Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Miscellaneous Publication 39/91 - How To Eradicate Virulent Footrot From Your Property. A Farmer's Guide., Dianne Hopkins

Animal production and livestock published reports

The first thing to understand about virulent footrot is that it can occur on any farm in the medium to high rainfall zone.

People often associate footrot with properties managed by inefficient farmers. This is a belief based on fallacy. Many good farmers have found the disease in their sheep, including high profile stud producers.

Footrot can strike anywhere and without warning.

The important thing to remember is, that once it is found, getting to know the disease and understanding it will help you beat it. This manual, the video and your stock inspector will help you eradicate footrot from …

The Effect Of Nitrogen On Pastures And Subsequent Sheep Production., L. Cransberg

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Trial 89MT1

Location: Mt Barker Research Station

To measure the effect of autumn/winter application on:

1. Pasture growth rates and composition

2. Sheep production using pregnant/lacting ewes.

Trial 89KA6

Management systems for sheep.

Location: Kojonup

To measure the effects of set stocking and strip (rotation) grazing on:

1. Pasture production, composition and quality.

2. Sheep production (liveweight, condition score, wool growth rate, fibre diameter strength and vegetable matter contamination).

Survey Of The Damage Caused To Trees By Goats, Steve Gherardi, Dick Mills, Tim Johnson

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

The damage that goats can cause to trees is one of the major problems associated with their farming in the agricultural areas of Australia. It is also considered one of the main hindrances to the development of the goat industry. The Department of Agriculture s Goat Industry Development Unit surveyed mohair and cashmere producers to determine the prevalence of tree damage and its extent and severity; why producers believed goats damaged trees; and how producers minimised or prevented this damage.

New Technique Joins The Fight Against Footrot, Laurie Depiazzi, Mike Palmer, David Pitman

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

The diagnosis of footrot in sheep and goats is not an easy task. Two main techniques are used for diagnosis - inspection of diseased feet on a farm and laboratory testing of bacteria isolated from foot scrapings. The interpretation of the results obtained by these methods requires a good understanding of the various forms of footrot.

A new laboratory technique has halved the time taken to detect those strains of the bacterium, Bacteroides (Dichelobacter) nodosus, that cause each form of the disease.

Animal Production From Tagasaste Growing In Deep Sands In A 450 Mm Winter Rainfall Zone, Chris Oldham, Greg Allen, Peter Moore, Bruce Mattinson

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

In 1985, Martindale Pty Ltd, Sir James McCusker's family company, signed a unique research contract with Professor David Lindsay of the University of Western Australia. The aim of the Martindale Research Project was to study ways of increasing farm productivity in the sheep-wheat zone of south-western Australia. A primary focus was the high cost of grain or hay used to fill the autumn feed gap in grazing systems.

However, it was not clear how or if tagasaste might be economically used to replace the grain and/or hay traditionally fed by hand to sheep and cattle in autumn.

Supplementary Feeding Of Weaner Sheep At Esperance, Julian Gardner, Peter Doyle

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

Cereal grains, particularly barley, have been the usual supplement fed to weaner sheep during summer and autumn along Western Australia's south coast. This area is a major barley producer, and weather-damaged and other feed quality grain have a ready use. High protein lupin seed, and to a lesser extent silage, have gained wide acceptance recently as alternative supplements. This article discusses the results of the first two of a series of supplementary feeding experiments at Esperance Downs Research Station.

Management Systems For Sheep., Peter Doyle, L. Cransberg, P. Evans

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

Trial 89KA6

Location: Kojonup

To measure the effects of set stocking and strip (ration) grazing on:

i) Pasture production, composition and quantity

ii) Sheep production (liveweight, condition score, wool growth rate, fibre diameter, strength and vegetable matter contamination).

Getting The Best Out Of Weaner Sheep In The Eastern Wheatbelt, Sally Revell

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

A study of the growth of Merino weaner flocks over summer and autumn in Western Australia 's eastern wheatbelt during 1989 and 1990 has identified efficient weaner management strategies, and provided a basis for future research and extension needs of this area. The average liveweight of several weaner flocks was unexpectedly low at the start of summer. Weaner flocks may need to be supplemented before the start of summer to prevent undue weight loss at this time.

Using Goats To Control Weeds, John Peirce

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

Feral goats are common in the woodland and tall shrubland areas of arid Australia. They survive and reproduce despite regular shooting, capture and droughts. These goats are considered vermin in Western Australia because of their competition with sheep for forage and their reputation as destroyers of vegetation. Research elsewhere, however, has indicated that it is only the uncontrolled grazing by large numbers of goats that causes degradation, in the same way that uncontrolled grazing by sheep can cause erosion. To some people, however, feral goats are a valuable source of income. They have the potential for meat sales, and they …

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.

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

Leishmaniasis In A Domestic Goat In Kenya, A. Olufemi Williams, J. Mutinga, M. Rodgers

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The pathological and electron-microscopic features of the first case of autochthonous leishmaniasis affecting a domestic goat in Kenya are described. They are similar to what have been described in man and other animals. Using a short amino-acid sequence common to all the species of leishmania as primers for kDNA synthesis, the intervening sequence of 120 bases was amplified in the goat's tissues by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The leishmania kinetoplast DNA sequence was detected in all the different infected tissues of the goat examined. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay are discussed. The result of the assay used was …