Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Oestrogenic Subterranean Clover Guide. Identification And Remediation, Kevin J. Foster, Megan H. Ryan, Daniel R. Kidd

Bulletins 4000 -

Subterranean clover (subclover, Trifolium subterraneum L.) is an annual pasture legume that provides high quality feed for livestock. It is estimated to be sown over 30 million hectares across southern Australia, with cultivars developed for the low, medium and high rainfall zones. Unfortunately, some older cultivars contain high levels of phytoestrogen which can affect the reproductive system of sheep and cause other health issues. This became a significant issue for sheep producers from the 1940s as new land was cleared and sheep grazed subclover-dominant pastures. There was a collection of livestock issues observed and these were grouped together under the …

Sheep Updates 2016, Mick Keogh, David Cornish, Michael Chilvers, Gerry Hinkley, Danielle England, Rosemary Bartle, Brad Wooldridge, Norm Santich, John Young, Ashley Herbert, Jamie Heinrich, Graeme Howie, Bruce Mullan

Sheep Updates

This session covers eleven papers from different authors:

1. Forward, Dr Bruce Mullan, Director Sheep Industry Development, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

2. The Australian sheep industry in 2025, Mick Keogh, Australian Farm Institute

3. Decision making in a risky environment, David Cornish, Cornish Consulting

4. Business Transitioning, Michael Chilvers, Nile Tasmania

5. Advisory Boards in WA Agriculture - making life 'easier' for everyone, Gerry Hinkley, Producer, Tincurrin and Danielle England, Aginnovate

6. Principles of Successful Family Business Succession Strategies, Rosemary Bartle, Succession Planning Facilitator, Rabobank

7. Diversifying the Feedbase...is the …

Sheep Updates 2015 - Katanning, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Mike Hyder, Leigh Sonnerman, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Ian Robertson, Lucy Anderton, Hayley Norman, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Lifetime management for maternal ewes, Mike Hyder, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

5. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Leigh Sonnermann, …

Sheep Updates 2015 - Ravensthorpe, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Mike Hyder, Leigh Sonnerman, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Ian Robertson, Lucy Anderton, Hayley Norman, Ed Barrett-Lenard, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Lifetime management for maternal ewes, Mike Hyder, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

5. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Leigh Sonnermann, …

Live Weight Parameters In Dorper, Damara And Australian Merino Lambs Subjected To Restricted Feeding, Tim Scanlon, Andre M. Almeida, Andrew Van Burgel, Tanya Kilminster, John Milton, Johan C. Greeff, Chris Oldham

Journal articles

Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is a serious constraint to ruminant production in tropical and Mediterranean climates. SWL is controlled using supplementation, costly and difficult to implement in extensive production systems; or alternatively, using breeds with a natural adaptation to tropical climates, namely hair and fat tailed sheep. Albeit a 15-year presence in Australia, little is known on how Dorper and Damara sheep compared to the most widely used sheep breed in Australia, the Australian Merino. In this trial, the responses of the Damara, Dorper and Merino breeds to nutritional stress were compared during a 42-day trial. Seventy-two ram lambs, 24 …

Sheep Updates 2008 - Part 2, Meredith L. Sheil, Di Evans, Brown Besier, Tim Scanlon, Andre Martinho De Almeida, Johan Greeff, Tanya Kilminster, John Milton, Chris Oldham, B. L. Mcintyre, Alison Wheatley, John Lucey, Fiona Jones, Nick Costa, Ed Riggall, J. R. L. Hall, Robin Jacob, Dave Pethick, Dave Hopkins, Graham Gardner

Sheep Updates

This session covers eleven papers from different authors: The Sheep Room 1. Analgesia for Surgical Husbandry Procedures in Sheep and Other Livestock, Dr Meredith L. Sheil, Animal Ethics Pty Ltd, Associate Sydney University Faculty of Veterinary Science The Wool Enterprise 2. Unmulsed sheep - implications for chemical use, Di Evans & Brown Besier, Department of Agriculture and Food WA 3. Are Damara and Dorper sheep better adapted than Merinos to nutritional stress? - Growth rates, Tim Scanlon1, Andre Martinho de Almeida2, Johan Greeff1, Tanya Kilminster1, John Milton3, Chris Oldham1, Department of Agriculture and Food WA1, Instituto de Investigacao Cientifica Tropical, …

Sheep Updates 2007 - Part 4, Dean Thomas, Dominique Blache, Dean Revell, Hayley Norman, Phil Vercoe, Zoey Durmic, Serina Digby, Di Mayberry, Megan Chadwick, Martin Sillence, David Masters, R. Silberstein, F. Byrne, P. G. H. Nichols, J. Young, L. Aitkins, M. G. Wilmot, A. J. Rintoul, T. Lambert, D. R. Mcclements, P. Raper, P. Ward, C. Walton, T. York, David Pethick, David Hopkins, Malcolm Mcphee, D. B. Savage, J. V. Nolan, I. R. Godwin, A. Aoetpah, T. Nguyen, N. Baillie, C. Lawler, Ken Geenty, John Smith, Darryl Smith, Tim Dyall, Grant Uphill, John Young, Michael Paton, John Dorrian

Sheep Updates

This session covers eight papers from different authors:

GRAZING

1. The impact of high dietary salt and its implications for the management of livestock grazing saline land, Dean Thomas, Dominique Blache, Dean Revell, Hayley Norman, Phil Vercoe, Zoey Durmic, Serina Digby, Di Mayberry, Megan Chadwick, Martin Sillence and David Masters, CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, WA.

2. Sustainable Grazing on Saline Lands - outcomes from the WA1 research project, H.C. Norman^1,2, D.G. Masters^1,2, R. Silberstein^1,2, F. Byrne^2,3, P.G.H. Nichols …

Sheep Updates 2006 -Part 1, David Sackett, Kevin Foster, Ron Yates, Phil Nichols, Graeme Martin, John Milton, Scott Williams, Garry Mcalister, Mark Suttie, Peter Fennessy, Jack Cocks

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors: PLENARY 1. Making Dollars from Merinos, David Sackett, Holmes Sackett & Associates Pty Limited, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2. A new variety of sulla (Hedysarun coronarium)for forage production in southern Australia, Kevin Foster, Ron Yates, Phil Nichols, Department of Agriculture and Food, WA and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, UWA 3. Mating - Short and fast is better, Graeme Martin, John Milton, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia 4. Breech strike protection in sheep post 2010, Scott Williams, Program Manager Animal Health and Welfare, Australian Wool Innovation …

Sheep Updates 2005 - Part 6, Sarah Pugh, Giles Glasson, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Hayley Norman, Matt Wilmot, Meir Altman, Kelly Pearce, Sally Phelan, David Masters, Nadine Eva, Brad Wooldridge, Stephen Gherardi, Lucy Anderton, Gonzalo Mata, P. Sanford, J Young, Tim Wiley, Richard Quinlan, Chris Oldham, Mike Hyder, Mandy Curnow, Samantha Giles, Andrew Thompson

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

PASTURES/GRAZING

1. New annual pastures - quality and quantity for fodder conservation?, Sarah Pugh and Giles Glasson, Department of Agriculture Western Australia

2. Saltland Pastures: Dispelling some Myths, Ed Barrett-Lennard^1,3, Hayley Norman^2,3, Matt Wilmat^2,3, Meir Altman,³, Kelly Pearce^2,3, Sally Phelan⁴, David Masters^2,3, ^1. Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, ² CSIRO Livestock Industries, Floreat, WA, ³. CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity ⁴. Saltland Pastures Association

3. Pastures: Putting profit back into sandplain, Nadine Eva, Department …

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 Part 3, Ken Hart, Keith Croker, Rob Davidson, Mario D'Antuono, Evan Burt, Tanya Kilminster, Diana Fedorenko, Darryl Mcclements, Robert Beard, Sandy Turton, Martin Atwell, Robert Beard

Sheep Updates

Posters Can Merino Ewes be Teased to Synchronise Oestrus for a Summer/Autumn Mating? Ken Hart, Keith Croker, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Rob Davidson, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia. Mario D'Antuono, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Damara Sheep: Now Looking Domestic Evan Burt and Tanya Kilminster, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Production and Water Use of Lucerne and French Serradella Under Three Sowing Rates Diana Fedorenko1,4, Darryl McClements1,4 , Robert Beard3,4 1Department of Agriculture, 3 Farmer, Meckering, 4CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity. E-SHEEP - Individual Animal Management is here Sandy Turton & Martin Atwell, Department …

Sheep Updates 2003 - Pastures, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Hayley Norman, Robyn Dynes, David Masters, David Henry, Stephen Gherardi, Graham Donald, Asoka Edirisinghe, Chris Oldham, Richard Smith, Joanne Sneddon, Mike Hyder, Andrew Thompson, Kazue Tanaka, Roy Latta, Chris Matthews, Brad Nutt, Angela Loi, Tim Wiley

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors: 1. Pastures for saline land, Ed Barrett-Lennard 1Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Hayley Norman, Robyn Dynes and David Masters CSIRO Livestock Industries, Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research, Floreat Park, 2. Feeding value - the essential link between pastures and animals CSIRO Livestock Industries, Centre for Environmental and Life Sciences 3. ‘Pastures from space’ - how do we do it, how well do we do it and what do producers think about it? Stephen Gherardi Department of Agriculture Western Australia Graham Donald Asoka Edirisinghe Dave Henry CSIRO Livestock Industries Chris Oldham Department of …

The Good Food Guide For Sheep : Feeding Sheep For Meat Production In The Areas Of Western Australia, Keith Croker, Peter Watt, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

The Good Food Guide for Sheep has been produced to provide Western Australian farmers with a concise compilation of current information on feeding sheep for meat production. Although there are already numerous publications about sheep nutrition,many of them relate to wool production, reproduction or drought feeding, or they concentrate on particular feeds or feeding systems.

This book contains information on a wide range of feeds and feeding methods. Just as there is no single ‘best’ sheep breed for meat production, there is no ultimate feed regime for sheep for growth.

Lupin Stubbles : Getting The Best With Weaner Sheep, Keith Croker, Colin Mcdonald, Jeremy Allen

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Sweet lupins are now grown on about a million hectares in Western Australia each year. If half of the State's seven million weaners were grazed as recommended on half of the lupin stubbles, it could generate about $15 million from reduced supplementary feeding, greater wool production and other advantages. But correct management is important, particularly knowing when to take weaners out. Research by the Department over the last five years is now indicating how this should be done.

How Sustainable Is Grazing Sheep On Annual Pastures In The Woolbelt?, Don Mcfarlane, Richard George

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Low wool prices have reduced the profitability of producing wool from clover-based annual pastures in the south-western woo/belt. The heavy reliance on one commodity is economically unsustainable for many farmers. But we should also consider how ecologically sustainable the practice is.

Shallow-rooted annual pastures contribute to widespread salinity in the area, annual legumes are acidifying the soils and making them water repellent, and bare, detached soils from heavy grazing cause sheet and rill erosion during autumn storms. In addition, stock are degrading remnant vegetation and destroying the soil's structure.

To counteract this degradation, the woo/belt needs more perennial pastures and …

The Productivity Of Western Australia's Wheat And Sheep Industry, Tim Coelli, Ross Kingwell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A popular economic lament is that Australian industries and workers are not as productive as they should be. Politicians and economic commentators preach the need for productivity improvement and workplace reform, and criticise inefficiency and lack of endeavour. Can such criticism be fairly levelled at farmers and agricultural scientists? What is productivity and how is it measured? What is the productivity of Western Australia's main agricultural industry — wheat and sheep farming? This article addresses these questions and shows that our wheat-sheep industry can be moderately proud of its productivity record

Phomopsis-Resistant Lupin Stubbles As Feed For Weaner Sheep, Colin Mcdonald, Keith Croker, Jeremy Allen

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The breeding of sweet, narrow-leafed lupins with increased resistance to Phomopsis leptostromiformis, the fungus that causes lupinosis in sheep, is a breakthrough for the summer nutrition of weaner sheep. The new resistant varieties, Gungurru for the medium (325 to 450 mm) rainfall areas and Yorrel for low rainfall areas (less than 325 mm), were released by the Department of Agriculture in 1988.

This article discusses progress in a four-year project which is examining liveweight and wool production of weaners grazing Gungurru stubbles.

Control Strategies For Annual Ryegrass Toxicity, W J. Burdass

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In 982-83, annual ryegrass tocicity (ARGT) was estimated to have cost Western Australian sheep farmers between $7 and $8 million in total economic losses.

The disease can severely disrupt farming operations. Sheep must be checked daily and if affected moved to a 'safe' paddock. The availability of paddock feed is reduced, as is stock carrying capacity. Worry about the possibility of dramatic stock losses, and uncertainty about what decisions to make, are all stressful.

Stock losses from ARGT can be minimised by the use of selective herbicides to control ryegrass in pastures and crops. This breaks the disease cycle - …

Controlling Annual Ryegrass Toxicity, C H. Trotman

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Eight years of intensive work has changed annual ryegrass toxicity from an unknown killer to a manageable problem.

A Survey Of Shearing Times, B R. Beetson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

When do farmers in W.A. shear their sheep, and why do they selest the times they do?

A Department of Agriculture survey attempted to answer these questions, which have important implications for the wool industry.

Lupinosis And Rates Of Stocking Of Lupin Stubbles, K P. Croker, J. G. Allen, C. R. Lester, R. B. Guthrie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Lupin stubbles provide valuable summer sheep feed but under some conditions the fungus Phomopsis rossiana (for which lupins are the host plant) produces a toxin that causes lupinosis. Results from research at Badaingarra Research Station over the 1973-74 and 1974- 75 summers have shown that sheep liver damage associated with lupin stubble grazing is likely to be more severe at high than low stocking rates.

Clover Disease : What Do We Know And What Can We Do, T Marshall

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A review of 30 years' study and practical experience of clover disease in Western Australia—and a summary of current recommendations for reducing problems in sheep grazing pastures based on oestrogenic subterranean clover.

Reproductive Wastage In Sheep On Clover Areas, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia's 67 per cent lambing for 1970 compares poorly with that of other Australian States, and other countries. From the 12.3 million ewes mated in this State's agricultural areas in 1970, only 8.2 million lambs were marked.

This low 77.7 per cent conception rate sparked the present series of reproductive wastage investigations by the Department's Sheep and Wool Branch.

This report describes the first year's results of the project in W.A.'s "clover disease" areas.

Pasture Legume Varieties And Ewe Fertility, T Marshall, H. E. Fels, H. G. Neil, R. C. Rossiter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ALTHOUGH it was first thought that all varieties of subterranean clover would cause ewe infertility, research in the last 10 to 15 years has shown that varieties differ in potency.

The relative level of potency has also been shown to remain consistent for any one variety under normal conditions.

Surplus Cereal Crops For Sheep Feed, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SINCE the introduction of wheat quotas many farmers have considered feeding unsaleable grain to sheep.

The three alternative methods of feeding this grain to sheep are

• as standing crops

• as grain supplements, fed in the paddock

• as grain plus hay, in a feedlot.

Crop Rationing : A Useful Drought Feeding Technique, H E. Fels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A TRIAL carried out during the 1969 drought demonstrated that rationing standing crop is a practical method of feeding it to sheep when feed is scarce.

Rationing will be mainly a drought feeding technique for that part of the crop which will definitely be used as sheep feed. Crop that may or may not be needed for sheep would normally be harvested and the grain kept as a contingency allowance.

Control Of Clover Infertility In Sheep, H G. Neil, H. E. Fels, C. M. Francis

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A summary of practices recommended for the control of infertility caused by subterranean clover in West Australian sheep.

PROLONGED grazing of green subterranean clover pastures often reduces ewe fertility. In more extreme cases, obvious signs of clover disease occur.

A Measure Of Clover Infertility In Ewes, N Davenport

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SERIOUS impairment of the breeding ability of ewes grazed for prolonged periods on growing pastures containing dominant subterranean clover has been experienced in Western Australia for many years.

The first widespread recognition of the problem coincided with the upsurge of improved pasture establishment based on the Dwalganup variety of subterranean clover in the higher rainfall sections of the wheatbelt and adjacent sheep raising areas to the west and south.

Continuous Grazing On Rose Clover At Northampton, R J. Parkin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BECAUSE of its upright growth habit, it is often thought that rose clover may require some form of specialised grazing management.

It has also been said that the sheep find the plant and in particular the seed head, undesirable in the dry stages.

However, more recent observations refute this (Bailey 1966). The present commonly-grown strains of rose clover are later flowering generally than the medics or Geraldton subterranean clover and stay green later in the season.

Stocking Rates On Cyprus Barrel Medic In The Northern Wheatbelt, R J. Parkin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN May 1963, some three weeks after germination, a 4th year stand of Cyprus barrel medic was stocked with Merino wethers.

These same sheep are still grazing the area after three years.

Clover Disease Of Sheep In Western Australia, A B. Beck, M. R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DURING the past five years there has been a marked increase in the incidence of breeding abnormalities of sheep associated with the grazing of subterranean clover pastures.

This complex of diseases first became a major problem in Western Australia in the years following 1940 and eventually became known as "clover disease".