Western Queensland
Chairman
Nina House
Phone:
Mobile:
Email: nina.house@harboursat.com.au
Secretary
Kiri Broad
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
PO Box 519, LONGREACH QLD 4730
Phone: 07 4536 8310
Mobile: 0428 102 841
Email: kiri.broad@daf.qld.gov.au
Regional Priorities – West Queensland
1. Reproductive efficiency, reproductive wastage, low re-conception rates in first calf cows
- Social research – why aren’t producers doing the recommended practices?
- What are the obstacles and what drives people to do what they do
- Neospora – prevalence and whether a vaccine should be developed x region
- Calf loss from conception to weaning
- Poor re-conception in first calf cows
2. Diet quality, monitoring and economical strategic supplementation
- Research into looking at lick intakes
- Improving NIRS analysis accuracy with high browse diets
- Diet selection and preference for certain species at certain times of the day
3. Animal care at saleyards and enroute
- Damage to microflora at saleyards
- Stress to cattle not being on feed and water
- Effect of no feed at saleyards on meat quality or post-saleyard performance and the economic effects
- Use of Maxitrans or similar electrolyte product at saleyards prior to transport
- Pre-trucking training (training in small body trucks) – compare with animals that have never been trucked that go straight to the saleyards
4. Speed of removing horns from cattle
- Stud industry update
- No research issues
- Primarily need to support the research that is being done. This work is being addressed to a great extent by Kishore Prayaga.
5. Trend of mining and food crops
- Impact of mining on farm water quality impact on communities
- Water quality effects on cattle productivity
6. Animal temperament
- Develop temperament EBV’s for other breeds
7. Welfare from farm gate to terminus (saleyards, works, feedlot, spelling facility, etc.)
- Measure cortisol levels in cattle going from one site to another and how stress levels are affected by training, water and continuous access to feed versus no access
- How do we get welfare acted upon at saleyards where animals are turning up that aren’t fit for travel? There is a law in place, however, this continues to happen – should animals be destroyed and owners be sent a bill.
Other issues raised
- Public perceptions about transport of animals, animals held in saleyards with no access to feed.