SEASONS
FARMING NEWS FOR AUSTRALIAN FARMERS
BRASSICA TRIAL DELIVERING RESULTS FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS
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MEAT THE SUPPLIER
JAMES CARTER
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FARMERS BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE WITH CARBON FARMING PROJECTS
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BRASSICA TRIAL DELIVERING RESULTS FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS
An Elders agronomist has been conducting a large-scale demonstration east of Esperance to investigate the use of brassicas in grazing systems.
The site, which has been established by local graziers at Epasco Farms, is investigating best options for livestock producers seeking new varieties for feed, considering digestibility, and energy and protein content. Included in the trial are brassica grazing plants kale, kale-radish hybrid Pallaton Raphno® and Cleancrop™ leafy turnip, as well as cereals Illabo wheat and Stingermax ryegrass blend.
Elders agronomist Adelaide Hagan, who is based at Esperance, commenced with Elders almost three years ago as part of the Graduate Agronomy Program, and is now leading the research at the site. Adelaide said brassicas are an oftenunderrated option for graziers, but the results from the site have shown that they should be considered due to their attractive qualities, particularly for weight gain.
“Forage brassicas can provide quick and abundant feed, with high digestibility, energy, and protein. The crude protein content of brassica leaves ranges from 15 to 25 per cent (pc), and the metabolisable energy content is also very high,” Adelaide said.
“Including a kale in this pasture trial is something slightly different as it is not usually grown in the Esperance region, but it has good winter hardiness and excellent pest and disease tolerance.
“We do see excellent weight gain results from forage brassicas, as this trial has shown.”
Even with a dry start to the season in Western Australia, the biomass was produced quickly by the seeded pastures. The first biomass cuts were taken on 22 July, and the dry matter from all species sat well above what would be typically expected in mid-winter, usually approximately 1000 to 1500 kg of dry matter per hectare (kg/DM/ha).
The Cleancrop™ leafy turnip came in at 1890 kg/DM/ha, Stingermax ryegrass blend 2270 kg/DM/ha, the Pallaton® Raphno 2570 kg/DM/ha, and the Illabo wheat at 2590 kg/ DM/ha.
Heifers were then introduced following the biomass cuts.
“The cows were weighed prior to introduction and again on 12 August, and were found to have gained an average of 28 kilograms over the 20 days, equating to 1.4 kilograms gained per day,” Adelaide said.
The work underway in Western Australia is just one part of Elders’ wider innovation, research and development program. Elders-operated trial sites span from Gatton in Queensland to here in Esperance, and everywhere in between, playing a crucial role in developing new sustainable solutions, products and technologies.
Keep your fence lines cleaner for longer with Alion® 500 SC Herbicide. Alion is a selective, pre-emergent herbicide that controls a wide range of grass and broadleaf weeds, delivering up to 10 months pre-emergence weed control.
EXTRA BENEFITS OF STRONG PULSE GRASS HERBICIDE ADD UP
Stronger herbicide options in pulse crops are proving to be highly effective for gaining improved control of grass weed populations and are offering valuable extra benefits for entire cropping systems.
Many WA growers have particularly targeted the use of Ultro® pre-emergent herbicide in lupins as an alternative to propyzamide applications for ryegrass, brome and barley grass control due to its robust efficacy and significant benefits for their whole farm weed management plans.
Critically, Ultro has offered a new herbicide mode of action (Group 23) and, in addition to lupins, it can be used in faba beans, lentils, field peas, chickpeas, vetch and broad beans across Australia, as well as in winter fallow.
“It’s been as good or better than propyzamide and as an alternative herbicide group, it can then allow growers to make suitable propyzamide applications in the canola phase of their programs,” said Bevan Addison, Market Development Manager with ADAMA Australia in WA.
“The interest in Ultro for barley grass has also grown because grass selective sprays are not performing as well against various populations and it can reduce the pressure on these herbicides.”
Bevan said after recognising the benefits of Ultro for grass control in their pulse crops and for their broader cropping system, growers were now driving its use and rate of application, with higher rates tending to be used on heavier soil types.
“Ultro is a high value herbicide, but it’s the benefits it provides to the whole cropping system that are being appreciated by growers.
“With pulse crops, growers want to make some money where they can, but they also want the nitrogen fixation, they want a disease break and they want to remove weeds.
“As part of the full system, Ultro is showing it does this better than anything else and it results in reduced
panicles and seedset. It achieves earlier control of weeds – many simply don’t come out of the ground – and this also reduces root disease build-up for following seasons.
“Earlier control removes any competition and the crop also gets up and away and provides its own competition. Excellent root pruning on the remaining grasses later also means growers can do a final mop-up with a grass selective like Platinum® Xtra 360 and achieve a proven yield benefit.”
He said Ultro-treated grass weeds can also remain greener for longer and in particularly high weed pressure paddocks requiring crop-topping, this allows these applications to be delayed, reducing the risk of crop damage from the operation and concern over grain maximum residue limits.
Seasonal conditions have varied greatly in recent seasons and during the dry 2023 year compared with other herbicides, Ultro performed extremely well across different soil types and its good residual control resulted in reduced requirement for post-emergent, “clean-up” treatments. Last season, conditions ranged from wet to quite dry in different areas and Ultro continued to achieve excellent results.
“Ultro is more soluble than alternatives, so in dry conditions it activates and provides better weed control,” Bevan said.
“It also results in severe root pruning of later germinations, so growers are then able to achieve better control from their standard grass selective brews.
“Last year I spent quite a bit of time in South Australia, which experienced a drier, WA wheatbelt type season, and, for the first time, many people have seen how Ultro performs relative to other options in the drier conditions.”
Tristan Clarke, who farms with his family at Bolgart, said numerous growers in the Dalwallinu area were using Ultro as an alternative to propyzamide in lupins and were achieving great results.
“It’s a good opportunity for growers to use something different in their chemical rotation strategy and its performance in-crop has been phenomenal for everyone that has used it,” Tristan said.
“One of Ultro’s biggest benefits in my eyes is that it takes a bit less rainfall to activate. In seasons where we have dry starts, or for lower rainfall growing regions, that’s where it really does have a good fit.”
Bevan said to aid herbicide resistance management, ADAMA Australia recommended limiting the use of Ultro to once every four years.
He said in tight cropping rotations, careful consideration would need to be given to herbicide choice, however in more common rotations featuring pulses, canola and cereals, an application every four years would be easy to achieve and would allow rotation of all herbicide options in the different phases.
Bevan Addison, Market Development Manager with ADAMA Australia in WA, pictured discussing the pre-emergent use of Ultro herbicide in lupins during a crop trials tour near York with members of the Elders WA team.
In a field of its own.
Ultro herbicide from ADAMA is a unique class of chemistry (Group 23) that delivers proven, industry-leading pre-emergent control of annual grass weeds in winter pulse crops.
• Extended residual control of annual ryegrass, barley grass and brome grass
• Registered in broad beans, chickpeas, faba beans, field peas, lentils, lupins, vetch and winter fallow
• High water solubility requiring less rainfall or soil moisture for incorporation, activation and weed control
• Important tool for herbicide resistance management
• Incorporate by sowing or via rainfall within seven days
USING RESIDUAL HERBICIDES TO BEAT FENCE LINE WEEDS, RESISTANCE
Fence lines can be a haven for weeds, perpetuating one of the biggest threats to agricultural crops, however growers now have the opportunity to reduce this risk through the use of new herbicides offering long-term weed control.
Matt Willis, Market Development Agronomist with Bayer in WA, said weed resistance to herbicides has increased across agricultural areas and fence line weed management had been acknowledged as a contributing factor.
“Across broadacre and horticultural cropping areas, there has been increased resistance to glyphosate and paraquat (herbicides), as identified by groups like AHRI (Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative) and Plant Science Consulting. Along fence lines, anecdotally there has been an increase in weeds surviving glyphosate, and it has become a strong focus for the GRDC and other research institutions in recent years,” Matt said.
“Fence line weed control strategies have varied, but for the most part there has been an over-reliance on glyphosate and older triazine, sulfonylurea and imidazolinone chemistries. These products have been applied to large weeds in spring and often have not achieved effective control of those weeds prior to seedset.
“The seeds and weeds then end up in the adjacent crop, which can affect the profitability of the crop, particularly if the weeds are resistant to products such as glyphosate, which then impacts the weed control options in-crop.”
He said the lack of residual herbicide chemistry for use in combination with glyphosate and paraquat is believed to have led to increased levels of resistance to the herbicides, however more effective alternative mode of action herbicides
with extended control had become available in recent times. Uragan® (bromacil) has been an option over the last decade, Terrain® Flow (flumioxazin) also has been used in recent years, and now a new pre-emergence option has arrived, Alion® from Bayer.
Containing the active ingredient, indaziflam, Alion is a new Group 29 (formerly Group O) herbicide for controlling weeds along agricultural fencelines.
Matt said the pre-emergent herbicide was registered for control of a wide range of grass and broadleaf weeds and provided “up to season-length control”.
“The ability to use a different mode of action herbicide along fence lines compared to that used in-crop is a massive advantage for herbicide resistance management. Weeds haven’t developed resistance to indaziflam, so there won’t be survivors that get into crops and cause issues going forward,” he said.
“Alion is also registered for use in tree crops and vineyards, which indicates it has sufficient safety to use alongside growing trees, and it’s an easy-to-handle SC formulation with a low application rate of 150 mL/ha.”
Matt said extensive trial work with Alion conducted by Bayer in recent years across Australia, including in different geographies and situations, had shown excellent results when compared against industry standards.
“Weed control and the length of residual control of weeds, which helps manage resistant weed populations, has been very consistent, and we have seen good safety on trees and vines.”
Matt, Mitch and Tim with the bare earth remaining one season on following application of the new residual pre-emergent herbicide, Alion, in combination with glyphosate in the fence line weed control trial near Jennacubbine in WA.
At Jennacubbine in the Avon Valley region of WA, Alion was included in a fence line herbicide trial featuring a large population of annual ryegrass, also of which was identified as moderately resistant to glyphosate, plus volunteer wheat, wild radish, capeweed and couch grass.
Treatments in the trial included Roundup UltraMax® knockdown herbicide applied without residual herbicide, as well as applications in combination with Alion, Terrain Flow and Uragan to assess their weed control effectiveness. There also was an application of Alion with paraquat, instead of glyphosate, to determine if this knockdown herbicide was more effective against the prevailing population.
In terms of the length of activity provided by the residual herbicides, Matt said the Terrain Flow offered good control for five to six months before weed germinations occurred, whereas Alion and Uragan both provided season-length control.
“Eighteen months after the applications, weeds were coming through the Roundup treatment, as well as where it was applied with Terrain Flow. However, where the glyphosate or paraquat was combined with Alion or Uragan, there was still good control and, consequently, bare earth.”
“The trial showed that using effective residual herbicides helped to control herbicide-resistant weeds – in this case, the glyphosate resistant types, because it controls the plant at emergence. This stops the resistant weed from setting seed and further adding to the seed bank and the potential to spread back into the crop. By also not setting seed along the fence line and germinating over summer, growers can apply herbicides 12 months later, to bare earth and small weeds, as opposed to larger weeds.”
He said using alternate mode of action, residual herbicides like Alion, rather than those currently used along fence lines and in-crop, would be an effective long-term strategy to keep fence lines weed-free and for management of herbicideresistant weeds.
There already is strong industry interest in the use of Alion for fence line weed control.
“Using alternative mode of action herbicides to those currently being used is always something that gets people passionate and excited, and we are seeing that with the interest in Alion,” Matt said.
EXCELLENT WEED CONTROL SEEN IN WHEAT HELPING PULSE PHASE
Paddocks where Overwatch® Herbicide has been used in wheat are showing up cleaner going into the following lentil phase on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia.
Agronomist Darryn Schilling, of YP AG, said the range of weeds controlled by Overwatch® had helped keep paddocks clean as farmers rotated from wheat to lentils.
“Initially, with Overwatch®, our main target was annual ryegrass,” he said.
“We found that to be very, very good but it’s the other weeds that have been the surprise packet.”
“Milk thistle and Indian hedge mustard have become resistant to some of our chemistry, and we're having blowouts in certain crops. The lentil phase is where those weeds flourish.
“What we found, and there are some great examples, is that where the previous year, Overwatch® Herbicide was applied in a wheat phase, the following lentil phase has had greatly reduced numbers of Milk thistle and other broadleaf weeds.
“It's definitely taken some weed pressure off when we come back into lentils.”
Mr Schilling said they first used Overwatch® Herbicide on the Yorke Peninsula back in 2021 and had some mixed results due to incorrect seed placement.
“Fortunately, FMC stood by us and we worked through those challenges. Since that time our seeding approach has been pretty solid with guys looking a little closer to get that seeding depth right.”
He said it was important that new chemistry, such as Overwatch®, is utilised to take the pressure off some of the other chemistries.
“We've been in a very long phase of dependency on Group K (Group 15) chemistry,” Mr Schilling said.
“To have something like Overwatch® Herbicide come along to offer another mode of action (Group 13) has been critical.
“We still have the Group Ks up our sleeve but if you do a resistance test now, it wouldn't be unusual to find yourself with a 20 to 30 per cent resistance to this chemistry.”
He said at this stage there wasn’t any known field resistance to Overwatch® Herbicide, but they were gathering samples to monitor the situation.
“Some farmers may have used it twice on a particular paddock so we are just going to make sure we look after it and keep it for as long as we can because it’s a great tool.”
A tank mix with triallate is occasionally used to help with resistance management and enhance weed control in wheat paddocks.
“When you start talking to growers about a lot of the broadleaf weeds being controlled by Overwatch® Herbicide and not a lot of post-em mop-up being required afterwards, they're probably okay to add another product like triallate into the tank,” Mr Schilling said.
“It’s a tank mix partner from a different chemical group.”
He said as well as the wide range of weeds controlled, Overwatch® also demonstrated good residual activity in the weeks following application.
“I think it's equal to or as good as any other standard we've had in the past from a residual point of view. All sorts of factors such as moisture, stubble load and soil type, come into that but at the end of the day, it's as good as the standards, if not a bit better.”
The 2024 season was a challenging one on the Yorke Peninsula with a decile one rainfall result.
“Despite this, we managed to salvage some pretty handy crops which were well above expectations coming into harvest. Lentils came in at a tonne to the hectare in most situations, wheat and barley were around that two and a half tonnes to the hectare on average. To have a decile one season and still achieve that is very handy.
He said farmers were able to store moisture from the high rainfall which fell in December and produce grain without too many screenings.
Darryn Schilling, from YPAG, said many lentils crops have noticeably less weed issues in paddocks that had previous grown wheat and treated with Overwatch® Herbicide.
AND GRANULES
Now also available in a HIGH LOAD GRANULE (WG) as Overwatch ® eXL Granules
When you have Overwatch® in the mix, you’re ready for anything. By delivering broad-spectrum control of many important weeds including up to 12 weeks residual activity on annual ryegrass, a nil re-cropping interval to wheat, barley, canola and select pulse crops, and the choice of a liquid (SC) or granule (WG) formulation, only Overwatch ® gives you the flexibility you need.
Broad, flexible label registrations in wheat, barley, oats, and triticale, including a range of use rates and split application timing.
Remove early weed competition and simplify logistics by widening your post-em herbicide spray window through the up to 12 weeks of residual activity offered by CALLISTO® .
Incorporate CALLISTO® into your weed management strategy and experience benefits beyond broadleaf weed control.
For further information talk to your local Syngenta representative or visit syngenta.com.au/callisto
SIX REASONS TO USE CALLISTO®
More than 300 farmers from across Australia have shared their thoughts on using CALLISTO® pre-emergent herbicide, giving other cereal growers some points to weigh up in their own weed management programs.
CALLISTO® was launched to support farmers with the management of hard-to-control broadleaf weeds in the pre-emergent window, usually when mixed with grass weed pre-emergents such as BOXER GOLD®.
Five years later, CALLISTO® has found a welcome fit within many wheat, barley, oat and triticale programs, following widespread adoption and confidence with the technology. Having heard many positives from the field, it was evident that growers across the country were experiencing benefits far beyond the management of broadleaf weeds with CALLISTO®.
To create the definitive list of use cases, Syngenta recently invited farmers to describe which of the numerous benefits offered their enterprises the most value, for their chance to win one of three tool kits.
“We were blown away by the response,” Syngenta Product Lead Owen Langley said.
“We had a really hard time settling on three recipients for the Kincrome and Milwaukee tool kits.
“By sharing their experiences, other farmers can now look at their own weed management programs and talk to their agronomists about their needs.”
WANT TO KNOW MORE? HERE ARE THE SIX USE CASES FOR CALLISTO® HERBICIDE IN AUSTRALIAN CEREAL CROPS.
1. Residual activity: Up to 12-week residual activity is highly valued across all states.
2. Resistance management: Many respondents appreciate CALLISTO® as a tool for managing herbicide-resistant weeds (Group 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 resistance).
3. Flexibility: The ability to use CALLISTO® in various crops – from wheat to barley, oats and triticale – combined with application timing flexibility, was considered a big plus. While offering an application rate range.
4. Time and cost efficiency: Many value the potential to reduce the number of spray passes needed.
5. Early weed control: Removing early competition from hard to manage broadleaves, volunteer canola and pulses is seen as a significant benefit across states.
6. Compatibility: The ability to mix CALLISTO® with other herbicides to cover both broadleaf and grass weeds early on, was frequently mentioned.
AND THE TOOL KIT WINNERS? HERE ARE THEIR THOUGHTS:
“Dropping out Diuron*, the residual 8 to 12 weeks with CALLISTO® has been awesome as busy mixed farmers, having longer to apply an in-crop herbicide.”
Ben Creek, Mayanup, WA
“The early control of self-sown pulses and broadleaves allows more time to come back post-emergent, which is very valuable when planting a larger program.”
Joel Nield, Cleve, SA
“The extended control of broadleaves in our cereals allows us more time to get other in-crop spraying done on time. Fantastic results on volunteer legumes.”
Colin Gilmour, Donald, Vic
Signature bleaching of a broadleaf weed having used CALLISTO® pre-emergent herbicide.
Syngenta ANZ Herbicide Product Lead Owen Langley.
MAXIMISE HERBICIDE PERFORMANCE WITH FREE WATER TEST ANALYSIS REPORT
It's never been more important to understand your spray water quality to get the best performance from your herbicide during summer knockdown.
To support farmers, VICCHEM is offering free water testing and water analysis reports providing clear insights into their spray water quality. This allows farmers to tailor their spray mixes for improved herbicide performance - especially valuable for enhancing summer knockdown in preparation for autumn sowing.
For the best results in summer knockdown, VICCHEM recommends incorporating OUTRIGHT 770 Spray Adjuvant into your herbicide mixes. This innovative solution offers a triple-action advantage by combining ammonium sulphate, penetrating oil, and non-ionic surfactants in one convenient pack. Designed to tackle
hard water challenges, OUTRIGHT 770 ensures optimal herbicide performance with ease.
“We understand how critical water quality is for effective herbicide application,” said Bill Dowdle, CEO of VICCHEM.
“Our free water testing service and analysis reports provide farmers and their agronomists with the insights they need to boost productivity and achieve better commercial outcomes.”
PROVEN EFFICACY ACROSS HARD WATER CONDITIONS
Recent greenhouse pot trials conducted by Plant Science Consulting on behalf of VICCHEM demonstrated the superior performance of OUTRIGHT 770 under hard water conditions ranging from 50 to 1,000 ppm. The trials showed that at rates of 0.5 per cent (pc) to 1.0 pc, OUTRIGHT 770 outperformed
ammonium sulphate (AMS) and acidifying adjuvants like VC-700, delivering significantly better control of Annual Ryegrass by glyphosate.
“The unique combination of Hasten technology penetrating oil, ammonium sulphate, and non-ionic surfactants in OUTRIGHT 770 exceeded expectations in its management of hardwater,” said Richard Holzknecht, VICCHEM’s Research, Development, and Extension Manager. “It offers farmers an effective, versatile solution for both normal and very hard water conditions.”
With VICCHEM’s free water testing, detailed water analysis report, OUTRIGHT 770 Spray Adjuvant and your preferred herbicide, achieving your best summer knockdown has never been easier.
Order your free hard water test through your local Elders branch.
ONE PACK. THREE PUNCHES.
PENETRATING OIL
ENHANCES HERBICIDE PENETRATION
The penetrating oil in OUTRIGHT 770 helps herbicides breach the waxy layers of weeds for better absorption.
NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS
IMPROVES SPREAD AND ADHESION
Non-ionic surfactants ensure spray droplets stick to and spread across the weed surfaces, maximising herbicide uptake.
AMMONIUM SULPHATE
CONDITIONS HARD WATER
OUTRIGHT 770’s ammonium sulphate tackles hard water minerals, ensuring your herbicides work effectively.
Are You Only Achieving Half of Your Herbicide’s Potential by Using Anything Less than Spreadwet 1000?
Proven Over Time
SPREADWET® 1000 WETTING AGENT:
SHOULD YOU RISK IT WITH ANYTHING LESS?
After many years of providing the same uncompromising quality, reliability, and performance to tens of thousands of herbicide mixtures across the crops of Australia, Spreadwet 1000 Wetting Agent is being challenged by cheaper competitors claiming to be similar. Or are they?
Let’s look at the bigger picture first. The large-scale adoption of generic herbicides that also claim to perform the same as the products they imitate, often gives rise to a degree of uncertainty about their equivalence in performance. With that possibility in mind, is it wise to pair the cheaper herbicide with an unproven adjuvant for the sake of a few dollars per hectare? On the probability that the cheaper herbicide may perform slightly below its benchmark, shouldn’t we be applying it with a proven, premium adjuvant like Spreadwet 1000 to reduce the risk of sub-standard performance, at a fraction of the cost of the herbicide mixture.
As its name implies, Spreadwet 1000 is a non-ionic wetting agent whose main feature is its ability to spread, measured and expressed as equilibrium surface tension (EST). Its low EST provides excellent droplet spread on the target surface in a range of dilutions , which along with its penetration properties result in superior coverage and herbicidal performance.
The images below demonstrate the lateral spread of Spreadwet 1000 on different surfaces compared to a popular competitor.
> Spreadwet 1000 is 100 per cent wetter, with no added diluents that can affect the performance of the main constituents. Upon analysis, some close competitors contained up to 7 per cent water
> Spreadwet 1000 is widely approved and recommended on herbicide labels
> It has excellent solubility and compatibility with a vast range of herbicide combinations
> Spreadwet 1000 is low-foaming and non-flammable
> It does not contain nonyl phenols and amino alcohols and as such presents as a sustainable product for modern agriculture.
Why take a risk with costly chemical sprays? Trust Spreadwet 1000 for quality, reliability and performance.
AUSTRALIA’S NO1 SPIKE HERBICIDE - A GOOD FIT FOR GROWERS
Nufarm Terrad’or is a 700g/kg formulation of Tiafenacil. Since launching in 2021, it has gained a name as the next generation of Group 14 herbicides, thanks to its performance on notoriously hard-to-kill weeds.
According to B&W Rural agronomist Chris Maunder, the results have been impressive.
“I’ll absolutely be using Terrad’or as a replacement for other Group 14 spikes in our rotation,” Chris said.
“I’ve been working as an agronomist here in Moree for 25 years, and I see it as a better fit than the older Group 14 technology that we’ve had to use in the past.”
CONTROL TOUGH WEEDS AND MANAGE RESISTANCE
Terrad’or’s activity on grasses, particularly control of low to moderate glyphosate resistance in ryegrass, is one of its biggest advantages for growers.
“Terrad’or has been a very handy Group 14 product for us. We’ve been using it in the fallow, mainly before sowing winter crops. We’re finding that it’s doing a very good job as a spike on some of the hard-to-kill broadleaf weeds like milk thistle and marshmallow. We’ve also been having some issues with glyphosate resistance in the district, and Terrad’or has been very useful as a bit of a resistance breaker for the ryegrass,” Chris said.
“We got very fast brownout with Terrad’or, which is nice to see on weeds like milk thistle. Terrad’or has also been really fast and effective on marshmallow, even in areas where we’ve been
having marshmallow problems. I was especially interested to see Terrad’or’s true grass activity in action on ryegrass, which was very good. We had areas with known glyphosate-resistant ryegrass and it’s done the job we wanted.”
SHORT PLANT-BACKS AND FLEXIBILITY PUT TERRAD’OR AHEAD OF THE PACK
Terrad’or’s flexibility sets it apart from the competition, particularly for growers of cereals and pulses, with no residual activity and one-hour plant-backs for wheat, lupins, lentils, sorghum, barley, faba beans and chickpeas, as well as a oneweek plant-back for canola at a 15g/ha rate. This versatility, along with the fact that it’s an excellent mix partner with both paraquat and glyphosate, means Terrad’or is the only Group 14 spike growers need in the shed.
“The key to the appeal of Terrad’or for me is the flexibility it gives us. The short plant-back – an hour on cereals and only a couple of weeks in front of canola – gives us a good opportunity to use it as a spike in front of planting. Terrad’or is certainly performing a lot better than the older Group 14 technology. We’ve been mixing it with glyphosate – specifically CRUCIAL – but we’ve also been mixing it with paraquat as a doubleknock,” Chris explained.
“I’ll definitely be recommending Terrad’or to growers in the future. It’s a very well-priced product, it’s doing a good job and it’s a good fit for our growers.”
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MEAT THE SUPPLIER JAMES CARTER
James Carter is a 2025 Nuffield Scholar and the Assistant Production Manager at Australian Agricultural Company (AACo).
In this instalment of our series ‘Meat the Supplier’, we sat down with James to discuss his research on using technology to drive profitability and sustainability in the beef industry by improving carcase yields.
What is your background, and how did you become involved in and passionate about agriculture?
I grew up on a cattle property in southern NSW near Crookwell, and I am the seventh generation to grow up there. Our family has the oldest registered fire brand in Australia, and I have been fortunate to have learnt from my grandfather, John Carter, as well as my father, Ben and mother Cath.
At the property, we have implemented an artificial insemination (AI) program where we've started introducing French Normande straws into our herd, crossing with Charolais over the years and my grandfather has experimented with around 17 different breeds to find the best cross for our production. We've eventually come to this hybrid animal between a Normande and a Charolais that has improved our overall productivity and performance.
I moved up to Brisbane to finish school, and did a carpentry apprenticeship, but
at the tail end of that I started finding my way back into agriculture where I realised that was where my true passion was. I started working at a company called EC Rural, which ranged from international sales to being on the ground at the Casino abattoir.
I then reached out to a contact at Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) to see if I could gain some more experience in an abattoir setting. When I was at the farm, we would just put the cattle on the truck and didn't really know exactly what happened to them after that. So I was keen to gain some experience in a processor. What started as a bit of work experience turned into getting a job with AACo, where I really started learning the fundamentals of processing; from revenue maximisation, performance metrics, costings, food safety, and quality assurance, just to name a few things. One of the more important roles being a third-party processor is maintaining a strategic and collaborative relationship with those third parties, as we do not own the abattoir.
After two years working in that role, I was promoted to Assistant Production Manager, where I help manage a team and the two service kills, and also work alongside sales and shipping on documentation, making sure products are within specification, and liaising with the feedlots with cattle coming from the feedlots to the abattoirs.
I think the really cool thing about my role is that I work fundamentally for AACo, but I also have an interest with JBS Beef City and Australian Country Choice. Being mentored and working with them in a very collaborative way has been really beneficial for me and it's giving me a great foundation in my learnings as I hopefully become a subject matter expert in processing.
Every day I learn more and more, so I don't think I'll ever become a full subject matter expert, but it's a great part of the supply chain to be in.
Tell us a bit more about your chosen study topic, and how it may impact both producers and the wider sector.
My topic is using technology to drive profitability and sustainability with the improvement of carcase yields. As an industry, there is huge potential to start breeding higher performing carcases if
we have the technology to measure them. The way we look at yield is so average driven currently. For example, if we process 1000 head, we take an average carcase weight of those 1000 head, then take an average piece weight of, say, 2000 pieces that come off those head, and that's our output. There are so many variables which aren’t being captured.
When we put it in perspective of studies that have been done on the beef industry, there is anywhere between 20 per cent variance from the top and bottom performers in a carcase. If you put that in the context of a heavy grainfed animal, you might get 300kg of saleable red meat from a live animal which was 700kg, and around 60kg variance from the top and bottom.
Then, the average standard deviation from carcase to carcase is around 6 per cent. That might be 18kg. If you're selling high-quality product that can be around an average sale price of maybe $20 to $30 per kg, depending on what you're selling, that is a lot of money we are potentially missing out on from these low performing animals.
If we can start breeding these animals out of a herd using technology to standardise what a good yielding carcase looks like, it will be game changing.
Processors pay premiums for grids on marbling or MSA scores, and I foresee this would become an attachment to the grid, similar to what Gundagai Meat Processors have done with their lamb, paying a premium for higher yielding animals.
I want the key outcomes for this project to drive collaboration between processors and producers, because I want each part of the supply chain to pick up a premium. One does not work without the other. On the producer side, to implement this, a key part will be having forums and helping producers understand and process what's going on. If they put their cattle on a truck and then get paid a premium for one carcase over another, they are going to be asking why which is why it must be articulated clearly.
And so, the reason that processors would pay a premium for a higheryielding carcases is for the sustainability and profitability benefits. When we are looking at emissions intensity, it is based on saleable red meat and kg per
head. Under this new model, we would be reducing our emissions intensity because we're getting more saleable red meat from each body with less waste. We are also reducing processing costs because we are seeing just as many animals go through the processor at the same pace, but getting more red meat from each carcase. Eventually, we would also see efficiency improvements and quicker throughputs because we are not having to trim carcases up quite as much.
I hope this would then be the catalyst for the industry to implement artificial intelligence as we improve that consistency, and from there we could start using a lot more robotics, and eventually that may improve the labour crisis we're seeing across the industry. Australian labour is amongst the most expensive in the world, so we need to find ways to fight those inflationary costs.
The other thing with this technology is that once the device is calibrated, we have the potential to marry it up with devices like MEQ live scanners, to understand when animals are properly finished. Particularly for grain-fed cattle, we could work out when that muscle conformity is fully optimised.
We’d also be able to segregate carcases based on the best markets they are suited for. Being able to get that consistency is just another benefit.
How do you plan to study the topic throughout the next year?
At the moment I'm in discovery mode, so meeting with key contacts at Meat & Livestock Australia, CSIRO, Murdoch University, University of New England, AACo’s processing partners and building that database of the right questions to ask when I go and meet with contacts overseas.
At the end of the day, I want to make sure that this report is actually used, and that I'm doing everything I can to get the most out of this opportunity over the next two years. There have been studies done on this already, but I want to be able to piece all of that good work together to then push this amazing topic even further into implementation.
As far as travel goes, we start off in March with a visit to Canberra, and then I will head to New Zealand, meet all the
other global scholars, to get to know our cohort before we start doing group travel. We are still deciding on the dates for the group travel and but the trip I would like to attend is in May-June, and would take me to Singapore, Taiwan, Romania, Poland, Zimbabwe and Chile. The group travel is all planned by Nuffield which means we’ll be learning about multiple different industries and supply chains, not just beef.
I would also like to do some individual travel at the end of that, and go to the United States. I’d like to look at a few different plants, like JBS USA, because I know they've started looking at some objective yield technology over there.
After the US, I would like to go over to Europe, mainly Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland, which is where most of this technology is either being implemented or designed.
Back to your role at AACo now. With the different types of breeds that AACo run, what kind of cattle do you find produce the best results across yield and meat standards?
From a breeding perspective, we are always trying to improve incrementally. We have a big focus on our Poll Wagyu at the moment for animal welfare reasons, to prevent bruising and dehorning. We always want to do the right thing by the animals, and it also has a profitability impact at the end of the day.
As for yield, as I said earlier, there is no real way to work out which breed yields well. Particularly when you have such a different genetic makeup with multiple breeds that go through abattoirs and everything is so average driven, it's very hard to understand which individual carcases yield better than others.
There are trials which have been done where you physically de-bone a carcase, one at a time. It takes a few hours to do so because you need to weigh every single piece and trace it back to that carcase. However, commercially that is not a possibility. So that is why this technology I am studying will be such a gamechanger into the future. To be able to say ‘that animal came from this sire’ or ‘this mother is breeding this high yielding carcase because of this phenotype’, and then we can start using those embryos and phenotypes and
start spreading that across a herd. So, we don’t have the technology right now to say that a certain breed breeds better than another, but I suppose that is what I am hoping to fix!
What portion of production at AACo is grass-fed versus grain-fed?
Anything that goes into our branded beef supply chain, that goes through the feedlots is grain-fed. However, our Wagyu animals that are finished on grain still spend the majority of their lives roaming large paddocks eating grass on big properties in Queensland and the Northern Territory. We do have a smaller grassfed program as well.
Cattle in the north will go through live export pathways, and then the rest of the herd, the composite animals, will go to lives sales or OTHs. So that area is all grass-fed until they are purchased, and the next steps are determined by the buyer.
How much has the herd shifted towards Wagyu over the last 10 years?
I’m unsure on the numbers noting that we acquired the Westholme herd in 2006 and Wagyu has been one of our primary focuses ever since. We now sell our Wagyu under three primary brands – Westholme, Darling Downs and 1824. We recently reintroduced 1824, which celebrates our 200 years of history.
With the improvement in Wagyu genetics, how have marble score results improved?
We are always aiming for constant improvement, and that drive for progress is partly behind my project to improve carcase yields
One focus area has been analysing and maintaining marble score with the Poll Wagyu push. That's been a really big push genetically as I said earlier; we are reducing any dehorning for animal welfare reasons, and for the safety of our employees. It also means we can prevent them from puncturing each other with their horns so don't have bruising and then loss of product when it gets to the processor.
We see basically the same meat and marble quality from the Poll animals, the main difference is that lack of bruising and or injuries.
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FARM SMARTER WITH ENDOPHYTE
AR37 endophyte has been shown to be crucial for maximising nitrogen efficiency in perennial ryegrass, resulting in economic gains and environmental positives.
DLF Seeds Australian Research Manager, Martin Harmer, spent four years exploring the Nitrogen efficiency benefits of AR37 endophyte and how incorporating it into a pasture system can improve a farmer’s bottom line.
Martin’s research examined the impact of AR37 novel endophyte and its role in increasing nitrogen efficiency on high performing grasses.
An endophyte is a fungus found naturally in many grass species, including ryegrass. It provides the plant with protection from insects, and in return the plant provides the endophyte with a place to live and reproduce.
With a focus on AR37, (an endophyte known for strong insect control resulting in improved pasture production), Martin uncovered its ability to solve other costly problems farmers face, including expensive fertilisers.
Martin recently published a study looking at how farmers can improve Nitrogen use efficiency by using AR37 endophyte (AR37’s ability to control insects can increase pasture growth rates and response to applied Nitrogen).
His paper is titled “Improvement in the Nitrogen use efficiency and uptake of perennial ryegrass caused by the Epichole fungal endophyte AR37”; includes a four-year field trial which evaluated the effects AR37 endophyte has on Nitrogen efficiency in high performance ryegrass varieties.
The findings demonstrated that pastures inoculated with AR37 endophyte had higher production, leading to better forage yields and higher profitability compared to traditional, non-endophytic varieties.
The higher forage yields were evident where one finding demonstrating that “AR37 endophyte caused a consistent positive response to Nitrogen applied. Where perennial ryegrass with AR37 endophyte, showed a 62.5% increase in dry matter produced per kilogram of Nitrogen applied, shown in Figure1” explains Martin
FIGURE 1: YIELD RESPONSE TO NITROGEN APPLIED TO BASE AR37 AND BASE NIL ENDOPHYTE
Endophyte Yield response to N (DM/kg N
AR37 16.9 kg
Nil 10.4 kg
In addition, Martin found that endophyte paired with the right variety, can have an impact on reducing on farm Nitrogen costs by using the Nitrogen more efficiently, and reduce environmental impacts and Nitrogen loss from Nitrogen leaching (e.g. when heavy rainfall washes Nitrogen through the soil profile).
“For farmers, the variety of perennial ryegrass selected and the endophyte it contains will impact both their farm’s profitability and how well their pasture is able to utilise Nitrogen to
produce feed. Selecting the right ryegrass variety (in this case Base with AR37 endophyte) increases the pastures response to Nitrogen fertiliser, reducing the amount needed to grow a given amount of feed. Ultimately, you’re producing more feed for the same amount of Nitrogen,” explained Martin.
Martin’s research examines how important it is for farmers to choose the right variety of AR37 perennial ryegrass to boost pasture response, with various location and environmental factors having an effect.
“The variety of ryegrass sown profoundly impacts a pastures response to applied nitrogen. Choosing a variety with the AR37 endophyte significantly boosts pasture yield response, especially during stressful summer and autumn conditions.”
The research was conducted at a farm in Australia using a controlled setup. The grass was subjected to five different nitrogen application rates assessed over 22 harvests. Yield and nitrogen content were measured and the trial was managed under irrigation to simulate optimal growth conditions.
The outcome of this study was that the AR37 endophyte is crucial for maximising nitrogen efficiency in perennial ryegrass, resulting in economic gains and environmental positives.
“The pastures will also respond more vigorously in difficult conditions, such as in autumn”.
“Many farmers will be familiar with perennial ryegrass paddocks that appear slow to respond to autumn rains after summer, which can cause an autumn and winter feed deficit. By protecting plants from insect pests, AR37 endophyte promotes accelerated growth that’s essential for farmers in difficult times,” Martin said.
“Improving Nitrogen efficiency on farms helps increase farmers' profitability by generating more financial output, while also potentially reducing Nitrogen losses.“
IDLF Seeds has several AR37 products for farmers to sow for autumn; Vast AR37 perennial ryegrass provides strong year-round production with excellent pasture growth during summer and autumn, while Base AR37 perennial ryegrass is a high performance, Australian industry leading variety with high seasonal production, and excellent late quality feed.
Ultimately, adopting perennial ryegrass with endophytes, such as AR37, to achieve higher yields and improved Nitrogen efficiency improves a farm’s sustainability, while increasing the profitability of their land.
DLF SEEDS, YOUR TRUSTED ENDOPHY TE EXPERTS FOR OVER
25 YEARS.
AR37 ENDOPHYTE TAKES RYEGRASS PERSISTENCE & INSECT PROTECTION TO A PREMIUM LEVEL.
Performance pasture with high rust tolerance
Mohaka AR37 hybrid ryegrass: Strong cool season growth, late spring quality & protection from insects with AR37 endophyte.
The long term performer with proven performance across 22 independent Pasture Trial Network trials & over 7 years.
Base AR37 tetraploid perennial ryegrass: High quality feed & proven performance across wet, dry & neutral weather patterns.
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
FOR RELIABLE CONTROL OF BROADLEAF AND GRASS WEEDS
Controls a broad spectrum of grass and broadleaf weeds in wheat (not durum wheat) and barley in both IBS and EPE applications
A unique combination of three active ingredients, including aclonifen, the only group 32 herbicide available in Australia, delivering best-in-class grass and broadleaf weed control
Controls weeds across the complete soil surface including in the furrow, when applied EPE
THE ADVANCED WEED AND INSECT CONTROL SYSTEM
Introducing Bayer’s next generation cotton trait - XtendFlex® - that provides cotton growers with:
The first cotton trait developed with tolerance to over-the-top applications of glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate-ammonium
Enhanced flexibility in weed control
Improved options to control hard-to-kill herbicide resistant weeds
Bollgard® 3 insect control technology, that provides inbuilt defence against Helicoverpa species
MONITOR YOUR FENCING FROM ANYWHERE
No matter how remote or isolated your farm is, Gallagher has a connectivity solution to monitor and control your fence for livestock containment and wildlife management.
The i Series Satellite Gateway enables remote communication between the i Series Energizer and the Gallagher Ag Devices app. Where previously communications from the i Series Energizers relied on a cellular hotspot connection, the introduction of satellite communications ensures farmers are protected from the offboarding of 3G and can receive alerts on any fence faults no matter how remote the fence is located.
Compatible with all i Series Energizers, the Satellite Gateway is easy to install and maintains operation for up to 6 hours of connectivity through a power outage, notifying farmers when a power cut arises. Capable of viewing up to 24 hours of fence voltage history, current fence performance can be compared with historical data to monitor trends or changes over time.
SIMPLE SET-UP AND PHONE CONNECTIVITY
Gateway is a simple add-on to your existing i Series Energizers that allows you to view even the most remote fence. Downloading and logging into the Gallagher Devices app is simple too. Create an account online and connect your devices. You’re free to monitor your fence from anywhere through the Satellite Gateway.
CONNECT, ANYWHERE
Full satellite connectivity allows you to monitor your fence from your phone. You can receive notifications on your fence’s voltage and turn your fence on or off. Remote connectivity also means you don’t need to be on your farm at all to check your fence.
MONITOR AND CONTROL FROM YOUR PHONE
Create zones with Fence Monitors to identify faults along your fence line. The Devices App can support up to six I Series Fence Monitors so you can isolate where issues arise.
I SERIES SATELLITE GATEWAY
Connectivity is no longer a problem.
Keep a watchful eye on your fence from anywhere. The i Series Satellite Gateway enables remote communication between your i Series Energizer and the Gallagher Devices app, giving you peace of mind with real-time fence monitoring and fault notifications.
Remotely manage, monitor, and control your fence performance using your phone. View information about your fence performance, be alerted of fence faults, adjust your output voltage, and turn your fence on and off - all in the palm of your hand with market-leading satellite connectivity.
i Series Satellite Gateway
Peace of mind with remote monitoring of fence performance. Know the status of your fence, 24/7. Manage, monitor, and control your fence without needing to be on farm or near your energizer provide connectivity.
Monitor different zones and particular areas of your fence system. Add up to six i Series Fence Monitors on your fence line, dividing your farm into monitored zones to help pinpoint the location of faults*.
Be alerted of fence faults before they become a crisis. Set voltage notifications and alarms for each Fence Monitor within the app to be notified if your fence performance drops below defined levels – allowing you to locate, address and fix the issue quickly.
Remote control of your energizer. Turn your energizer off and on with the swipe of a finger.
*i Series Fence Monitors sold separately.
Compatible with i Series Energizers.
CONTAINS THE BENEFITS OF 5 ESSENTIAL TRACE MINERALS IN COMBINATION, INCLUDING CHROMIUM!
IDEAL FOR YOUNG, GROWING CATTLE WHEN THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM IS AT ITS HIGHEST!
VIRBAC LAUNCHES MULTIMIN CHROME
A new standard has been set for strategic trace mineral supplementation in cattle with the release of a new injectable trace mineral product from leading animal health company, Virbac Australia.
With scientific trials showing up to 60 per cent reduction in disease incidence 2,3 and a 58 per cent reduction in mortality rates in calves 3, Multimin Chrome is an innovative formulation that includes five essential trace minerals; copper, selenium, zinc, manganese and chromium designed to support cattle health and performance during critical periods of their productive life.
Multimin Chrome offers a science-backed formulation ideal for young, growing animals when the pressure to perform is at its highest, helping cattle producers to mitigate stress and enhance nutrient utilisation in their herd.
WHAT IS CHROMIUM?
Chromium is an essential trace mineral for livestock 4-6 naturally found in pastures, feedstuff and in the diets of cattle and sheep. However, chromium
concentrations in common feed vary greatly 7. Research shows that chromium supplementation enhances resilience, maximises nutrient utilisation, mitigates stress responses, reduces oxidative stress, improves immune function, boosts muscle-to-fat ratios, milk yield and reproductive outcomes 8-15. Highlighting chromium's role in improving livestock performance, especially during stressful and highdemand periods such as weaning.
“Weaning is one of the most stressful periods in the life of young cattle. Strategic trace mineral supplementation with Multimin Chrome boosts the levels of five essential trace minerals helping young cattle maintain their health and performance, reducing disease incidences and mortality rates”, says Dr. Paula Gonzalez-Rivas, Virbac Australia Technical Services Manager for Livestock.
“The inclusion of chromium to the trusted Multimin formulation can offer an extra edge to the known effects of Multimin, chromium supplementation
can alleviate the adverse effects of stress and improve nutrient utilisation helping to ensure resilient, healthy, productive, and profitable herds, even when stress and metabolic demands are at the highest”.
Whole-of-farm nutrition expert and Pro Ag consultant, Dr Colin Trengove says “when it comes to trace mineral supplementation, it is important to think of the whole herd’s health.”
Dr Trengove said “research has shown chromium improves carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, as well as regulates immune responses, and the secretion of hormones and some vitamins in the body. It improves reproduction, enhances growth, increases feed conversion efficiency, boosts immunity, reduces heat stress and decreases mortality,”.
Multimin Chrome is an exciting innovation that can contribute to better performance outcomes for producers across Australia. Multimin Chrome is now available at leading rural retailers.
NEW MULTI-MINERAL INJECTION PROVIDES CONVENIENCE TO BEEF AND DAIRY PRODUCERS
Leading animal health company, Elanco, has broadened its ruminant nutritional portfolio with the release of a new five-way mineral and vitamin booster, MultiBoost with B12.
This patent-pending formulation contains four essential trace minerals and Vitamin B12 in a convenient, lowvolume injection.
MultiBoost with B12 has been specifically developed to support metabolic function in beef and dairy cattle during periods of high energy demand or stress.
It contains 40 g/L zinc (as disodium zinc EDTA), 15 g/L copper (as disodium copper EDTA), 10 g/L manganese (as disodium manganese EDTA), 5 g/L selenium (as sodium selenite) and 1.4 g/L cyanocobalamin (a form of Vitamin B12).
Elanco Brand Manager – Cattle, Kim Krilich, says MultiBoost with B12 helps to optimise the health, fertility and performance of beef and dairy cattle by addressing potential sub-clinical mineral deficiencies.
“Sub-clinical mineral deficiencies can occur during periods of high energy demand, such as in young, growing cattle or during mating, calving and lactation,” she said.
“The availability of trace minerals can also decline at certain times of the year, such as when cattle are grazing lush, rapidly-growing pastures.
“Sub-clinical mineral deficiencies can also occur during prolonged wet conditions or stressful periods, such as weaning, when feed intake can be reduced.
“Administered as a subcutaneous injection before critical periods of the production cycle, MultiBoost with B12 provides beef and dairy producers with a convenient way to boost essential trace minerals and Vitamin B12 in cattle when they need it most.”
Many soil types and forages found throughout Australia are known to be deficient in certain minerals, placing livestock at risk of clinical mineral deficiencies.
“Beef and dairy cattle grazing in regions known to be deficient in cobalt, copper, and selenium should be treated with a registered therapy that treats and controls that specific mineral deficiency,” Kim says.
“Individual treatment of animals using a registered therapy is a more reliable and effective method of supplementing trace minerals and vitamins than feed or water additives.”
Suitable options include Selovin™ LA injection, Cobalife™ VB12 injection, Cobalife™ VB12 Plus Selenium injection and Copperplan™ 20 copper capsules from Elanco.
Selovin LA injection (50 mg/mL barium selenate) treats and prevents selenium deficiency in cattle for up to 12 months, and in sheep for up to 18 months.
Cobalife VB12 injection (2 mg/mL hydroxocobalamin) treats and controls Vitamin B12 deficiency in cattle and sheep for two to six months, depending on the severity of the deficiency.
Cobalife VB12 Plus Selenium injection (2 mg/mL hydroxocobalamin and 4 mg/ mL selenium as sodium selenate) treats and controls Vitamin B12 and selenium deficiency in cattle and sheep for two to six months, depending on the severity of the deficiency.
Copperplan 20 copper capsules (16 g copper as cupric oxide needles) treat and prevent copper deficiency in adult cattle (> 200 kg) for up to 12 months.
“We recommend that you consult your veterinarian or animal health advisor to determine the mineral status of your livestock before administering a mineral supplement,” Kim says.
“This will help identify whether a multimineral booster and/or deficiency treatment would be most appropriate for your livestock.
“It’s important that you don’t provide mineral supplements to livestock whose mineral status is unknown or to livestock that are receiving other sources of minerals via supplementary rations, vaccines, drenches or pasture dressings, as toxicity may result.”
Always read and follow the label directions. Results may vary based on current mineral status and additional sources of trace minerals.
Five-way power to perform.
Cattle with high energy demands need all the nutritional support they can get. MultiBoost with B12 delivers four essential trace minerals and Vitamin B12 in a convenient, low-volume injection. Contact Elanco or your rural supplier today and find out how MultiBoost with B12 can support the health, fertility and performance of your cattle when they need it most.
FARMERS BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE WITH CARBON FARMING PROJECTS
Elders is taking an active approach to sustainability to ensure meaningful and profitable outcomes for farmers through our Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture (TESA) team’s carbon farming advisory service.
Through the offering of this service, Elders actively supports the development of carbon farming projects within the Australian government’s Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme. We work closely with clients who are consciously trying to address the sector’s climate change contribution for the long-term, while building resilience for their businesses.
A recent survey of over 600 Elders clients found that 49 per cent have intentions to improve weather or climate resilience of their businesses within the next five years.
This is highest among broadacre and mixed farming groups.
Elders applies an agricultural approach to carbon farming. We leverage our dedicated carbon farming specialists, along with our extensive network of agronomy and livestock advisors, to work directly with farming clients to understand whether a carbon farming project might be suitable on their property. We assess rainfall, soil, farming systems, opportunities for practice change and more.
Recently, TESA worked with Twynam Agricultural, another long-standing name in the agriculture sector. We
established two soil carbon projects endorsed by the Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator that will help pave the way for many more farming businesses across Australia. Our efforts successfully supported Twynam’s vision in establishing and owning their own carbon farming project, which will ultimately deliver ACCUs, while providing a range of other productivity and sustainability enhancements across the business.
Working closely with Elders branches across Australia is key to the success of TESA within Elders. The support from the Goulburn branch was integral to delivering this new range of sustainability services to Twynam to support its future-focussed vision.
Twynam Group CEO Johnny Kahlbetzer said that the two teams worked hand in hand to support his organisation’s vision of a carbon project.
“Our goal in starting our carbon project is to improve our soil quality and productivity,” Johnny said.
“The ACCUs are a bonus that Elders has helped us achieve to provide us value, alongside the productivity improvements we’ve achieved through changes to our management practices."
"Agriculturally, our focus lies in being one of the world leaders in developing genetics for improved feed efficiency in cattle (Angus and composite) and in understanding what processes and systems can be cost effectively
implemented across farms for the benefit of soil health and improved productivity. The carbon project established with the support of Elders is part of that process.”
Head of TESA David McKeon said the point of difference at Elders is the desire to increase farm productivity as well as improve sustainability outcomes.
“Elders has extensive knowledge and insight as an agriculture business first and foremost."
We are uniquely positioned to explore opportunities that enhance farm productivity rather than displace it, while still focussing on sustainable practices,”
“An agricultural approach to carbon farming is important for Elders. With dedicated carbon farming specialists as part of TESA, along with our extensive network of agronomy and livestock advisers, we work directly with farming clients to enhance their overall business sustainability and profitability. We do this by understanding whether a carbon farming project might be suitable on their property – assessing rainfall, soil, faming systems, opportunities for practice change and more.
“Working with Twynam is a key example where we have been able to successfully support their vision in establishing and owning their own carbon farming project, which will ultimately deliver ACCUs, while providing a range of other productivity and sustainability enhancements across the business.”
Elders staff inspecting paddocks at Twynam. L to R: Adam Little, Kate Connolly, and Chris Taarnby.
Generations of trust.
Be aware of the worm challenge in your region. Scan here for our worm heat map, available at livestockfirst.com.au.
Triguard is a potent triple-active combination drench. Providing a full dose of 3 short-acting ingredients, Triguard can help delay the onset of resistance. That’s why generations of Australian sheep farmers trust Triguard time after time for broad spectrum parasite control.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 1800 808 691 OR VISIT YOUR LOCAL STORE.
REDUCING WORM RISK WITH NEW AND TRUSTED TOOLS
A new resource introduced by Boehringer Ingelheim enables sheep farmers and their advisors to be aware of the worm challenge in their region.
The worm heat map, available at https://livestockfirst.com. au/worm-heat-map, shows the average worm egg (WEC) count across agricultural regions in Australia based on faecal sample testing over the prior month using the FECPAKG2 microscope.
The FECPAKG2 is an innovative tool to make WEC testing simple and quick. The digital microscope takes images of samples from faecal samples to enable egg counting by AI or trained technicians. In a single month, up 700 samples have be submitted across Australia, which is expected to increase as more microscopes come online.
While not designed to be a replacement for WEC testing onfarm, the heat map is useful to highlight the effect of weather patterns on worm challenge. Dr Gareth Kelly, Technical Services Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim explained “this was particularly evident over the start of summer, with many regions across NSW returning a higher average WEC. It was a strong indicator that the wet start to summer increased the worm risk. As rain events stalled in some regions during December, we could see risk levels decrease.”
The tool is also handy to benchmark your own WEC results. Along with a visual image of the average WEC for a region, further explanatory text on the website will help benchmark your results.
Understanding how climate affects the parasite lifecycle and the challenge that sheep face is a critical part of implementing a successful worm control strategy.
Another critical component for successful worm management is ensuring that effective drenches are used on your farm and knowing how to use them to maintain efficacy for as long as possible.
Triple-combination drenches, such as Triguard® Triple Combination Drench for Sheep, continue to be highly effective, broad-spectrum treatments to control worms and manage resistance. More sheep in Australia get treated with a triple combination drench than any other type of drench1.
“Farmers like the simplicity that Triguard provides to allow drenching to be done the best way” says Dr Kelly.
Research has shown that a triple drench will outlast a rotation strategy or a single or 2-way combination drench2.
“As a triple combination, we are most likely choosing a highly effective drench, even against some resistant strains. And by using a triple combination, we are choosing the most sustainable method to extend the life of the drench actives.”
Triguard has other features that continue to make it Australia’s trusted triple drench.
As an abamectin based triple with three short-acting actives, it doesn’t have the management complexity required to reduce the risk of persistency associated with moxidectin based triple drenches3.
“Drenches with persistent activity give resistant worms a head start in the reproduction cycle. While long-acting drenches have their place, our first option to consider should always be an effective knock down combination treatment,” said Dr Kelly.
Using a trusted formulation like Triguard also ensures that every sheep, every dose, every time, contains the right amount of all three actives, plus selenium and cobalt. Additionally, knowing that the ESI is 28 days enables sheep to be offloaded with confidence. Other triple drenches on the market may have an ESI of 42 days.”
This worm season, choose Triguard to manage your worm risk to keep your flock healthy and productive.
ZOLVIX™ PLUS NOW REGISTERED FOR USE IN CATTLE
Leading animal health company, Elanco, has announced that Zolvix Plus – a broad spectrum drench used in the sheep industry – is now registered for use in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle.
Zolvix Plus is a unique combination drench that contains 25 g/L monepantel and 2 g/L abamectin.
Monepantel belongs to the aminoacetonitrile derivative – or ‘orange’ –family of anthelmintics, the first new broad spectrum drench class to be registered for use in cattle in Australia for nearly 40 years.
Elanco Brand Manager, Dave Rathbone, says the registration is exciting news for beef and dairy producers.
“Zolvix Plus contains Monepantel, representing the only member of the first new broad spectrum drench class for cattle to be introduced to Australia since the ‘mectins’ were introduced in the mid-80s,” he said.1
“Producers have access to dozens of broad-spectrum drenches, but they all belong to three chemical groups.
“Resistance to all three of these groups has been reported in all major worm species in Australia.2-4
“Put simply, it’s time for beef and dairy producers to incorporate new and fully-effective chemistry into their drenching program.”
Zolvix Plus is registered for the control of all of the most important worm species found in young cattle5, including Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Cooperia and Oesophagostomum (adult only).
Dose determination and dose confirmation studies have shown Zolvix Plus provides greater than 98 per cent (pc) efficacy against all major worm species, while Australian field trials demonstrated 99.9 pc efficacy.6,7
“This proven efficacy means Zolvix Plus will be particularly suitable for use in worm control programs in young cattle, which are more susceptible to parasite burdens,” Dave said.
“Zolvix Plus is also ideal for use in ‘quarantine’ drenching programs.
“Best practice guidelines recommend treating all introduced cattle using a drench that contains as many unrelated active ingredients as possible to prevent any worms, particularly resistant strains, from being introduced to the property.”8
Zolvix Plus will also have a role to play in maintaining the efficacy of older active ingredients.
“Monepantel and abamectin are both broad spectrum drenches with different modes of action, so they are ideal combination partners,” Dave said.
“The use of drenches containing two or more active ingredients can maximise efficacy and help to prolong the life of all available chemistry.”9
Zolvix Plus is administered orally at a dose of 1 mL/10 kg body weight using the Zolvix Plus 30 mL Cattle Oral Drencher.
It can be administered to beef and dairy calves more than 100 kg liveweight or at least 16 weeks of age.
Zolvix Plus has a Meat Withholding Period of 12 days and an Export Slaughter Interval of 61 days when used in beef and dairy cattle.
Do not use in lactating cows or within 49 days of calving where milk may be used or processed for human consumption.
The minimum re-treatment interval is 21 days.
After three consecutive treatments, 61 days must elapse before treating again. Always read and follow label directions. Good agricultural practice is essential for optimal worm control.
References: 1. Gilleard, J., et al. (2021). A journey through 50 years of research relevant to the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminant livestock and thoughts on future directions. Int J Parasitol 51:1133–1151. 2. Allworth, B. et al. (2023). Comparison of the efficacy of macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics, either singly or in combination with other anthelmintic(s), in nine beef herds in southern NSW. Aust Vet J 101(8):293-295. 3. Bullen, S. et al. (2016). Anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of dairy cattle in the Macalister Irrigation District of Victoria. Aust Vet J 94(1-2):35-41. 4. Wonders, N (2016). What does anthelmintic resistance mean for worm treatment in cattle? Proceedings of the Australian Cattle Veterinarians Conference, Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, 129-130. 5.https://wormboss.com.au/roundworms/ 6. Elanco data on file (YAR-13-028, YAR-13-042, NAH-14-207, NAH-15-369 & YAR-13-041). 7. Elanco data on file (NAH-13-039, NAH-13-040, NAH-13-041 & NAH-13-042). 8. https://wormboss.com.au/quarantine-drenching/ 9. https:// wormboss.com.au/using-the-appropriate-drench/combination-drenches/
The power of orange.
With increasing resistance to older drenches, including whites, clears and mectins1,2, it’s time to switch to the power of Zolvix Plus. Only Zolvix™ Plus delivers the power of monepantel in combination with abamectin. Monepantel is the only member of the ‘orange’ drench class3 and the first new broad spectrum drench class to be registered for use in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle in Australia in nearly 40 years! Contact Elanco or your rural supplier and put the power of orange to work in your worm control program.
INNOVATION ROADSHOW SHOWCASES FUTURE OF SHEEP AND WOOL PRODUCTION
Over the last three months, the Queensland sheep and wool team hit the road to bring producers the latest in ag tech and innovation, with a focus on wool and livestock production.
Over 140 producers attended eight events in Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Charleville, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Dirranbandi and Muckadilla.
Queensland State Wool Manager Bruce McLeish kicked off each event, providing an update on Elders new state of the art automated wool handling business which delivers an end-to-end service for woolgrowers. State Sheep and Wool Specialist Celia Cummack then took attendees through a practical approach on maximising production of EID tags, while Livestock Production Manager Rob Inglis led a weaner nutrition workshop.
Other highlights were a session on satellite feed monitoring from CiboLabs and a session from Datamars on all latest EID technologies. Attendees were also treated to engaging product demonstrations from various animal health suppliers.
State Wool Manager Bruce McLeish said the roadshow was a resounding success, providing a great opportunity for the team to engage with producers, suppliers and local branch staff:
“A huge team effort made this roadshow possible, with contributions from the branches involved, the Queensland wool team, and the reps who travelled far and wide and of course the producers who attended and interacted”
“This initiative exemplifies Elders' commitment to Australian agriculture, as the company continues to invest in ag tech and innovation to keep producers at the forefront of industry advancements,”
“Elders remains dedicated to helping growers enhance their productivity and profitability, ensuring a stronger future for Australian agriculture.”
“Elders will continue to be at the forefront of bringing the latest Agtech and innovation delivering this throughout our rural communities."
The Queensland/NT Wool Team: L to R Duncan Ferguson, Bruce McLeish, Peter Sealy and Cecelia Cummack.
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