1. News:
Making More from Sheep funding extended
The MMfS program has received a further two years funding for field days, seminars, workshops and the development of resource material following a positive evaluation of the last 3 years of program achievements. More than 8,200 industry participants have attended MMfS events over the last 3 years with around 50% having adopted management changes as a result of their participation. Program activities are currently being planned by State Coordinators who are looking for expressions of interest from sheep producers and industry service providers for events to be run. State Coordinators contact details are available on the contact us page of the Making More from Sheep website, or for South Australia visit www.ruraldirections.com/mmfs.
Farm300
Farm300 is a new initiative to increase productivity and profitability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions on 300 sheep and beef farms. The project will involve opportunities for farm advisors to work as coaches with groups of 6-15 producers. A series of workshops for advisors will be held around the country in May and June. Producers wanting to get involved can either encourage advisors to form a group or contact the Farm300 National Coordinator.
For more information, including workshop dates and contact details, read the Farm300 information sheet.
Sheep CRC Conference
The Sheep CRC Conference will be held in Adelaide on the 9th of July immediately prior to LambEx. The conference program will include:
- new opportunities in genetics
- applying new knowledge of meat science and eating quality
- improving sheep and their management
- implications of measuring and managing wool quality
- the ongoing benefits of education and training
Registration details can be found at www.sheepcrc.org.au
LambEx 2014
Following on from the Sheep CRC Conference, LambEx 2014 is a two day conference and substantial trade show that is designed to unite, excite and inspire Australian sheep and lamb producers. As well as a packed conference program featuring local and international presenters, LambEx will include tours, demonstrations, competitions and a large area of trade displays. One of the new features for 2014 is a Young Guns competition involving young people sharing their experiences, project, research, study, thoughts or ideas on a lamb value chain topic. Entrants must submit a one page power-point slide and a one page document on a lamb industry topic by April 14. Twelve finalists will receive free entry to LambEx and an opportunity to present a poster on their topic for further prizes. For more information on the Young Guns competition, or on LambEx in general visit: www.lambex.com.au .
2. R & D Update:
Scoping the benefits of labour saving
Recent research from Murdoch University and DAFWA using bio-economic modelling has identified the relative importance of specific management and genetic interventions to labour efficiency and their resulting impact on farm profitability. The adoption of more efficient management practices is one of the factors leading to reduced cost of production. The research has modelled a range of strategies in different locations, particularly those that reduce the labour required through seasonal peaks. Systems to improve the efficiency of pasture and sheep monitoring and grain feeding, plus adoption of easy care sheep, led to the biggest increases in profit across all regions. The full research paper, written by Andrew Thompson and John Young can be downloaded here (1.3 MB).
An MLA video case study related to the research, featuring efficiency measures adopted on David and Lyn Slades prime lamb property, can be viewed by clicking the following link http://www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/Producer-case-studies/Ease-of-operation .
3. In Brief:
Ground cover
Autumn is a great time to monitor one of the key sustainability indicators for a grazing system - ground cover. An appropriate level of ground cover applicable to land class is important for many reasons. It helps protect soil from erosion, encourages microbial activity and increases water holding capacity. It also helps to reduce weed establishment and reduce the impact of root feeding grubs such as cockchafers. Tool 6.2 in the MMfS manual has some pointers on monitoring ground cover along with standard ground cover percentage photos.
Ewe Condition Scoring
Coming into mid-autumn is also a critical time for monitoring ewe condition in the predominately winter rainfall zone of southern Australia. Feed availability and quality can change quickly around the time of the autumn break, potentially leading to losses in body condition. Regional condition score targets can be found on the Lifetime Wool website, along with a condition scoring video and charts for recording condition scores (showing distribution and frequency) can be printed from the site.
4. Coming Events
Making More from Sheep runs a range of events mostly aimed at small groups/audiences of sheep producers looking to improve skills and knowledge on a topic of local interest, leading to on-farm adoption. State Coordinators are available to organise events and presenters to suit local needs and are keen to work with groups, facilitators or service providers for single events or a series of activities. For further information contact your state coordinator.
See the Events page for further information.
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