Your Local Land Services rates notice will arrive shortly
Rates contribute to our biosecurity, animal health and emergency management work which helps us, help you when you need it most. Even though you may not have livestock, your property will have benefited from our services including our coordinated pest and weed control programs.
The Local Land Services Board set rates each year based on the cost of doing business and the need for services across the state. Rates have marginally increased in 2023 as there has been an increased demand for our services along with increased need for biosecurity support throughout the state.
Rates collected across the state from landholders contribute up to one fifth of Local Land Services operating budget, and 100% of the rates collected are returned to our customers through our regional services and on-ground support.
Instructions on how to pay are on your rates notice, and payment methods include:
Cheque in the mail (post to Accounts Receivable, Local Land Services, Locked Bag 6007 Orange NSW 2800)
If you wish to pay in person, please call 1300 795 299 to arrange a time to visit your local office.
Under the Local Land Services Act 2013, we must charge rates on all land classified as rateable land under the Act. This is generally land 10 hectares or more in size (40 hectares in the Western region and 20 hectares in some parts of Murray and Riverina regions). Our rates are different to council rates charged under the Local Government Act 1993.
If you are experiencing hardship, we can help. Please call 1300 795 299 to discuss setting up a payment plan with your local team.
If you have recently sold your property, or are in the process of selling,
please call us to update your contact details or use the online form
on our website www.lls.nsw.gov.au/contact-us
Biosecurity
Spotted anything unusual?
Australia is currently free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The $22.8 million FMD Prevention and Preparedness Program being delivered by Local Land Services will help maintain this status. If you spot anything unusual in your livestock, call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or your Local Land Services district vet on 1300 795 299.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed (two-toed) animals (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, deer and camelids including wild and feral animals). Onset and severity of clinical signs will vary between animals. Vesicular lesions (blisters, ulcers, and sores) in cattle may be found in the mouth and on the feet, muzzle/nostrils, and teats. Cattle with FMD may exhibit one or more of the following clinical signs:
blisters on the mouth, snout, tongue, lips or feet
erosions remaining after blisters rupture
drooling
fever (39.4 - 41.1°C)
limping and reluctance to move
production losses.
In sheep and goats, the disease is usually mild with few lesions, however, clinical signs can include fever, lameness and oral lesions, which are often mild.
With the weather heating up, things drying out, and plenty of long grass, weeds and flies around. Remember to be on the look out for early signs of pinkeye throughout the summer.
Pinkeye is a highly contagious bacterial infection of cattle, that causes inflammation and sometimes ulceration of the cornea. Sheep and goats also get pinkeye, but it is caused by different bacteria, and they usually recover quickly.
The first sign of pinkeye is when the eye starts to weep, then as the infection progresses the membranes of the eye become red and swollen, eventually causing the eye to become ulcerated.
Flies are attracted to the watery eyes, feeding on the infected secretions, then moving from animal to animal, which can spread the disease very quickly through the herd.
Pinkeye is a painful, debilitating condition that can severely affect animal productivity and can lead to temporary or permanent blindness. When identified early, treatment of pinkeye is generally successful and should be started as early as possible to minimise adverse animal welfare outcomes and to limit the spread through the herd.
There are many factors that increase the likelihood of pinkeye, such as irritation from dust, sharp grasses, weeds and flies. Producers can lower the risk of pinkeye in their stock by reducing fly numbers, controlling weeds and abrasive grass seeds and minimising yarding during dusty periods.
Sheep producers across the region are reminded of the importance of monitoring their sheep for lameness following prolonged spring rainfall. An exceptionally wet season and lush pasture growth have made it challenging to find somewhere to keep feet dry. This prolonged exposure to moisture has provided ideal conditions for sheep’s feet to become susceptible to bacterial infection.
There are a various causes of lameness in sheep including ovine interdigital dermatitis (OID or scald), benign footrot, virulent footrot and foot abscess. The bacterium that causes footrot Dichelobacter nodosus needs warm and wet conditions to cause disease and is unable to infect a healthy foot, often occurring secondary to a milder infection such as OID.
Many sheep producers in the region undertake footbathing programs using zinc sulphate, which acts as a topical disinfectant and has a drying effect on the feet. While this practice can help to control OID and prevent more severe foot problems from developing. It can also mask the signs of footrot and make diagnosing the cause of lameness more challenging.
If producers have lame sheep the cause of lameness should be investigated to minimise disease impact, reduce disease spread and to make sure the most effective treatment is used.
On-farm biosecurity is the best defence against introducing diseases and treatment-resistant parasites to your property. This includes assessing the risk prior to purchase and isolating or quarantining newly acquired stock away from existing flocks. Boundary fences should also be well maintained to reduce the risk of disease spread by stray sheep.
If you have concerns about the health of your livestock, please contact
your nearest Local Land Services office on 1300 795 299.
Emergency management
Flood recovery updates
Local Land Services provides leadership in flood recovery support and advice to impacted landholders. This includes:
Veterinary advice and assistance
Livestock feeding and management advice
Pasture, cropping and horticulture recovery advice
Plant and animal biosecurity surveillance and advice
While it may seem counter-intuitive to be discussing fire season preparedness at the same time as flood recovery, many regions will face an increased risk of grass and bush fires this summer because of flooding and recent rain.
Grass and bush fire fuel loads are expected to be higher this fire season following a wet spring which resulted in increased grass growth throughout much of the state. As plants dry off with warmer weather, they provide a significant fuel load for grass fires.
Flood debris, often consisting of dried out vegetation, can be particularly flammable and can draw fires to and along structures where it may be built up against, such as fences.
It's important you check your property and start preparing for the fire season now.
Over the last 4 months, our biosecurity staff have been busy planning and executing an intensive control program to eliminate as many cloven hooved pest animals (namely deer and pigs) as possible within a defined control zone.
The intensive control program is part of a wider Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention and Preparedness (FMD PP) program funded by NSW Government. The objective of the intensive control program is to proactively build pest animal management capacity to increase our ability to limit the spread of FMD in the event of an outbreak.
The area chosen for the program is located around Hermidale where we’ve previously seen strong group participation in conducting coordinated group baiting targeting feral animals.
Tim Lawson, local biosecurity officer, has been on the ground in the area, running landholder group meetings, aerial surveying and aerial shooting. He has also conducted ground monitoring, using 30+ trail cameras to monitor hotspots and water points in the control zone.
What has happened so far:
One community meeting.
5-day aerial survey of the 15 km radial control zone.
5-day aerial shoot which controlled 1,471 feral pigs and 59 chital deer over 205,783 ha.
What’s to come:
4 more 3 to 5-day aerial shoots.
2 more aerial surveys to monitor the effectiveness of the control techniques.
Engaging contractors to conduct on ground control i.e., baiting, trapping, and shooting.
Engaging local landholders to conduct coordinated on ground control i.e., baiting and trapping.
Hosting a cloven hooved pest animal awareness and capacity building day.
Weed watch | Fireweed
Landholders across the Central West are asked to keep an eye out for Fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis) — a weed of national significance.
The weed has recently been found in the Warrumbungle Shire Council and Dubbo Regional Council areas.
It invades pastures and disturbed areas, reduces productivity, is poisonous to livestock, can cause death and is difficult to control. It must not be sold anywhere in NSW.
Identifying fireweed:
Fireweed is an annual or biennial herb 10-60 cm tall.
It is erect with many branches.
Flowering is mostly from spring to autumn but sometimes varies for different parts of NSW.
Flowers are small, yellow, and daisy-like with up to 15 petals.
All stages of the plant from seedlings to flowering may be present at any time of year in some locations.
Flushes of seedlings appear after rain in warm weather.
If you suspect Fireweed on your property, please contact your local Council Weeds Officer for formal identification and control methods. Similar looking plants are variable groundsel and wild mustard.
With the drying out of some areas of the Central West region we are again hearing reports of increasing mice in paddocks, sheds and houses.
Mice breeding is most active between Oct- May. So it is time to be vigilant and ensure mouse populations on your property aren’t steadily building right under your nose!
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
Get out and have a look for mouse holes in your paddock, this is easier in our stubble paddocks than pastures, but check in both if possible. Try to walk in about 30 m from your paddock edge and then walk a 100 m long x 1 m wide transect observing for mouse holes. Do this a few times across the paddock. If you see a mouse hole, sprinkle cornflour around the entrance and come back tomorrow to see if there is any activity. If you have more than 2-3 active mouse holes along that 100 m stretch, it is time to bait!
Alternatively, you can place mouse cards in your paddock overnight and observe the percentage of the cards that have been eaten. If more than 10% of the card (or 10 squares) are eaten, you know you have a problem.
Clean up around the farm – clean up around your silos, grain bunkers and silo bags or areas where grain was spilt during harvest. Clean in and around your shed to eliminate free food sources or shelter/refuge points for the mice.
Our website has a range of useful information and links on mouse management.
Report what you are seeing – let your local agronomist or advisor know about increasing mouse pressure and contact your local ag advisor on 1300 795 299 for advice on in-paddock management.
The course will cover establishing and refining record keeping systems, streamlining bill payments and book-keeping, reducing accounting fees, and being more time efficient in the office.
The course is valued at over $1000 will be made available for $200 per person. Coonamble | Feb 20, Mar 13 and Mar 27 Condobolin | Feb 28, Mar 21 and Mar 30
Getting the most from forage and fodder
Central West Local Land Services is currently taking expressions of interest for a series of upcoming one day workshops on 14-16 February 2023.
Topics at these workshops will cover:
haymaking
silage
dual-purpose crops.
These will be delivered by Mr Neil Griffiths, former NSW DPI Pasture Production Technical Specialist and Top Fodder Silage Coordinator.
After the Small Purple-pea (Swainsona recta) was discovered on a small section of their property, Jo and Richard Ivey agreed to participate in a project supported by Central West Local Land Services.
A 7 ha area containing the endangered plant was fenced out, and an alternate watering point was installed outside the protected area.
Local Land Services is this month welcoming 10 graduates across the state to join our agriculture, biosecurity and natural resource management teams for the next 12 months.
All graduates will work alongside our respected staff to deliver critical in-the-paddock support and services to customers across regional NSW.
In the Central West we welcome Ellie Ireson to our agriculture team. Ellie will be based out of our Dubbo office.
Our graduate program is an investment in the next generation of frontline staff providing an ongoing learning opportunity and support as they transition from university studies to an established career.
The next intake of Local Land Services graduates will be happening mid-2023.
We want to hear what you think about the rules for managing native vegetation in NSW
Local Land Services is supporting the statutory review of the native vegetation provisions of the Local Land Services Act and we need to hear from you.
The review will consider if the policy objectives of these provisions remain valid, if the provisions are working to achieve the objectives of the Act, and if any areas need to be improved.
In addition to the public submissions we sought on the Discussion Paper in 2022, we are also carrying out voluntary landholder surveys and interviews over coming weeks to gather your valuable insights and feedback.
To participate, please register your interest by filling out the online form.
Develop skills in pasture and animal assessment, and learn skills to improve the productivity and sustainability of your grazing systems. Starting February 2023. The course will consist of 8 workshops that will include both theory and in-paddock learning. Learn more about PROGRAZE courses
Woodland Plant Identification Workshops
March 7 - BedgerabongMarch 8 - Peak Hill
March 9 - Dunedoo More info
Glossy Black Cockatoo and revegetation workshop
March 15 - Mendooran
RSVP to libby.mcintyre@lls.nsw.gov.au or 0429 019 309 More info
Glossy Black Cockatoo and revegetation workshop
March 16 - Parkes
RSVP to libby.mcintyre@lls.nsw.gov.au or 0429 019 309 More info
Local Land Services board appointments
Ministerial board appointments
Next month Central West Local Land Services welcomes the appointment of Ross McCarthy and reappointment of Andrew Rice to our local board.
Our regional board plays a key role in connecting communities to our services. Board members bring local views and experience to the table to help guide the strategic future of Local Land Services, helping to improve sustainable land and natural resource management for our customers and the environment.
With these appointments we want to recognise the expertise, knowledge and support our outgoing board member, Christine White, has shared during her tenure. Her assistance has helped shape Local Land Services strategic outcomes over a difficult period impacted by several natural disasters and challenges of COVID.
In total, 22 people have been appointed across the state by the Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Dugald Saunders. Diversity is important for all organisations and it is pleasing to see these new appointments include female and indigenous community members, building on our already inclusive regional representation.
More than 160 people applied to join boards across the state after an extensive recruitment process.
NSW Government caretaker period starts on 3 March 2023
During caretaker period the usual business of Local Land Services continues: your local vets, ag advisors, biosecurity teams and pasture specialists will continue delivering services to farmers, landholders and the wider community. However, we will not send email newsletters or other communications, including routine social media or website updates, during the caretaker period.
Emergency or public health and safety information will be sent by email and published online as normal, and our regular communications will resume after the election.
Local Land Services acknowledges that it stands on Country
which always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters,
and we show our respect for Elders past, present and emerging.
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 1048 Dubbo NSW 2830
The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing. However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that the information upon which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Local Land Services or the user’s independent adviser. For updates go to www.lls.nsw.gov.au
The course will cover establishing and refining record keeping systems, streamlining bill payments and book-keeping, reducing accounting fees, and being more time efficient in the office.
