LIVESTOCK REPORT
Issues to be aware of...
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Dermatophilus in young sheep
A small downside of the wonderful summer and autumn rains that we have experienced on the Central Tablelands is that young sheep (and rarely older sheep) have developed the skin and fleece infection lumpy wool. This condition is caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus congolensis.
In small lambs the infection can be so severe that they appear armour plated. Many die as a result. More mildly affected sheep develop thick lumpy scabs and cords on the skin and wool especially over the back. It is clearly painful with badly affected animals reluctant to walk and rendered highly susceptible to fly strike.
Some will develop immunity and self-cure but other need a dose of antibiotics (and fly protection) to kill the infection allowing about six weeks for normal wool to grow underneath and enabling shearing.
You will need to discuss antibiotics with your private veterinarian.
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Lumpy wool - a skin and fleece infection caused by is caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus congolensis
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LIVESTOCK ALERT
To look out for in the weeks ahead...
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Pre-calving management of heifers
Many cattle producers will be calving heifers in the next few months and will be keen to avoid some of the mistakes of last year.
The worst-case scenario for heifers pre-calving is slow growth up to joining and into early pregnancy followed by rapid growth in mid to late pregnancy. This happened in 2019-20 as heifers struggled during the drought then gained weight in pregnancy following the wonderful opening rains in February and March 2020.
This year is different with our heifers mostly growing well both pre and post joining. However, cattle producers will be keen to avoid heifers getting too fat in the second half of pregnancy.
On the other hand, we also know that inadequate nutrition is undesirable leading to weak heifers and poor calving results. Our district vets suggest that heifers should grow steadily from now to calving (at say 0.5 kg/hd/day) so that they are fit and strong but not fat as calving approaches.
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Virulent footrot
Our district vets are still diagnosing cases of virulent footrot in sheep enterprises across our region and as the weather becomes cooler and wetter, conditions can start to favour the spread of the disease.
The disease is caused by the bacteria Dichelobacter nodosus and causes significant lameness in sheep by damaging the soft sole of the hoof. Buying in sheep is one of the main way producers introduce the disease.
By following the simple steps below producers can reduce the chance of buying in and spreading disease.
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Check new stock as they come off the truck. Any lame sheep should be investigated and checked by a District Veterinarian.
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Quarantine new stock for at least a month to allow incubating diseases (not just footrot) to show before mixing sheep with existing animals. Allowing sheep to go through a spread period (conditions that favour the spread of footrot) can ensure any dormant footrot is reactivated and identified before mixing sheep.
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Request a National Sheep Health Declaration where the health status of sheep, including status of benign and virulent footrot is stated.
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If you are concerned re lameness in sheep get it checked ASAP. There are many other causes of lameness however, if virulent footrot is present the sooner a diagnosis is made the quicker the disease can be eradicated.
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Annual legumes - Ilford demo site report
Clare Edwards - Senior Land Services Officer, Pastures
clare.edwards@lls.nsw.gov.au
0428 435 615
In 2020, we ran a demonstration plot trialling hard seeded legumes in the Ilford area. Part of the trial was to have a ‘look and see’ at some new cool season annual legumes alongside some traditional varieties.
There are many interesting aspects when looking at some of these legumes, including whether they have any distinct advantages when considering climate variability.
The site was a paddock that had previously been sown to oats for a couple of years. Then in 2019, the trial that was originally sown failed due to the drought. The site had been limed previously, and in 2020 had a pHCa of 5.3 in the top 10cm. In February 2020, the site was again sown to 7 different annual legumes and two perennials (white clover and lucerne). The annuals included balansa, arrowleaf, gland, yellow serradella, pink serradella and two different hardseeded levels of sub-clover.
Click to read the full report and view feed quality results.
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The demonstration plot trialling hard seeded legumes in the Ilford area
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Creep feeding
Brett Littler - Senior Land Services Officer, Livestock
brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au
0427 007 398
At a field day on Friday of last week we were lucky to visit a producer who was creep feeding his calves successfully and has been doing so for several years. This producer has been using it with his cows but has found it particularly useful with his first calf heifers to get their calves up to sale weights more quickly, improve performance/weight gain of the calves and it has also enabled these heifer calves to be put into sale lines with his other calves.
Click to read more.
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Creep feeding is a simple management practice allowing calves unrestricted access to additional feed while they are still suckling the cow.
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Managing cows after weaning calves
Brett Littler - Senior Land Services Officer, Livestock
brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au
0427 007 398
It is about the time when people normally look at weaning their spring calves. With the season being so kind to us I am getting the question “Should I leave these calves on to try to keep the weight off the cows?”
This is a very individual question with a lot of interactions and options.
Click to read more.
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How to manage cows once you wean the calves...
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Tropical grass survey
The NSW DPI pastures team are conducting a survey of producers with livestock in inland NSW. This survey is a vital part of efforts to understand producer interest in and experience with tropical perennial grasses. Importantly, the information captured by the survey will be used to assist producers to successfully establish and manage tropical grasses. It will also provide valuable insights which will help the pasture team to finetune their tropical grass research.
NSW DPI encourages all producers who receive a mailed survey to complete and return the survey in the reply-paid envelope. As well, we invite all producers in inland NSW to take part in the survey by completing the survey on-line or requesting a paper copy of the survey by contacting Katrina Sinclair on 0429 012 318 or katrina.sinclair@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
The survey is an important part of a five-year tropical grass research program led by Dr Suzanne Boschma and jointly funded by NSW DPI and the MLA Donor Company as part of the Livestock Productivity Partnership. The research team is examining key aspects for successfully establishing and managing sub-tropical perennial grasses in field trials across NSW including at Glenn Innes, Orange, Cowra, Condobolin, Goolgowi, Yanco and Wagga Wagga.
Back to top
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CROPPING, LIVESTOCK AND PASTURE UPDATE - COWRA
Guest speakers from NSW DPI and Local Land Services will present and outline options for improving your family farming business by managing market risk/opportunity and adapting to climate risk.
Friday 19 March 2021
CROPPING, PASTURE, LIVESTOCK AND CLIMATE UPDATE - MANILDRA
Guest speakers from NSW DPI and Local Land Services will present and outline options for improving your family farming business by managing market risk/opportunity and adapting to climate risk.
Tuesday 23 March 2021
AUTUMN PASTURE MANAGEMENT; FERTILISER - BATHURST
Are you planning to fertiliser your pastures this year? Unsure what your pastures require to grow and at what rates of nutrients you need to apply? Do you need to add lime? What are the alternative products that can add plant nutrients? Join us for an informative session that will cover the more frequently asked questions around fertilisers and other alternative products.
Tuesday 23 March 2021
TREES ON FARMS; A PRODUCTION FOCUS - PORTLAND
An introductory and practical workshop to help you understand the production benefits of planting more trees on your farm. At the workshop you will learn the importance of species selection, site preparation, post planting management, as well as configuring windbreaks and paddock shade.
Wednesday 24 March 2021
TROPICAL GRASS WALK - ILFORD
Introduced tropical grasses are not normally grown in this area and this farm walk is a great opportunity to inspect some of the more common species that are used in other areas.
Thursday 25 March 2021
PHIL'S PADDOCK PLANT RECOGNITION WALK - BLAYNEY
This field walk aims to help land managers recognise a greater variety of plants in their paddocks, so you can tailor management actions for a beneficial farm business and environmental outcome.
Friday 26 March 2021
PASTURE FIELD WALK - TARANA
Join us for a farm walk to see the results of a pasture demonstration at Tarana. The walk will look at 14 different plots with a variety of perennial grasses and legumes sown using three different lime treatments.
Friday 26 March 2021
TREES ON FARMS; A PRODUCTION FOCUS - LUCKNOW
An introductory and practical workshop to help you understand the production benefits of planting more trees on your farm. At the workshop you will learn the importance of species selection, site preparation, post planting management, as well as configuring windbreaks and paddock shade.
Wednesday 31 March 2021
HOW GENETICS INFLUENCE SHEEP PRODUCTIVITY - WEBINAR
Genetic selection can play a powerful role within the sheep industry, but how can it work best for you? Join guest speaker and industry expert Dr Mark Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer of NeXtgen Agri in New Zealand to hear about the power of genes and how producers can capitalise on incorporating genetic selection in your enterprise.
Thursday 15 April 2021
TREES ON FARMS; A PRODUCTION FOCUS - WOODSTOCK
An introductory and practical workshop to help you understand the production benefits of planting more trees on your farm. At the workshop you will learn the importance of species selection, site preparation, post planting management, as well as configuring windbreaks and paddock shade.
Tuesday 27 April 2021
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have your say in our short survey and tell us what you feel are the key issues facing your land in the Central Tablelands. Your feedback is really valuable and it helps inform planning our services and project delivery.
Click for more info and to take the survey
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Contact a district vet
Your District Veterinarian is a valuable resource for local and independent advice on biosecurity and animal health issues. They can investigate herd and flock problems to help maintain a productive and secure local livestock industry.
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Kate Peffer, Molong
0409 496 908
Nigel Gillan, Orange
0438 700 398
Bruce Watt, Bathurst
0428 935 559
Amy Masters, Orange
0428 710 002
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Lucienne Downs, Orange
0417 043 966
Jess Bourke, Mudgee
0417 803 685
Emilee Johnstone, Cowra
0419 334 077
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Contact the ag team
The agriculture advisory team supports you in managing your livestock and landscapes by providing support services, pasture and livestock advice and industry training to increase productivity and profitability.
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Phil Cranney, Orange
Pastures
0458 745 478
Clare Edwards, Mudgee
Pastures
0428 435 615
Peter Evans, Lithgow
Sustainable Agriculture
0438 496 851
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Brett Littler, Mudgee
Livestock
0427 007 398
Karen O'Malley, Cowra
Horticulture
0428 103 665
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Report any suspicion or outbreak of an emergency animal disease
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline - 1800 675 888
Emergency animal diseases are likely to have severe consequences for livestock productivity, trade or possibly even human health. By remaining vigilant and acting quickly if you suspect an emergency animal disease, you may be able to prevent these consequences.
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If you know or suspect of a plant pest or disease, call the
Exotic Plant Pest Hotline - 1800 084 881
or use the online notification form
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