Six new PDS projects in southern WA

Six MLA Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) have recently been funded in southern WA. These projects will help producers boost productivity in the region and tackle key production challenges. Here, you can read more about each project and get up to speed on research happening in southern WA. Plus, you will find details for each project facilitator if you would like to get involved or find out more about the project.

1. Demonstration of an in-paddock cattle weighing system

Beef producers growing out cattle in extensive paddock environments are not regularly weighing their animals and therefore can be delayed in noticing any changes in growth rates. Monitoring weights with in-paddock weighing equipment in real-time allows producers to respond to growth rate changes by providing additional supplementation or other suitable interventions in a timely manner. Real-time data can be used to plan sale dates and numbers, ensuring cattle are more likely to meet target weights and hit market specifications more accurately. 

This PDS project will utilise an Optiweigh unit on properties in southern WA to demonstrate the value of in-paddock cattle weighing systems for improved labour efficiency, monitoring animal weights and optimising compliance with target market weight specifications. Demonstration sites will be established on six properties across the south coast region of WA including South Stirlings, Manypeaks, Kojaneerup and Kalgan over three years. 

2. Optimising age of weaning

Beef producers in the region do not have a clear understanding of how time of weaning impacts productivity and whether weaning earlier could be of benefit.

 Producers are unsure if:

• They are getting the most out of the spring flush by leaving weaners on their mothers until the green feed dries off
• Separating the cow and calf earlier would lead to better production outcomes by reducing maintenance requirements of cows, allowing them to partition superior feedstuffs to their weaned calves.

A 2020 survey of local beef producers indicated that the calf age at weaning ranges from 152 days to 304 days. This represents high variability in existing practices with only a small percentage weaning earlier than the district average of 220 days.

This PDS project will establish five demonstration sites across the south coast region of WA, aiming to demonstrate that weaning cattle 60 days earlier than each participant’s current practice has the potential to:

• improve pasture use efficiency allowing improved stocking density
• conserve high-value feed stuffs for finishing weaner cattle
• conserve the body condition of breeding females improving their ability to both calve successfully and rebreed at the subsequent mating opportunity.

3. Carbon Neutral 2030: Getting started on-farm

The Australian red meat industry has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30). This means that by 2030, Australian beef, lamb and goat production, including lot feeding and meat processing, aim to make no net release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere.

A major limiting factor to producers in the Esperance area completing a carbon baseline is having the knowledge of where to start. Many producers have not completed a carbon baseline, and some have identified that they have attempted to complete a baseline with online tools but are not confident they have completed it correctly and are unsure of what to do next. Building producer confidence in completing baselines and understanding on-farm practices required to achieve CN30 is an important first step.

This PDS project aims to demonstrate the educational packages and services available to producers to meet the CN30 target and the initial practice change steps required to increase producer skills, knowledge and uptake.

Core and observer producers will be provided with support to increase their knowledge and skills on how to create a carbon baseline and an emission reduction/carbon sequestration plan. Core producers will have a carbon baseline for their business, a plan to reduce their carbon footprint and have implemented at least one practice change within the term of the project. The project will establish five demonstrations to measure the impact of implementing new practices on-farm that work towards achieving carbon neutrality.

4. Confinement feeding and deferred grazing management system

Climate variability is challenging producers in the southwest of WA to adapt livestock production systems to successfully manage pasture resources, stock nutrition and soil health in drying climates. The inconsistent timing of the autumn break and the quantity of growing season rainfall presents a challenge for producers to balance pasture management and livestock nutrition in autumn while maintaining a profitable livestock enterprise.

Innovative producers in WA have experienced great success with supplementary feeding pregnant ewes in confinement to delay pasture grazing until closer to the lambing period, where pasture resources are most valuable. 

This PDS project will establish two demonstration sites in the Wickepin region of WA to demonstrate the production and economic benefits of supplementary feeding pregnant ewes in confinement and deferring grazing of pastures to match ewe nutritional requirements with pasture availability over the lambing period.

5. Utilising heifer pre-mating serology to manage Bovine Pestivirus (BVD)

​Bovine Pestivirus (BVD) was listed as the second most expensive endemic disease within the Australian beef herd with an estimated annual cost of $114.4 million AUD. ​Early surveys suggest that approximately 90% of Australian beef and dairy production systems have evidence of past exposure to BVD. ​Survey work conducted in Esperance by Swans Veterinary Services from 2004–2006 demonstrated that 75% of the 150 properties sampled had evidence of past exposure to BVD.

​The first step to managing BVD is to attempt to define the Pestivirus immune status of individual production systems, starting with collecting serum samples from young breeding stock prior to their first joining. ​It is widely accepted that young breeding stock are at greater risk of either including a persistently infected (carrier) animal or having low seroprevalence (pre-existing immunity) but not both simultaneously.

​​This PDS project will aim to demonstrate the value of utilising serology for BVD to define the risks specific to individual cohorts of heifers prior to mating and to guide producers to both identify and appreciate the most cost-effective intervention depending upon those results.  The project will establish three demonstration sites and conduct a pre-mating BVD serology survey over three seasons on at least 30 beef enterprises located within Esperance region of WA.

6. Preventing bull preputial breakdown by vaccination

Virgin bulls are susceptible to Bovine Herpes Virus subtype one induced balanoposthitis (inflammation of the penis and prepuce). If contracted during the breeding season, injury can lead to reduced pregnancy rates due to failure to achieve intromission or forced sexual rest and/or premature culling of young bulls. 

This PDS project will establish six demonstration sites, aiming to demonstrate that a commercial Bovine Herpesvirus vaccine (either Rhinogard or Bovilis MH + IBR) before mating can reduce the incidence and severity of Bovine Balanoposthitis and hence bull wastage in virgin British bred bulls.  Secondarily, to establish a baseline incidence of the syndrome and produce statistics useful to estimate both the cost of the syndrome to Esperance producers and the return on investment of vaccination.