AIRR Independent Spring 2012 by AIRR

The

Independent Spring 2012 Edition

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Page 2 - The AIRR Independent

AIRR founder wins E&Y ‘industry’ Entrepreneur of the Year regional award

Peter Law, managing director and CEO of AIRR, has been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the southern region, in the ‘industry’ category. “Ecstatic” was the first word Peter Law uttered when he was announced as the region’s category winner at a function in Melbourne’s Docklands in late July. Mr Law beat several others in the hotly contended section. He now goes to the competition’s national level, to be judged in November. That winner then represents Australia at the global judging. When interviewed by MC Peter Berner, the humble businessman was true to form, deflecting much of his success to staff, customers and suppliers. Afterwards he said, “I’m just a little country bloke. I don’t wake up in the morning looking for accolades. I go to work, do a good job and have some fun. “I’ve often said to people, ‘The greatest enjoyment you’ll get out of life, out of working in business, is seeing the friends you give a job to and watching them grow into something special. We give them the opportunity to do that’.” Mr Law reeled off a string of people integral to the business — many of whom he’s mentored to varying degrees. “With AIRR, I knew I’d created a great model but, gee…” he trailed off.

Quick success Mr Law developed the AIRR model in 2005. With more than 35 years of rural-merchandising experience, he wanted to create something “different”, something that exemplified his values of rewarding loyalty and supporting independent country stores. He launched AIRR (Australian Independent Rural Retailers), a wholesale member-based buying group for independent rural retailers in Shepparton, northern Victoria, on 1 January 2006. Today the nation-wide business has 144 members (operating 250 stores) and services stores across all agricultural sectors. In October 2011, the group opened its seventh warehouse in Melbourne (Derrimut); other warehouses are in Port Adelaide, Brisbane (Darra), Wagga Wagga (NSW), Tamworth

(NSW), Perth (Kewdale) and Shepparton — also the home of its headquarters. The group has plans for an eighth warehouse in Sydney. Last year AIRR launched Apparent, its generic brand of chemicals and fertilisers, and earlier this year it launched Tucker’s Pet & Produce, aimed at semirural markets. “I think what we’ve done is special, but in a typical countrified way,” Mr Law said. “We do what we do for our members, customers and staff, and everyone enjoys the process. “The awards night was amazing. I’m a little country fellow who just created something to show respect to customers. To achieve an award with the quality of people we were up against, well yes, that shocked me. But I guess it shows that old-fashioned virtues are still recognised aren’t they? “I didn’t go to the night with any expectations — but by god I was a happy man when I was announced! Someone asked me if I thought we’d win, and I said, “Mate, I’ve already won — just by being here’.”

Enjoyable process The judging process is expansive yet detailed. Nominees are assessed by an independent panel, comprising industry captains and leaders on broad criteria, including entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, personal integrity and influence, financial performance, strategic direction and national and global impact. The process involves a filmed interview, sessions with E&Y representatives, submitting comprehensive documentation and a final 20-minute interview with the judging panel. “At that interview, which is the first time you meet the judges, they ask you a myriad questions — but none are pre-set, you have no idea what they’ll want to cover.” Mr Law said despite the intense nature of the judging process, he found it enjoyable rather than arduous. “The whole process of this is what I enjoyed the most. When you’re in a world where you don’t have 12 hours to spare, I suppose someone could say it was arduous but, no, I enjoyed every minute of it. It made me think a lot about what we had done, and probably made me recognise even more that what we had done was unique and exciting.”

Commonwealth Bank executive manager for specialised agribusiness solutions Ewan Laughlin, who nominated Mr Law, agreed AIRR was “unique and exciting”. “AIRR’s success is built on Peter’s determination, drive and passion, combined with his complete customer focus and his loyalty to AIRR’s members and contributions from his great team.” Reflections Mr Law said, “We can look back and know what a great thing it is: great model, great staff, great customers, great suppliers, right warehouse strategy … that’s a given This award reminds us why the model was put together: to give independent rural stores enough buying power to compete in the dog-eat-dog business world. “One of the questions the judges asked me was what have I done wrong? And I said, ‘nothing’. The model has done what it set out to do. I haven’t changed it one iota. “At the time, some people thought I strange. They asked me why would I do all those things, then just give it all away? My reply was that there was no financial upside unless everyone made money and everyone enjoyed it.” Mr Law said winning the award “helped recognise our mandate of helping country businesses”. “Personally, it makes me feel very good. I’m as proud as punch to have won it, but it doesn’t change the sort of person I am: I’m just a pretty happy fellow who wants to keep doing what I do well. “AIRR gives great people a great chance in a great organisation. And I just love watching people grow.” For more information on AIRR, visit www.airr. com.au. For more information on the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards, visit www.eoy.ey.com.au.

AIRR Independent Spring 2012

The

Independent

Member features

Market & Product News Pg 6 Waratah build more than fences with BundyBunna Pg 9

Manage liver fluke this Spring with Coopers Sovereign

Pg 13 The importance of B12 in Sheep

Pg 3

AIRR Members dazzled by Dow’s R&D

Pg 16 The major source of Ag Chem – by a long way, today is....

Pg 5

Dardanup Rural – the local area’s one stop shop

Pg 18 Cattle drench resistance a serious threat

Pg 12 Marshall Seed & Grain growing with (and for) their customers

Pg 21 Jurox backs Rural Australia

Pg 14 Gallagher treat AIRR Members to memorable NZ trip

Pg 30 Tonic Plantain – just the tonic for Lambs

Pg 20 Sprayerbarn & Parkes Farm Centre: defining the perfectly

Pg 38 Feedback shapes updates for customisable TSi data collector

mixed rural business

Pg 40 Agvantage have the solution for all livestock major metabolic conditions

The AIRR Independent - Page 3

Australian agronomists and resellers learn from North American colleagues (July 2012) – The future of agriculture is bright according to a team of Australian agronomists and rural merchandisers who recently undertook a 10-day study tour of Canada and North America with Dow AgroSciences. One of the nine Australians on the tour, Matt Foster, is a pasture agronomist working with graziers in the Armidale region. Matt said a particular highlight of the trip was gaining an appreciation of the sheer amount of work that goes into the research and development of new products following a tour of the Dow AgroSciences head office in Indianapolis. “We hear a lot about the time and financial commitment it takes to develop new products, but it wasn’t until I actually saw Dow AgroSciences’ research and development unit and met with the scientists that I realised what an enormous undertaking it is to get new products to market. “One of the most exciting products, ChapparalTM, has been on the market in North America for five years where it’s used to control a range of woody weeds including diamond willow and pasture sage.

Winifred Montana

“The growers I spoke to swear by it, particularly its residual capacity. One guy we spoke with is getting two to three years’ protection from the one application, which is a huge benefit in terms of reducing input costs while ensuring ongoing woody weed management. The Dow AgroSciences team in Australia has a similar product under development and I’m really looking forward to seeing it hit the market here in Australia,” Matt said. Fellow pasture agronomist Mick Duncan, also from Armidale, said he was impressed by the broader spectrum of products available to growers in Canada and North America for the management of broadleaf weeds and woody weeds.

Matt Foster from Grazag R - John Dadd from Dow

“I was particularly impressed by the EnlistTM Weed Control System, combining 2,4-D and quizalofop herbicide tolerance genetics that we saw being trialed in corn and soy crops in Indiana,” Mick said. The Enlist Weed Control System has been developed to improve the performance of the glyphosate tolerant weed management system on hard to kill and glyphosate resistant weeds. The Enlist Weed Control System is based on the novel Enlist DuoTM herbicide which is optimised with Colex-DTM Technology. Enlist DuoTM provides ultra-low volatility, reduced drift, decreased odour and improved handling. Being able to deploy a herbicide such as Enlist DuoTM over a sensitive crop such as corn, soybean, and cotton is a truly revolutionary step in advancing agricultural productivity. While the initial focus for this technology is North America, Mick said it was a great example of Dow AgroSciences’ technical innovation to solve challenges in ag production.

Photos from the Silos

Tour organiser, Jon Dadd, Grain Protection Business Manager for Dow AgroSciences, said the trip which ran from June 13 – 22 included northern New South Wales shareholder members of the Australian Independent Rural Retailers (AIRR). “Along with learning about the new crop protection pipeline products and advances in crop breeding, the group met with local land managers, applicators and farming communities,” Jon said.

“We even visited a Hutterite colony in Southern Alberta, Shroder Farm in Fowler Canada. The Hutterite colony, a communal branch of the Anabaptists, play a big role in North America’s agricultural landscape and, while they may be traditional in their dress and culture, they are big believers in using modern technology to get the most from their agricultural enterprises,” Jon said.

Further south in the Upland Snowy Ranges in Montana, we toured a Black

Sulphur Mountain in Banff

Simmental breeding enterprise which exports embryos to various breeders in Australia, even into a local farming family in Nundle in the New England region of New South Wales. It made us all realise how interconnected the ag industry is worldwide.

“That evening we spotted black bears running around the surrounding hills and then learnt about increasing cattle predation that is associated with encroaching populations of wolves, coyotes, black and grizzly bears.

“There may be some significant differences in terms of climate and growing techniques, but essentially, we all share the same commitment to making the most out of our ag business, be it farming, grazing or retailing.

Page 4 - The AIRR Independent

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“I need a short ESI.”

Member

Dardanup Rural Supplies and General Store

The AIRR Independent - Page 5

Member

Les and Suzie Bekker have been running Dardanup Rural Supplies & Dardanup general – 2 hours south of Perth, WA for the past 15 years. They run a mixed business of Convenience /Hardware/Rural. “We have a mixed business which we are in the process of separating trading entities ie standalone Rural/hardware. The Rural side of the business currently services a growing Hobby/ small farm & Equine market together with an existing Viticulture, Beef & Dairy sector.” In addition to your regular run of the mill stock feeds, Dardanup also specializes in pasture and offer supply and service in seed varietal selection, pasture establishment & management advice, feed planning and measurement as well as soil testing & nutrient balance recommendations along with fertilizer supply. “We run our own independent demonstration plots & benchmark varieties to ascertain which are best suited to our regional conditions,” says Les. “We are always aspiring to go the extra mile for our customers.”

The almost completed store!

While Dardanup Rural Supplies have only been AIRR Members for a short, 6 months, Les and Suzie are already reaping the rewards. “When the AIRR warehouse opened in Perth, Floyd Sullivan, who we knew from his past life, kept us in the loop and we started using the warehouse as a wholesale customer and subsequently learnt more about the AIRR model. Six months ago we made the leap to membership and haven’t looked back. The Perth customer service is terrific , Floyd, Simon, Teena & Sandy bend over backwards to answer our queries and help us find unusual items as well as stocking products in the warehouse which we need regularly. The invoicing comes through really which makes life easier for us, any queries are handled well and we are never fobbed off regardless of the trivial or annoying nature of the query – a very efficient company to deal with. We are kept in the loop with industry developments, pending product shortages and pricing fluctuation as well as taking advantage of national deals. Floyd visits on a regular basis and assists where he can on all business matters.” Les attributes the major benefits of dealing with AIRR to the transparency of pricing together with growing national buying power. “The Perth Warehouse is hugely important for us and its significance will increase with the advent of the Tuckers brand which I see as a great growth opportunity for our business. I have also found the support from national suppliers is very positive. All the national supplier reps that come through are familiar with AIRR from over East and are all very positive which gives me confidence in knowing I am going to get a fair deal together with their support .” Les believes in adding as much value as possible to everything he and his team offers their customers. “This is time consuming and does add to your overhead cost however over time it has proved to be successful by retaining loyalty with a growing customer base. If we can assist our Growers to become more profitable, and by default we also share the benefits.” Dardanup’s growth is evident. Keep an eye out for their new development which is a major milestone in their development. “We are most looking forward to moving into the new premises and developing the Rural busi-

ness further with its own identity. There is plenty of positive opportunity in servicing the Ag sectors if you can differentiate from a price point culture. One of my goals is to migrate as many Growers to decision making based on cost benefit using proven research, trial data, modeling and technical support to reduce their risk. Quite an exciting challenge!”

Page 6 - The AIRR Independent

Building more than fences with the BundyBunna community When the Mingenew-Irwin Group developed a project to fence remnant vegetation with the BundyBunna Aboriginal Corporation near Mingenew in Western Australia they knew they needed some good industry partners to make the project a success. That’s why project manager Jane Bradley asked Waratah fencing to be involved.

Neville_Prince

“The ground on the BundyBunna property is really rocky, hilly and involves a number of creek crossings, so there are a range of environments we are working with. You need specialist drilling equipment to put in the posts on the rocky areas, and the fence will need

to cope with inundation during heavy rainfall events at the creek crossings. “We needed this job to be done right the first time - and we need the fence to last for decades,” Ms Bradley says.

“I knew Waratah made materials to last in a harsh environment like this and that our local sales manager, George Panayotou, had worked with Indigenous communities before, so it was an easy choice to go with Waratah.” The first phase of the project saw 16km of fencing constructed to fence off 400ha of native vegetation. The project isn’t just about fencing. It is also an opportunity for young people from the local Indigenous community to get skills training. “Waratah’s fencing expert Neville Prince ran a workshop for the students, where they watched him build a fence, and then they put up a section themselves. It was a great chance for the students to get access to expert advice,” Ms Bradley says. The younger community members who are working on the project have also been enrolled in a Certificate II in Land Management – a course that will give them a qualification at the end. The Mingenew-Irwin Group gained funding through the Australian Government’s Caring For Our Country Program to carry out the project. “Having worked with Waratah and George Panatoyou before, I knew they would help out wherever possible. Not only did they provide the safety gear, fencing pliers and strainers, they also brought in Neville to carry out fence training at our workshop. “At the end of the day we couldn’t be happier. Waratah has helped us build a great fence, provided young people with valuable skills and we are also protecting high quality remnant native vegetation for the long term,” Ms Bradley says.

Students try their hand at fencing at the workshop run by Waratah’s fencing expert Neville Prince.

The project’s second phase has just commenced with the Mingenew-Irwin Group and BundyBunna community on track to put up another 20km of fencing by May 2013.

Leptospirosis can put you flat on your back for months Waratah’s fencing expert Neville Prince running a workshop for the Mingenew-Irwin Group project with the BundyBunna Aboriginal Corporation.

It’s well known that lepto can damage the reproductive performance of beef and dairy herds. Cattle infected with lepto can suffer from abortions, still births and reduced fertility; these infected animals shed and spread bacteria in their urine, plus during calving, from placental membranes and from aborted foetuses. The bacterium can survive in stagnant water for many weeks. But did you know that lepto can also make people extremely ill? If you pick up lepto when handling cattle you could be out of action for months with severe flu like symptoms that often develop into an ongoing chronic fatigue like illness. Anyone on your farm working with cattle is at risk, and exposure to infected fluids at times such as ‘pulling a calf’ and pregnancy testing is of significant concern. The best way to control lepto is by preventing animals from contracting and/or spreading the disease, therefore minimizing the risk to humans. Vaccination of all cattle is the safest way to prevent leptospirosisi .Did you also know that vaccination with Ultravac® 7in1 provides not only protection to your herd but also has a unique ‘prevention of human infection’ claim. So make sure your cattle are up to date with their vaccinations - all animals should receive 2 doses initially, followed by an annual booster each year.

Protect you herd, your family, employees and yourself.

Donna Rayner, Mingenew-Irwin Group; George Panatoyou, Waratah; Tremayne, Trae and Tennessee from BundyBunna.

Vaccinate your cattle with Ultravac 7in1

The AIRR Independent - Page 7

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Page 8 - The AIRR Independent

Science for growth

Generic picloram triclopyr...

VS cheap on the shelf, but not in the paddock. You get what you pay for

Confidence in a drum

The AIRR Independent - Page 9

Coopers Sovereign makes it easy to tackle liver fluke this spring

Spring is an important time in the strategic management of liver fluke disease in your cattle. Attention to this debilitating disease now can help ensure maximum productivity and profitability of your herd.

Coopers Sovereign is effective in all classes of beef cattle and is used in young dairy cattle, specifically replacement heifers up until 10 weeks prior to calving.

A spring adult liver fluke treatment is essential. During winter the liver fluke lifecycle on the pasture stops and any early immature and immature flukes in the animal grow over winter to become egg laying adult fluke by early spring. These adults contaminate pastures, so controlling adult fluke as a priority reduces your future liver fluke burden.

With Coopers Sovereign you can develop the most effective parasite control program for your business and get the most out of your cattle this spring.

Coopers Veterinary Technical Advisor Dr Damian O’Brien says that while cattle often don’t show any signs of disease with liver fluke, productivity and profitability is at risk. “Cattle infected with liver fluke convert feed to muscle less efficiently. They grow more slowly, are more susceptible to secondary infections and fertility can be decreased.” Now is the time to treat your cattle to kill off adult fluke, minimise pasture contamination and reduce the risk of new infections. By treating with Sovereign in early spring, farmers will dramatically reduce the number of infective fluke cysts on the pasture during the following Summer/Autumn period. Coopers Sovereign provides simultaneous control of adult liver fluke, roundworms and lice, helping to boost productivity and give your cattle a great start to the season.

Visit your local agent or contact Coopers Animal Health on toll free 1800 885 576 for more information.

The strongest gate in the Cyclone range.

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With its easy and convenient pour-on application there’s no need to use an injectable or oral drench for liver fluke and roundworms. When it comes to fluke treatments, Coopers Sovereign has low meat withholds, providing great flexibility when it comes to marketing and selling your cattle. Sovereign has a 28 day meat withholding period, which is shorter than other flukicides, and its’ 70 day Export Slaughter Interval is half that of other products on the market. “Coopers Sovereign uses a combination of two proven active ingredients – ivermectin and triclabendazole. Both active ingredients are safe and well tolerated by cattle and the operator applying the product.

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“Ivermectin is highly effective in controlling the majority of the economically important internal and external parasites of cattle. Triclabendazole is highly effective against liver fluke,” Dr O’Brien said. Importantly, Coopers Sovereign is rainfast, and efficacy is not adversely affected by moderate rainfall either before or after treatment – this provides added flexibility when incorporating parasite treatment into your day to day operations.

www.onesteelcyclone.com.au

Page 10 - The AIRR Independent

By Ross Watson, Consulting Agronomist Ross Watson Agriculture P/L Scone NSW Sourced from his Agronomy News to clients. www.pastureimprovement.com.au

GrazonTM Extra vs the Generics

TECH NOTE

Many producers and some rural merchandise sales people are getting “over excited” about the availability of low priced generic triclopyr+picloram products. These generic formulations are based on the original GrazonTM DS formulation, which only contains triclopyr+picloram. In recent years, Grazon DS was superseded by Dow AgroSciences with Grazon Extra, which contains triclopyr+picloram plus the new highly active product called aminopyralid. Aminopyralid is an extremely active ingredient at relatively low concentrations. It has been shown in many trials, that the addition of the aminopyralid enhances the herbicide activity on weeds previously covered on the old Grazon DS label as well as increases the number of weeds that can now be reliably controlled with a single herbicide treatment of Grazon Extra. You should realise that generic triclopyr+picloram products are not equal to Grazon Extra, so don’t think you are getting Grazon Extra in a generic drum. They are different. My strong advice to clients considering spraying major woody weed problems this summer is to STOP and think about their woody weed control program very carefully before grabbing the “cheap” generic product. There is a saying in life, which tends to hold true in the overwhelming majority of situations, “you only get what you pay for” and I think this could readily apply in this situation.

Let’s Analyse the Situation Currently generic formulations of triclopyr+picloram are retailing at around $460-480/20 L, while the premium new generation product Grazon Extra is selling at around $660-680/20 L. Table 1 highlights the current cost (Dec 2011) of the various products. Yes on first appearances the generic looks like a good buy, with a saving of $200/drum. But in woody weed control programs, the decision of what product to buy “should not be based on the cost of a drum of chemical” but on the reliability of results that can be achieved at recommended rates of application. The cost per drum is a misleading measure of results. From my experience, the reliability of results is paramount when one commits to a woody weed control program, often in difficult terrain, during the summer months. My experience is that producers don’t mind spending the money on a herbicide product if they are more assured of getting a desired or guaranteed result. What they do hate is spending the money on a cheaper product, then having mixing and formulation problems or not getting the result they could have achieved. As then the cheap product just became an expensive exercise !!!!!

Research Provides Confidence Dow AgroSciences, the producers of the original Grazon DS and now Grazon Extra, is continually undertaking major field research programs testing their new products against competitive products, (including many of the generic copies of their original formulations). Their research has repeatedly shown that Grazon Extra delivers extra weed kill results, on tough woody weeds like Blackberry, St John's Wort and Lantana, when compared to the older superseded Grazon DS formulation and generic copies. Trial work on blackberry over 2 years of assessment has shown that 350 mL and 500 mL/100 L of Grazon Extra will consistently deliver superior results to Grazon DS/Generic formuations at 500 mL/100 L. The addition of the aminopyralid in Grazon Extra is significantly enhancing weed kills on many of our tough weeds. Table 1.

Getting Results is critical. No one wants to use a product that runs the risk of not delivering results, having mixing and formulation problems and no technical back up/ support. Woody weed spraying, under typical summer conditions is not the most pleasant task, and one wants to know that when you go, or if you are paying a spray contractor to put the effort in, that you will get the high weed kill results you are expecting. For my money I want results. I would use Grazon Extra at 350-500 mL/100 L and feel confident that the results will be superior to that of the cheap generic formulations. I would also prefer to use the higher application rate of the Grazon Extra to provide some added “insurance” in spray coverage ie if you use the higher mix rate and you don’t get the full coverage you have still got a better chance of a good kill with the higher rate than using a lower rate or certainly the generics.

Labour/Time and Equipment is a bigger cost. The cost of the chemical in a woody weed spray program can often be a minor part of the total cost. In treating woody weeds, few producers consider the labour/equipment cost to treat such weed problems. Contractor spraying costs or even your own time and equipment costs can be a far more significant part of the cost of a woody weed program. For a typical woody weed spraying job, the time and labour costs account for more than 50% of the cost of treating woody weeds and is often 60-70% of the treatment cost. When spraying woody weeds like blackberry and St John's Wort, there is a considerable time and labour required, in moving around the weed sites and the farm, walking around hillsides, pulling hoses around through weeds, timber, rocks etc, refilling and mixing, travelling to and from water supply etc. For example, a single man spraying blackberry might work for say 10 hours in a day and put out say 3000 litres of mix in that time. The contractor labour, equipment and travel costs will be around $700-750 per day. The chemical cost for this 3000 L of mix is around $360 if we used the low rate of Grazon Extra or the generic at full label rates. So in this example the chemical cost is around 33% of the treatment cost, while labour is 67% of the cost. In simple terms labour is two thirds of your treatment cost. Why would you run the risk of using a possible inferior woody weed product, when the time and effort of spraying the wood weed is your biggest single cost. Even if we used the high rate of Grazon Extra the chemical cost for this day treatment would be around $500 or 40% of the cost, while the labour cost is 60% of the cost of the spray program. Labour is a more significant cost than chemical. The more your day of spraying, is about scouting and treating weeds, the more important the labour/time cost becomes and less important the chemical cost becomes. Now every woody weed spray job will involve different amounts of chemical and labour/effort, so you are encouraged to carefully analyse your situation. Even if you or one of your farm staff are spraying your woody weeds, there is a cost for you to do that, in your labour value and the cost of purchasing, operating vehicles and spray gear. Many producers prefer to get in specialist spray contractors for woody weed work, because they know its hard work and usually unpleasant, particularly with summer spraying conditions.

My advice to you • Buy the guaranteed quality herbicide, eg Grazon Extra.

TABLE 1: Product

Mix rate /100 L

Cost per 100 L of mix

Av Control of blackberry at 25 months after treatment from 2 replicated trials

Generic product type (triclopyr+picloram)

500 mL

$12.00

Grazon Extra Triclopyr+picloram+aminopyralid

350 mL

$11.90

Grazon Extra Triclopyr+picloram+aminopyralid

500 mL

$17.00

Ask yourself do you want around 80-100% kill or 50-60% kill. In my opinion, you are much better off, buying a quality guaranteed product, and getting the results. Grazon Extra will deliver superior control compared to a generic triclopyr+picloram product. Grazon Extra at 350 mL/100 L is cheaper than a generic at 500 mL/100 L, and provides superior control. Grazon Extra at the 500 mL/100 L rate produced very high control levels. If you are driven by cost alone, then use Grazon Extra at the lower label rate. If you driven by results, then use the higher recommended rate of Grazon Extra.

• Avoid using generic products due to known formulation issues and possible lower content of active ingredient and formulation stability.

• Buy the products from the companies that do the research and development to provide us with new herbicides and solutions to our pest problems. Dow AgroSciences is a leader in woody weed products, and spends considerable funds undertaking research and development within Australia. They fully guarantee the integrity and quality of their products and what they will deliver. They back the product they produce.

• Mix at the recommended rate, and preferably use the upper rate on the label. • Apply thoroughly to the woody weed target, good coverage ensures good results. • Use safety gear when mixing and applying ag chemicals. • Be aware of herbicide spray drift risk and damage to sensitive crops, pastures and native vegetation, especially when applying these products under summer conditions.

PAGE 1

TECH NOTE

Ross Watson assessing blackberries

End of an era as Werner Heiniger retires TM Registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences.

PAGE 2

TM Registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences.

In May 2012, Heiniger Limited ofﬁcially farewelled long serving managing director Werner Heiniger.

After an illustrious 38 year career, Werner stepped aside for son Daniel to take charge of the company. Respected by those who have had the honor of working alongside him, Werner was a great business man but more importantly a family man and role model to many. Werner’s uncle Hermann Heiniger first founded Heiniger Limited in 1946, fast establishing itself as a quality producer of products and services to the agricultural industry. In 1965 the company manufactured its first electric animal clippers and sheep shearing machines. Entering the company in 1974, Werner played an integral role in Heiniger’s evolution, today recognised as the global leader in design, production and distribution of shearing and clipping equipment. In 1983 Werner took on the managing directorship of Heiniger – leading the company forward with countless achievements including the foundation of daughter companies Heiniger Australia (1981) and Heiniger New Zealand (2002). Conquering the Australasian shearing industry and its demand for quality equipment, Heiniger Australia continued to build product diversity with the acquisition of Elastrator Pty Ltd (1995), TPW Ltd (2000) and Chemical Recovery Company Pty Ltd now known as Heiniger Home and Garden Care Pty Ltd (2005). Werner was always committed to maintaining high standards of safety and quality, recognised with Bureau Veritas certification - ISO EN 9001:2000. Innovation combining safety was the challenge given to Heiniger’s extensive technical team when faced with the challenge of reducing lost time accidents involving shearing equipment – the resulted in the creation of the Evo Shearing plant, the world’s first shearing plant with a safety cut-out switch. The product has today received several award recognitions from Australian government agencies for its contribution to shearer safety.

product range a new state of the art Heiniger production facility was opened in 2010. Werner’s son Daniel Heiniger ofﬁcially commenced employment with the company in 2006. After spending his early years studying and travelling the world, Daniel, with the support of his young family, now looks forward to stepping into his father’s shoes. Daniel has already excelled in the company earning the respect of his colleagues and upholding the same morally astute standards shared by Werner.

Werner will be long remembered for his humble demeanour and the values with which he built the company into the successful powerhouse it is today. The company will continue to move forward with Daniel and the Heiniger team dedicated to the mission of driving research, development and innovation. Whether it’s sheep, cattle, horses, camelids or goats - all around the globe animals are being shorn or clipped using Heiniger equipment. Testament to The past decade has seen Heiniger continuing to expand and innovate. In 2003 Werner introduced Robot Manufacturing allowing Heiniger to produce its combs the vision and hard work of one Werner Heiniger and the professional team he assembled. and cutters with a precise uniformity backed up by quality control procedures. Recognising potential in a new market, Heiniger released its ﬁrst professional Werner Heiniger has accepted the position of non-executive Chairman of Small Animal Clipper. The Saphir clipper released in 2008 quickly developed a reputation for quality and is now one of the preferred choices for professional Heiniger Limited. In his retirement Werner hopes to partake in some overseas travel and enjoy some quality time with his grandchildren. groomers around the world. To account for this rapid growth and growing

The AIRR Independent - Page 11

SOVEREIGN

Makes it EaSy.

During the winter months, something unseen can be happening inside your cattle. Any liver fluke remaining from the previous autumn have now grown into adults and are ready to contaminate your paddocks with eggs. Sovereign is highly effective against these adult fluke.

• Convenient and easy to apply • Low meat withhold

Recent events have shown, the cattle market can be volatile. Many fluke treatments can see your cattle locked out of markets for over 4 months due to their long Export Slaughter Interval (ESI’s). Coopers® Sovereign has half the ESI of other pour-on flukicides. SOVEREIGN POuR-ON

Genesis® Ultra Pour-on

Fasimec® Pour-on

Meat WHP

28 days

49 days

EsI

70 days

140 days

• Kills adult fluke

For more information call TOLL FREE 1800 885 576 and talk to your local Coopers Representative. www.coopersanimalhealth.com.au ® Registered trademark.

Page 12 - The AIRR Independent

GOOD? BETTER BEST (well.... maybe)

CAUTION

KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN READ SAFTEY DIRECTIONS BEFORE OPENING OR USING

Glyphosate 450 ACTIVE CONSTITUTE: 450g/l GLYPHOSPHAT

present as the isopropylamine salt

Contents 20L

The choice is Apparen Not sure about the quality of your Glyphosate, then ask your supplier what wetter they use? We'll be up front - Cachet contains COGNIS AGNIQUE @ 12% and Apparent Glyphosate contains TERWET 3780 @ 12%.

Marshall Seed and Grain Services Sue Marshall

Ben Marshall

Ella Rae with Jono Armstrong

Marshall See and Grain Services commenced business in 1995. The business evolved with changing grower requirements and fertiliser and chemical supply became important components of the business. It is now a dynamic diversified business, providing agronomic services and inputs to grain growers and servicing cattle producers over a wide area of the Central Highlands in QLD. Ben and Sue Marshall have commandeered the store for the past 17 years since the store opened. “In 2007 we made the decision to diversify our business further and start servicing cattle producers which we hadn’t done a lot of in the past. Initially we struggled with suppliers in getting accounts and service from company reps. However, all this changed when we joined up with AIRR in 2008. Being an AIRR Member has enhanced our ability to supply virtually anything to growers at competitive prices. It has definitely improved our ability to service cattle producers.” Ben notes that through AIRR, the store has the ability to access anything for its customers. “We have increased turnover through new market penetration, which is a ‘new’ income for our business. That AIRR also supports small independent businesses, is a great benefit for us. It means we have a solid support system behind

Member

us, which allows us to service our customers better.” The business philosophy for Marshall’s is straightforward, to serve customers with a smile. “Our goal is to have fun whilst doing good business,” says Ben. “The best thing about the industry is the country and the people, and always the satisfaction of a good crop. The market is gradually becoming more competitive from internet sellers, so exemplary service will be the only way to compete against this. Thanks to our connection with AIRR, we can buy a vast array of products without having to worry about minimum order quantities, or dollar amounts.” The team at Marshall Seed and Grain Services are looking forward to a drier spring. “The only constant in agriculture is change in our ever changing crops and markets with commodity cycles, and the swing of farming to cattle and back. The biggest change I’ve noticed in Central Queensland is the pressure from the resource boom on cropping land from coal mines. This is an irreversible change. The cropping land is gone. So for us here at Marshall Seed and Grain Services, it is important that we provide support, great service and value products to our farmers so they can aim to prosper.”

The AIRR Independent - Page 13

The importance of protecting your farm business It is no secret that farming is hard work, even for experienced farmers. Managing the continual threats of unpredictable weather changes, price fluctuations and unexpected accidents is a full time job in itself. But a farm is not just a business; it is also a home and a way of life for farming families. This is why it is vital to have an adequate risk management strategy in place to ensure you and your family are well protected. We all know that insurance is essential for the protection of our business and livelihood, but sometimes it can be a complicated and confusing product to purchase. How do you know that everything is covered, and for the right amount? When choosing an insurance company, you need to find one you can trust. For real peace of mind you want a company that has a demonstrated track record, a strong history and a secure future. WFI, part of Wesfarmers Insurance and proud alliance partner of AIRR, is one of Australia’s leading farm insurers. We have a long and proud history of looking after the people on the land, through good times and bad. From cyclones to bush fires, earthquakes and all types of storms, WFI has handled them all. From experience gained over 90 years, WFI Rural Plan has been designed to provide you with cover for farm property such as buildings, tanks, silos, windmills, fencing and chemicals. It can also cover loss of income, transit, legal liability, farm machinery, farm vehicles and electronic equipment. With WFI Rural Plan, you can choose the level of cover that best suits your requirements so you only pay for what you need. You can even include your domestic insurances in the one integrated package. If you would like to review your insurance policies or you would like further information about our products, contact your WFI local Area Manager on 1300 934 934. Or alternatively you can visit wfi.com.au. With over 160 Area Managers located across the country providing personal service, WFI are good people to know

It’s easy to stop pestivirus haunting your herd.

It takes just two shots of Pestigard® for your females and bulls, to start protecting your whole herd. So act now and vaccinate with Pestigard*. For more information speak to your Pfizer Cattle Product Specialist on 1800 335 374.

*See product leaflet for details of administration and product claims. www.pfizeranimalhealth.com.au Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd, 38–42 Wharf Road, West Ryde, NSW 2114. ABN 50 008 422 348. ® Registered Trademark of Pfizer Australia. AM655 PAL0715/AIRR/QP

Vitamin B12 Trial in Non-deficient Areas PAL0715_AIRR_190x130_v02.indd 1

Vitamin B12 is essential for sheep growth and health. It is required for the production of glucose and energy, which is necessary for growing lambs, pregnant ewes and helps to maximise meat and wool yield. However many sheep may not be getting enough cobalt in their diet to allow them to synthesize adequate quantities of vitamin B12.

11/07/12 10:10 AM

deficient zone. Lambs were randomly allocated into control and treatment groups.

Even in areas not known to be cobalt-deficient, factors such as a higher than average rainfall, grass-based pastures, certain soil types and fertiliser usage may mean that a deficiency is occurring without the animals showing obvious clinical signs but still reducing their overall performance.

At the final weighing on day 106 of the study (70 days after the second vaccination), the average live weights of the treatment groups were 36.2 kg (Glanvac® 6) and 37.0 kg (Glanvac® 6 B12), respectively (p = 0.067). There was an initial difference in the mean live weight between the two treatment groups of 0.3 kg on the first day of the study, therefore the actual difference due to the addition of vitamin B12 to the group receiving Glanvac® 6 B12 was 0.5 kg bodyweight.

A recently conducted study1 compared the weight gains of secondcross lambs vaccinated with either Glanvac® 6B12 or Glanvac® 6 under commercial pasture conditions on a southern Australian farm.

The difference in average daily gain from day 0 to day 106 was 4.8 grams/day in favour of the group receiving Glanvac® 6 B12 with a p-value of 0.093.

397 lambs received 1 mL Glanvac® 6 on day 0 and day 36 and represented the control group. 394 lambs received 1 mL Glanvac® 6B12 also on day 0 and day 36 and were the investigational group of interest. Lambs were approximately 4 weeks of age when the trial commenced and weighed between 5.0 kg and 20.8 kg. All lambs were weighed on days 0, 36, 70 and 106 of the study.

This means that there was over a 90% probability that this difference in weight gain was directly due to the supplementation of vitamin B12. The vaccination of prime lambs using 1 mL of Glanvac® 6 B12 at day 0 and 36 of this study resulted in an improvement in average live weight gain of 0.5 kg over the 106 day period when compared to the group of lambs vaccinated with Glanvac® 6.

The farm selected to conduct this study was located in a granite belt where significant rocky outcrops were located. Ewes and lambs were grazed on a combination of improved (Cocksfoot, Annual Ryegrass, Subterranean clover) and native pastures. No supplementary feed was given to the flock during the course of the study. The property was not located in a recognized cobalt

The result of this trial demonstrates that supplementation of lambs with vitamin B12 in regions not traditionally associated with cobaltdeficiency can increase live weight gains. This supplementation increases productivity and means that, at today’s lamb prices, vaccination with Glanvac® 6 B12 makes good economic sense.

Page 14 - The AIRR Independent

DEAD FAST. DEAD EASY. Extinosad® Pour-On is Australia’s largest selling lice control for sheep. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Knockdown control of lice Kills resistant strains1 Off-shears, long wool and unshorn lambs Nil wool WHP and minimal ESI Low volume, water based formulation

For more information contact your reseller or Elanco Animal Health on 1800 226 324 or visit www.deadfast.com.au

BF9001 *Elanco®, Extinosad® and the diagonal colour bar are trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company. EAH12046

AIRR Members take on New Zealand courtesy of Gallagher Three AIRR members, Hamilton Produce, VIC; Hazells Farm and Fertiliser, NSW; and Ponderosa Timber and Hardware, VIC, had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand with the National Sales Manager for Gallagher Australia, Richard Mullen and Regional Sales Managers Craig Dickinson and Darren Pallant. The purpose of the trip was to give these stores firsthand experience in the Gallagher world headquarters in Hamilton, New Zealand, and a tour of the Gallagher factory. The members had the opportunity to view Gallagher products from the start of production through to the finished product. They were also given a chance to meet staff and learn more about the range. “It was fascinating the size and scope of the machinery used in the process,” said Hamilton Produce’s Tom Sobey. “We also visited two large rural retail businesses, RD1 and Farm Lands. We were fortunate to spend time with both business owners and learn about their products.”

The AIRR Independent - Page 15

mountain, Rotorua. “After lunch, the fun really began,” laughed Monique. “We took a luge trip down the mountain which turned into a hilarious race. The more adventurous members of the group went on the sky swing, which gets up to 150kmpm in 2 seconds!” Rod Hazell summed up the trip as an all-round memorable experience. “Congratulations to Gallagher. Everything I learnt about the company starts and finishes with people.”

Craig Dickinson, Darren Pallant, Tom Sobey

Monique and Tom Sobey described the trip as an amazing experience; “We felt extremely lucky to have been invited to attend. Thank you to Gallagher Australia for allowing us the opportunity, and to Gallagher New Zealand for their wonderful hospitality. The Aussie store owners from AIRR had a great time and we have all made contacts and friendships that will last a long time.”

It wasn’t all about work on the trip however; the members were thrilled to experience the glow worms at Waitomo Caves, and dinner at Waikato stadium with Sir William Gallagher himself. They also spent time with All Backs Richard Kahui and Brendon Leonard. Rod Hazell, of Hazells Farm and Fertiliser summed up the night perfectly “we felt like royalty. The Gallagher staff were so generous. Meeting Sir William and the All Blacks players was a highlight, and gaining further understanding of the culture behind the company was a great learning experience that we will be able to implement into our own businesses.”

Gallagher HQ

Hamilton Produce & Hazells

Gallagher Mystery Creek Field day

The members were treated to a five star experience, travelling to the Mystery Creek Field day (the biggest farm field day in the southern hemisphere) by helicopter. “Viewing the field day from the air was a sight to be seen it was so huge and such an amazing experience,” said Monique Sobey from Hamilton Produce. “We spent the day wandering around looking at the diverse array of products and rural supplies. Time was spent asking lots of questions and getting lots of new ideas to take home and use to benefit our customers.” The stores were treated to more of the great Kiwi hospitality, attending the Gallagher awards dinner, visiting natural hot mud springs and geysers, sampling local foods and wines, and taking a trip up the gondola for lunch overlooking the great

Gallagher post luge

Gallagher site at a Field Day

Rod showing fine form on the luge

Trip to Rotorua

Left to Right, Dianne, Sir William and Rod Hazell.

Page 16 - The AIRR Independent

From where are most Agricultural Chemicals sourced? And does it matter?

Agricultural chemical production has been in decline in western countries for the past decade as multinational corporations (MNCs) engaged in the business move the production function off-shore principally to China and, to a lesser extent, India. There are both push and pull factors involved in this decision. The push factors are the tougher environmental regulations that have been implemented in western countries in recent years, while the principle pull factor is the lowcost manufacturing base found in China. China is also the centre for the production of intermediate chemicals that are used in the production of agricultural chemicals.

over Chinese products raises two important issues. Firstly, under Australian regulations managed by the Australian Pesticide & Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) all brands of a particular product are deemed to be of identical quality. Therefore, if a farmer considers a particular label to be of a lower quality then he or she may request APVMA to analyse the product to prove otherwise.

even though the actual source was a plant in China.

There are also several products that have never been produced on scale in the west. These are generally highly dangerous products, such as Aluminium Phosphide, that were considered too unsafe to produce in built-up areas close to western cities.

The irony of the above is that China is now implementing an even tougher environmental regulatory regime than found in the west, and that recent significant increases in wages have resulted in a rapid move towards automation in the Chinese chemical industry. (The author recently visited a new, state-of-the-art plant in China which produced 3,600 MT of Trifluralin Technical per annum, but was staffed by only 40 employees). However, the agricultural chemical industry will never be welcomed back in the west.

Secondly, it is distinctly possible that the active material in the western product may come from the same plant as the active material in the Chinese product. There are now around 700 manufacturing plants in China producing active material and in many cases formulating end-user product. Approximately 100 of these plants focus on the export market and include MNCs among their customers. Many of these Chinese plants supply MNCs with their own proprietary products and, indeed, in several cases, the MNC may have even exited from production of its proprietary product. In certain cases, MNCs may have invested in Chinese plants to guarantee supply. For example, Syngenta owns a Paraquat plant in China and Nufarm has invested in Fuhua, a leading Glyphosate manufacturer in China.

There has been a trend in Australia for the past decade, albeit a diminishing one, for farmers to exhibit preference for a product formulated from active material produced in the USA or Germany over active material produced in China. MNCs have obviously capitalised on the trend because the practice clearly benefits their products. However, the preference of the farmer for “western” products

Some MNCs buy their active material on a longterm contractual basis while others “buy on spec”. The situation becomes confusing when a centralised purchasing function in the head office of the MNC buys the active material from China - which is then distributed around the world. Thus when active material arrives in Australia from Basle it is only natural to assume it was sourced from Switzerland

APPARENT is not too proud to admit that one of the key criteria used in selecting a plant from which to source a particular active, is to examine (where possible) the plant’s customer base. If the plant supplies an MNC we can safely assume that the MNC has completed due diligence. For example, Good Harvest our Glyphosate producer supplies two MNCs (one in the US and the other in Europe) and holds a registration in the US, the most onerous of all the global regulatory regimes. By the way, other selection criteria used by APPARENT include chemical analysis to ensure product quality, financial analysis (and occupational safety and environmental control) to ensure longevity of supply, price to ensure competivity, production capacity and growth capability, packaging and location, noting that proximity to a port is a major advantage in a country the size of China. Thus when the MNC representative next criticises the APPARENT product because it is produced from Chinese active, ask him if he knows the real source of the active in his own product. He may be surprised to learn that the active material is sourced from the same plant for both his and the APPARENT product.

‘we go to greater lengths’

SILAGE Film

Pit STORAGE

NETwrap

Baling TWINE

Degradable FILMS

GRAIN Bags

STRETCH Films & Pallet WRAPPERS

Recycled PLASTICS

www.ipstretch.com T: 1300 479 727

MULCH Films

The AIRR Independent - Page 17

FIND OUT BEFORE THEY DO In a world ﬁrst, Gallagher i Series Fence Energizer Systems allow you to quickly and easily monitor your fence performance, informing you of any problems immediately so you can take action to save time and money. Find out how i Series Fence Energizer Systems can open up the lines of communication between you and your fence by visiting www.gallagher.co

www.gallagher.co

Management considerations when using lousicides

Most Australian sheep and wool producers apply a pour-on ‘backline’ treatment within 24 hours of shearing to prevent and/or control lice infestations. Widespread resistance to insect growth regulator (IGR) compounds means many producers are now relying on fast-acting, nonresidual ‘knockdown’ products.

may impede the spread of pour-ons.

when they are wet or if rain is likely.

Always read the label directions before use and apply the selected product in accordance with the label directions. Determine the correct dosage according to age/weight and usage situation and dose to the heaviest body weight in the mob.

These include Avenge (imidacloprid), Eureka Gold (diazinon), Maverick (abamectin) and Extinosad Pour-On (spinosad). Regardless of which product is selected, good agricultural practice is essential to ensure best results so that sheep remain clean through to the next shearing.

After treatment, check all sheep at the end of each run to ensure correct application. Retreat any sheep that have been missed or incorrectly treated. Sheep treated with some products might have to be confined in the yards for a short time to improve the spread of product around the body via rubbing and/or physical contact with other sheep.

Do not mix treated sheep with untreated sheep, infested sheep or those of unknown lice status. Any sheep introduced to your property should undergo a careful quarantine to prevent disease outbreaks of lice infestations. If the introduced sheep are in long wool, it poses additional treatment difficulties.

It is important that all sheep on the property are treated at the same time. Split-shearing and the application of a pour-on to lambing ewes should be avoided, as they risk mixing treated sheep with untreated sheep. The presence of lambs also poses another challenge. Some active ingredients can be highly toxic to lambs. Meat withholding period and export slaughter interval also needs to be considered, as they can impact marketing options. Muster each paddock thoroughly and conduct a second muster if necessary. Check boundary fences to prevent untreated or lice-infested sheep from joining treated mobs. Ensure sheep are cleanly shorn. Grass seeds, lumpy wool or flystrike can hinder shearing and

Rainfall occurring after treatment may affect the level of lice control provided by some products. It is good agricultural practice not to treat animals

Apply all lice and blowfly treatments as part of an integrated pest management program (e.g. visit liceboss.com.au). To protect against the development of resistance, the most important thing to remember is to rotate between products with different modes of action. For more information about controlling lice in sheep, contact Elanco Animal Health on 1800 226 324 or visit www.elanco.com.au

Page 18 - The AIRR Independent

A Powerful Combination

INTRODUCING New

A combination of two powerful actives in one convenient dose. New eclipse delivers the power of a combination in a pour-on. A whole new level of parasite control for Australian beef producers. Brutally effective against all major internal parasites – including those resistant to endectocide drenches – eclipse delivers a level of parasite control you simply can’t get from conventional, single-active products. Take your parasite control to the next level. Double strength eclipse.

Twice the Pour-on now at your AIRR reseller.

Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D, 12-24 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113 (ABN 53 071 187 285). ®eclipse is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. ©2011 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. ECLP-10-000 A SANOFI COMPANY

Cattle Drench Resistance in the backyard Eclipse_AIRR_190x260.indd 1

Drench resistance in cattle could become a serious threat to farm productivity in NSW, potentially costing millions in lost earnings if cattle producers don’t take appropriate action to protect their herds against harmful worms, according to the NSW State Worm Control Co-ordinator, Dr Stephen Love. “It could very easily get out of hand if farmers aren’t aware of the issue and take necessary action,” warns Dr Love. “Cattle farmers are only just becoming aware that resistance is a real issue for them because now it’s in their own backyard and not just something they hear about from sheep farmers. There’s deﬁnitely need for a lot more education among cattle producers around the dangers and causes of drench resistance,” says Dr Love. While the beneﬁts of using combination drenches on sheep are widely acknowledged, Dr Love says many cattle farmers are unaware that combination drenches have now been formulated for cattle. “There is no doubt combination drenches are much more effective than single active drenches in combating the growing problem of drench resistance in cattle. The challenge now is for that awareness to reach producers so that, depending on their situation, they can take the right action,” says Dr Love. Combination drenches include two or more actives which work together to effectively kill parasites, as it is much less likely that worms will be resistant to two actives simultaneously. “The trouble with using single active drenches all the time is that you are heading towards resistance a lot faster. A combination drench is the

13/04/12 4:12 PM

optimal way to go and the earlier we get in with using them the better,” explains Dr Love. While the issue of drench resistance in sheep is quite well understood, Dr Love says the results of recent on-going research shows that parasites affecting cattle are also developing drench resistance, but that in many cases beef producers are not aware of the problem, or that their productivity may already be suffering. Based on the worm count data being seen in recent surveys in major cattle producing regions of the State, worm control coordinators have concluded that there is a high chance producers could suffer very signiﬁcant productivity losses in their herds. “We’ve had repeated surveys and trials in NSW, QLD, VIC and WA and there’s now strong evidence that resistance is posing a threat. It’s important for producers to nip the issue in the bud before it becomes an unmanageable problem across the State,” says Dr Love. “We got in later than we should have with sheep. We shouldn’t wait until the problem gets away from us to take action in cattle. As new combination products become available farmers should be using them from day one. The earlier we get in the better,” he advises. Until recently, there were no combination drench solutions available for cattle producers in Australia. In light of the increasing awareness about drench resistance among cattle, leading animal health supplier Merial Australia has developed the country’s ﬁrst combination pour-on for beef producers: Eclipse combination pour-on for cattle. Eclipse contains two powerful actives – abamec-

Dr Stephen Love tin and levamisole – in one single dose, creating a whole new level of parasite protection. The abamectin component works to kill a broad spectrum of internal and external parasites, while the levamisole component works to kill ML-resistant strains of Cooperia and Ostertagia. “Farmers love using ML products for cattle and a lot of them use ML all the time. The advantage of Eclipse is that it has unrelated actives as well so from a resistance point of view, and an efﬁcacy point of view, Eclipse is better than using a single active drench of a similar activity length,” explains Dr Love. Worm control coordinators recommend that farmers carry out worm checks on their herd, and include a combination product into their drench rotation to keep on top of the issue. “Including a combination product in your drench rotation would be the best step at this stage,” suggests Dr Love.

Fence like a contractor

The AIRR Independent - Page 19

Ever wondered how your fencing contractor achieves that professional finish in good time? Well the trick may be in the tools. Waratah has released two new fencing tools designed to increase speed and ease-of-use when tensioning wire across a wide range of applications. The Wizard® Contractor Wire Strainer and Gripple® Contractor Tensioning Tool are the two new products that Waratah’s fencing expert Neville Prince swears by. “Using the Contractor wire strainer for the first time myself there was noticeably less effort needed to strain the same load when compared to ordinary strainers,” Neville said. “These savings in effort really add up over a big job and in the end that means that you can get the job done faster and to a higher standard.

provide greater leverage,” Neville said.

“It’s a heavy duty strainer that handles bigger fences and all types of prefabricated products that require those larger strain loads.”

“It also has a quick release jaw that allows you to grab or release the wire without the need to operate the handles, and the quick release setting key allows you to position the Gripple correctly before you apply tension, increasing the ease of operation.

With a 720mm steel handle, the Wizard Contractor Wire Strainer has increased leverage that can apply the same load to almost any fencing application with 30 per cent less physical effort (compared to a standard Wizard wire strainer). For existing fences and day-to-day maintenance, the Gripple Contractor Tensioning tool is a durable and user friendly tool for use with the Gripple series of products to join and tension short strains of wire. “Compared to the standard plastic Gripple Tensioning tool, the Contractor model is made from steel. It has longer handles and a geared head, which

“For knocking over those small fencing jobs faster while doing a quality job, the upgraded steel Gripple tensioning tool is great to have on hand.” As with all Waratah products, the Wizard Contractor Wire Strainer and Gripple Contractor Tensioning Tool are designed for Australian conditions. For more information about these and other products in the Waratah range, contact your local Waratah representative on 13 10 80 or go to the website www.onesteelwaratah.com.au

Every sheep, every dose, every time Worried about drench resistance? Protect your sheep with the Triple Drench Power of TRIGUARD®. A high quality and very stable triple active formulation, with the power of abamectin, for reliable broad-spectrum parasite protection. TRIGUARD provides a full dose of 3 short acting ingredients to every sheep, with every dose, every time – to help delay resistance. TRIGUARD – your ﬁrst line of defence. It’s no wonder TRIGUARD is Australia’s No #1 Combination Drench*. * (MAT March 2012) AVCARE. Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D, 12-24 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ABN 53 071 187 285. ™TRIGUARD is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. ©2012 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. TRIG-11-000. Adze 6067

Page 20 - The AIRR Independent

Sprayerbarn & Parkes Farm Centre Parkes NSW was once famous for having the largest radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere located in the middle of a sheep paddock. The movie “The Dish” made the town and its efforts in the 1969 Apollo 11 mission known to a new generation of Australians. These days, neither the history nor the movie has changed the town much, but there is still that sense of local community pride. Steven Blaxland of Sprayerbarn & Parkes Farm Centre supports the community through sponsorship of the show ring, the trotting and poultry clubs and the light horse troop.

Sprayerbarn & Parkes Farm Centre

“The store as ‘Parkes’ has been open for 20 years or so,” says Steven. “We have had the pleasure of running the store for the last four years, and have been an AIRR Member all that time. I was raised on an Irrigation farm in Forbes NSW, and became a plant mechanic, sales and fast forward a few years, I started Sprayerbarn. When Parkes Farm Centre became available, well, it was in a great location, and my wife Debbie was heavily involved in horses, so we took the plunge and bought it!” From humble beginnings, Sprayerbarn and Parkes grew from one staff member to seven in just two years. These days, Steve’s team now consists of Director Daniel Szymkow, wife Debbie Blaxland, the equine specialist who runs the office and equine side of the business, Keigan Blackstock, Taylor McDonald, Maree Cooper, Mat Wade and Tim Lawler, who all specialise in various areas of pet, produce and agri-care. There are two sides to the business, the Parkes Farm entre looks after animal health, ag chem, rural & hobby farm supplies, while Sprayerbarn supplies ag spray components, trailing and self-propelled sprayers and is a major reseller / fitter of trimle ag GPS steering systems. “Our region is very competitive, however we are aiming to specialise in animal health products and agricultural spraying components, which sets us apart from our corporate counterparts,” says Steven. “Having the added bonus of access to AIRR means we have access to a number of suppliers and products, without having to put too much time into sourcing products for our customers. We can buy ‘one off’ products from the warehouse from suppliers that would normally be too hard to buy from, as well as cutting down our accounting time with only one bill to pay.”

Marie Cooper - Sprayer Barn

Keigan Blackstock, Tim Lawyer and Tayla Mcdonald - Sprayerbarn

“The best thing about dealing with AIRR is the support system we receive. The model and financial side of the business are completely transparent, for us it’s been a really simple way to do business, plus the added bonus is, as the AIRR business grows, so too does our business. We are able to spend more time with our customers at the front end of the business, and are constantly growing our product range – especially in the animal health and equine sectors,” marvels Steven. “We deal with a number of honest and reliable customers who value our service, and thus make our day enjoyable. We are in the process of putting together a new point of sale system to make our business more efficient. Hopefully our growth and increased efficiency, combined with AIRR’s growth, will make us into an extremely welloiled machine. While online sales and automated sales processes will become more popular, I believe customers will still seek reliable and sound advice, and this can only come from Independently Owned stores.” Matt Wade - Sprayer Barn

The AIRR Independent - Page 21

Jurox Animal Health backs Rural Australia Following two years of sustained, strong growth Jurox Animal Health has embarked on a major expansion to its Hunter Valley, NSW manufacturing facility. “Driven by rapid growth in sales and product volumes in recent times, an $8M development has commenced that will significantly increase the capacity of the plant” commented Managing Director Dr John O’Brien. “Our manufacturing facility is one of the most highly accredited in the southern hemisphere; we were the first manufacturer in Australia to be awarded GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) accreditation by the APVMA and are approved to supply products into many global markets including Europe and the Americas. New or expanded facilities are under construction for the veterinary pharmaceutical and endoparasiticide production areas, together with increased warehousing capacity. A new dedicated building for R&D laboratories and office space is underway, and the current Regulatory Affairs and Chemistry facilities will be significantly increased and refurbished. These upgrades will further enable Jurox to consistently meet the needs of Australian primary producers with products of world class quality. Jurox is a 100% Australian owned Company and we are pleased to invest further in local veterinary pharmaceutical infrastructure that will benefit rural Australians and their livestock,” Dr O’Brien concluded. Head of Sales and Marketing Joe Bown added “Apart from these investments helping our sheep and beef cattle product portfolios, our intramammary antibiotic facilities will be expanded and upgraded. Jurox is now the only Australian manufacturer of intramammary antibiotics for the dairy sector and the extra capacity and efficiency of the new plant and equipment, combined with a specific ANZ research focus, will position the Company well for future growth”.

w w w. j u r o x . c o m . a u Jurox Pty Limited, 85 Gardiner Street Rutherford NSW 2320. Customer Service: 1800 023 312 ABN 56 000 932 230. ® Registered trademark of Jurox Pty Ltd.

AUSTRALIA’S

JUR0018_Q-drench_Press_v04FA OL.indd 1

ANIMAL

HEALTH

COMPANY

10/07/12 11:50 AM

For the financial year just ended one of the stand-out performers was Q-drench Multicombination Drench for Sheep. “Sales year-onyear for Q-drench grew very significantly and this followed growth in the previous year when volume nearly doubled”, Mr Bown stated. “While in recent times the whole sheep drench market has grown due to favourable seasons and strong lamb and wool prices the growth of Q-drench was way in excess of the market generally. Graziers have really latched on to the costeffective and very broad-spectrum benefits Q-drench offers, particularly where they want high efficacy and are targeting liver fluke and other parasites as well as worms.”

Nathan Hutchinson and Dr John O'Brien checking construction progress at the Jurox Hunter Valley site

Page 22 - The AIRR Independent

Celebr Over

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AT I N G 2 5 Y

! ! e ate with Mitavit

$80,000 worth of prizes to be won

The AIRR Independent - Page 23

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AT I N G 2 5 Y

Follow these 3 simple steps for your chance to win... STEP 1 Purchase a specially marked E

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AT I N G 2 5 Y

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If you are a lucky winner, claim your instant prize by visiting our website www.mitavite.com.au or call 1800 025 487.

PRIZES INCLUDE • John Deere CX Compact Gator • John Deere D130 ride-on mower, poly cart & spreader • John Deere JS36 walk behind mower • Two trips to NZ Horse of The Year 2013 (to the value of $3,000 each) • Horserail fencing products • Two Southern Stars Saddlery Saddles • Hay Gain 1000 Hay Steamer • Five $1,000 Musto clothing vouchers • 900 bags of Mitavite • Over 100 Mitavite clothing packs

Like us on Facebook to follow winner updates www.facebook.com/mitaviteaustralia

www.mitavite.com.au Conditions apply see www.mitavite.com.au. Standard call costs apply and will not exceed 55c. Mobile phone call costs may vary dependant on telephone supplier. Open to Aust. residents 18+. Starts 9am AEST 1/7/12. All prize claims must be received by 5pm AEDST 28/2/13. Must retain original receipt(s)/invoice(s). Winners of prizes $250+ published in The Australian 5/3/13. Promoter: Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd (T/AS Mitavite), 203-209 Northumberland St. Liverpool, NSW 2170. (ABN20 008 447 345). Phone: 1800 025 487. NSW Permit No. LTPS/12/3806 VIC Permit No. 12/1095 ACT Permit No. TP12/1788 SA Permit No. T12/867

Page 24 - The AIRR Independent

Major Move for Better Service

Tapex Pty Ltd has relocated its agricultural division to a new purposebuilt distribution centre and offices at Derrimut in Melbourne’s western suburbs, 18 kilometres from the central business district.

Palastart Stop – Specially Formulated Scour Treatment

Some readers may remember that the area was home to the Mount Derrimut field station of the University of Melbourne from 1964 to 1996 which focused on agricultural studies, trials and research. The brand new facility is located at 47 Castro Way, Derrimut and includes an extensive warehouse. The move will result in an improvement in transport logistics and customer service for AIRR stores and customers. Tapex Australia’s new phone number is 03 9361 8100 and the fax number is 03 9361 8199. They can be contacted by email at customerservice@tapex.com.au Join Club 70! As part of the upgraded customer service Tapex has established Club 70. There are some great opportunities for AIRR customers who use Silotite silage film wrap and who join up with the new Club 70. It’s called that because users of Silotite can take advantage of Silotite’s five layer film consistency that allows it to be stretched up to 70% from its original length. This extra stretch means you can wrap more bales per roll saving time, money and waste. Tapex will be making exclusive offers available to Club 70 members. So to increase the cost-efficiency of your operation by using the world’s latest silage film technology as well as getting the occasional extra roll, send an email with your details to club70@tapex.com.au

With spring calving rapidly approaching and many parts of Australia experiencing variable weather conditions now is a great time to consider your management program for scours. Treating scours can be a costly and time consuming process which often results in serious setbacks to the health of animals including weight loss. Probiotec who are well known to many AIRR customers as the manufacturers of Palastart Milk replacers recommend Palastart Stop which is a specially formulated scour treatment. Palastart Stop is a specially formulated, unique feed supplement designed to treat scours in calves and other animals of all ages. The addition of Palastart Stop to water, milk or milk replacer when an animal is scouring can help to stop the scour, rehydrate the animal and provide an extra energy source. Palastart Stop can also help to protect young animals when they are undergoing feed changes, suffering from transport and temperature related stress and problems associated with lack of colostrum uptake. Weight loss caused by scouring will be minimised when Palastart Stop is added to milk or milk replacer. This also means that Stop is easy to use as it does not require a separate feeding routine. Palastart Stop contains fruit fibres, glucose, electrolytes, and a specially formulated vitamin premix along with vital salts. The addition of Glycomax LactoferrinTM (a bioactive glycoprotein from bovine milk) in Palastart Stop may play a role in supporting and complementing the immune system. Palastart Stop also contains Immunoglobulins to support the gastrointestinal tract, improve digestive function, and overall wellness. Palastart Stop is a complete scour treatment containing Glucose for energy, electrolytes to replace those lost through diarrhoea and fruit fibres to slowdown the passage of the rehydration solution and may also coat inflamed intestinal mucosa. Palastart Stop is available in convenient and resealable 1, 2, and 5 kg pails. For further information on Palastart Stop contact Probiotec on 1800 067 919 or visit Probiotec’s website www.probiotec.com.au

The AIRR Independent - Page 25

��

STOP SPECIALLY FORMULATED SCOUR TREATMENT

Munga – Meeting the Needs of Horses Surprisingly, with all the feeds on the market, it can be a challenge for owners and trainers to find a feed that meets the needs of their horses. The Equine Veterinarians, Nutritionists and Scientists at Mitavite have formulated a flexible, palatable, concentrated, low starch, grain free feed in a simple package. We have called it Munga. Munga addresses the nutritional needs of horses by providing: Low Starch and Sugar levels Starch and sugar are readily broken down into glucose and used by the horse as an immediate source of fuel or stored for later use. High starch and sugar diets can contribute to excitability and poor behaviour. Keeping levels low helps to avoid difficult temperaments and over excitement. Poorly digested starch can pass through to the hindgut disrupting the delicate balance of microbes, leading to problems such as acidosis, laminitis, diarrhoea and colic. By feeding low levels of starch, hindgut overload is minimised. Low Feeding Rates Munga is a nutrient dense muesli blend, allowing low feeding rates for good doers and laminitic or foundered horses. By providing a concentrated blend of protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, Munga fed with adequate roughage, provides good doers with a ration that is balanced without excess energy that can contribute to weight gain. Wheat and Grain Free Horses that have an intolerance or allergy to wheat or other cereal grains can be fed Munga. Munga does not contain any wheat or cereal grains. Well profiled amino acid levels and protein to build and repair muscles and top line Poor top line and muscling has a negative effect on stamina, strength, appearance and work tolerance. To increase muscle mass a correctly profiled protein and amino acid level and an ideal muscle to fat ratio needs to be fed, such as that found in Munga. High Fat and High Fibre Concentrate A high fat, high fibre, low starch diet is preferable to horses with metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, or horses that have genetic muscle disorders such as Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) and Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (RER), or have an inability to digest starches well in the small intestine. Munga boasts an oil level of 12.5% and a fibre level of 13.5%. Optimal digestion in the Small Intestine Munga incorporates the latest feed processing techniques such as steam extrusion and roasting and rolling to improve digestion in the small intestine.

Page 26 - The AIRR Independent

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Rapidvite Industries Pty Ltd is proud to have AIRR and Tuckers Food & Produce, warehouse and distribute its range of quality Vitamin and Mineral supplements from within AIRR’s national network. Rapidvite was established in 1973 and is located in Victoria, Australia. Rapidvite manufactures high quality animal nutritional products using natural ingredients for all horses, racehorses, greyhounds and other pet animals. The early use of Rapidvite resulted in horses succeeding in events such as The Melbourne Cup, Harness Racings - The Inter Dominion and also Olympic Trials. The formulation of products for greyhounds saw Graeme Bate, a top Australian Greyhound Trainer and “Hall of Fame” member, introduced to the Rapidvite range of products. Graeme's comment on the product, Vite-Amino GB, "This product is that good I will put my name to it", was too good to ignore so we took him up on the offer, hence "GB". Rapidvite’s product range has been built around a group of products conveniently found in our “Starter Packs”. These packs contain 6 core products specifically formulated to enhance the condition of your animal. Each pack contains enough product to last over a month when used as per the program and diet included in the pack. Rapidvite also manufactures products that target specific needs whether the need is treatments for muscle strains, poor coat condition, poor appetite or joint relief. Besides manufacturing and selling to distributors there is a free expert advice service available from Rapidvite to animal owners, trainers and others via the helpline 1800 774 999. Further information on the Rapidvite product range can be found at www.rapidvite.com Rapidvite is one of the largest companies in Australia of its type; we have an excellent reputation with known and reliable animal nutritional products. Rapidvite have an approved Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) establishment and many of our products are registered with the APVMA. Proudly Rapidvite was one of the first companies to obtain GMP accreditation. Rapidvite has been a supporter of the Greyhound adoption program (GAP) and sponsors many events for the adopted greyhounds and will continue to support this great cause.The Rapidvite Team is excited about the development of the relationship with the AIRR, Tuckers Food & Produce groups and will be continuing research into developing, manufacturing and marketing a quality range of products for the Animal Industry.

The AIRR Independent - Page 27

NATURE DOES IT BEST :Vitagran Seaweed Meal for Livestock Vitagran Seaweed Meal is one of the richest known sources of natural organic minerals and vitamins ever discovered. It is a general purpose, organic, chemical free vitamin and mineral supplement made from 100% fresh seaweed. Seaweed has been used for centuries throughout the world, for medicines, shampoo, human food and animal feed. Vitagran Seaweed Meal is clean and easy to handle, suitable for feeding to all types of animals - from race horses to cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, alpacas, dogs and poultry. It is a rich nutritional package with a great natural source of iodine and has a huge range of over 60 minerals and vitamins making it an ideal stock supplement. As the minerals and vitamins are present in a naturally balanced form, there is no danger of overdosing. The vitamins and minerals in Vitagran Seaweed Meal occur as complex substances that are naturally chelated, and are readily absorbed by animals.

vitamins and minerals required by stock and at the same time resulting in more production per kg of feed consumed. Vitagran is easy to administer and absorbed within hours, it can be mixed with feed rations or fed ad-lib. Sub clinical or difﬁcult to detect problems can be quickly remedied, with improvements in general health noticeable in 3-7 days. Some of the outstanding beneﬁts that farmers have noticed are listed below: Cattle - Beef Increased weight gains on less feed over controls Increased fertility, insuring better breeding Reduction of back fat Improved health, resulting in less disease

Cattle – Dairy Increased butterfat in milk Increased Vitamin A content in milk The presence of alginate in seaweed meal allows Production loss minimized during stress period for more efﬁcient utilisation of other dietary com- Prolonged lactation period ponents. This has led to many stock feed manuIncreased hemoglobin content in blood facturers adding 1-2% Vitagran seaweed meal to their proprietary brand stock feeds, as this has Poultry – Broilers been found to result in better feed conversion. More rapid gains on less feed Vitagran Seaweed Meal can be used at very low Reduction in mortality levels in any feed to provide a wide range of the Better feathering, means healthier birds

Increased pigmentation More meat on the shanks Poultry – Layers & Breeders Increased hatchability of eggs Reduction of blood spots Prolonged laying period in old hens Increased yolk pigment Reduced coccidisis Reduced egg breakage – more uniform shell texture Pigs Rapid gains make marketing weeks earlier Increased loin length and size Larger loin eyes Increased litters More meat and less fat per carcass Reduction of worms Sheep Increased number of lambs Easier drops during lambing Longer ﬁbre – better quality wool Vitagran is available in 5kg, 20kg and 1000kg.

For Further information contact email: miltond@multicrop.com.au : Ph (03) 8720 2100: www.multicrop.com.au

VITAGRAN SEAWEED MEAL ®

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Organic mineral feeding supplement to promote improved animal health.

10g0an%ic Seaweed Meal granules r O

Available in 5kg, 20kg and 1000kg.

For further information contact: miltond@multicrop.com.au Phone: (03) 8720 2100 www.multicrop.com.au or your local AIRR store 3264M

Page 28 - The AIRR Independent

Positive ways to train your Dog

Training is an important part of any Dog's life, as it provides mental and physical exercise as well as enhances the bond you have with your Dog. When training your Dog it is most important to use reward training, often called “positive reinforcement”, as you are rewarding your Dog for the good behaviour they have just demonstrated. Reward training has long been recognised as both highly effective and a positive experience for the Dog. Rewards may be in the form of a tasty food treat, or verbal praise such as “good Dog!” Reward-based training also involves ignoring any ‘unwanted’ behaviours, for example, begging for food at the dinner table. This indicates to the Dog that unwanted behaviour does not get your attention. If you react to 'unwanted' behaviour by yelling, getting angry and even picking them up this will inadvertently reinforce the behaviour , as these are forms of attention and attention reinforces the undesired behaviour. For some Dogs, any form of attention/reaction from the owner is better than no reaction at all. We have some helpful quick training tips for you to teach your Dog some new tricks, so you can both be the envy at the Dog park! Remember, keep your training sessions short, have fun and make sure you finish on a positive note! Teaching your Dog to “Sit”: • Choose a quiet place with minimal distractions • Hold a tasty treat in your hand just above your Dog’s nose • Say nothing at this step, and then slowly move your hand with the treat between your Dog’s ears. You will see their bottom move towards the ground. • As soon as their bottom reaches the floor say “SIT” and give them the tasty treat! • Once you have given the treat, tell them what a good Dog they are! • Repeat this several times and then finish the training session with your Dogs favourite game Teaching your Dog to lie “Down”: Now your Dog has learnt to SIT, teaching them to lie down is easy. • Choose a quite place with minimal distractions • Ask your Dog to sit, using the tip above • Hold a tasty treat in your hand just near their nose, then slowly move your hand down to the floor between their front paws. This hand motion will become a signal for your • Dog to lie “Down” or “Drop”. • Lure your Dog to the ground by moving the treat along the floor from between their legs to out in front of them. As soon as their laying on the floor say “DOWN” or “DROP” and give them a tasty treat! • Once you have given the treat, tell them what a good Dog they are! • Some Dogs will not like to lie down so please be patient, this will happen over time Repeat this several times and then finish the training session with your Dogs favourite game Teaching your Dog to “Leave” it: This trick is especially useful to teach your Dog not to eat rubbish, chew shoes or chase the neighbour’s cat while walking down the street. • Choose a quite place with minimal distractions

• •

Hold a tasty treat in your hand in a closed ﬁst Show the treat to your Dog but don’t allow them to have it Wait for them to stop pawing or nuzzle your hand for the treat As soon as they stop and look at you and not the treat say the words “Leave It” When you have their attention and they are no longer focused on the treat say the words “Take It” or “OK” and give them the tasty treat Dog they are! Repeat this several times and then ﬁnish the training session with your Dogs favourite game

• • • • •

There are also many different reasons why we should use treats for our dogs: •

Special Occasions (e.g: Christmas, B'Day, World Animal Day, etc)

• •

Going out for a length of time and leaving the dog at home Post vet check up & worming/ ﬂea treatment day

It is always recommended that when you are looking for suitable treat, look for all natural and made with real ingredients. RUFFS are guilt free treats for dogs, made from high quality ingredients.

So you won't have to hold back on treating your dog. And because no two dogs are exactly the same (that's what we love about them, right?), there's a huge range of doggishly good RUFFS treats to choose from.

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Page 30 - The AIRR Independent

Tonic Plantain - Just The Tonic For Lambs A 20 hectare paddock of Tonic Plantain sown last October has earned high praise from Ararat lamb specialist Paul and Dennis Harrington. The Harrington’s run up to 4000 ewes weaning 130 percent of lambs to terminal sires, so they are well aware of what it takes to grow and finish lambs successfully. Dennis Harrington said they had been encouraged by their experience with a stand of Tonic Plantain that had performed very well through last summer and continued through the drier than normal autumn and early winter. As well as the bulk of feed it produced he said the palatability and feed quality made this a valuable addition to their feed options. Finishing lambs prior to sale can be difficult at times but Mr Harrington said first cross wether lambs that were finished on the Tonic had “seemed to harden up and came off in good sale condition and in fact weighed better than they looked.” This comment supports research into Tonic Plantain that has shown increased liveweight gains as well as regular differences in dag

scores from animals grazing Tonic Plantain compared with other pasture options. Tonic is a fast establishing productive, persistent and highly palatable grazing herb. Its deep taproot and tolerance of drier conditions enable it to out yield perennial ryegrass by up to 20% in summer. Tonic is a large leaved, erect type, with greater winter growth, making it suitable for rotational grazing on sheep, dairy and beef properties. Another farmer who is pleased with his results from using Tonic is Douglas Menon who sowed 25 acres of Tonic ‘n’ Lucerne in 2010 on his property near Moyston, Victoria. The Tonic and Stamina 5 mix from Stephen Pasture Seeds provided the high quality feed and flexibility he needed to finish prime lambs over the summer. Prime lambs were grazed when the pasture was at a full beer can height and the lambs were removed when the pasture was a squashed beer can. “I found this to be an easy and effective way to manage the grazing management to maximise the pasture. With the Tonic plantain we have more flexibility and can hold the lambs to get a better price.”

The pasture has also been used to graze the merino ewes, Doug also noticed less dags and less flystrike as a result. “At shearing time in March there were no dags on our ewes which was a great benefit as well.” Before sowing Douglas recommends talking to an agronomist to make sure the site and the paddock preparation is right for sowing and is suitable to rotate stock on and off easily. Preparation is key as with all pastures. “In the two years before the mix was sown we made sure the paddock was clean of weeds especially broadleaf weeds which can knock the Tonic round during establishment. The paddock was sown with a fodder oats to assist with cleaning the weeds especially broadleaf weeds.” “It costs so much to prepare a paddock that you can’t skimp on the costs of seed – next time I will sow at a heavier than recommended rate as you end up with a much more productive paddock. While the paddock we sowed the Tonic and Lucerne mix in wasn’t flash all my neighbours have noticed it asking; why do you have green feed when everything else is brown?” Field day on Tonic Plantain

Dennis Harrington in Tonic pasture at Ararat, Victoria

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The AIRR Independent - Page 31

The Flexible Forage Herb “It looks fantastic and there are no health issues. It is just good tucker.”

Paul Harrington, Prime Lamb Producer - Ararat

Benefits & Uses In Forage Systems • Highly productive with excellent regrowth

For further information on Tonic Plantain contact your local AIRR retail store

• Dense root system with excellent persistence • High liveweight gains when used as a pure stand • Adapted to a wide range of soils, rainfall and other climatic conditions

Distributed by:

• Can be sown with forage brassicas and legumes

Victoria & South Australia Ph: 03 5335 8055 www.stephenpastureseeds.com.au

New South Wales & Queensland Ph: 1800 224 987 www.auswestseeds.com.au

Silage Formula ® Quality Black/White Covers for Silage, Hay and Grain The Best Option for Fodder Conservation

Using wide width black/white poly covers is still the most cost effective and safest method to store silage. Not only will it last longer than stretch wrap, it is less likely to be affected by birds and rodents, as the film presents a thicker and stronger barrier between your valuable fodder and the outside elements trying to get in. Other enemies of stored silage are oxygen and light penetration, which can turn your feed into a mouldy pile of waste. Black/White heat-reflective Silage Formula ® covers offer thick gauge to reduce oxygen diffusion, a white top layer to reflect summer heat and a black underlayer to prevent light penetration all in the one cover. Peace of mind. Some stretch wrap films have poor tack, stretch and UV stability. The very thin gauge film can be damaged easily and has a short shelf life. Summer temperatures can also have an adverse effect on these types of films. Add machinery problems like pre-stretching to the mix and you may find it wise to think twice. Silage Formula ® is a triple layer UV stabilised film available in a range of sizes from 6 metre to 45 metres wide, or can be ordered to suit your specific needs. Silage Formula comes in two gauges, 150UM for pasture silage and 200UM for coarse silage. The white side faces up to reflect heat and black side faces down to prevent light from entering. In Australia we have a diverse range of seasons and weather where only a good quality cover will protect your precious fodder. A thin gauge, cheap film initially costs less but a good quality silage cover

will save your feed. Insist on Silage Formula ® branded covers, as every roll is printed with size, gauge and date of manufacture for your peace of mind. Tips • Cover and seal off silage quickly after ﬁlling and compacting. • Ensure airtight seal is achieved to avoid aerobic spoilage. Bury edge of plastic with soil not sand. • Create slope to allow water run off • Use weights to hold cover down, car tyres, old hay bales, Silage Formula ® gravel bags or strapping – not rope or twine. • Check cover regularly for holes (if stored under a treed area) and repair with a good quality Silage Formula ® repair tape

• Use this seasons cover over next seasons cover for added protection • Keep cover tight, as wind-ﬂap will reduce cover life very quickly Silage Formula ® is manufactured in Germany under strict quality controlled conditions with a high UV stabiliser built in for the harsh Australian climate.

Page 32- The AIRR Independent

action now will have potential ﬂow-on effects for the autumn season. Simple and easy ways to prevent infestations or eliminate the conditions that are conducive to pests include removing food sources and maintaining good hygiene and sanitary practices.

SureFire continues to ﬁnd favour with many AIRR customers and we’re predicting a busy Spring season after another wet winter.

Remove any pet and household waste. Eliminate all potential mosquito breeding areas including clogged roof guttering, downpipes, old tyres and debris.

Following on from the cold, damp conditions of winter the arrival of warmer weather provides ideal conditions for populations of annoying pests like termites, mosquitoes, midges, mites and lawn grub to ﬂourish. Whilst we don’t expect rats and mice numbers to be high, we consider they will remain an irritation well into the Spring season.

Be on the lookout for anything that might catch and hold rain, maintain rain water tank inlets and outlets. Secure and plug any abnormal external cracks and crevices in the home or out-buildings. In keeping with low-toxic treatment options, don’t underestimate the value of physical control methods. It is for this reason the Sureﬁre brand includes a wide range of rat traps, mouse traps and glue-boards, as well as some pretty neat new-age electronic mouse and rat traps too, just quietly.

Early action is required to minimize the impact these pests will have, not only on Spring pastures and crops, but in and around the home. Losses or damage generally occur early in the season and

We’ve designed and manufacture our own lockable

rodent stations made from high-impact resistant plastic and they offer improved tamper resistance. They come in two convenient sizes - large and small, and in two profiles – low and high. However for many, chemical treatments remain the stalwart of an effective pest management strategy. Surefire’s range of granular and liquid insecticides represent an essential element of a responsible integrated pest management approach. For example, our newly introduced Surefire Antstar granular insecticide is a convenient ready to use formulation for the control of nominated turf pests, including ants, fleas and ticks in external surrounds. When the granules are placed or scattered where they attract the ants, the ants pick up the bait and carry them back to the nest. Our Surefire Mosquito and Midge Slayer is just that – a purpose built liquid insecticide for the control of adult mosquitos and midges. Both these products complement Surefire’s existing range of affordable and value for money insecticides that provide systematic control of a broad range of insect pests for turf, ornamentals, crops and vegetables and in a variety of areas and situations including domestic, industrial, commercial and public buildings.

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Our Surefire Spectrum 200SC also now features a label for subterranean termites in addition to the pests associated with turf, ornamentals, crops and vegetables. And of course we manufacture and stock our reliable Surefire Insectigone, the proven performer and a perennial favourite for the control of cockroaches, spiders, silverfish, houseflies and more. It’s no wonder people say to us “Surefire…Sure Thing!”

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of Quality silage covers & repair tapes. Covers available from 6M to 45M widths.

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Winfred’s reputation is well earned

The AIRR Independent - Page 33

Winfred forage brassica is a highly respected cultivar that has earned this reputation from farmers who keep coming back to grow this versatile, multiple grazing brassica. Winfred has proven itself over a wide range of sites across Australia and its ability to hold on through dry and hot periods has really reinforced Winfred’s reliability.

Winfred is a turnip x kale cross so looks like a short, multiple stemmed leafy kale. It has a high leaf to stem ratio compared to similar traditional forages and has the advantage of a soft stem. This is an important feature to encourage palatability and results in excellent utilisation and high animal intakes. An important attribute of Winfred is its multiple grazing tolerance, it can be expected to contribute 2-4 grazings over a season, dependent on climatic conditions.

Winfred is ideal for lamb ﬁnishing and as part of a pasture renovation programme

Winfred forage brassica is seen by many farmers as an important part of their pasture renovation approach which generates valuable feed for lamb fattening or for use in dairy and beef ﬁnishing systems and also starts the process of cleaning up run down paddocks. A Winfred crop can be sown in autumn or spring and is generally followed up with an annual ryegrass pasture with the aim to return the pasture to perennial ryegrass in the following autumn. Winfred is ideal to reduce reliance on feed supplements and for relatively low cost Winfred delivers high quality feed that is ideal for ﬁnishing stock. For more information on Winfred forage brassica contact your local AIRR store or call Stephen Pasture Seeds for all VIC and SA enquiries on 03 5335 Winfred forage brassica from Agricom is a short stemmed, leafy forage option that is ideal 8055 and AusWest Seeds for NSW and QLD enquiries on 1800 224 987. for sheep, beef and dairy farming systems

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Page 34 - The AIRR Independent

Unilever’s Cleaner Planet Plan

AIRR members have been selling OMO, top and front loader and Drive in the bulk 10kg and 12kg conventional powder mix packs for many years now. Unilever Australia and New Zealand, who manufacture these products, have now ceased production in the old conventional blend mix. This completes a key step in Unilever’s Cleaner Planet Plan to halve the environmental impact of doing the laundry by 2020. Specifically by moving to a 2x concentrate powder there are now less unnecessary chemicals added into each wash, as well as a significant reduction in packaging required and therefore packaging waste.

The good news is that the market has been supplied the 2x concentrate formulation since early 2009 in the retail supermarkets. AIRR members will now have access to the 2x concentrate in a variety of brands and formulations in 5kg and 10kg pack sizes. These brands include OMO top and front loader, Drive and Surf. Although the boxes are smaller, the new 2x concentrate formulations now have twice the enzyme power in each gram of powder. That means you dose less for the same wash result – so a box of the NEW OMO 10kg 2x concentrate will give you up to double the washes than the old 12kg conventional blend formula. This also

means saving your back by only picking up and moving a smaller carton around when purchasing washing powder from the AIRR outlet or moving the product around in the laundry at home. No more tripping over the big box or bucket in the laundry, the 10kg box has 2 of the 5kg packs inside, which should fit nicely in the laundry pantry. Support your local AIRR member, pick up your Unilever brands and help sustain our environment for our future.

Insecticides & Rodenticides Insecticides

For more information please contact Diversey on 1800 251 738 or your local AIRR store.

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The AIRR Independent - Page 35

o o rationale imports

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THE FASTEST AND MOST RELIABLE GREASE GUN IN AUSTRALIA 0 5 . 9 15

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The history of www.speedygrease.com.au Australian owned and worming! number 1 for value

12/8/2011 8:39:48 PM

Up until the late 80’s horses were “bombed” or tubed regularly with Benzimidazole (BZ) or white drenches. Then the revolutionary discovery of Ivermectin (Macrocyclic lactone) changed the face of worming forever.

How do we treat for worms? Basically the best way to treat worms and minimise resistance is to adopt a “Test and Treat” regime as well as implement the normal accepted environmental or “Farm” management strategies.

You could relatively and easily worm your own horse at home inexpensively with a broad spectrum drug. It didn’t do all parasites but with the addition of a few other ingredients a bit later on, they soon did. So from about 2000 onwards everyone used Ivermectin based products to worm horses, sheep, cattle, goats etc.

Your veterinarian can do a relatively cheap FEC (Faecal egg count) before and after worming to tell you exactly how your current worming product is working on your property and which horses are high shedders that need broad spectrum treatment (for instance – Ammo Allwormer that contains Abamectin and Morantel Tartrate (Tetrahydropyrimidine family)!

Unfortunately widespread resistance in now seen amongst farms that have used Ivermectin based products for long periods.

At other times it may be valuable to use a rotational style wormer such as Ammo Rotational (Benzimidazole family). If A newer family of wormers containing you have been using wormers such as compounds such as Morantel tartrate ﬁt those that contain Ivermectin into the Tetrahydropyrimidine family. (Macrocyclic lactone family) for many Rotational worming – Or changing family years, it’s a good idea to see if you of worming drugs was introduced to try actually do have a resistance problem and combat this widespread resistance. and if you need to swap over to a more targeted worming program. Talk to However we now know that this is poorly your vet for further advice on Testing understood and carried out. It’s hard to for worms and about an environmental know if you have a problem, which ‘New’ management strategy for your farm. worm paste to change to and for how Happy worming! long.

In a marketplace which would appear to be increasingly urban focused, some would agree that it is refreshing to come across a range of products which are made for the rural pet, by an Australian owned company who has the rural customer at the forefront of its mind. Located in Windsor, approximately one hour West of Sydney, Hypro Pet Care is a highly respected manufacturer, producing our Original Adult Complete® and Original Working Dog® for the rural market over many years now. The rapid growth in popularity of these two products has paved the way, in recent years, for the introduction of our highly successful DOGPRO ‘PLUS’®, TRUE VALUE®, SUPERIOR GREYHOUND NUTRITION® and CATPRO®. The rural market runs in the ethos of everything we do at Hypro Pet Care; in doing so, our business is relentless in our desire to understand and meet the needs of rural pet owners. Whether it be for the active working dog helping you muster your cattle or the stay at home moggy who prefers to spend its day sleeping under a tree, we recognise the important role that pets play in the lives of our customers and the communities in which they live. The wide range of varieties we produce, allows our customers to choose the products best suited to their pet - all our foods are highly palatable, readily digestible and contain the essential vitamin and nutrient rich formulas to best meet the needs of your pet.

Page 36 - The AIRR Independent

WHAT IS OPTIPAK PLUS? Optipak plus is a calf milk replacer manufactured using a blend of milk powders. It is formulated to supply a specific amount of protein, energy, fat and lactose. In addition, Optipak plus contains essential vitamins and trace minerals, and an anti-coccidial.

SPECIFICATIONS The specifications of Optipak plus have been designed to assist the calf in achieving its potential growth rates under proper rearing conditions.

BOVATEC®

Coccidiosis is a disease caused by parasites that rupture the lining of the intestine. The eggs (called oocysts) are easily found in the calf’s environment and once they infect the calf they can reproduce and spread rapidly. Extreme signs of infection include a bloody scour and dehydration. However low levels of infection may not show symptoms but will have a negative effect on growth rates and feed efficiency. Bovatec® is an anticoccidial which will give the calf protection while it builds up its own immunity to the parasite.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN CALF REARING PROGRAMS. Feed Optipak plus at the same temperature each feed (ideally 35-40oC) Feed at the same time each day – calves are less stressed when they are accustomed to routine. Take the milk to the calf rather than the calf to the milk. Always have fresh clean water available at all times. Keep the calves dry and draught free. Ensure the housing has good ventilation to prevent the build up of gases such as ammonia and carbon dioxide. • Feed colostrum for the first 24-36 hours as a minimum. • Offer palatable concentrates and clean roughage from day 1 and ensure they are always kept clean and fresh. • Practice sound hygiene by using a good disinfectant to wash pens between batches of calves. Clean the shed regularly to prevent the build-up of disease causing microorganisms. • • • • • •

UNIT 2, 84–92 BARNES STREET TAMWORTH NSW 2340

Last year Rocky Point Mulching acquired the NGIA award-winning Green Fingers Potting Mix, a manufacturer of professional potting mix, soils and composts to the professional and wholesale market. This resulted in a signiﬁcant improvement in the quality of our growing media range. This spring Rocky Point Mulching have released new and exciting bags with an emphasis on high quality, value and excellent presentation. Combine this with the best grow results available on the market and you end up with a great gardening experience.

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Buy the best premium potting mix available on the market! Rocky Point Mulching’s Premium Potting Mix has been given a complete makeover. Outstanding growing results are achieved with a 3 stage fertiliser addition, providing essential nutrients to plants for up to 9 months. The mix contains a long list of goodies to keep you coming back for more!

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After endless grow trials conducted using current manure/compost blends on the market, Active 8 produced maximum growth straight out of the bag. It is a well-balanced soil improver and planting mix, designed for the home gardener to plant directly into with no fuss. It is available in a 30L bag.

The second new product is organic Garden Soil. These include slow release fertiliser & controlled Created using organic based products including release fertilisers, zeolite, seaweed extract, actual soil, this product is boosted with a slow gypsum, lime, iron, humates, soft rock phosphate, release fertiliser and gypsum; this certified fish protein, trace elements and minerals and a Garden Soil meets Australian Standards 4419. quality This amalgamation of Green Fingers Potting Mix naturalReal wetting agent. Allhas this returned. combines with Rocky Point Mulching’s organic Garden Soil is with Rocky Point Mulching has meant we are Three the quality practice procedures of NIASA and generations of Australian farmersa great starter when creating new garden beds, now able to provide the finest bulk potting mixes Australian Standards to produce this certified and improving clay based soils. It is available in producing the best quality potting mix available. in retail bags to you the customer, throughout premium product (AS 3743). Your plants will a 30L bag. Australia. Try it and see for yourself – the proof never complain with this mix. It is available in is in the grow trial results we are seeing. We handy 30L bags or Jumbo 60L bags, for those big knowledge To be partpacked of the best thing bag since the hills 30 years of expert into every A great Australian family owned and operated challenge you to put our mixes to the test! pots you’ve had your eye on. The story doesn’t hoist you need to pop in to your local store Find us on Facebook company stop there. and demand Rocky Point Mulching products. We constantly strive to be industry leaders in The fresh approach we are taking is ensuring quality, consistency, service and price. Rocky Rocky Point Mulching has two new exciting every product in our stable is quality driven, Point Mulching is synonymous with the highest products available for spring. The first being performance dedicated and most of all born out quality – in an age where price is king, we pride organic Active 8, as the name states, there are of what the great Australian Gardener has asked ourselves in taking no short cuts and deliver 8 active ingredients working to enhance and for. what we promise regardless of research and sustain the best growth for plants. Active 8 meets For the full story, visit our website: www. development expense. Australian Standards 4454. rpmulching.com.au

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• 1 HAND 2 HANDS OPERATION The AIRR Independent - Page 37 • EASY TO USE • HIGH CAPACITY • NO BLEEDING REQUIRED

Italian Gun Speeds up Workshops Across Australia 60kg magnet

PRODUCT LAUNCH: Patented Italian-made Speedy Grease™ technology is now available for the first time Down Under. Offering a genuine 11,200 PSI – this system offers a unique alternative to traditional guns with twice the pump rate. Greasing guns have remained unchanged in Australia for over 70 years. These often ‘pain in the hand’ systems has caused endless frustration for mechanics, from leaky greasers to air bubbles that cause delays and lack of pressure that just draws the whole job out. Italian made Speedy Grease™ has officially launched onto the market in time for 2012, promising a simple and reliable alternative to the current crop of grease guns available in Australia. Speedy Grease has no movable and wearable parts, works on suction instead of pressure from a spring, works perfectly in cold weather and delivers twice the lube speed. “The seal makes all the difference. It creates a vacuum and allows the operator to bleed the gun by pushing the seal with their fingers. A larger and longer than normal piston allows the gun to pump out more grease,” said National Sales & Marketing Manager of Rationale Imports, Sergio Scassaioli. Add to that 11,200 PSI and Speedy Grease™ can now officially claim to have the highest capacity gun on the market, with less arm-breaking work.

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“This system is far more user friendly, allowing the user to choose from double or singlehanded use thanks to the 60kg magnet, located conveniently on the ﬁxed handle. And use the 80cm ﬂexible hose extension to when you need the extra length,” he said. Speedy Grease™ says their simple three step process for using the gun also saves operators time.

“Just unscrew, prepare by inserting the pullover, insert any 450g cartridge and re-screw. That’s it. We are not in the business of carrying spare parts, like other brands, our guns are that robust we back them under a 2-year warranty - no questions asked. “We feel lubricating machinery is a serious business that can take up a lot of time for businesses. Now transport, earthmoving, agricultural and mining applications can maintain and lubricate machinery the easy way,” added Sergio. Sergio Scassaioli, who migrated from his

12/8/2011 8:39:48 PM

homeland of Italy in 1968, has enjoyed an extensive career in lubrication sales working for major brands, yet it was not until he came across the unique Speedy Grease™ product that Sergio decided to go it alone. Now importing exclusively under the Rationale Imports banner, Sergio is proud to have brought Speedy Grease™ to Australia’s shores.

“Rationale Imports understands the limitations of existing lubricants on the market and aims to deliver a truly superior product. “In my more than 25 years in this industry I have yet to see a technology quite like it. Don’t take my word for it though, trial this gun for yourself and see the difference ﬁrst hand,” he said. Speedy Grease is available for $159.50 via a national distributor network. See www. speedygrease.com.au for details. For more information please contact: Sergio Scassaioli tel: 1300 856 703 +61 0478 079425 email: rationale@optusnet.com.au web: www.speedygrease.com.au

Real quality has returned. Three generations of Australian farmers producing the best quality potting mix available.

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30 years of expert knowledge packed into every bag A great Australian family owned and operated company

Page 38 - The AIRR Independent

User feedback shapes updates for customisable TSi data collector Gallagher has released version 1.5 of APS Office for PCs and its Smart TSi. Mike Hemsley, product manager for weighing and electronic identification (EID) systems, says the update has some significant enhancements, along with new features. “The updates have increased the TSi’s value to existing users, plus opened it up to new markets. “For instance, its capability to separately record fleece weights, without interfering with the animal’s weight gain, will make the TSi highly attractive to wool producers. There’s also the ability to name different weight types, such as 100-day weight, 200 and so on, and do a report with these as separate traits rather than all just being a single line weight. Users can also choose whether or not to add the result to daily gain. “Likewise, stud producers will find the pedigree trees, which go back to an animal’s great grandparents, highly useful to display or print.” A better report-writing system allows farmers to create their own reports from sessions or for selected animals, without exporting data to spreadsheets. The user can then save the report template to re-use, print, email or save in a CSV (comma separated values) format. “It’s expanded beyond set reports, so the individual user can report on exactly what’s important to their operation.” Mr Hemsley says enhanced filtering allows farmers to filter animals on any traits, activities or life data they have collected. “So they can find a group of animals that they last vaccinated with 5-in-1, for instance. “Enhanced filtering also allows farmers to filter animals that are not in the session, as well as on an and/or basis. What’s handy about that feature is sometimes farmers have animals in an induction session, but run them with another mob. Next time they might notice they are three animals short, but which three? Enhanced filtering will give the answer, and it’s easy to use.” Improvements to the animal lists allows users to select and arrange just the

life data columns they want to see in the main animal list and save those selections for future use. “Gallagher has also made improvements to the calculated values feature, allowing farmers to record a projected live weight at a certain time,” Mr Hemsley says. “They might also want to draft on that particular calculated value — say all animals with a live weight of X in 28 days, in preparation for sale. “Calculated value has become quite a useful tool. Farmers can record what they paid for the animal, record what they sold them for, and work out gross margins on particular animals. It’s a fantastic piece of software now.” Mr Hemsley says version 1.5 is the ﬁrst of three planned updates in the next 12 months. “Gallagher is committed to ongoing R&D to make our products even more useful for farmers. It’s worth noting too, that these enhancements and additions have come about because customers asked for them, making the TSi a really relevant tool.”

TALON® NOW AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL AIRR MEMBER l Single feed results l The preferred brand of Professionals l Kills rats and mice l No resistance worldwide

For further information please call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice Line on 1800 022 035 ®

Registred trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. * Bitrex is a registered trademark of Macfarlan Smith Ltd

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The AIRR Independent - Page 39

CCD Animal Health has been in operation since the early 70's and is a leading distributor of quality animal health products to the Australian Market. CCD Animal Health was recently purchased by new owners and is a stand-alone business. Our customer base consists largely of feed mills, rural retailers, intensive animal production enterprises and veterinarians. We distribute throughout Australia from the eastern states with our dedicated customer service staff and distribution network at Tamworth and major cities. Our personnel have a strong customer focus ensuring product is delivered promptly and competitively to where it needs to be. Our staff has extensive product knowledge, industry experience and a long association with rural markets and is therefore well placed to assist you with your requirements. CCD is proud to be associated with AIRR and its network of dedicated Rural Retailers and looks forward to working with you to supply quality products to your rural customers

CCD Animal Health dedicated customer Service center and warehouse complex.

CCD Sales Manager David Sherwood discussing Product’s with Delegates at the Australian Cattle Veterinary Conference 28-30 March 2012

At CCD we: • Supply competitively priced specialized Calf Milk Replacer products to the dairy industry through AIRR Rural Retailers • Supply high quality Competitively priced Rock Salt for the horse, sheep and Cattle industries through AIRR Rural Retailers • Carry a comprehensive range of Animal Health products at competitive prices to AIRR Rural Retailers • Offer excellent service, prompt response and delivery to AIRR rural Retailers • CCD sales staff regularly call on AIRR Retailers to promote and support CCD Animal Health products Unit 2, 84-92 Barnes Street, Tamworth, NSW, 2340 Phone: 1300 791 009 Fax: 1300 798 005 Email: ccdsales@ccdanimalhealth.com.au Website: www.ccdanimalhealth.com.au

Take the Strain out of Fertilizing Your Crop,

Consult the Specialists

SLTEC Fertilizers in Partnership together with AIRR members deliver: • A large range of conventional and organic liquid fertilizers • High quality, plant available nutrients for horticulture, broad acre, pasture, turf & landscape and hydroponics • Seed Dressings, Popup (Soil Applied & Banded), Fertigated, Foliar Options available • Custom blends • Experienced agronomist support, injection systems and technical support • Products available in multiple pack sizes (20 L, 220 L, 1000 L and bulk) • Bulk fertilizer storage tanks for lease or purchase (5,000 L to 32,000 L)

1800 768 224 Contact your Local AIRR Member today or call us for more information about SLTEC Products and Services: Sustainable Liquid Technology Pty Ltd (SLTEC) – 2055 Finlay Road, TONGALA VIC 3621 T: 1800 768 224, E: enquiries@sltec.com.au Regional Agronomists: VIC: 0407 317 288 • 0407 318 813 • 0407 317 202 • 0407 319 913 • 0437 317 020 NSW/QLD: 0407 317 713 SA: 0407 317 242 TAS: 0447 317 011

w w w . s l t e c . c o m . a u

Page 40 - The AIRR Independent

AgVantage Metabolic treatments

Sheep and cattle encounter a range of metabolic conditions. These range from sub-clinical to life threatening. All metabolic conditions have a serious impact on livestock health and production levels. AgVantage have a full range of metabolic products that provide a solution for all major metabolic conditions, including options for prevention and treatment. Metabolic disorders are associated with complex processes of the animal’s metabolism. The most common metabolic conditions we encounter are: • Milk Fever • Grass Staggers or Grass Tetany • Ketosis • Fat Cow Syndrome (Fatty Liver Syndrome) Milk fever – complicated by concurrent phosphataemia and hypomagnesaemia Treatment – Minject 4 in 1 This is a condition that relates to a drop in blood calcium levels. It is normally seen in high producing dairy cows in the 48-hour period pre or post calving. This typically occurs when calcium levels are drained from the blood into the milk at calving. The animal is unable to adjust its metabolic requirements quickly enough to mobilise calcium deposits from its bones into the blood. Sheep can also experience this problem. The symptoms for this are: • Loss of appetite • Constipation • Cold Ears and Dry muzzle • Muscle weakness or co-ordination, which may cause the animal to “go down” Milk Fever – without complications caused by imbalances of minerals other than calcium. Treatment – Calject This again is a condition that relates to a drop in blood calcium levels. It is normally seen in high producing dairy cows in the 48-hour period pre or post calving. This typically occurs when calcium levels are drained from the blood into the milk at calving. The animal is unable to adjust its metabolic requirements quickly enough to mobilise calcium

deposits from its bones into the blood. Sheep can also experience this problem. The symptoms for this are the same as for Milk Fever with complications: • Loss of appetite • Constipation • Cold Ears and Dry muzzle • Muscle weakness or co-ordination, which may cause the animal to “go down”. Once a cow is “down” it may be difficult to initially determine which of the above conditions has caused the problem. If this is the case it is recommended to use Minject 4 in 1. Grass Staggers or Grass Tetany Treatment Mag-Sulph This condition relates to inadequate levels of magnesium in the cow’s system. Cows are unable to naturally store magnesium in their bodies and as such they require a minimum daily intake. If daily output exceeds daily intake then Hypomagnesaemia occurs. This is common in the spring when cows are lactating and expelling high levels of magnesium through their milk. Rye grass, which is naturally prevalent during this period, is known as a poor source of magnesium compared to other fodder and exacerbates this condition. The symptoms for this are: • Loss of appetite • Bellowing • Muscle spasms or convulsions • Muscle weakness or co-ordination, which may cause the animal to “go down”. Ketosis and Fat Cow / Fatty Liver Syndrome Treatment: Dextron (and Acedex) This condition occurs when the animal’s energy requirements exceed its energy inputs. With the animal’s glucose energy stores exhausted, fat reserves are required to be converted into energy. This is common in the weeks post calving when energy requirements are at a premium. Ketosis occurs when the cow metabolises fat at a faster rate than the liver can process or ‘metabolise” it. When Ketones are produced more quickly than they can be absorbed, the animal will suffer from Ketosis. This is potentially detrimental to vital organs such as the liver, and leads to reduced production.

Fatty Liver Syndrome occurs when the liver cannot process fat stores at the rate they are being mobilised. The excess fat in the liver causes health complications, and the concentration of fat in the liver does not fall until all positive energy levels are returned. This can take up to 10 weeks during lactation, and a large amount of damage can occur over this period. The symptoms for these conditions are: • General Lethargy • Very little or no muscle twitching • Poor appetite • High incidence of Milk fever, Ketosis or Mastitis post calving • Rapid weight loss post calving • Reduced milk production Support products: Cal- Jet oral Cal-Jet oral is an oral calcium drench, which is most effectively used in conjunction with Calject, or Minject 4 in 1. The injectable products main strength is that they provide an immediate response. However, they will typically only provide the required blood calcium levels for around 6 hours. Cal-jet oral takes longer to enter the blood system as it is administered orally. If Cal-jet oral is administered after the injectable product, within the correct time frame it can provide sufficient blood calcium levels for up to 24 hours. Vitamec D3 This product is the only preventative treatment for Milk Fever. Containing a special formulation of calcium compound, this treatment should be injected by IM injection 8-2 days before the expected calving date. It provides approximately 8 days of protection against Milk fever. This preventative treatment should be considered for all livestock that have a history of Milk Fever, are over 5 years of age, or go into calving with a fat score of over 3.

Agvantage’s Trevor Wood with Mike & Tom Sobey at Sheepvention 2012

If you have questions relating to Metabolic disorders please contact your local AIRR Member, Farm Consultant, Nutritionist or Veterinarian for specific recommendations for treatment and prevention of metabolic disorders.

The AIRR Independent - Page 41

Bulk liquid fertiliser demand drives change

Demand for larger quantities of bulk liquid fertiliser has led SLTEC Fertilizers to install a new weighbridge and loading facility for B-doubles at their Tongala manufacturing plant in Victoria's Goulburn Valley. The company is now routinely sending 30,000 litre shipments throughout NSW, Victoria and South Australia and is forecasting volumes to increase. Director Jamie McMaster said that with more trucks and longer distances involved it had become quite difficult to manage with off-site weighing. "We decided that if we were going to install our own facility it had to be capable of easily handling the largest tankers. "Turnarounds are a lot quicker now and we can load either on or off the weighbridge. It's much more efficient and the only way to keep pace with growth. "Our next step will be the installation of an overhead loading gantry that will be better again," he said. There has been a strong uptake of liquid fertiliser globally and Mr McMaster notes the same trend is now emerging in Australia. "It used to be mainly horticulture but we are now seeing a lot more interest from broadacre, dairy and cotton farmers. "Liquid overcomes the problems of volatilisation which can cause significant losses of nitrogen to the atmosphere when using granular product. Even a dewy morning can cause problems. "At current prices our liquid nitrogen products are slightly more expensive but farmers are really beginning to understand the advantages," he said. "There’s the immediate hit from the 50% of ammonia and nitrate in the mix, quite apart from the reduced loss of nitrogen. "And we can also add in 3% of QuadSHOT. It's a biostimulant that reduces burn and assists with nutrient uptake," Mr McMaster explained. The 28 metre, 80 tonnes capacity weighbridge will also give dealers more flexibility when ordering, according to logistics manager, James Scambler. "We can fill multiple compartments in a tanker with different products and accurately measure each component of the order," he said. "It will lead to more efficient transport options for dealers and farmers."

Mr McMaster said cotton farmers had become major users of liquid fertiliser. "We’re now well positioned to meet orders for large bulk quantities and expect to be sending a lot of B-doubles into central and northern New South Wales, and the Riverina this coming season. We’re even expecting orders from northern Victoria as the industry continues its southward march."

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Page 42 - The AIRR Independent

NEW S OUT H WA L E S

AMPS Commercial Pty Ltd BA Moses Pty Ltd Beaumonts Produce Pty Ltd Berry Rural Co-Op Browns Rural Supplies Bundarra Realty and Rural Supplies C&H Merchandise Candelo Stockfeeds Cleanseeds Pty Ltd D & J Rural Services D&R Stockfeeds Dubbo Pet & Stockfeeds Farmers Barn Pty Ltd Farmers Warehouse Forest Lodge Seed & Rural Gibbs Farm Centre Grazag Pty Ltd Grazag Pty Ltd Hazells Farm & Fertilizer Inverell Rural Supplies JD’s Hardware & Rural Supplies JD’s Hardware & Rural Supplies Leigh Stoddart & Co Pty Ltd M&N Produce MacCallum Inglis Macleay Valley Rural Supplies McAlister Saunderson Stubbs Pty Ltd McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services McGregor Ag Services Mingoola Rural Traders Muddles Farm Centre Mullion Produce Murrumbateman Rural Supplies National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd Norco Alstonville Norco Armidale Norco Bellingen Norco Bowraville Norco Casino Norco Coffs Harbour Norco Dungog Norco Glen Innes Norco Grafton Norco Inverell Norco Kempsey Norco Kyogle Norco Lismore Norco Macksville Norco Murwillumbah Norco Tenterfield Norco Woolgoolga Nu Rural Services Pete’s Dairy Supplies Pitman Deakin Pty Ltd Raymond Terrace Rural Traders Roth’s Produce Sargents Rural Supplies South East Rural Supplies Sprayerbarn & Parkes Farm Centre Stock & Crop Sydney Equestrian Supplies The Farm Shop Blayney Turnbull Fuel & Produce Webb Bros Rural Supplies www.farmerswarehouse.com.au Pty Ltd

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QUEENS LAN D & N O RT H E R N T E R R I T O RY

02 6747 4988 02 6977 3100 02 6657 2389 02 4464 1209 02 5881 2433 02 6723 7100 02 6828 3444 02 6492 5588 02 6238 0000 02 6845 4278 02 4655 5433 02 6884 2793 02 6543 1999 02 4932 0855 02 4821 4000 02 6297 3151 02 6770 3400 02 6770 3400 02 6762 0115 02 6722 5929 02 4832 1906 02 6385 1603 02 6375 1342 02 6352 4605 02 6540 1234 02 6567 1588 02 6944 1155 02 6722 2911 02 6724 1201 02 6729 1010 03 6757 3838 02 6793 7411 02 6729 1010 02 6754 5242 02 6737 5312 02 6585 2333 02 6361 7499 02 6226 8777 02 6842 1362 02 6743 1853 02 6628 8315 02 6771 4669 02 6655 9792 02 6564 8648 02 6661 2100 02 6658 0393 02 4992 1087 02 6732 2162 02 6643 5630 02 6721 2126 02 6562 6393 02 6632 2920 02 6627 8266 02 5668 4057 02 6672 2311 02 6736 5902 02 6654 2905 02 6746 3397 02 6553 8885 02 6752 8487 02 4987 1301 02 6372 6003 02 6336 1177 02 6452 3511 02 6862 5256 02 6782 1029 02 4579 9265 02 6368 4456 02 4474 2811 02 6558 9600 1300 667 537

Northern Veterinary Services

Noonamah

08 8988 5507

Acres Rural Rolleston Acres Rural Supplies Pty Ltd Advanced Rural Andersons Produce

Rolleston Baralaba Tolga Kingaroy

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Booth Pastoral Service(Hermit Park) Booth Pastoral Service(Hughenden) Booth Pastoral Service(Julia Creek) Boylans Produce Burdekin Growers Services Central West Rural Supplies Charlton Produce Darr Creek Oasis Farmms Farmstuff Farmstuff Monto Fields & Frazer Produce Highlands Pets & Produce Keith Crawleys General Store Kewpie Stockfeeds Pty Ltd Kewpie Stockfeeds Pty Ltd Lacey’s Tyres Rural & Industrial Marshall Seed & Grain Services McGregor Ag Services Midwest Rural Traders Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd National Farmers Warehouse Pty Ltd Nebo Rural Services Pty Ltd Norco Beaudesert Norco Bundaberg Norco Kingaroy Norco Toowoomba North West Rural Supplies Platypus Stockfeeds Property Management Products Rocky Feed & Seed Sauers Produce & Garden Centre Sauers Produce & Garden Centre Texas Rural Traders Toogoolawah Produce & Seed Topx Eidsvold Livestock & Property Topx Taroom Western Rural Services Yeppoon District Co-Op Society Ltd

VICT O R IA & TAS MAN IA

King Island Stockfeeds Rural Supplies Wells Rural Supplies Westbury Rural Services Yolla Producers Co-Op Advanced Ag Pty Ltd Ajax Fertilisers Contractors Ararat Farm Supplies Belmark Rural Farmhand Belmark Rural Mornington Stockfeeds Blackwood Rural Supplies Bridgewater Farmware CEPA Co-Operative Ltd Cobram Rural Warehouse Pty Ltd Corbett’s Rural Supplies Corcoran Parker Mansfield Corcoran Parker Wodonga Costello Rural Country Road Farm Supplies Country Road Farm Supplies Crawford Dowling Pty Ltd Crawford Dowling Pty Ltd Crawford Dowling Pty Ltd Crawford Dowling Pty Ltd Driscoll McIllree & Dickinson P/L Driscoll McIllree & Dickinson P/L Echuca Town & Country Supplies Everton Fuel & Farm Pty Ltd Geelong Farm Supplies GTS Farm Supplies Hamilton Produce Hawkesdale Rural Supplies IK Caldwell & Co Inverleigh Farm Supplies

The AIRR Independent - Page 43

Hermit Park Hughenden Julia Creek Bundaberg Ayr Longreach Charlton Jandowae Clermont Biloela Monto Augathella Emerald Chinchilla Monto Kingaroy Capella Springsure Goondiwindi Wallumbilla Clifford Gardens Warwick Toowoomba Cecil Plains Cottonvale Miles Meandarra Nebo Beaudesert North Bundaberg Kingaroy Toowoomba Goondiwindi Maryborough Crows Nest Rockhampton Cooroy Gympie Texas Toogoolawah Eidsvold Taroom Charleville Yeppoon

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Jack Scott & Sons Ken Dunstall Rural Supplies Ken Dunstall Rural Supplies Kilmore Pastoral Leongatha Rural Supplies Limoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Hardware & Rural Supp Loddon Campaspe Fertilizers Macarthur Rural Supplies Maffra Sale Veterinary Centres Martion Rural Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Agricultural Supplies Murray Valley Rural & Plumbing Murray Valley Rural & Plumbing National Agricultural Services Parkside Produce Pty Ltd Peter Davis Rural Peter Rowe Agencies Pfeiffer Ag Services Ponderosa Timber & Hardware Pty Ltd Purdys Rural Service Centre Quality Rural Pty Ltd Riverland Milk & Trading Riverland Milk & Trading Roberts Farm Supplies Roberts Farm Supplies Scanlons Dairy Centre Stawell Farm Supplies TAFCO Rural Supplies Tatura Farm Supplies Pty Ltd Ultima Rural Supplies Violet Town Rural & Hardware Wangaratta Stockfood & Farm Supplies WH Parker & Co Winchelsea Trading Pty Ltd Woolabrai Pty Ltd

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S O U T H & WE S T E R N A U S T R A L IA

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Adelaide Hills Rural & Fodder Supplies Agfert Fertilizers Pty Ltd Angle Vale Seed & Fodder AW Vater & Co AW Vater & Co Cox Rural (Coonalpyn) Cox Rural (Keith) Cox Rural (Tintinara) Cox Rural Northern (Clare) Cox Rural Pty Ltd (Naracoorte) Daish Irrigation & Fodder Daish Irrigation & Fodder EP Ag Services Pty Ltd Gambier Rural Traders HRI - Ag & Irrigation Jolpac Rural Supplies Kerin Agencies Pty Ltd Quality Rural Jamestown Quality Rural Pty Ltd River Murray Trading Post RTA Ag Services Pty Ltd TZ & JK Hardy

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BKW Co-Operative Ltd Blackwood Rural Bos Veterinary Services Pty Ltd Dardanup Rural Supplies Manypeaks Store N & DK McAllister Peter Graham Co Shelf Supply

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Member Experience second to none service and care at any of the following stores nationwide All AIRR Member stores are proudly 100% independently owned

Page 44 - The AIRR Independent

WHEN TIME

MATTERS YOU CAN RELY ON AGVANTAGE

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agVantage Pty Ltd. 24-26 Hydrive Close, Dandenong VIC 3175 | t + 61 3 9799 9929 | f + 61 3 9799 9939 | acn 097 970 280