Making money from cattle and sheep

Beef cattle and sheep producers will have the opportunity to hone their livestock management skills during a free one-day workshop at the Trangie Agricultural Research Centre on Wednesday August 1.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) livestock officer, Bob Kilgour, said the workshop would focus on getting value for money from inputs and maximising profits from livestock production.

"We’ll be running through the basics of what to look for when buying a sound bull – one that’s going to be able to get out in the paddock and service the herd for the next five to six years," Mr Kilgour said.

"A basic appraisal of the animal’s structure will help ensure your bull has the goods to do the job.

"Understanding nutrition levels and fat score goes a long way in boosting calving percentages and we’ll also be looking at limiting the calving season to make the most of marketing opportunities."

Mr Kilgour said the new BeefSpecs online calculator would assist producers in managing their herd to meet market specifications and attract premium prices for their cattle.

"We encourage producers to establish relationships with meat buyers – if your cattle meet particular weight and fat score requirements those buyers will be very interested to hear from you," he said.

On the sheep side of the day, DPI livestock officers will outline how to manage the fat score of ewes to boost flock reproduction and how to manage rams prior to joining.

DPI livestock officer, Trudie Atkinson, said sheep producers can improve conception rates and lamb survival by managing the fat score of their ewes.

"There will be hands-on fat scoring demonstrations and we’ll be conducting pre-joining checks on rams," Ms Atkinson said.

"Fly and lice management are important in maintaining flock health - we’ll show producers how the Sheep CRC’s FlyBoss can help manage shearing and crutching, chemical treatments and breech modification, to reduce the risk of flystrike during the year."

Australian Wool Innovation Limited and Meat & Livestock Australia support the workshop through the ‘Making more from sheep’ and ‘More beef from pastures’ programs.

For catering purposes producers must register by July 27 with Bob Kilgour (02) 6880 8052 bob.kilgour@dpi.nsw.gov.au or Trudie Atkinson, (02) 6880 8041 trudie.atkinson@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Photographs are available bernadette.york@dpi.nsw.gov.au

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