VALUE BEYOND THE DRUM

When you purchase a quality animal health solution from Elanco, you are getting far more than the contents of the drum.

You are getting the full resources of one of the world’s largest animal health companies.

Established in 1954, Elanco is a global leader in the research, development and commercialisation of products that improve the health and well-being of food and companion animals.

It markets more than 200 brands in 90 countries throughout the world.

Some of its well-known brands used in the sheep and wool industry include CLiK™ Extra, Zolvix™ Plus, Extinosad™ Eliminator, Extinosad™ Pour-On, Piranha™ and Viper™ Pour-On.

Likewise, beef producers would be readily familiar with Acatak™ Duostar, Bayticol™, Bomec™, Co-Ral™, Component™, Compudose™, Cylence™ Ultra, Fasinex™, Patriot™ and Rumensin™.

Many of these products are manufactured locally to world-class standards to ensure quality, uniformity, traceability and optimal performance.

Local regulatory teams work with government and industry organisations to ensure compliance and access to global markets.

Elanco employs more than 100 staff in Australia, including 20 regionally-based territory managers, strategic account managers and technical consultants.

They include Senior Territory Manager, David Rathbone, based in Wagga Wagga, NSW. His region encompasses the Riverina, south-west slopes, southern tablelands and the Monaro.

Raised on a sheep farm at Tullamore in central NSW, David graduated with a

Bachelor of Animal Science degree from Charles Sturt University in 2010.

He joined Elanco in 2017 after spending more than six years in the rural merchandise sector.

Equal parts animal health advisor, adult educator, business manager and company ambassador, his role demands up to 100 nights away from home and 75,000 km of travel every year.

David completes more than 200 on-farm and 200 in-store visits every year, as well as participating in dozens of livestock shows, sales, field days and industry events.

“Put simply, my job is to make sure livestock producers get the most from their investment in quality animal health solutions from Elanco,” he says.

“Sure, you can save a few cents per head by using a cheaper product, but you are missing out on a range of value-added services that can help you to get the best outcome.

“That starts with providing regular training for all reseller staff to make sure producers are getting the best advice when they are in-store.

“There are something like 1200 rural supply stores throughout Australia and probably over 5,000 staff.

“Every one of them relies on R&D companies like Elanco for training.

“We conduct hundreds of in-store training programs every year, from simple ‘lunchand-learn’ refresher courses to formal twoday workshops.

“We then spend a lot of time on-farm discussing strategic animal health programs and best practice guidelines with producers, contractors and farm staff.

“We’ll show them how to apply the product correctly and safely and that their applicator is properly maintained – and then we do the first race with them to make sure everything is working properly.

“I’d probably install about 50 Power Doser™ maintenance kits each year in my region alone.”

David conducts up to 80 worm egg count, drench efficacy and drench resistance tests each year.

“The amount of drench resistance out there is really quite staggering, and you’d never know if you don’t test,” he says.

“Some drenches, even triples, are delivering way below 98% or even 95% efficacy, which means some producers have limited drench options.

“I really like the diagnostics side of the business. Any territory manager can say, ‘Here’s what you should be using’.

“For me, it’s far more satisfying to be able to say, ‘Here’s the results of a scientific test that objectively shows us what’s going on’.

“Elanco is fortunate to have a lot of great brands, so often the best solution is an Elanco product but there are times when it’s not and we’re happy to recommend accordingly.”

David also works with Elanco’s technical consultants to follow up any time a producer experiences an outcome that was less than expected when using an Elanco product.

“Elanco stands behind the integrity of our products and will always investigate any concerns for the betterment of both parties.

“With Elanco, you get value beyond the price of the drum.”

David’s commitment, initiative, motivation and positive ‘can-do’ attitude has seen him named as the company’s Salesperson of the Year for the past two years.

Elanco’s comprehensive portfolio of animal health products includes some of Australia’s most trusted solutions for the control of lice, blowfly, worms and liver fluke. Together with Elanco’s expert customer service and technical support, these products help make sheep and wool production efficient, profitable and sustainable.

Fencing Comes Out On Top With Return On Investment

When you mention the word ‘fencing’, most people immediately think, ‘significant upfront cost & no long-term benefit’. However, when a problem is identified fencing, especially good quality fencing, can be the a smart choice with providing huge benefits. One of those is a return on investment (ROI)!

Stuart said that “you’d come out some mornings and you would see sheep with organs eaten out and it would just make you sick.” Even with trapping and hunting there was still a 3% loss of stock, which added up.

The dogs were also costing them valuable time that could have been used elsewhere, “When someone sees a dog track, I more or less don’t do anything else but chase dogs till I’ve got them” Stuart said.

If wild dogs and feral animals are causing your livestock issues such as disease, increased mortality rates, or increasing your grazing pressure, you aren’t alone.

Stuart and Leslie MacKenzie run 22,000 acres of mixed livestock farming on a property east of St George. Before contacting Waratah for a solution, wild dogs were ravaging their livestock.

Both Stuart and Leslie knew they needed a permanent solution to give them back their time and help prevent further stock losses. They decided to upgrade their farming operations by getting in contact with Waratah for an exclusion fencing solution that works.

The MacKenzie’s opted to install an exclusion fence using 15/150/15 Stocksafe-t® Longlife Blue® with apron, 1 line of 2.00mm high tensile barbed wire Longlife Blue on top and Blue Latch™ posts. This fence design was effective at preventing dogs from easily climbing the fence and was also an effective height to prevent other feral animals getting into the property. The apron added that extra protection from dogs burrowing under the fence. Stuart and Leslie understood the value of the Blue Latch posts stating, “it means you have 1 person not 10 installing your fence, meaning a reduction in our labour costs.”

When asked why they decided to use Waratah fencing Stuart said, “I did a fair bit of research and one of the reasons I chose Waratah is because it is Australian made and it’s been here a long time… we tried other wire and this one comes good every time.”

Stuart and Leslie both expect marked improvement when it comes to their wild dog problems, “We have friends in the area who have done a similar thing, and they are seeing results!”

Advice from Stuart and Leslie, “It’s something I think you got to do if you want to survive… I know at the end of the day we will see the results.”