Local Land Services

Biosecurity when purchasing and introducing new sheep 

The addition of new stock to your property may be exciting, necessary and beneficial for your production system. However, it does involve the risk of introducing infectious diseases into a potentially naïve flock. Some infectious diseases in New South Wales that may be a concern include footrot, internal parasites, lice, brucellosis and Ovine Johnes Disease (OJD) to name a few. Additionally, with the heightened threat of some exotic diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, biosecurity practices when buying and selling livestock are more important than ever.  

The National Sheep Health Declaration (NSHD) is an additional document supplied by the seller on request from the buyer that can be used to reduce the risk of buying diseased sheep. A study by the University of Sydney found that producers who requested an NSHD were less likely to have footrot diagnosed on their property. The document also gives information about the flock’s disease history including OJD, lice, brucellosis and drench/vaccination status. The NSHD is a legal document and though not fool proof, gives the buyer a more informed decision-making tool for knowing what quality of stock they may be purchasing. Buyers should always request an NSHD from the seller prior to purchasing new stock.  

Other important biosecurity practices when purchasing new stock include: 

• Quarantine new stock for at least 3-4 weeks when first introduced onto a property (if sheep are introduced during an extensive dry period, keep isolated until wet conditions to ensure footrot lesions do not develop). 
• Drench new stock with a multi-active combination drench on arrival and hold for 1-2 days in a sacrificial area to pass worm eggs and any weed seeds out through the faeces. 
• Examine new stock closely for signs of disease, eg. Itchiness, lameness, scours, poor body condition etc.  
• Health check new rams before introducing to other flock members – examine testes carefully for swellings or irregularities and test for brucellosis if any issues are found. 
• Consider shearing and backlining all new arrivals before mixing with lice-free sheep on the property. 
• Ensure all stock have a NLIS ear tag to ensure traceability in the case of a disease outbreak. 
• Report any health concerns to your local private or district vet immediately. 

Welcome to our new District Veterinarian

We would like to welcome Alicia Moses who has joined the Central West team. Alicia is our new District Veterinarian for the Grenfell region. Alicia graduated from the University of Sydney in 2020 and began working in rural private practice soon after. Alicia has a passion for disease investigation and improving animal welfare. She is looking forward to meeting local producers in the area, helping them however she can and hopefully learning a thing or two herself! Outside of work, Alicia lives on a property near Young with her husband and their many, many pets. Most of their time is taken up by farming their Wiltipoll sheep and tending to their exhibition poultry that they breed and show. 

Subsidised livestock disease investigations until June 2023

The NSW Government is subsidising veterinary laboratory testing for new livestock disease investigations until 30 June 2023.

Testing is available for disease investigations conducted by private veterinarians on livestock that are susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease. Samples must be processed by the NSW Animal and Plant Health Laboratory at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI) to be eligible.

Parasite control and young cattle 

Most producers are either weaning calves or buying in weaner stock about now. Weaner (and for that matter yearling stock) are very susceptible to internal parasites such as worms and fluke.  Weaners are adjusting to life away from their nutrition source and social structure (maternal support), have yet to develop any age-related immunity to roundworms, and often have the added challenge that as we move into winter feed, quality may be less than ideal.  

Give young stock a drench at weaning (and don’t count on bought in weaners having had this drench) to get rid of worms which take advantage of your stressed weaners, and then monitor worm egg counts to determine when they might need another drench rather than just reaching for the drench gun every month or so. This will save you money and, more importantly, delay the emergence of resistance to those drench chemicals that we so rely upon.  

Livestock producers will soon be able to tender for long-term grazing access to select Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) across the Central West.   

Stock Permits – Long Term Grazing, previously known as Management Agreement Permits, will be allocated via a robust tender process to give producers grazing access to a TSR for periods longer than 12 months.  

Successful tenderers will also agree to undertake positive land management practices on the TSR, such as protecting biodiversity and controlling pests and weeds.   

This is part of our commitment to ensuring the state’s TSRs are looked after as it should be, because everybody benefits from a viable, well-maintained and connected TSR network.  

While some carefully assessed TSRs will be available for Stock Permits – Long Term Grazing, all TSRs remain available by application for short-term access permits such as walking stock, as well as recreational activities.  

Tenders will open Monday, 8 May and will close at 11:59pm on Friday, 9 June 2023.   

All submissions must be lodged online. If you need assistance with submitting the online tender, one of our customer service officers can help you through the process. Call your closest office on 1300 795 299 to book an appointment.   

On-farm composting of flood spoilage

After significant flood events, landholders often face the challenge of managing contaminated and spoiled feed (including grain, hay, and silage) and disposing of animal carcases. For producers looking to manage flood spoilage, composting on farm may be the best option.

Emergency animal disease workshops for private veterinarians 

In response to the current risk of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, the NSW Government and the Australian Veterinary Association are working with veterinarians to prepare for and prevent emergency animal diseases in NSW. Local Land Services and NSW Department of Primary Industries will be holding a FREE workshop for veterinarians in Dubbo on 14 June and offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for participation.

Locust Update

Locust surveys in March identified consistent isolated-density adults (200 / ha) with occasional scattered-density adults (1000 / ha) in this district. No nymphs were detected. No locust reports were received from the district during the previous reporting period to March.

Central West received varied and patchy rainfall totals across the region with areas recording almost nil to some reports of over 100 mm of rainfall in March, totals ranging from very much below average to very much above average levels.

Risks
   •  There is a low risk of widespread regional infestations developing between now and spring.

Reporting locusts
Landholders are responsible for reporting locusts and the control of locusts on their land. If locust populations reach agreed treatment criteria, Local Land Services will supply ratepayers with chemical to treat locusts. It is important that any locust activity is reported as soon as possible by calling your nearest office on 1300 795 299.

You can also report locust activity directly to the Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC) by phoning 1800 635 962 (an answering machine is provided for after-hours calls).

Call out to farmers to monitor for mouse activity ahead of winter crop planting

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. And although we expect breeding activities to slow down from now, we do not want high mice populations heading into winter, as this may result in higher mice pressure when breeding recommences during spring. This could significantly impact maturity grain crops. So it is time to be vigilant and ensure mouse populations on your property aren’t steadily building right under your nose!

What can you do?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Check out these handy resources on mice management to access useful information and links to some handy resources from GRDC and CSIRO including “Tips and Tactics: Better Mouse Management”.
4. Report what you are seeing – let your local agronomist or advisor know about increasing mouse pressure and contact your local LLS Ag Advisor on 1300 795299 for advice on in-paddock management.

Welcome to our new Graduate - Ellie Ireson

I grew up on my family farm near Booligal in Western New South Wales which consisted of beef cattle and prime lamb production. In 2022 I completed my studies of a Bachelor of Agriculture, majoring in animal production through the University of New England remotely from Darwin, NT.

I felt the LLS graduate program was a great way to advance my agricultural career and allow me to get a broad understanding of the whole local land services organisation.

I’m excited to be working alongside like-minded people in the field and have the opportunity to engage with the local communities, with the ability to help make a difference. I’m looking forward to my year ahead and contributing to the Ag team here in Dubbo.

Ellie Ireson, Graduate Advisory and Extension Officer
ellie.ireson@lls.nsw.gov.au

Landholders continuing to work on projects post floods

Landholders with projects through the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbank Program are back to work following an enforced layoff due to the major flooding throughout much of inland NSW in the second half of 2022 and start of 2023.

The impacts of the major flooding came on the back of COVID-19 impacts in the first year of the Program (2021-22), which also caused many landholders to experience delays in working on their projects.

Despite the delays, on-ground project work is continuing, with many landholders closing in on completing their projects. Through the Program, landholders have committed to fencing 250 km of riverbanks and protecting nearly 13,000 hectares of riparian areas, helping to keep livestock safe while improving water quality and fish habitat.

In addition to the fence construction, other on-ground work currently underway includes:

• weed removal
• improvements to fish habitat through re-snagging prioritisation
• off-stream stock watering points
• minor erosion control works
• revegetation and river re-snagging to contribute to a healthier river system.

The Fencing Northern Basin Riverbank Program is delivered under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan by the NSW Government, through funding from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

For more information on the Program, email fnbr@lls.nsw.gov.au. The Program has been delivered in the Central West, Central Tablelands, Northern Tablelands, North West and Western LLS regions.

Rural Recovery Authority grant closing dates

A reminder to flood and storm impacted primary producers and landholders, a number of Rural Assistance Authority grants will close to new applications on 30 June 2023.

This includes the Special Disaster Grants, Rural Landholder Grants and the Critical Producer Grant made available in response to storm and flood disaster events that occurred throughout 2022.

Primary producers and landholders impacted by these disasters are encouraged to apply for financial assistance before 30 June to support recovery.

We’re proud to have achieved some remarkable outcomes across the Central West during 2022. Despite the challenges, our team was on the ground supporting land managers to improve the productivity and sustainability of their land, which included:

* 37,153 ha of TSRs actively managed
* 124 staff trained in emergency management roles
* 499,800 ha managed for improved agricultural production.

Find out what else was achieved in our Central West Local Land Services 2022 Annual Achievement Report.

We would like to thank you for your support and input into our successes over the 2022 calendar year. Our excellent relationship with customers and stakeholders is what enables us to be here when it matters, responding to your needs in the best way possible. We look forward to many more years reporting excellent outcomes for the region.

Our mailing address is: PO Box 1048 Dubbo NSW 2830   Copyright © 2023 Local Land Services, all rights reserved. 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