BARKLY HERD - FutureBeef · 2020. 1. 3. · chemist, Bruce Jephcott, who had been muttering – “Why do we want a woman vet in AIB.” We were married in November that year! I have

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRY AND FISHERIES BARKLY BEEF www.nt.gov.au/d/ 1

Top of the world delivers top training for Foot and Mouth Disease

Tennant Creek Livestock Biosecurity Officer, Greg Maguire jetted off to the top of the world recently in order to strengthen Northern Territory biosecurity capabilities. Greg spent five days in the Federal Republic of Nepal to participate in Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) real-time training. The training was designed to help participants investigate, recognise and report suspect cases of the disease, in order to strengthen the NT’s early warning and response capacity. The training provided Greg with a valuable opportunity to familiarise himself with a disease that could have significant economic and social effects on the Territory and in particular, the cattle industry. Specifically it allowed him to gain an understanding of the impact that FMD can have on livestock producers in a different cultural setting and take part in an FMD investigation and diagnosis process. He was also able to discuss the appropriate measures to manage and control the disease in the producers’ herd or flock and community region.

June 2013

FMD TRAINING IN NEPAL

TENNANT CREEK SHOW

CATTLE SECTION CLASSES

BARKLY HERD

MANAGEMENT FORUM

WHO’S NEW IN THE ZOO

BELLYACHE BUSH

CONTROL

HAVE A LAUGH

NT VET IN THE 50’S

STOCKTAKE PLUS

MLA BEST PRACTICE

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE

AROUND THE TRAPS

PASTORAL MARKET

UPDATE

ISSN: 1325-9539


It is vital that veterinarians and livestock biosecurity officers have these skills to assist with planning and conducting a successful response to any potential future outbreak and is part of the Australian emergency animal disease preparedness strategy. Greg said it was an invaluable training exercise providing essential experience necessary to protect and minimize the impact of an FMD outbreak on the NT livestock industry. The training program and travel was jointly funded by the department and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). DAFF commissioned the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to deliver the FMD training tailored for Australian animal health professionals and producers from FMD susceptible industries. Specifically the course provided participants with real experience in identifying FMD, implementing biosecurity strategies and conducting initial disease investigations, and, as a result, increase the likelihood of early detection of FMD in Australia as well as response capability.

Cattle showing signs of FMD in Nepal




Contact Details: Helen McMillan P: 8962 4493 F: 8962 4480 E: [email protected]

Who’s New in the Zoo? Helen McMillan is the latest addition to the Tennant Creek DPIF Pastoral Production team, taking Casey Collier’s place while she is out on maternity leave. Helen originates from Deniliquin, southern NSW and has recently graduated from the University of New England in Armidale NSW, with a Bachelor of Rural Science. Between finishing Uni in late 2012 and starting with the DPIF, Helen worked on ‘Avenel’ Merino and Kelpie stud 40 km north of Deniliquin. After working mostly with sheep and cropping in NSW, Helen is keen to try something new and start off her career, so the Territory seemed like the perfect place! Helen has had a taste of the Territory in 2008, working for a short time on Rosewood, so thought she would dodge the cold nights and frosty mornings of Deni for the notorious Barkly Breeze.

So say hello to her at the office, Tennant Creek Show or around the district.

Pastoralists work with Weeds Management Branch to remove Weed of National Significance

Kay Bailey, National Bellyache Bush Coordinator Weeds of National Significance

Since February this year, pastoralists from two Barkly cattle properties have worked with weeds officers to control the southern-most infestations of bellyache bush in the Northern Territory. The two patches of bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia) on Phillip Creek Station and Kraut Downs Stations were treated using standard methods of foliar spray (with Starane and Pulse) and hand pulling of seedlings and juveniles. A new control method was also trialled for mature bellyache bush plants on Phillip Creek Station. This method uses a splatter gun with a high concentration of the permitted herbicide, Brush Off, mixed with low volume of water with Pulse as a wetter added to ensure the mixture sticks to the leaves. The same method has been successfully used on lantana for some time and has now been adapted for use with bellyache bush. Almost 15 hours work in February 2013 resulted in the treatment and checking of approximately 3 kilometres of creek and the surrounds of a dam on Phillip Creek. A further 2 hectares of bellyache bush in nearby dense vegetation was also sprayed. Follow up in April along the creek required only 2 hours to treat the few remaining mature plants and to hand pull the seedlings that had since germinated.

Bellyache bush before spraying in February 2013. Same area eight weeks later.

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The stem of hand pulled plants were broken and then hung on a tree to dry out – preventing any seeds from maturing and

the plant from resprouting.

Manager of Phillip Creek, Sandy Warby, considers that “Both the spraying and the splatter gun worked well. We have pulled out the seedlings that have come up since and it has only taken a fraction of the time to keep it under control.”

Sandy continued “The key will be to do the follow up at the beginning of the next wet season. This will prevent the bellyache bush coming back and taking over the creekside. With the plant being poisonous to cattle, I am keen to see it eradicated.” The bellyache bush on Kraut Downs Station originated from garden escapes in Tennant Creek. Station owner, Joe Schmidt, said that “The seeds have travelled down the drain to my place. Bellyache bush was first noticed here about 4 or 5 years ago and was treated by the weed officer then.” “It is clear with this plant that you need to continue to

check and treat anything that comes up afterwards,” said Joe. “Seeds are in the soil and will grow quickly to produce more seed if the plant is not killed within a few weeks. With the weeds officers we can check every couple of months during the wet season.”

The Regional Weeds Officer with the Weed Management Branch, Chris Brown, considers that ongoing treatment of these two sites with the landowners is of strategic importance. “Preventing the spread of this weed along local waterways and further south and eradicating these patches will mean that potential impacts on the cattle industry and the environment will be eliminated.” “I congratulate the two cattle properties for their pro-active approach and look forward to continuing to work with them to get rid of this weed.”

HAVE A LAUGH! Send your jokes to [email protected]

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.' The gentleman replied, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!'


Memories from a female vet on the Barkly in the 1950’s Address given at the Barkly Women’s Day – May 2013, Barkly Homestead NT by Lady Barbara Jephcott.

Lady Barbara Jephcott and her daughter Sandi Jephcott were guest speakers.

It is 57 years since I first came to the Northern Territory (1956) as a veterinary officer for the Animal Industry Branch. Colonel A.L. Rose, also known as The Boss, was the Director of A.I.B. He employed the people he wanted and filled in the Government paper work later! After the interview ‘The Boss’ confirmed that I would be a field officer. The Northern Territory is like PNG (where I owned a cattle property and lived for 40 years); if you go there once you want to return. Thank you for inviting me here today. This is about the 7th time I have returned. In 1956 I drove my vehicle to Adelaide, sold it, boarded the old Ghan, leaving Adelaide on Thursday morning to arrive in Alice at midday on Saturday, 1/3/1956. It was pleasant journey, trundling along stopping at Maree and Oodnadatta and a few other places with time to wander over to the pub, or get off to have a walk. Stock Inspector Bill Steemson met me in Alice Springs and took my luggage to the Administration Mess where I eventually went for lunch and was “inspected” by the AIB senior chemist, Bruce Jephcott, who had been muttering – “Why do we want a woman vet in AIB.” We were married in November that year! I have more recently been on the modern Ghan with my son, daughter-in-law and their 4 children. Much more luxurious! My work in NT was mainly in the south, but I came to the Barkly quite often. Initially I did the meat inspection for the Alice Springs butchers. This was to check the lungs for any sign of Pleuropneumonia. At that stage a pleuro free zone was established in the Alice Springs district. Finally the whole of the N.T. was declared Pleuro free. Now, of course, the whole of Australia is pleuro free.

I was also involved in the study of Birdsville Disease in horses and Georgina Gidyea poisoning in cattle, alongside the bio-chemist Ray Murray. The Birdsville Disease work consisted of collecting the plant, Indigofera, often on the Barkly, for feeding trials and even riding the horses to see how they were reacting and giving lucerne hay and/or Vitamin E injections for a cure or prevention? I also did a survey of many properties to find out the areas most affected, and how they could control the disease. We tested other potentially toxic plants, sometimes on guinea pigs or mice first, with few reactions. The Georgina Gidyea poisoning meant trips to Tobermorey and Manners Creek, and Argadargada with Ray Murray. Ray identified the toxin but no feasible antidote yet? The best managers know when the gidyea country is likely to be poisonous, and so rotate their cattle accordingly and do not stress them with mustering at this time. Vestey’s owned Helen Springs. I did some surveys there and anywhere looking for Lumpy Jaw (actinomycosis) cases relation to pleura. I investigated other veterinary problems on the stations and, initially as the “junior” vet. I treated the individual injuries and illnesses of all animals including dogs and cats. There were no private veterinary practices in the NT in the fifties. In Alice Springs someone who did not like dogs was throwing strychnine baits into house yards. If the dog was found early enough we could save it. Most

Bronco branding at Rockhampton Downs


of the small animals (dogs and cats) appeared at our house on Saturday morning. The explanation generally was that the man of the house was late home on Friday night, and was told by his wife on Saturday morning - “And you have not taken the dog to the vet.”! At Stock Inspectors schools in Alice Springs, many of the Stockies used to camp on our lawn. After a big night the sun did not wake them, but eight orphan pups burying into their swags moved them. They were the pups of “Alex”, which came from Alexandria, a loyal and lovely cattle dog, which was MY dog. She defended me from dingoes when I was camped at Devil’s Marbles, and would not let the owner of the house along the verandah where I was camped. She had three litters of pups and then was run over. There was no such thing as regular government hours in AIB. Sometimes some of us went back at night after dinner to work, or in Jim Whitten’s time that might include bottling bulk wine supplies. We turned up at the office after we had finished any work around – TB testing at the dairies, visiting a sick animal, checking feeding trials at the AIB Farm, where there was nice dam for a swim at the weekends. All the animals at the AIB Farm needed checking at the weekend so the dam was well utilized in the summer. My aim was to travel and work as far afield I could in the Territory. An early opportunity to go to Rockhampton Downs was not to be missed. Rockhampton Downs has always been a good property. Bruce Jephcott and Jim Barnes D.V.O. were studying the mineral levels of the Barkly cattle, in particular phosphate. They had established phosphate dispensers on some of the troughs, probably more primitive than those of to-day, but they worked. Bruce and Jim Barnes published two major papers in the Australian Veterinary Journal describing the results of the phosphorus levels in cattle from the blood samples they took and ways of alleviating “peg-leg”. Bruce also did work on the seasonal variation of native pastures on the Barkly Tableland. He sampled dips and water from bores regularly. His work on the water of the Todd River Basin which supplied Alice Springs was also published. While Bruce was collecting samples the Rockhampton Downs manager, Ian Knight, at 21 years old, took me to Frewena. It was then owned by Arthur Fitzgerald and George Chichester – real “Mine Hosts”. It seemed to be always open. It was the last and sometimes long stop for Stock Inspectors and sometimes a vet going to the Soudan Dip to inspect cattle going on into Queensland for ticks and Pleuro.

Rockhampton Downs staff entertained Bruce and I at their camp at the Brunette races. But life on the Barkly, as you all well know, is not all fun and games. In droughts when feed and minerals are low a deficient cow looked like this (see above right) and the pleuro lungs were rampant, but that is no longer a worry. When it rained, there were no Beef Roads and Bruce had a propensity for getting bogged. Plenty of funny stories, for example, some larrikins knew that Jack always would go the way the vehicle is facing and they turned his vehicle around at the Barkly Homestead so when he started driving in the early hours of the morning the sun came up behind him before he got to the Three

Brunette Races Phosphorus deficient cattle


Ways so he realized he was heading the wrong way! Jack was the stock inspector based at Brunette. On the Friday at the Brunette Races, there was a Rodeo (as there still is now) and sports including the Tug of War with WAGA Darcy the Star as anchorman for” Malapunyah very strong”. Eric Barnes was the manager at Brunette. He was famous for being locked in the bar at Camooweal one night. Brunette was then owned by the White family from Scone, NSW. We helped celebrate Colonel A.L. Rose’s farewell from AIB, but not from NT. Lionel Rose had served in two wars with distinction and been a notable veterinarian in NSW in between. He was appointed to establish an Animal Industry Branch of the NT Administration about 1947. He gathered a good selection of staff about him, even if his methods of employment were not always orthodox. He used one of his best Stockies as a foot rest in a bar before employing him! He had tremendous acumen, and for all his antics, he had a great sense of responsibility. But Bruce and I wanted a cattle property of our own and we could not afford to buy one in the NT, so we applied for blocks in PNG, and were granted Dumpu No2. Block in 1957. We were sad to leave the Northern Territory in 1959. It took us a while to finally get underway at Dumpu. In this we were helped by our old Boss and friend – Colonel Rose. He had been asked to do a survey of the cattle industry in PNG for the Department of Territories in 1960. In 1961 when we were still struggling to raise finance to buy cattle he and Tom Hare were speakers at a Beef Cattle Seminar at Armidale in NSW. He said come, there will be money there. These seminars were rare then, not like too many now. We found partners .We built fences and yards, the water was plenty of rivers, we bought 1000 head of breeders, plus bulls and horses and got underway, and eventually had 5-6000 cattle, plus cropping of corn and sorghum and sugar cane. The farming part gave a variable result, lots of weeds in the tropics. In all this we had to live somewhere. In Alice Springs we built a house around us, of used but sound bore casing filled with cement supporting a roof, cement floor, some walls and fireplace of Alice Springs stone, the back of cement brick. Our friends, Doug and Gilbert Green, were cutting sleepers on the Ross River on Love’s creek. They often stayed with us in Alice, and as electricians they did the electrical work for our house. They established The Ross River resort and I think some or one of their children own it still. Many friends helped us with the house building, and we entertained heaps of people to dinner and after the Club closed in our partially built home. Then we went to Dumpu, we borrowed the Haus Kiap (policeman’s house) while we built another house, out bush we had no regulations and we did have some “carpenter bois” (builders) or they learnt. The roofing iron nails and windows were flown with other cargo on DC3 charters. Now I live in a 105 year old house, on a family property,’Yundah’, near Warwick in Queensland During my University days I was the only woman in my year and for most of the course the only one in the faculty. Even then few students were from the land. Now 80% of the vet students are women - too many? We have a lot of students come to “Yundah” (property near Warwick) to do beef cattle practical work. Of course nearly all are girls. A very few are excellent, a few actively negative and the majority are pleasant, try to learn something about cattle, but have very little common sense or work ethic. My veterinary daughter and I went to a Commonwealth Veterinary Conference to give papers at Bangalore in India about five years ago. There were a lot of women vets there from all over the Commonwealth, including from the Moslem countries, Malaya, Pakistan and Bangledesh and very many from India. Some of the younger India women were complaining that the men were getting the better jobs. On the last day an informal gathering of the women veterinarians was arranged. We all were asked to give our life history in half a minute. I was about to say that I was the oldest graduate there. I saw an elderly Indian lady. Over coffee she came to me and said “Am I pleased to see you here. All these young women vets worrying about the jobs they are doing. I graduated in 1954, and enjoyed my professional work; YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO DON’T YOU?”


Stocktake Plus – pasture management app for graziers Monitor. Calculate. Report.

What is Stocktake Plus? Stocktake Plus is a grazier decision support tool, which allows the user to monitor land condition, stock number and rainfall. It also has a forage budgeting tool to help calculate the right balance of stock to pasture available. Stocktake Plus also produces reports for all records kept, including long-term ‘benchmark’ carrying capacities for paddocks and properties. The Stocktake Plus app has been developed after extensive industry consultation, and is designed to be a practical, work-anywhere (including outside phone range), decision support tool to help with some key grazing land Best Management Practices. The app is available for both Apple and android devices (from mid-April 2013) and best of all it is FREE to all users. It’s an initiative of the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the FutureBeef program and Meat & Livestock Australia, and is now available for use for all northern Australia beef producers. Stocktake Plus represents the next generation in FutureBeef decision support tools. It is based on the previous and well respected Queensland Government Stocktake monitoring software, but has been improved to now allow the user to complete their monitoring and calculations while in the paddock, for an immediate result. The app also has in-built support tools including land type sheets, pasture yield photos, ground cover photo standards, accessible yield sheets, and the list goes on. Basically, everything you need to do with monitoring in the paddock is now within your smartphone or tablet. All this in one device and in one app is much better than being in the paddock and realising you have forgotten the pasture photo standards, your GPS, or camera needed to complete your assessment! The Stocktake Plus app:

Assists in monitoring grazing land condition by logically guiding the user through the process, storing information, producing reports, including long-term carrying capacity calculations based on the information you enter

Guides the user through a basic or more detailed forage budget

Stores rainfall records

Stores stock numbers – converts to AEs, displays current stock on land condition reports and can bring stock numbers through to the demand section of the forage budget


Directs users to their monitoring sites using the GPS function

Helps the user identify what land type they are on, using the land type mapping of Queensland

All information is backed up securely on the internet (only accessible by the user). Each function can be used independently, which means if you only want the forage budget functionality, you can do this. Similarly if you want to link all the information you entered from monitoring stock, land condition and rainfall, you can do that too. The app was designed to be visual, logical and prompted for ease of use AND importantly to work without the need for 3G /4G phone reception. Stocktake Plus has been developed specifically for graziers and agricultural advisors in Northern Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and the Kimberley and Pilbara of Western Australia); however it has partial functionality for those in other regions of Australia. Users in other regions can still establish their own monitoring sites and produce reports in the same manner; reports will simply not calculate pasture growth and long-term carrying capacities. Forage budgeting and rainfall recording will have full functionality no matter where the user is. Look for Stocktake Plus on you app store and/or visit www.stocktakeplus.com.au Why is forage budgeting important?

Forage budgeting is a process for balancing forage supply (existing and anticipated pasture yield) and forage demand (how much the animals will consume) over a defined period. A forage budget allows landholders to calculate objective numbers to support their decisions based on observations and experience. A forage budget can also help plan for seasonal variability in pasture quantity. For example, a forage budget may indicate that between May and January you can carry 400 Animal Equivalents (AEsi) in a particular paddock with a certain pasture yield. This gives you an option to either buy in more stock (to take your animal demand to 400 AEs) and/or devise a targeted sell-off plan if grass growing rain is not received by a specified date. This means you are selling your cattle earlier than those who decide to hold stock until seasonal conditions deteriorate further and animal condition declines. You are also taking better care of your pastures. 1 1 AE = a 450 kg dry beast maintaining its liveweight.

When should I do a forage budget? Forage budgets are recommended for the end of the growing season (April or May for Northern Australia) or each time livestock are moved between paddocks. The grazing period can be days, weeks, months or a season. A dry season forage budget is usually from the end of the growing season e.g. May, to a date when you are likely to have a bulk of fresh pasture growth e.g. mid to late January.

http://www.stocktakeplus.com.au/


How do I calculate the forage budget? Using the new FutureBeef Stocktake Plus app you will be guided through the process of completing a forage budget. The app has in built support and tools to help you get the information you need about your pastures to get the answers you want, immediately while you are still out in the paddock. Results from a forage budget within Stocktake Plus include:

how many days your current feed will last with the number of AEs you have.

the number of AEs and/or current class of stock your paddock will carry to the end date Then what? Forage budgets are not a ‘set and forget’ tool, you need to continue to monitor both your pastures and livestock during the grazing period to ensure you have the balance right. This information helps plan your stocking rate strategy for that paddock and grazing period, ensuring that animal productivity is optimised and land condition is maintained or improved.

MLA study shines a light on management to reduce breeder cow losses review by Jocelyn Coventry, Pastoral Production Officer, Alice Springs

Analysis of a recent study, which was funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), has shone a light on management practices that reduce the mortality rate in breeder cows across northern Australia. These practices include:

last joining of cows at or under 10 years of age;

targeting of phosphorus supplementation for female cattle on deficient country;

segregating of high-risk female cattle for targeted management, such as supplementation and better rangeland feed.

These three management practices would be supported by other recommended management strategies such as: vaccination against botulism; control of mating; and good record keeping.

In late May 2013, the researchers for the MLA study also released two versions of an online tool to help pastoralists to assess the level of male and female cattle mortality on their property. These two versions are available at: http://www.mla.com.au/News-and-resources/Tools-and-calculators/Breeder-Mortality-Calculator

Central Australian pastoralists are encouraged to try these tools and benchmark their own properties. The MLA researchers suggested that: “if management found their female mortality rate to be 7.4% or higher, this would suggest more focus be directed at lowering mortality. Each situation should be looked at on an individual basis to consider the benefit/cost of lowering mortality.”

This is an opportunity to get information to reduce cattle losses and increase profitability.

http://www.mla.com.au/News-and-resources/Tools-and-calculators/Breeder-Mortality-Calculator





Upcoming in next edition: A Darwin conference of Australian Cattle Veterinarians’ in late June 2013 will provide a forum to discuss more outcomes from the MLA study into breeder cow mortality in northern Australia. Highlights from this will be published in the next edition of the Alice Springs RURAL REVIEW. The full report on the MLA study is available online. Click on the following link: B.NBP.0664 Determining property-level rates of breeder cow mortality in northern Australia.

What, When & Where

JUNE

Queen’s Birthday 10 June Public Holiday

ABC Races & Campdraft 20-23 June Brunette Downs

RCS Business of Grazing Course 26-28 June Katherine

Borroloola Show 29 June Borroloola

JULY

Alice Springs Show & Campdraft 5-6 July Alice Springs

Tennant Creek Show 12 July Tennant Creek

Barkly Beef Dinner 12 July Tennant Creek

Katherine Show & Campdraft 19-21 July Katherine

AUGUST

Picnic Day 5 August Public Holiday

Barkly Herd Management Forum 6-7 August

NBRUC Conference 12-15 August Cairns

Good Luck!

Thomas Grounds is taking a six month leave of absence from Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association with the birth of his first child due on the 18th June. We wish him and his partner, Hayley, all the very best. As a family, they hope to travel through Northern Australia later this year, so keep your eyes peeled for Thomas, Hayley, a newborn and Dex the dog in a beige 80s Landcruiser…

http://www.mla.com.au/Research-and-development/Final-report-details?projectid=15372


Around the Traps Have you taken a good photo? Send it into [email protected]

(Above) Jason Baker (Walhallow) & Chris Materne

(DPIF) estimating pasture yield for Forage Budgeting

(Above Left & Right) Walhallow staff having fun at their Barkly Rangeland Management Course

(Above) Headframe at Battery Hill Mining Centre, Peko Road, Tennant Creek NT (Photo: Helen Kempe)

(Below) Weaner bulls taking part in the Rotational Grazing trial at Beetaloo/Mungabroom (Photo: Jodie Ward)



BARKLY HOUSE- STAFF LIST

BARKLY HOUSE First Floor, 99 Paterson St

PO Box 159, Tennant Creek, NT, 0861 Fax: (08) 8962 4480

Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries

Regional Management

Executive Officer Helen Kempe 08 8962 4484 Administration Officer Skye-Lea Ries 08 8962 4488 Animal Health Regional Stock Inspector Thomas Haines 08 8962 4458

M: 0401 113 445 Stock Inspector Greg Maguire 08 8962 4492 M: 0457 517 347 Pastoral Production Pastoral Production (Maternity Leave) Casey Collier 08 8962 4493 Pastoral Production Officer Jane Douglas 08 8962 4483 Pastoral Production Officer Helen McMillan 08 8962 4493

Barkly Landcare & Conservation Association

Landcare Facilitator Naomi Wilson 08 8962 4494 Project Officer (On Leave) Thomas Grounds 08 8962 4479 Project Officer Jon Hodgetts 08 8962 4485

Sustainable Farm Practices NT

Caring for our Country Facilitator Drew Gracie 08 8962 4487


POSTAGE PAID

AUSTRALIA

If undeliverable, please return to: Department of Primary Industry &

Fisheries PO Box 159

TENNANT CREEK NT 0861

Documents

BARKLY HERD - FutureBeef · 2020. 1. 3. · chemist, Bruce Jephcott, who had been muttering – “Why do we want a woman vet in AIB.” We were married in November that year! I have