Dairy Science Commons^™

Pasture Data Reconciliation Of The South West Agricultural Zone Of Western Australia September 2024, Tafesse Estifanos, Amir Abadi Ghadim, Paul Mattingley, Kate Pritchett, Tony Della Bosca

Animal production and livestock published reports

Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural land use system features extensive pasture land vital for grazing sheep and cattle. Most pastures in the south west of Western Australia consist of annual species that grow during the cool, wet winters of the Mediterranean climate and senesce in the warm to hot, dry summers. Understanding the spatial distribution of pasture areas within the context of mixed farming is essential for developing effective land management strategies to enhance livestock production and profitability through balanced pasture supply and demand.

This report focuses on reconciling pasture area data for the south-west of Western Australia’s agricultural zone across …

Industry Funding Scheme Regulations: A Review Of Operation And Effectiveness, May 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Section 147 of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 requires the Minister for Agriculture and Food to carry out a review of the operation and effectiveness of any regulations made for the purposes of establishing an Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) every five years.

In 2010, regulations establishing three IFSs commenced to address pest and disease threats relevant to Western Australia’s broadacre and pastoral cropping and livestock sectors. This report documents the second fifth-year anniversary statutory review of the following regulations:

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme (Cattle) Regulations 2010

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme …

Report On Phosphorus And Potassium Experiments Conducted On Partner Farms Of The Greener Pastures Project, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Graham Blincow, Peter Needs

Bulletins 4000 -

Dairy production in south-western Australia occurs predominantly on sandy soils in the greater than 800 mm annual average rainfall areas of the region. The climate is Mediterranean-type, typically with cool, wet May-October growing seasons and hot, dry November-April. Most dairy pastures are rain-fed and comprise the annual species Subterranean Clover (clover, Trifolium subterraneum L.), Annual Ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) and Italian Ryegrass (L. multiflorum Lam.).

Paddock grown pasture is the cheapest source of feed for dairy production in the region (Dilley and Howes 1998). To remain profitable in the face of diminishing returns, dairy farmers have modified their grazing management …

Lime For High Rainfall Pastures: Above 800mm Average Annual Rainfall, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Conventional agriculture acidifies soil. As your soil becomes more acid, productive pasture species disappear and are replaced by species of low agricultural value. It is a waste of money to apply expensive fertiliser to pastures which are inherently poorly productive because they are growing in an acid soil.

The paper examines the types of lime available, how to select lime for quality and when and how much lime to apply. Maganese toxity and aluminum toxicity are examine, how to test your soil, and affect of soil acidity on bacteria and other microorgansims.

Returns To R&D Investment Of Dafwa: Benefit Cost Analysis, 2005-2006, Nazrul Islam

Bulletins 4000 -

The primary outcome or objective of the projects that are assessed, is to increase the market competitiveness and profitability of agri-industry.

The Grazing Of Cattle In The Southern Pastoral Areas Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Land resources best practice series

The Land Administration Act 1997 requires a pastoralist to manage and work the land within a pastoral lease to its best advantage and use methods of best pastoral and environmental management practice to achieve sustainable land use. The Pastoral Lands Board will use these best management practices as a guideline.

The Grazing Of Cattle In The Northern Pastoral Areas Of Western Australia : Best Management Practice Guidelines, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Land resources best practice series

The Land Administration Act 1997 requires a pastoralist to manage and work the land within a pastoral lease to its best advantage and use methods of best pastoral and environmental management practices to achieve sustainable land use. The Pastoral Lands Board will use these best management practices as a guideline.

Scott Coastal Plain A Strategy For A Sustainable Future, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

The Scott Coastal Plain has significant attributes that make it an area of State and regional significance for agricultural production. The climate, availability of good quality groundwater for irrigation, and large lot sizes provide opportunities for mechanised horticultural production which other parts of the State may not have.

An estimate of the area that could be used for each agricultural land use has been developed, at a broad study area level. The figures presented in this report show that diversified production combining tree plantation and/or irrigation (cropping or hay/silage) with grazing enterprises provides for potential increases in gross margins and …

Protein Plus : Increasing Summer Milk Protein Levels

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

Protein Plus has commenced as a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and the CSIRO Division of Livestock Industries. The project is aimed at investigating the causes of Western Australia's problems with low summer milk protein levels, and finding management solutions for farmers.

Improving Productivity With Dairy Farm Performance, David Windsor, Ken Crawford, Stuart Gallagher, Vicki Staines

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

How productive can a dairy farm be? What options are available to dairy farmers to increase their productivity and profitability? How can you reduce milk production costs effectively? These are the kinds of questions that dairy farmers are, or should be, asking leading up to and immediately after deregulation. These questions, and many more, can be answered by participating in Agriculture Western Australia's (AGWEST) Dairy Farm Performance (DFP) Program. David Windsor, Ken Crawford, Stuart Gallagher and Vicki Staines report on DFP and the benefits being generated for dairy farmers in Western Australia.

Profit From Pastures, Mark Callow, Martin Van Houtert

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

The research program has made a major contribution to the improvement of pasture management techniques, which has, in turn, led to a gain in productivity for dairy farms in the south-west of Western Australia. Analysis has shown a 25 per cent improvement in pasture utilisation, an increase in the average number of cows milked from 155 to 192, an increase in average stocking rates from 0.9 to 1.2 cows per hectare, and increased income from milk sales by $600 per hectare. There are still areas for improvement in sustainability, productivity, and profitability, but the success to date is a credit …

Forty Years Of Rangeland Research In The Meekatharra And Wiluna Districts (1956-1996), Andrew Thomson, John Morrissey

Agriculture reports

This document is an account of the research undertaken by this Branch over the past 40 years, and it provides a general explanation of the results. It also includes descriptions of many of the Land Conservation District projects at Meekatharra and Wiluna. A number of trials and community based projects from other districts relevant to this publication have also been included as supplementary information.

Improving Dairy Farm Performance, Ruth Dilley

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

Western Austraian sairy farmers produce more milk per cow and per farm than their eastern Sttates counterparts and the milk is also of higher quality. But there is always room for improvement and as grain prices rise it is crucial that maximum benefit is derived from the cheapest feed source - the pasture.With this in mind Ruth Dilley looks at the Dairy Farm Performance Program - a comprihensive farm database developed by Agriculture Western Australia.

Uht Milk : Expanding The Market, Caroline Love, Ian Bell, Martin Robertson

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

An increase in the export of UHT (Ultra Heat Treated) milk to Asian markets is potentially worth millions of dollars to the dairy inmdustry. This increase however, relies on the shelf life of UHT products being extended to nine months. Spoilage of UHT milk can be caused by bacterial spores which originate on-farm and are resistant to processing. Expansion in the UHT market therefore relies on a continued reduction in the number of these spores getting into raw milk. Caroline Love, Ian Bell and Martin Robertson report on the sources of spores entering milk on-farm and the control methods available.

Awassi Fat Tails : A Chance For Premium Exports, Fiona Sunderman, Michael Johns

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

Most prople have heard of the Awassi, even if they have never seen one. This unique breed of fat tail sheep, imported into Astralia in 1987, was released from quarantine for commercial development nearly 12 months ago. Its supporters believe Awassis could form the basis of a high-value export industry while replacing imports. Developments over the next few years will test its potential and should result in the Awassi playing an important role in an increasingly diversified Australian farming scene.

Changes In The Western Australian Dairy Farm Industry, Ross Kingwell, Graham Annan

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

Over the past decade, the number of dairy cows and the number of producers in the Western Australian dairy industry have steadily declined. The industry still relies heavily on market milk quotas for its profits, but recent export contracts have boosted profits from manufacturing milk production.

Market milk quotas remain unevenly distributed across the dairy regions and amongst quotaholders, although the regional distribution of quotas is changing.

Bulletin No 4225 - Dairying In Western Australia, Dean Maughan

Bulletins 4000 -

Dairying in Western Australia is a small though very efficient industry. In 1989/90, 480 dairy farmers produced 266 million litres of milk for an estimated return of $84 million. The retail value of milk and dairy products was estimated to be $250 million making dairying a very significant industry in the south-west of Western Australia.

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 …

Communication Networks And The Adoption Of Three Farn Practices, P. W. Fry, F. K. Goss

All other publications

The report commences with a discussion of the diffusion and adoption model, and illustrates some of the research observations and practical outcomes that have emerged in recent years, An overview of social network research is presented as a means of understanding communication exchanges and providing data relevant to the diffusion debate. The communication and adoption studies are then reported in three separate sections in the order they were conducted. (A map of the location of the survey areas is shown in Figure I ) . The objectives, survey method, results and a summary are presented for each study.

A background …

The Agriculture And Land Description Of The Midlands, Wongan Hills And Dalwallinu Districts Of W.A., D N. Sawkins

Agriculture reports

This report deals with the area of responsibility of the Moora District Office of the W.A. Department of Agriculture. The Moora advisory district consists of seven shires which cover 2,811,400 hectares. Agriculture in the advisory district varies according to climate and soil type, Sheep and cattle production are the main enterprises in the high rainfall (coastal) areas. Mixed cereal sheep production is the main system in the medium and low rainfall areas with cereals increasing in importance as annual rainfall diminishes.

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.

Progress In Mastitis Control : A Simple Control Programme That Works, G R. Olney, R. K. Mitchell

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

Intensive Department of Agriculture work on the mastitis problem has resulted in development of a simple control programme that works in W.A. dairy herds.

Farmern receive regular advice on their herd mastitis levels, and advice is available on overcoming specific problems.

Bulletin No 3966 - Vitamin A And Animal Health, J. Johnson

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Vitamin A is one of the essential vitamins for animal health. Grazing animals obtain their vitamin A requirements mostly from the carotene in green feed. This carotene is converted to Vitamin A in the intestinal wall and is passed to the liver and to a less extent the kidneys for storage. Some carotene also passes direct to the liver where it is stored before it is converted to vitamin A.

When dry pastures, hay and grains (except maize) are low in carotene content this ability of the animals to store vitamin A means that they usually have enough when there …

Bulletin No 3883 - Dairying In W.A., Western Australian Department Of Agriculture

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Western Australia has a small dairy industry compared with its other rural production. However, the industry has consolidated over recent years.

Tree clearing and pasture development on existing holdings and the amalgamation of small dairy farms has led to a rapid increase in the area of pasture per farm. The trend in Western Australia is towards bigger herds, more efficient dairies, more fodder conservation and increasing production per cow and per· hectare.

Dairying In W.A., Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Western Australia has a small dairy industry compared with its other rural production. However, the industry has consolidated over recent years.Tree clearing and pasture development on existing holdings and the amalgamation of small dairy farms has led to a rapid increase in the area of pasture per farm. The trend in Western Australia is towards bigger herds, more efficient dairies, more fodder conservation and increasing production per cow and per hectare. Commercial dairy farming in Western Australia is confined to the south-western corner of the State, south of Perth, extending in a 50-kilometre-wide strip along the coast to 50 kilometres …

Partial Budgeting For Dairy And Beef Farmers, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

A Programmed text.

A PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION WORKBOOK.

This book is designed to show you how to draw up partial budgets.

If you are like most farmers you are probably searching for different ways of running your farm to increase farm income. Choices between alternatives are very difficult, and require a great deal of careful thought and planning, especially where large cash outlays are involved. But to decide how, where and what to produce with any confidence you need to consider all the physical and financial angles. Doing this in your head, or on the back of an envelope is hard, …

Farm Grazing Levels, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

Stocking rates in many dairying areas are so low that the Division has established nine grazing level demonstrations in various areas.

Their aim is to demonstrate that higher stocking rates are practical on existing farms.

Meat From The Dairy Herd, R A. Bettenay

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

Beef raising is a profitable sideline for many West Australian dairy farmers and gives their farming operation flexibility and versatility.

With suitable management and feeding the weight gains and consumer acceptance of dairy beef allow it to compete strongly with beef from other sources.

The breeds most common on W.A. dairy farms are well suited to beef production.

Dairy Beef Shows Healthy Profits, D J. Barker

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

The October, 1970, issue of the Journal of Agriculture included results from the first year of a dairy beef production trial at Bramley Research Station.

This report presents results from the trial's second year, during which two levels of pasture utilisation were tested. The trial is now in its third year.

Stock Brands And Movement Act, M R. Gardiner

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

ALL livestock owners in W.A. should understand the main provisions of the new Stock Brands and Movement Act which comes into force on January 1, 1972.