Livestock Industries Team Update

The Livestock Industries team in Katherine have many projects in full swing! There is a buzz of excitement as new Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) are set up, fascinating data is collected and new technologies are rolled out. While some areas continued to receive below average rainfall, the enthusiasm for research across the Northern Territory (NT) continues. This is a quick snapshot of what the Katherine Livestock team from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (the department) have been doing.

NT, Western Australia and Queensland pain relief trial

The department’s Livestock Officer, Melissa Wooderson, has been getting some runs on the board for the Pain Relief trial, a collaborative project involving the 3 government agencies across northern Australia as well as Meat and Livestock Australia.

The project will evaluate the production and health benefits from using pain relief products during standard husbandry procedures. Castration and dehorning are 2 husbandry procedures commonly performed on young cattle in northern Australia.

Castration is done to minimise chances of unwanted breeding, improve carcass quality and reduce aggression in male cattle. Dehorning is performed to reduce chances of injury to other livestock and the people handling cattle.

These necessary procedures have been observed to cause discomfort, which has led to the development of pain relief products for use during the procedures. In this study, 2 commercially available analgesics (Meloxicam and Trisolfen) are being trialled to see if they produce a welfare or production benefit when used during castration and dehorning. The production benefits will be assessed by monitoring liveweight changes in the weeks following the procedure, while welfare benefits will be monitored by observing behaviour, wound healing, infection and any instances of mortality.

To measure behaviours in the paddock, accelerometer ear tags and GPS collars will be used. The aim is to have 10 northern properties involved in the project. The team is already halfway there, with the project underway at 5 properties.

Providing supplement via water – PDS

The department’s Livestock Extension Officer, Eleanor Fordyce, was recently in the Barkly at Newcastle Waters to induct cattle into the ‘Providing supplement via water’ PDS. As part of this, 300 pregnancy tested in-calf (PTIC) cows that are first-calf heifers were enrolled in the study. They were then randomly allocated (equally) to one of 2 paddocks of similar land type. GPS collars were fitted to a subsample of the mob to provide information on grazing behaviour and proximity to watering points. Blood samples were collected from 50 animals to establish a baseline phosphorus level for the mob.

Under a controlled commercial situation, the study will demonstrate this technology and document the nutritional, behavioural and productivity impacts in young breeding females in the Northern Territory. It builds on the existing reports from north Queensland.

One paddock will be supplemented as per the normal practice of the station, while the other will be supplemented using a water medicating unit provided by DIT AgTech. Weight, reconception rates, GPS data, plasma inorganic phosphorous levels and faecal Near lnfrared Reflectance Spectroscopy will be measured and provide further information on water medication.

Selecting Brahmans for fertility

The department’s Livestock Research Officer, Gretel Bailey-Preston, is now at the end of another busy first round muster of the Selected Brahman and Tropical Composite herds. The muster took place across 3 of the department’s research stations - Douglas Daly (DDRF), Kidman Springs (VRRS) and Beatrice Hill (BHF). At all 3 properties, the 2021 calves have been weaned and relocated to DDRF where the females will remain for the next 3 years and the males for one year as part of the Repronomics 2 project. The calves were weaned at the same time. The cows were also pregnancy tested and only kept in the breeder herd if they were pregnant within the calving window from October to December and were lactating, indicating they had brought a calf to the yards.

Early June is also the time for our 600-day data collection which is sent in to Breedplan to be analysed for estimated breeding value (EBV) information. The 18-month-old male Selected Brahmans and Tropical Composites had their weight, hip height and scrotal circumference recorded, as well as a semen sample collected which is analysed (crush side for motility) before being sent away for morphology. The results from this testing are used to select the bulls for the department’s breeding program and the cattle for the following year’s annual sale. The 18-month-old females are pregnancy tested following their yearling mating, and their weight and hip height are also recorded.

Reducing calf loss from exposure

The department’s Senior Livestock Research Scientist, Kieren McCosker, has been embracing the Barkly chill while gathering data from the second cohort of cows and calves grazing the trial paddocks at Avon Downs Station. Cows were pregnancy tested, and body condition and lactation assessed.

A quick comparison between lactation rate for shaded and unshaded paddocks suggests a 10% higher calf loss in the unshaded paddock this calving season. It’s an interesting finding that contrasts with last year’s data. Liveweight was measured for calves at weaning and GPS collars were fitted to cows before the calves were removed.

The retention rate for collars was 97% - an excellent result - and the data is currently being downloaded. In association with this trip, Kieren continued preparations for the 2021 to 2022 season where real-time GPS tracking and calving alert technology will be used. Staff from CQ University and CSIRO are collaborating with the department on the next phase of the project.

They worked with Kieren to test different technology options and their ability to send data from remote locations. This information will be used to work out the infrastructure needed to ensure the real-time data flow of GPS and calving sensors.

More information

More information can be obtained on a range of projects the Northern Territory Government’s livestock industries team delivers alongside key partners.