have a look a bit deeper, LLS has soil corers that can sample to 80 cm – contact us to borrow one.

The better fertiliser decisions for crops and for pastures projects have established benchmarks based on a huge number of plant response trials for nutrients like phosphorus, sulphur and potassium. Soil test values are one part of the picture for managing your land. Finances are likely to be stretched and livestock numbers low, so being able to prioritise applications to the most potentially productive areas will be valuable. An important part of the decision will be an assessment of the pasture in the paddock and renovation options. Talk to your agronomist to plan and interpret soil tests, and as always feel free to contact LLS for advice in the area.

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