Life Sciences Commons^™

New Wool Prices Beg Higher Stocking Rates, K M S Curtis

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

In the past few years, increases in wool prices have varied, depending on fibre diameters. In 1987-88, fine wools (19 micron) were selling for as much as twice the price paid for coarse wools (26-27 micron). A wool producer can alter the fibre diameter of the wool produced through breeding and by management. This article discusses the effect of changing stocking rate on wool production, using WOOLMODEL to do the calculations (Curtis, 1986,1988). WOOLMODEL can also be used to examine the effect of changes in phosphorus application rates.

Cereal Straw And Stubble For Sheep Feed, E M. Aitchison

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

Many farmers in Western Australia run sheep in addition to their cropping programmes. The resulting cereal straws and stubbles are therefore important as sheep feed during summer and autumn. During this period the diet must provide sufficient energy to maintain liveweight, but additional energy and protein may be required for young stock and pregnant or lactating ewes, and to reduce problems from tender wool.

Murex Medic : A New Pasture Species, Dennis J. Gillespie

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

Murex medic (Medicago murex) is a new species of medic not previously used commercially anywhere in the world. The first variety, Zodiac, was developed by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and released to seed producers throughout Australia in 1988. Other varieties are being evaluated and further releases are likely in a few years.

Santiago Extends The Range Of Burr Medics, Clinton K. Revell, Michael Ewing

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

The release of Santiago follows an extensive Department of Agriculture testing programme conducted primarily in the 325 to 425 mm rainfall zone. Santiago substantially outperformed both Serena and Circle Valley and was the best amongst the large number of non-commercial medic varieties tested. About 500J000 ha were sown to burr medic between 1983 and 1988 and the Department of Agriculture expects that the release of Santiago will result in additional new plantings from

What Are The Costs Of Running Goats?, P P. Eckersley

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

No abstract provided.

Post-Harvest Research On Ornamental Plant Material, Daryl C. Joyce

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

The rapid growth of commercial enterprises servicing overseas demand for native cut flowers and foliage from Western Australia has created a need for research and extension to support the industry. Post-harvest handling is a particularly important area because cut flowers and foliage are highly perishable and Western Australia is a long way from major markets. Markets such as The Netherlands, Japan and California demand high quality products

The Potential For The Development Of The Goat Fibre And Meat Industries, R W. Kelly

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

No abstract provided.

Rehabilitation Of Mined Areas And Control Of Dust At Kalgoorlie And Boulder, A E. Peterson

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

One of the lesser known roles of the Department of Agriculture is advising on aspects of managing and rehabilitating non-agricultural land. This advice and research is directed mainly at minimizing the effects of land degradation and providing land resource data and land capability assessment maps to assist regional planners.

An Evaluation Of Cattle Types For The East Kimberley, David Pratchett, Mick Carrick, Stuart Young

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

The first cattle to be introduced to Western Australia's Kimberley region arrived at Ord River Station in 1884, after Nathaniel Buchanan had walked 4000 head of Shorthorn cattle overland from Queensland, on behalf of the owners, Osmond and Panton.

In the early years of the Kimberley pastoral industry the virgin pastures allowed stock numbers to increase rapidly. Little consideration was given to stock or rangeland management, or to whezther other types of cattle could be raised for improved production.

The Department of Agriculture started a comprehensive trail at Ord Regeneration Research Station (previously Ord River Station) in 1980 to evaluate …

Btec Campaign Ends In 1992, Carole A. O'Dwyer

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

BTEC, the national brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign, is funded jointly by cattle producers and the Commonwealth and State Governments. When the campaign was launched on July 1,1970, its aims were to remove a potential export trade barrier and to improve the level of herd health. The campaign should be substantially completed by the end of 1992.

The Kimberley region of Western Australia was declared free of brucellosis in April 1980, and the entire State was declared free in 1985, the first mainland State to achieve this status.

All parts of Western Australia south of the 20th parallel were declared …

Grazing The Rangeland : Towards An Understanding, Alec Mcr Holm, Donald Burnside

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

Western Australia's rangelands are those parts of the State, excluding deserts, where inadequate rainfall prohibits their development for a cultivated agriculture. About 980,000 sq. km of these rangelands are held as pastoral leasehold land, with a total of 450 individual station businesses. These native pasture lands support about 2.5 million sheep and 850,000 cattle. The rangelands can be divided into three main natural regions, each of which has a distinct climate and vegetation. These are the Kimberley region; the north-western spinifex region, which includes the Pilbara; and the Acacia shrubland region of the Gascoyne, Murchison, Goldfields and Nullarbor areas. This …

Pests Of Native Flowers, W M. Woods

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

For millions of years native insects have used Australia's native plants for food and shelter. Today, we wish to cultivate these plants to produce beautiful flowers and foliage for export. However, the insects that live on the plants in the wild will attack those plants grown in cultivation, and these insects themselves will be attacked by their own predators and parasites. The challenge in floricultural entomology is to use this natural biological control as part of a cheap and effective pest management system.

Diseases Of Native Flowers, Peter Mcr Wood

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

The native flora of Australia has evolved in such a way as to render it resistant to many of the fungi and bacteria that commonly infect exotic cultivated flower crops. Many of our native plants have tough sclerophyllous foliage which makes it difficult for pathogenic organisms to gain access, particularly in their natural undisturbed habitats. Root tissue of these plants also tends to be woodier than that of exotic plants, thus making it less accessible as a food source for common rootattacking fungi such as Rhizoctonia and Pythium.

The Western Australian Sheep Skin Industry, P G. Frapple

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

Sheep skins are a by-product of livestock production and slaughter. Their supply is determined largely by the demand for meat, rather than the demand for leather and leather products. As a result, skin prices fluctuate widely, as happened from April to June, 1988.

Broadacre Pest Control After Ddt, P J. Michael

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

DDT may no longer be applied to broadacre crops grown in Western Australia. It is being replaced by other more effective chemicals and with new methods of pest control. DDT was the most effective chemical for the control of several major broadacre pests in this State and farmers may well wonder why this change was necessary and how they will manage without DDT.

Analysing Feeds For Cattle, Sheep And Goats, D J. Barker

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

The Department of Agriculture's Feed Evaluation Unit at Bunbury provides a service for farmers and allied industries on a fee-for-service basis, and conducts analyses for research officers, advisers and organisations such as the University ofWestern Australia. It also analyses feedstuffs for Departments of Agriculture in other States.

The Unit analyses about 5000 samples each year. The work load is high because no other laboratory in Western Australia provides the same service. Results are recorded on a computer which makes it easy t6o retrieve results of analyses of particular types of feedstuffs or froma particular owner or district.

Wheat Payments And Protein Content, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

In recent years there has been increasing support from within the Australian wheat industry for the principal of wheat growers recieving payment for their grain according to market value.

Individual loads are now tested for quality characteristics such as hectolitre weight, unmillable material and moisture content.

At present, technology is not sufficiently advanced to enable rapid and accurate analysis of individual loads for all important quality factors.

A more practical system of quality assessment would be one based on allowances for various basic measures (such as hectolitre weight, unmillable material and moisture content), variety (to allow for genetic differences in …

Live Sheep Exports : Market Update, E J. O'Loughlin

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

The live sheep export trade has made an important contribution to the Western Australian sheep industry, with the value of exports peaking at $100 million f.o.b. in 1980-81. In that year Western Australia accounted for 61 per cent of the value of Australian exports of live sheep. In addition, the growth of the live export industry has contribuited to higher prices for other catagories of sheep than would otherwise have been the case.

Dairy Herd Recording, R D. Maughan, Frank Treasure

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

Fifty-five percent or 320 of Western Australia's daity farmers participate in the dairy herd recording, the highest percentage of dairy farmers who use herd recording in any Australian State.

Herd recording provides the dairy farmer with an accurate measure and record of individual caw and hers performance. Information on milk, fat and protein production, the level of mastitis infection and breeding values assists the dairy farmer with his herd management and selection of cows. The herd recording facility is provided by the Herd Improvement Service and the fees are based on an annual herd fee and a lactation fee for …

Herd Improvement Service Forges Ahead, M P. Bond

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

Since its establishment three years ago, the Herd Improvement Service has steadily expanded the range of services provided to Western Australian livestock producers. The genetic advancement and improved hers management offered by the service give farmers the ability to use modern technology in the most cost-effective way. There is an increasing realisation amongst farmers that to survive and remain competitive, it is worthwhile to invest in such technology.

The Herd Improvement Service is a statutory corporation which was formed to improve the productivity of the State's livestock enterprises. Most of the organisation's activities have been directed to servicing the dairy …

Clover Infertility Of Sheep : Continuing Problem, N R. Adams, Keith Croker

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

Some varieties of subterranean clover, notably Dinninup, Dwalganup and Yarloop, contain compounds which act like the female sex hormone oestrogen. These plant oestrogens, or "phyto-oestrogens", interfere with the fertility of sheep and depress the percentage of lambs born.

Over the past 10 years our understanding of clover infertility has increased, and we can now gauge the extent of this residual problem. In fact, there is a widespread but low-level incidence of infertility which does not greatly affect individial farms but which has an important impact on the State's sheep production.

Effect Of Agronomic Practices On Wheat Protein Levels, M G. Mason

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

High grain protein levels are preferred for many end-uses of wheat. However, there has been little or no incentive for farmers to use practices which would increase protein levels, because wheat payments are made without a price differential for proteinlevel, except where wheat could qualify for the Australian Hard grade.

Survival Of Lambs, R W. Kelly, David Lindsay

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

Between one in every five or six lambs that are born each year in Western Australia die at or about the time of birth. This represents a loss approaching two million lambs and is arguably out single greatest wastage in sheep production. The deaths have an immediate impact on lambing performance and therefore lamb sales, and ultimately effects on such areas as selection of breeding replacement stock, the proportion of ewes and weathers that can be run in a self-replacing flock and the amount of wool produced and its uality.

This article summarises information on what influences lamb survival, and …

Variation In Wheat Protein Content : The Effect Of Environment, G B. Crosbie, Harry Fisher

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

Over the past 20 years, the average protein content of WesternAustralian wheat has ranged from 9.3 to 12.0 per cent, with a mean level of 10.4 per cent. At most grain receival points, in any one season, individual loads can often vary in protein content by as much as 5 per cent protein or more. Rainfall and soil fertility account for much of this variation.

Increasing Protein Content Of Wheat By Breeding, B R. Whan, Graham Crosbie

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

The most efficient means of increasing protein content of WesternAustralian wheat is by breeding new varieties with higher inherent protein in their grain. But is this possible without sacrificing yeild or other desirable characteristics?

Barber's Pole Worm : A New Solution, R B. Besier

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

Barber's pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) has been a major problem to the sheep industry for many years. About ten million sheep graze in Western Australia's high rainfall areas where barber's pole worm is prevalent, and the annual cost of losses and control totals millions of dollars each year.

Research in progress in Albany now offers the prospect of prolomged and reliable control of barber's pole worm, by means of few drench treatments.

Trends In Wheat Protein/Yield Relationships, G B. Crosbie, Harry Fisher, Bryan Whan

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

The major concern of wheat breeders in WesternAustralia has been to increase grain yield while maintaining quality at an acceptable level. There has been no concious effort to select for protein content. It is of interrest, therefore, to compare the relationship between yield and protein of varieties which have been prominent in Western Australia at various times, to see what effects yield increases have had on protein content and the extent of any variation which might exist.

The Awassi Fat Tail Sheep Project, R J. Lightfoot

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

Australia's first Awassi fat tail lambs arrived at Kununurra in January 1987, completing the first major step in an ambitious project to establish a fat tail sheep breeding industry in this country.

Fat tail sheep bred in the Middle East attract much higher prices than merino wethers imported from Australia. The question to be resolved through our product development and market research is what premiums will Middle Eastern buyers pay for fat tail sheep bred in Australia and exported to the region.

The Department of Agriculture believes that there is potential for Sustralian producers to enter these new markets without …

Sheep Lice : Prospects For Eradication, F C. Wilkinson

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

Sheep biting lice have been controlled over the past 86 years in Western australia by a combination of routine insecticidal treatment after shearing and action by the department of Agriculture officers under legislation.

In July 1987 the sheep industry and the State Government will implement a plan to eradicate lice from sheep flocks in the agricultural areas and eventually in the pastoral areas. To achieve this the co-operation of many sectors of the industry will be required. Assuming co-operation is forthcoming, it is possible that by 1996 wool from agricultural areas will be free of lice and insecticidal treatment form …

Dust Elimination From Outdoor Feedlots For Sheep, D J. Carter

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

The humble woodchip, widwly used as a soil mulch in Western Australian gardens, is set tto take a new role as a dust inhibito in assembly yards used to hold live sheep for export.

Research by the Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service Branch has shown that, of the materials tested, woodchips were the most effective in preventing dust being generated. Wind speeds had to approach a "near gale" before dust developedfrom the protected soil.

The use of woodchips, therefore, provides a practical alternative to stabalising the soil and preventing an environmental problem associated with one of the State's valuable …