scholarly journals A Survey of New South Wales Sheep Producer Practices and Perceptions on Lamb Mortality and Ewe Supplementation

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1586
Author(s):  
Kayla Kopp ◽  
Marta Hernandez-Jover ◽  
Susan Robertson ◽  
Angel Abuelo ◽  
Michael Friend
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Published Data ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Australian Sheep ◽  
Single Vaccination ◽  
On Farm

High lamb mortality rates reduce profitability and reduce the perceived animal welfare standards of the industry. This study aimed to understand producer knowledge of lamb mortality rates and causes of lamb mortality, and to investigate various practices and perceptions of producers that may contribute to lamb deaths. Postal and online surveys gathered data on Australian sheep producer’s knowledge and practices around lambing and management practices. Based on results, approximately 50% of producers estimated less than 10% mortality of lambs between birth and marking, compared to published data estimates of 20–25% mortality. Pre-lambing vaccination of ewes was not undertaken by 10–20% of producers. Ninety-six percent of producers vaccinated lambs; however, 17% of Merino and 23% of crossbred lamb producers only gave a single vaccination instead of the recommended initial vaccine and booster. The lower estimated mortality impacts producer’s perceived benefits of management strategies being undertaken. Research undertaken needs to be more effectively distributed to producers via extension services to ensure producers understand the causes of mortality. Important messages to convey to producers include the limited impact of predation in most cases and the total costs of lamb mortality on-farm.

Integrated parasite management for sheep reduces the effects of gastrointestinal nematodes on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Kelly ◽  
L. P. Kahn ◽  
S. W. Walkden-Brown
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Gastrointestinal Nematode ◽  
Gastrointestinal Nematodes ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
South Wales

An experiment was conducted over 2 years on six commercial farms to quantify the costs of gastrointestinal nematode parasitism on grazing Merino ewes on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. To determine the effect of worm management practices, three farms implemented integrated parasite management (IPM) strategies and three farms continued to implement regionally typical industry practice (TYP). On each farm, 120 ewes born in 2006 and 120 mature age ewes were selected at shearing in 2007. Of these, 60 in each flock were serially treated with anthelmintics (CAP treatment) to suppress worm populations and the other 60 ewes were managed according to their respective farm management strategies (NOCAP treatment). Among NOCAP ewes, worm egg counts were significantly reduced over both years by IPM compared with TYP despite IPM farms requiring fewer anthelmintic treatments (3.5 vs 4.5 per year). In Year 1, mortality of sheep because of worms (CAP vs NOCAP) was significant on TYP farms (10.5%, P < 0.01) but was not apparent on IPM farms. Throughout the study, NOCAP ewes had significantly lower growth rates (–2.8 ± 0.1 kg/year, P < 0.01), produced less greasy wool (–170 ± 20 g, P < 0.01) and had reduced fibre diameter (–0.28 ± 0.05 μm, P < 0.01) when compared with CAP ewes. These effects were apparent for both TYP and IPM management. The results confirm the significant production loss caused by worms in a northern, summer rainfall region and show that IPM reduces the effect of worms and frequency of anthelmintic treatment compared with typical methods currently used by the industry.

Mathematical equations to describe lactation curves for Holstein- Friesian cows in New South Wales

1999 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Tozer ◽  
R. G. Huffaker
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Time To Peak ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Feed Management ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Daily Milk Yield

Researchers have characterised dairy milk production using a wide variety of statistically estimated equations that regress the average yield per unit time of cows in a given parity against time. The various functions employed to explain average daily milk yield include the incomplete gamma, the inverse polynomial, the Mitscherlich exponential form, and the multiphasic curve. Most of the lactation research has been carried out in the Northen Hemisphere and the applicability of the results to Australian conditions is limited due to differences in herd and feed management practices. The usefulness of some functions in developing management strategies is also limited, as it is difficult to determine lactation characteristics, such as time to peak yield and the milk production at this peak. Herd recording data from New South Wales were used to estimate equations for ‘average’ Holstein-Friesian dairy cows of varying parities. Of the 4 functions used in this study, one was not statistically appealing, the multiphasic function, and of the others, 2 functions, the incomplete gamma function and the inverse polynomial, performed well statistically and in replicating the underlying data. Thus, the simplest functions were more robust.

Convict Transportation to New South Wales, 1787-1849: Mortality Rates Reconsidered

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-86
Author(s):  
Gary L. Sturgess ◽  
Sara Rahman ◽  
George Argyrous
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Convict Transportation

scholarly journals Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxin Monitoring in Commercial Wild Harvest Bivalve Shellfish in New South Wales, Australia

Toxins ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Farrell ◽  
Penelope Ajani ◽  
Shauna Murray ◽  
Phil Baker ◽  
Grant Webster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Market Survey ◽  
Wild Harvest ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Regulatory Limits ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Shellfish Toxin ◽  
Anadara Granosa

An end-product market survey on biotoxins in commercial wild harvest shellfish (Plebidonax deltoides, Katelysia spp., Anadara granosa, Notocallista kingii) during three harvest seasons (2015–2017) from the coast of New South Wales, Australia found 99.38% of samples were within regulatory limits. Diarrhetic shellfish toxins (DSTs) were present in 34.27% of 321 samples but only in pipis (P. deltoides), with two samples above the regulatory limit. Comparison of these market survey data to samples (phytoplankton in water and biotoxins in shellfish tissue) collected during the same period at wild harvest beaches demonstrated that, while elevated concentrations of Dinophysis were detected, a lag in detecting bloom events on two occasions meant that wild harvest shellfish with DSTs above the regulatory limit entered the marketplace. Concurrently, data (phytoplankton and biotoxin) from Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) harvest areas in estuaries adjacent to wild harvest beaches impacted by DSTs frequently showed elevated Dinophysis concentrations, but DSTs were not detected in oyster samples. These results highlighted a need for distinct management strategies for different shellfish species, particularly during Dinophysis bloom events. DSTs above the regulatory limit in pipis sampled from the marketplace suggested there is merit in looking at options to strengthen the current wild harvest biotoxin management strategies.

Mapping and comparing the distribution of soil carbon under cropping and grazing management practices in Narrabri, north-west New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Miklos ◽  
Michael G. Short ◽  
Alex B. McBratney ◽  
Budiman Minasny
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Fine Resolution

The reliable assessment of soil carbon stock is of key importance for soil conservation and mitigation strategies related to reducing atmospheric carbon. Measuring and monitoring soil carbon is complex because carbon pools cycle and rates of carbon sequestration vary across the landscape due to climate, soil type, and management practices. A new methodology has been developed and applied to make an assessment of the distribution of total, organic, and inorganic carbon at a grains research and grazing property in northern New South Wales at a high spatial resolution. In this study, baseline soil carbon maps were created using fine resolution, geo-referenced, proximal sensor data. Coupled with a digital elevation model and secondary terrain attributes, all of the data layers were combined by k-means clustering to develop a stratified random soil sampling scheme for the survey area. Soil samples taken at 0.15-m increments to a depth of 1 m were scanned with a mid-infrared spectrometer, which was calibrated using a proportion of the samples that were analysed in a laboratory for total carbon and inorganic carbon content. This combination of new methodologies and technologies has the potential to provide large volumes of reliable, fine resolution and timely data required to make baseline assessments, mapping, monitoring, and verification possible. This method has the potential to make soil carbon management and trading at the farm-scale possible by quantifying the carbon stock to a depth of 1 m and at a high spatial resolution.

Acidification of soils on a transect from plains to slopes, south western New-South-Wales

Soil Research ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Chartres ◽  
RW Cumming ◽  
JA Beattie ◽  
GM Bowman ◽  
JT Wood
Keyword(s):  
Cation Exchange ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Cation Exchange Capacity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
The West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Red Earth

Samples were collected from unimproved road reserves and adjacent paddocks on a 90 km transect crossing red-brown earth soils in the west and red earth soils in the east. Measurements of pH in water and CaCl2 indicated that the red earths have been acidified by approximately 0.5 pH units over the last 30-40 years. Small increases in CaCl2-extractable A1 were also recorded for the acidified red earths. The red-brown earths do not appear to have been markedly affected by soil acidification to date. Clay mineralogical data and measurements of cation exchange capacity of the <2 �m fraction indicate that red-brown earths are better buffered against acidification than red earths. However, small differences in management practices and rainfall along the transect may also be partially responsible for differences in acidification between soil types.

Corrigendum to: Soil indicators and their use by farmers in the Billabong Catchment, southern New South Wales

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
B. Kelly ◽  
C. Allan ◽  
B. P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Health Need ◽  
Soil Indicators

'Soil health' programs and projects in Australia's agricultural districts are designed to influence farmers' management behaviours, usually to produce better outcomes for production, conservation, and sustainability. These programs usually examine soil management practices from a soil science perspective, but how soils are understood by farmers, and how that understanding informs their farm management decisions, is poorly documented. The research presented in this paper sought to better understand how dryland farmers in the Billabong catchment of southern New South Wales use soil indicators to inform their management decisions. Thematic content analysis of transcripts of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with farmers suggest several themes that have implications for soil scientists and other professionals wishing to promote soil health in the dryland farming regions of south-eastern Australia. In particular, all soil indicators, including those related to soil 'health', need to relate to some clear, practical use to farmers if they are to be used in farm decision making. This research highlights a reliance of the participants of this research on agronomists. Reliance on agronomists for soil management decisions may result in increasing loss of connectivity between farmers and their land. If this reflects a wider trend, soil health projects may need to consider where best to direct their capacity-building activities, and/or how to re-empower individual farmers.

A qualitative study of the management and biosecurity practices of 13 interviewed pig owners selling via informal means in New South Wales, Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 852 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Schembri ◽  
P. K. Holyoake ◽  
M. Hernández-Jover ◽  
J.-A. L. M. L. Toribio
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Foot And Mouth Disease ◽  
Classical Swine Fever ◽  
Mouth Disease ◽  
Animal Disease ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Foot And Mouth ◽  
Limited Application ◽  
Biosecurity Practices ◽  
On Farm

There is increasing interest in the trading practices of producers who market pigs at live auction in Australia and the potential for infectious disease establishment and spread. The practices that underpin the commercial pork industry in Australia are well known. However, little is known about informal movements of pigs in Australia, and the biosecurity risks associated with pig production enterprises that utilise these methods of trade. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the biosecurity and pig-keeping practices of owners who trade pigs informally for Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever exposure and spread. Interviews were conducted with 13 pig owners who trade via informal means between April and June 2009. Information provided by producers was able to be validated for the six interviews conducted on-farm. There was limited application of recommended biosecurity practices on-farm and few kept health and management records. All interviewees reared other livestock species, such as ruminants and/or poultry, as well as pigs. Most interviewed owners claimed to quarantine introduced pigs from the main herd; however, few complied with industry recommendations. The results of this study suggest that pig owners (n = 13 interviewed) who currently trade their pigs informally pose few threats for the introduction of emergency animal disease. Pig keepers largely obtained their pig feed from reputable sources and appeared to have a sound understanding of swill feeding. However, the lack of on-farm biosecurity, variable quarantine practices and the failure to keep health records could play a role in the spread of an emergency animal disease if it was to be introduced. Further work is being undertaken to determine, qualitatively, the risk associated with the management practices undertaken by informal pig traders and Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever introduction and spread.

Simulation of the effect of chilling injury and nitrogen supply on floret fertility and yield in rice

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 921 ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Godwin ◽  
WS Meyer ◽  
U Singh
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
Chilling Injury ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Yields

Evidence exists that night temperatures <18�C immediately preceding flowering in rice crops can adversely affect floret fertility and, hence, yields. It has been suggested that sterility induced by low temperature is also influenced by floodwater depth and nitrogen (N) rate. In southern New South Wales, low night-time temperatures are believed to be a major constraint to the achievement of consistently high yields. The availability of a comprehensive model of rice growth and yield that is sensitive to this constraint would aid the development of better management practices. CERES RICE is a comprehensive model that simulates the phasic development of a rice crop, the growth of its leaves, stems, roots, and panicles, and their response to weather. It also simulates the water and N balances of the crop and the effects of stresses of water and N on the yield-forming processes. The model has been extensively tested in many rice-growing systems in both tropical and temperate environments. However, the original model was unable to simulate the level of chilling injury evident from yield data from southern New South Wales. This paper reports modifications made in the model to simulate these effects and the evaluation of the model in environments of low night temperature. Inclusion of the chilling injury effect greatly improved the accuracy of estimated yields from treatments in an extensive field experiment. However, additional testing with a wider range of data sets is needed to confirm the international applicability of the modifications.

Hydrograph recession characteristics of some small agricultural catchments

Soil Research ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
WC Boughton ◽  
DM Freebairn
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
New South ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Unit Hydrograph ◽  
Agricultural Catchments ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Catchment Size ◽  
Time Required

Five-min recession constants were calculated for surface runoff and interflow using hydrographs of runoff from five 1-ha catchments at Greenmount near Toowoomba in south-east Queensland. The recession constants were converted to half-flow periods, i.e. the time required for flow rate to halve during an exponential recession. The half-flow periods of surface runoff and interflow on the 1 ha catchment are compared with published data from catchments of much larger size in New South Wales, and it is shown that the ratio of interflow half-flow period to surface runoff half-flow period does not vary much over six orders of magnitude of catchment size. Calculations of maximum rates of interflow and volumes of interflow storage show that both rates and volumes are possible in the plough depth of surface soil. The results support the evidence of interflow obtained earlier in unit hydrograph studies of runoff on these same catchments.

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