Animal production and livestock bulletins

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Improving subtropical grass pastures on the south coast of Western Australia

Paul Sanford, Ron Master, and Eric Dobbe

This bulletin reports on the findings of a research project funded by DPIRD and MLA that investigated methods to improve legume content and increase production of both kikuyuand panic-based pastures on the south coast of WA.
Bioenergy and carbon farming opportunities in the Pilbara

Robert Sudmeyer, Kim Brooksbank, and David Rogers

The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres of north-west Western Australia. Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km² is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km². This expansion ... Read more
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

Meredith Fairbanks, David Bowran, and Geraldine Pasqual

Agriculture contributes 15.5 per cent of Australia’s emissions (Figure 1), largely due to methane, from ruminant livestock digestion, nitrous oxide from soils and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use (Australian National Greenhouse Accounts 2011; ABARES 2011).

This bulletin identifies current ways to reduce greenhouse gas ... Read more
Greener pastures 7 - A fresh look at nutrient losses from intensively managed pastures

Don Bennett, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, Mike Bolland, and John Lucey

Dairy farmers in Western Australia have a long history of being concerned for the environment in which they live and work, from early involvement with Landcare District Committees through to participating in the various programs run in DairyCatch.

They have planted trees, organised soil testing ... Read more
Greener pastures 3 - Managing phosphorus in dairy pastures

Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, and Richard Morris

Between 1999 and 2009, soil testing was conducted in 48 dairy paddocks at Vasse Research Centre (VRC) in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This study will be referred to as the VRC soil test study.

Phosphorus experiments were undertaken on partner farms of the ... Read more
Greener pastures 4 - Managing potassium in dairy pastures

Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, and Richard Morris

We undertook three studies into the potassium requirements of high rainfall pastures: 1. Between 1999 and 2009, soil testing was conducted in 48 dairy paddocks at Vasse Research Centre (VRC) in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This study will be referred to as the ... Read more
Greener pastures 5 - Managing sulphur in dairy pastures

Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, and Richard Morris

During 1999-2009, soil testing for sulfur (S) was undertaken on 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre (VRC) at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, ... Read more
Greener pastures 6 - Managing soil acidity in dairy pastures

Mike Bolland, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, John Lucey, and D L. Bennett

During 1999-2009, soil testing for pH (in CaCl2) was used to determine lime application for 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a ... Read more
Greener pastures 1 - The greener pasture project: managing nutrients in dairy pastures

John Lucey, Mike Bolland, Don Bennett, Richard Morris, Bill Russell, and Martin Staines

As dairy farmers have strived to maintain profitability, many have farmed more intensively. More cows are milked and increasing inputs of fertiliser and purchased feed are used per hectare. However, these increased nutrient inputs have far exceeded the increase in nutrient output in milk production. ... Read more
Greener pastures 2 - Nitrogen for intensively grazed dairy pastures

Martin Staines, Richard Morris, Tess Casson, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell, Ian Guthridge, John Lucey, and Don Bennett

We undertook three main studies during the Greener Pastures project:

1. From mid 2005 to late 2008, a farming systems study was undertaken with five rates of nitrogen fertiliser as the main treatment. This study will be referred to as the ‘nitrogen response farmlets’.

2. ... Read more
Carbon capture project, final report. An evaluation of the opportunity and risks of carbon offset based enterprises in the Kimberley-Pilbara region of Western Australia

Mark Alchin, Elizabeth Tierney, and Chris Chilcott

Commercialisation of carbon in the Australian Rangelands could lead to the development of a multi-billion dollar industry, and Western Australia has the potential to capture a significant share of this revenue. A significant proportion of the WA Rangelands is degraded which is the legacy of ... Read more
Growing biserrula to improve grain and livestock production

Angelo Loi, Natalie Hogg, Clinton Revell, and Diana Federenko

Biserrula pelecinus is a new genus of pasture legume which was developed for commercial agriculture by a team of Perth-based legume pasture scientists in the early 1990s. Biserrula is an annual pasture legume that is found in natural grasslands of the Mediterranean Basin, frequently on ... Read more
Getting into sheep an introductory guide to sheep management

Keith Croker and Roy Butler

Sheep husbandry can be an interesting and rewarding activity but before starting to work with or buy sheep ask yourself if you are prepared to spend the time and effort to care for them.

Sheep cannot be placed in a paddock and forgotten. The sheep, ... Read more
Management of Merino weaners for optimum production

Patricia Harper, Keith Croker, and Danny Roberts

Sheep mortality during the first year of life is a large problem on many farms and poses a significant animal welfare issue for Australian agriculture. Post weaning mortality is estimated to cost the Australian sheep industry more than $89 million annually through reduced income, poor ... Read more
Lime for high rainfall pastures: above 800mm average annual rainfall

Mike Bolland and Bill Russell

Conventional agriculture acidifies soil. As your soil becomes more acid, productive pasture species disappear and are replaced by species of low agricultural value. It is a waste of money to apply expensive fertiliser to pastures which are inherently poorly productive because they are growing in ... Read more
The impact of biofuel production on the Western Australian livestock industry

Wim Burggraaf and Anne Wilkins

The Western Australian biofuels industry is in its infancy. There is currently only one small commercial biodiesel manufacturer in the State but there have been several announcements of new biofuel projects in 2006 that will be commercialised by 2010. The projected growth of a new ... Read more
Returns to research and development investment of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia : benefit cost analysis, 2006-2007

Peter Coyle, Editor; Roslyn Blanchard; Francis Bright; Paul Mattingley; and Manju Radhakrishnan

Strategic decision making is enhanced by the consideration of benefit cost analyses of many projects. Each year a selection of projects is evaluated to assist in the determination of the most appropriate allocation of funds. This is only one of the methods that are employed ... Read more
Returns to R&D investment of DAFWA: benefit cost analysis, 2005-2006

Nazrul Islam

The primary outcome or objective of the projects that are assessed, is to increase the market competitiveness and profitability of agri-industry.
Returns to research and development investment of Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia : benefit cost analysis 2005-2006

Nazrul Islam, Francis Bright, Peter Coyle, Peter Eckersley, Louise Evans, Joseph Gaffy, Allan Herbert, Ross Kingwell, Emma Kopke, and Peter Tozer

Programs of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia apply benefit-cost analysis to assist in the allocation of funds to those areas likely to make the largest contribution to the rural economy and thus to achieve the Department outcome of increased market competitiveness and ... Read more
Ewe and wether trials - tools for benchmarking your sheep genetics

Lock Butler

Research and sheep productivity trial results demonstrate a huge variability in genetic productivity between flocks. For example a range of up to 2 kg clean fleece weight, 5 microns, 55 percentage points in lambing percentage and 20 kg live weight, can lead to big differences ... Read more
Driving and motivational factors for producing wool : views from Western Australian wool producers

Nazrul Islam, Mohammed Quaddus, and John Stanton A/Prof

The aims of this study are: (i) to explore and identify the driving and motivational factors to produce wool; and (ii) to model and test for the significant driving and motivational factors to produce wool.
Feeding and managing sheep in dry times

Ian McFarland, Mandy Curnow, Mike Hyder, Brian Ashton, and Danny Roberts

Feeding sheep is a significant cost to any sheep or mixed farm enterprise in southern Australia. The cost is usually managed by annually sourcing feed on-farm. However, this feed source can become scarce when we experience unusual dry spells within seasons (termed a 'dry season', ... Read more
Perennial pastures for Western Australia

Geoff Allan Moore, Paul Sanford, and Tim Wiley

The aim of this project was to identify potential new perennial legumes and grasses to complement lucerne in phase farming and to identify the role and potential for perennial grasses in Western Australia.
Wild Dog Management: Best Practice Manual

Peter Thomson, Ken Rose, and State Wild Dog Management Advisory Committee

Wild dogs (all wild-living dogs including pure-bred dingoes, hybrids, and domestic dogs running wild) are one of the major pest species impacting on grazing industries across mainland Australia. In this Manual, the text refers to dingoes where the information is derived from studies of essentially ... Read more
Code of practice for the use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals in Western Australia

Peter Rutherford

Agricultural and veterinary chemicals are a critically important input to modern farming systems. There is, however an increasing responsibility on the spray operator and his supervisor to use them with utmost safety. An effective way of providing the “rules” of safe chemical use is through ... Read more