Are you wanting to trace productivity in your breeding ewes or make better informed decisions when selecting rams? Wanting to manage sheep on feed but unsure how to group them into management lots? Are you interested in using your time in the yards more efficiently while reducing labour requirement? Or do you have other ideas […]
Recent BCG activities in livestock systems have focussed on fodder. We are working on several project proposals looking at pasture and fodder options, and their management for production and quality to meet the needs of livestock and look after soils. Oaten Hay Agronomy TrialsHarvest time for AgriFutures and BCG Member oaten hay agronomy trials at […]
Have you considered using a standing crop to fill the late spring and summer feed gaps? Feeding sheep can be time consuming and often requires extra resources and double handling of feed – especially when you could be taking a break. A ‘Standing Crop’ refers to a cereal crop that has been sown and grown […]
Generally, if a farmer were to graze their cereal crops it would be prior to stem elongation (GS31) to avoid penalties to grain yield, or they would use the crop as pasture and graze two or three times until biomass was exhausted. However, the project ‘Using standing crops to finish lambs and improve summer groundcover […]
Sheep held in containment are beginning to, or soon will be, released to paddocks now pastures have emerged and are soaking up the sun and rains. The change in feed from containment rations to paddock can be quite sudden and cause digestive issues, so care must be taken in making the transition. You can lose […]
2017 was a generally good year on the ground for livestock. Pastures established well after soaking rains in April and green feed remained in good supply despite variable rainfall over the following months. Coming after the wet spring in 2016, this also meant that growers achieved sound lambing percentages. Prices were also very positive. The […]
Take home messages Sheep production and profitability can be improved through individual animal management (IAM). Only measure things you will use to select animals from or make management decisions, and integrate data collection with the animal management calendar to ensure it is time efficient. Investing in eID technology doesn’t need to be expensive. Introduction of […]