Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council Inc Event summaries

Using fire to manage biodiversity in the paddock

Alex James — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 03:57:04 GMT

This webinar was recorded in October 2022 with Dr Ken Hodgkinson, a retired CSIRO scientist. Ken and the Landcare group he convenes is seeking effective means of restoring remnant patches of Natural Temperate Grassland, a critically endangered ecosystem of south-east Australia, in urban and peri-urban Canberra. Ken presented the findings of the groups’ fire and mowing research for remnant patches in the Ginninderra Catchment and how these findings apply to managing biodiversity in the paddock.

Watch the webinar

Fire was used by Aboriginal people to manage landscapes over thousands of years. They deliberately and thoughtfully patch-burned country to ensure the local survival of plant and animal species they cared for. They also firestick farmed the natural environment to ensure a ready supply of animal and plant foods. The fire-managed woodland vegetation became ‘open’ with scattered trees and shrubs, ideal for grazing of the domestic livestock brought by colonising farmers.

In his career as a CSIRO scientist Ken studied for a time the effects of burning semi-arid rangelands. He found fire could profitably be used to improve the composition of grasslands beneath woodland and to reduce unpalatable shrub density thereby benefitting domestic livestock production.

The Native Grassland Restoration Landcare Group found that biennial Autumn burning increased native plant species richness significantly more than Spring burning and mowing. Autumn burning increased plant diversity by ten native species not found in other treatments. Autumn cool burns not only stimulated native plant diversity but also slowly suppressed Chilean Needle Grass and African Lovegrass patches. Maintaining, and possibly increasing, plant species richness using fire, may also benefit livestock production. Other research has suggested patchy grassland should improve the conservation of native animals, such as lizards, particularly when paddocks are lightly and patchily grazed.

Resources

Ginninderra Landcare Grassland Restoration Project

Small farms and bushfire summary

Cultural Burning Summary

Prescribed burning

Cheney P and Sullivan A (2008). Grassfires: fuel, weather and fire behaviour. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

Fire management for biodiversity conservation: NSW Department of Planning and Conservation

Rural Fire Service NSW

Biodiversity Management

Dorrough J, Stol J and McIntyre S (2008). Biodiversity in the Paddock: a Land Managers Guide. Future Farm Industries CRC.

Stol J and Prober SM (2015). Jewels in the landscape: Managing very high conservation value ground-layers in Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands. www.publications.csiro.au

Stol J, Doerr V, Davies M and Doerr E (2016). Checking for change: A practical guide to checking whether sites newly managed for conservation are on track to improve. www.publications.csiro.au

This event was made possible with funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program.

Grassing the Bare Patches Field Day

Alex James — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 13:01:56 GMT

This field day was an opportunity to meet Dr Jason Condon, Associate Professor in Soil Science from Charles Sturt University and Helen Burns Development Officer – Pastures from the NSW Department of Primary Industries. We visited two farms just outside Canberra to talk about the major findings of the Grassing the Bare Patches Demonstration and learn about soils from Jason. Farmers Jennie Curtis, Harjinder Dhindsa and Allan Spencer shared their experiences from the Grassing the Bare Patches project.

It was interesting to look at the differences in the soils between the properties and see the factors limiting pasture growth. At Jennie’s farm, Jason showed us how to test for dispersive soils, soil pH and soil structure. We looked at the soil profile and the soil test results together. We could see the effect that soil acidity was having on root growth below 10cm, where low pH and high aluminium were stunting root growth and causing roots to grow sideways. Jason explained that high aluminium in the soil stops the uptake of nutrients by plants because the ion spaces on the plant roots are filled with the Al ion. The application of liming materials to increase the pH will inactivate the aluminium, thus increasing the level of plant available nutrients. Jason explained that soil pH closer to neutral favours conditions for soil microbes to replicate and flourish. The dispersion test showed that soils lower in the soil profile are vulnerable to erosion. Ripping or cultivating the soil at these depths could be risky.

Jason discussed the methodology for addressing low soil pH, suggesting the initial application of lime for the project could be 2.5 tonnes per hectare. The removal of agricultural products acidifies the soil, therefore agricultural soils will become more acidic over time. Selecting pastures with low pH tolerance is one strategy to help combat acid soils but over time the species of plants you can grow will be narrowed. Jason suggested that is it better to address the soil factors limiting pasture growth through liming, correct fertiliser application and increasing soil carbon.

At Harjinder’s farm, Jason dug another series of soil profiles, it was interesting to see the effect that the physical soil characteristics were having on the pasture. At this farm the demonstration plot had been cultivated to 15cm over a number of years. Harjinder explained how his crops would grow to a certain height and then wilt and die. Jason showed us the effect that a cultivation hardpan was having on root growth. The hard pan was causing J rooting and had formed a barrier preventing the roots growing below 15cm. Helen told us that once off deep ripping could be a remedy, as well as planting an annual cover crop of rye grass that is renowned for helping breaking down hard pans. A reference for using rye grass and clover in citrus orchards is included in the resources section below, look for the heading ‘Permanent Sod Culture’.

We learnt that the usual soil testing approach where samples from the 0-10cm range are combined is not always useful in a pasture management context because soil and physical factors can vary significantly though the soil profile. In this case, physical factors lower in the soil profile were preventing root growth. One simple way for landholders to look at soil acidity and texture below 10cm is to use a dig stick to take deeper soil samples and then use a home pH test kit to see the variation in pH at different depths. The home test kits show pH (water) which is different from lab tests for pH (CaCl).

When we compared soil profiles from the control plots with soil profiles from the common treatment plots, growing green manure crops with minimal tillage appears to have been a useful strategy for increasing soil biology and improving soil texture on previously bare patches. One of the major observations from farmers hosting the demonstration plots is that green manure crops need to be managed by mowing or grazing to keep them short during the growing season. This allows other shorter species including sub clover to germinate and not be out competed. When the green manure was left to grow high in the trial plots, the biomass made it hard to sow the permanent grass seed since there was a lot of thatch covering the bare soil.

The farmers also found that using jute mesh in a pasture setting was limiting because the cover crop could not be slashed or mowed without machinery becoming entangled in the mesh. Jute mesh still has useful applications in more inaccessible erosion sites that would not be slashed or mown.

What will the farmers do next?

Jason asked us to think about what we had learned and what we would do next in the paddocks where the trial plots are.

Jennie is planning to apply lime at a rate of 2.5kg/ha over the surface of the paddock and elsewhere on the property to raise the pH of the soil. This will be a slow process but Jason told us that the lime will travel down through the soil profile if the surface pH(CaCl) is 5.5. She is also intending to surface broadcast Crimson Clover on bare patches as an early coloniser and green manure and manage the height using strategic grazing. She observed that her sheep preferentially grazed the plots that had been limed and then grew green manure.

Allan found that deep ripping inhibited the growth of seed in one of his plots, on his property he will be using harrows to scratch in grass seed and lime on the surface of the soil. He will use green manure crops but only to get the soil processes going and he won’t allow them to grow higher than 600cm. He observed that excluding kangaroos had a big impact on the diversity of his control plot and that the kangaroos preferentially grazed the areas that had been limed. Allan also observed that increasing soil pH had a direct impact on Sifton bush (Cassinia sifton) germinating, there was no Sifton bush in the plots treated with lime or in the paddocks he has applied lime for growing oak trees for truffles.

Harjinder is keen to use organic methods to improve the fertility on his property and was surprised to see the impact that repeated cultivation had on the soil profile. He believes that doing something, whether that be applying lime, compost of fertiliser is better than leaving the bare patches of ground on your property. He could see definite improvement in the areas that the compost was applied to the ground, the grass seed germinated better and there was less space for weeds to colonise. He is investigating what to do next in the cultivation paddock to treat the soil compaction layer, future strategies may include deep ripping or growing cover crops to break up the compaction.

Resources

NSW DPI - Soil Acidity and Liming 4th Edition

Northern Rivers Soil Health Card

Sodic Soils

Soil test interpretation

Protect your soils from compaction

How to manage soil for citrus (using rye grass for compaction)

This project received funding from the National Landcare Program. South East Local Land Services provided funding for soil testing and provided technical support. Thank you to the demonstration plot farmers Jennie Curtis, Allan Spencer and Harjinder Dhindsa for their support and hosting the trials.

Regenerative agriculture discussion with Vince Heffernan

Alex James — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 03:31:23 GMT

At this webinar we discussed regenerative agriculture with Vince Heffernan from Moorlands Biodynamic Lamb, Vince shared his extensive knowledge of natural systems farming, discussed the principles of regenerative agriculture and how they can be applied on small farms.

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed on the Small Farms Network Capital Region YouTube Channel.

This is a summary of the key points from the webinar and links to further information.

Vince discussed the four aspects of holistic management that he uses on his farm - grazing a herd with lots of mouths, for a short duration, with long rest periods in between, with the correct carrying capacity. Vince manages his pasture at around 5cm long in a high growth phase. This is optimum for pasture production and protein content, animal weight gains and for maximizing the fertility of the soil. He manages the stocking rate on the farm to maintain ground cover and destocks in drought periods if necessary.
Vince does not use herbicides, he carries a hoe on his quadbike to manually remove weeds, he uses biodynamic preparations to inoculate the soil with microorganisms. Soil health, social fairness, five freedoms for animals and not using synthetic fertilisers are some of the management principles that Vince uses on his farm.
Plan for diversity and plant a wide range of native plants suitable to the area, look at what is growing in the region to get an idea of what to plant and join a Landcare Group for advice. Use this knowledge to fill the gaps on your property, the ‘gaps’ could be revegetating or smaller actions to increase biodiversity on your farm. Plant trees, shrubs and groundcovers. Wide wind breaks, whole of paddock restoration and fencing remnant trees, dams and rocky outcrops are some of the techniques you could try. Twenty percent of Vince’s farm is revegetated, some species such as wattle are used for supplementary feed, others are specifically planted for insects and birds.
Vince talked about the concept of ‘fair food’ and how farm certification can be beneficial for customers who are remote to you. Some of the methods you can use on a smaller scale include permaculture, backgrounding or livestock agistment, using portable electric fencing and water troughs for grazing management and growing native plants for seed. You can own a farm but not be a farmer, consider leasing part of your farm for more intensive agriculture or market gardening. Share with your neighbours, by loaning equipment and planning cross boundary revegetation projects.
To benchmark your progress consider taking a bird/bat survey, take photos from the same place, same time every year and monitor soil test results for improvements in soil carbon, cation exchange capacity and microbial activity.

These are some of the resources that Vince suggested during the webinar.

Darren Aitken – Vortex Veggies

Alex Podolinsky – Biodynamic Farming

Allan Savoury – Holistic Management

Collin Seils – Pasture Cropping

Lamb Pro – Holbrook – Lamb benchmarking

Soil Knowledge Network

Sustainable Farms ANU

Books:

Fire Country – How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia by Victor Steffensen

Regenesis by George Monbiot

This webinar was made possible with funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program.

Managing native pastures webinar and paddock walk summary

Alex James — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:05:20 GMT

This event was a combined webinar and paddock walk in early September 2022 with Jo Powells and Fiona Leech, Agricultural Advisors from South-East Local Land Services.

The topics discussed in the webinar include:

How native pastures respond to fertilisers and lime, and how fertiliser inputs impact species composition
Common native grasses and how to manipulate species composition through grazing management and fertiliser
The common myths about native pasture such as ‘fertilisers kill native pasture’ and ‘fertiliser reduces native plant biodiversity’.

You can watch the webinar here.

The paddock walk was an opportunity for landholders to practice their plant identification skills and look at the grazing values of some of the main pasture species in the Yass area.

These are the main points from the event:

1. Native and introduced perennial grasses can be divided into groups depending on their main growing season. The main groups are temperate (e.g. some Spear grasses, Phalaris, Yorkshire fog grass), tropical (e.g. Kangaroo grass, Red grass and Wire grass) and year-long green perennial grasses (e.g. Weeping grass, Wallaby grasses, Poa, some Speargrass species, some Cocksfoot cultivars, some Tall Fescue cultivars). Year-long green grasses respond well to rain in all seasons often providing green feed in summer when temperate species are dormant.

2. Learn what pasture plants you’ve got and consider doing a grazing management course such as PROGRAZE. Modified native pastures can be manipulated using grazing and fertiliser to increase dry matter production and animal productivity. Seek advice from South East Local Land Services through workshops and reading grazing research trials for your area.

3. Some native grassland ecosystems are protected under threatened species legislation and these high conservation grasslands should be managed for diversity through modified grazing plans and management. If you need advice contact South East Local Land Services or the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust.

4. Research has shown that most native grasses respond well to fertiliser and lime application, some species such as Weeping grass, have a particularly high requirement for phosphorus, similar to the level required for Phalaris.

5. Legumes are an important component in native perennial grass pastures. In order to realise a pasture production response it is essential to have a legume present with the native perennial grasses. Subterranean clover is a common introduced legume found in native pastures and usually has been sown into the pasture at some point in the past. However, there are a number of other introduced annual legume species that have become naturalised over time (e.g. Yellow suckling clover, Cluster clover, Hop clover) that are often found naturally occurring in native pastures and also respond well to fertiliser application.

6. Learn to use a land lens to help look at the different parts of grasses and forbs to aid their identification. You can buy cheap hand lenses at JayCar.

A useful publication for the identification of grasses both native and introduced is, ‘Grasses of the NSW tablelands’ NSW DPI publication (2013). It is available from the Tocal College website.

Jo Powells and Fiona Leech with landholder Christine

Resources

Managing native pastures NSWDPI

Native pasture management and delayed grazing

How you can help protect native grasslands

Pasture legumes and their benefit

Laggan grazing demonstration (South-East Local Land Services)

Alternative grazing demonstration (South East Local Land Services)

Grasses of the NSW Tablelands

Threatened ecological communities ACT/NSW

Pasture recovery after bushfire

Prograze course

South-East Local Land Services – Contact us

Grassed up - Guidelines for revegetating with Australian Natives

This event was made possible with funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program and in-kind support from South East Local Land Services.

Woodland birds and habitat workshop

Alex James — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 05:11:44 GMT

On Saturday 10 September 2022 twenty-six landholders participated in the Woodland Bird and Habitat Workshop held at Mulloon, just outside of Bungendore. Richard Beggs (ANU Sustainable Farms), Tobi Edmunds (NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust) and Jed Pearson (Molonglo Catchment Group) joined us to talk about native birds and their habitat requirements. The aim of the workshop was to highlight the importance of retaining and creating habitat for woodland birds.

Jed, Richard and Tobi - presenting at the workshop

Small woodland birds are amongst the most threatened groups of birds in South-Eastern New South Wales. This is due to habitat loss from development, agriculture, lack of food resources and competition for habitat from birds like noisy minors.

These are the key points from the workshop:

Woodland birds like structural diversity in their habitat, including grasses and forbs, open patches for foraging, mid story shrubs and some trees. Spikey bushes, dead trees and fallen wood provide great nesting sites and habitat.
Dams act as ‘insect chimneys’ and increase food resources for birds and other animals. Fencing farm dams can provide dual benefits by improving habitat values and providing better water quality for livestock. Fencing and revegetation improve water quality by reducing faecal contamination and supporting the physical and chemical filtering of inflows. Better quality water is more palatable to livestock so may encourage greater water consumption and allow greater feed consumption. Remarkably little research has been done on the relationship between water quality and weight gain, however. Properly managed farm dams can provide phytoremediation (water cleaning services) by aquatic plants and animals.
Livestock preferentially graze some species of plants in native pasture. The Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) uses a floristic value score to rate the value of grasslands and woodlands. Some species that are preferentially grazed include glycine, bulbine lily and other legume species.
There are a number of bird and plant identification apps available including -

For birds - Pizzey & Knight Birds of Australia and Canberra Nature Map

For plants – Picture This and Plants of South- Eastern Australia

5. Landholders with an in-perpetuity agreement with the BCT are eligible for rate relief on the part of the property being conserved under an agreement.

Richard identified twenty-one bird species and Jed three species of frogs, including:

Australian magpie
Australian raven (& nest)
Grey currawong
Black-faced cuckoo shrike
Laughing kookaburra
Crimson rosella
Little corella
Yellow-tailed black cockatoo
Australian wood duck
Pacific black duck
Grey shrike-thrush
Golden whistler
White-throated treecreeper
Yellow-rumped thornbill (& nest)
Brown thornbill
Striated pardalote
Grey fantail
Silvereye
Red wattlebird
Yellow-faced honeyeater
Superb fairy wren

The frogs were the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera), the Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) and Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet (Crinia parinsignifera).

Further information

Biodiversity Conservation Trust

Phytoremediation

Friends of Grasslands Floristic Score

ANU Sustainable Farms farm dams

Save our Scarlet Robin – Saving our Species resources and guides

Landcare NSW Find a Landcare Group

This activity is part of the Partnering in Private Land Conservation. A joint initiative delivered by Landcare NSW and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust. Thanks to ANU Sustainable Farms, the Molonglo Catchment Group and the Biodiversity Conservation Trust for in-kind support of this workshop.

Managing blackberries in creeks and waterways

Alex James — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 01:41:00 GMT

This is a summary of a webinar and paddock walk held in June 2022.

The webinar was recorded on Thursday 17 June 2022. During the webinar we discussed managing blackberries in creeks and gullies with Lori Gould from the Australian River Restoration Centre and small farmer Christine Aughey.

The topics discussed in the webinar include blackberry control options, managing a weed control project and where to start, preventing erosion after the weeds are removed, fencing and revegetation.

Watch the webinar

After the webinar a group of farmers visited a small farm just outside of Yass for a paddock walk to discuss blackberry management. These are the take away messages from the event.

1. The focus of weed management has shifted from eradication to asset protection and containment. Some weeds like blackberry are known as transformer weeds. Transformer weeds have a high impact on native plant communities and degraded landscapes by transforming ecosystem processes and functioning. Transformer weeds use their competitive advantage to develop monocultures by modifying the soil and conditions to their preferred niche. They are also able to recruit seedlings easily, often using a number of different methods. Through these processes transformer weeds change the surrounding environment to favour their spread. Blackberry plants for example are able to spread using seed, seedlings from their roots (that can extend for 4 meters from the plant) and by growing from the tips of branches when they touch the ground.

2. Weeds like blackberry are opportunistic and will colonise bare soil and eroded slopes. Lori recommends keeping ground cover above 80% so there is no space for weeds to germinate. Some weeds are considered pioneer plants, modifying the soil and habitat conditions so other plants can establish once they have completed their lifecycle. Some examples may include cape weed and Patterson’s Curse.

3. The native raspberry Rubus parvifolius, looks similar to the introduced blackberry Rubus fruticosus. Native raspberry has a different leaf shape to blackberry and is red on the outer leaf margin, the veins are also more pronounced. Blackberry has nine different species in NSW.

4. Wetting agents used with herbicides are not approved for use along waterways, Glyphosate is the only approved herbicide for blackberry control in waterways. You can apply for an off-label permit for other herbicides through the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Lori recommends that you only spray actively growing plants, just before or while they are fruiting. Care must be taken when spraying in waterways, if you are unsure of how to do it seek professional advice. In some cases the paint and brush method may be a more targeted approach.

5. Lori suggests you aim to control 30% of the weed infestation/year. By using a staged approach you can replant the affected areas and leave some habitat for woodland birds until you can get the infestation under control.

Resources

Rivers of Carbon Blackberry Guide

Mt Lofty Rangers video - on how to differentiate blackberry and native raspberry

Maintaining ground cover for water infiltration - Local Land Services

Goat webinar (includes information on how to use goats to control weeds)

Herds for Hire

NSW DPI Weed Wise

Victorian blackberry control taskforce

Plant NET native raspberry

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority

This event was sponsored by the Australian Government with funding from the National Landcare Program.

Goat Webinar

Alex James — Thu, 26 May 2022 02:51:13 GMT

This webinar was recorded on Thursday 12 May 2022 with presenters Dr Sandra Baxendell from Goat Veterinary Consultancies-Goat Vet Oz and Elisabeth Larsen from Herds for Hire. Dr Sandra Baxendell is a specialist goat veterinarian based in Queensland, she has decades of experience advising farmers and industry about goat health, management and nutrition. Elisabeth Larsen is a goat husbandry entrepreneur who is using a herd of goats to manage problem weed infestations in South Eastern NSW.

In this webinar Sandra discussed goat enterprises for small farms, common equipment used for goat management, worm management and common health conditions affecting goats. Elisabeth talked about her experience managing goats for weed control.

A copy of the webinar recording can be found on the Small Farms Network Capital Region YouTube Channel, click here.

Below is a summary of the webinar and a list of resources relating to goat management.

Managing goats and intestinal worms requires planning and thought. Goats have lower worm resistance than sheep and cattle. Quarantine your goats when they arrive, a quarantine drench is important to help prevent bringing worms onto your farm. Goat drenches are ‘off label’, you need to get a prescription and the correct dose from your vet, some vets can dispense drenches in smaller quantities. WormBoss is an online platform to help producers make decisions about drenching goats, the website has information on faecal egg counting, rotational grazing, strategic drenching and managing worm resistance in goats.
There are organic treatments for worms in goats including copper sulphate, copper oxide wire particles and Bioworma. Grazing on forage high in tannins (such as chicory) can help reduce worm burdens in goats.
When buying goats ask the seller for an Animal Health Declaration that includes Johne's disease, footrot, and Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis. Goats should be vaccinated for clostridial diseases, goats with no vaccination history and kids need two doses four weeks apart and then a booster every six months. The type of vaccination used will depend on the diseases in your area so seek specialist advice for your situation.
Castration should be performed as early as management practices allow and before two months of age, bucks and kids are fertile at three months of age.
Goats can be successfully trained to eat woody weeds. If the weeds are too high for the goats to reach try laying them down using a heavy branch or board so they can get access to eat them.

Resources

WormBoss Website

Drenches for goats - using them correctly and legally

Drench decision guide for sheep and goats

Drenches for goats: alternatives to registered commercial drench products

NSW DPI

Managing worms in organic goat production systems

Goat AgSkills

Goat health and vaccinations

Other

Goat Handling Standards - Animal Health Australia

Australian welfare standards for Goats

The palatability and potential toxicity of Australian weeds to goats - Agrifutures

Goats at the Australian National Botanic Gardens

NSW DPI Weed Wise

This event was made possible with funding from the National Landcare Program and in-kind support from Elisabeth Larsen, Herds for Hire.

Lamb Marking

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 12 May 2022 08:47:19 GMT

On a cold, windy day in early May 2022, participants gathered near Murrumbateman to learn about lamb marking with veterinarians Peter and Penny Dagg and sheep owners Jennie Curtis and Ashleigh Wildridge.

Some key points from the workshop:

Why mark?

Marking is a set of procedures designed to improve lamb health, manage breeding and identify sheep. Marking is typically done when lambs are around 4-6 weeks of age. Typical procedures are ear tagging, castrating ram lambs that are not needed for breeding, tail docking and vaccinations.

Catching lambs

Lambs and ewes can be drafted in a race to temporarily separate the lambs from the ewes so that they can be marked. Low stress handling is important since ewes can crush small lambs in a mixed mob in the yards.
Individual lambs can either be restrained on their back in a cradle or held by another person during lamb marking.

Pain relief

There are two types of pain to consider for lamb marking: immediate (fast) pain and chronic (slow) pain.

Local anaesthetics make the lamb more comfortable while the procedure occurs and for up to an hour afterwards (immediate pain). Farmers have two options: NumOcaine which is used when applying rings using the Numnuts system and Tri-Solfen which only works when there is an open wound. Tri-Solfen does not provide pain relief for sites where rubber rings are applied since the skin is not cut so will not be useful for most small farmers. NumOcaine is currently available on prescription from vets, Tri-Solfen can be bought from rural suppliers.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs reduce inflammation, pain and fever but do not deal well with immediate pain. These take 15-30 minutes to take effect and last 9 hours or longer. Nurofen is an example used in humans. Options for sheep are injectable Metacam and Buccalgesic, which is a gel placed between the check and the gum. These are available on prescription from vets.

While traditionally lamb marking was done with no pain relief, the gold standard approach to lamb marking is to provide both immediate and chronic pain relief.

Ear tagging

Ear tags may be applied to lambs at marking. Where there is a need to know parentage of lambs (eg. in a sheep stud), ear tags may be applied within a day or two of birth.

Sheep need an ear tag with the Property Identification Code (PIC) for the property where they are born before they leave the property. In NSW, tags can be visual tags (all the information is printed on the tag) or EID tags (all the information is printed on the tag plus the tag can be scanned with a digital scanner).

There is a convention that each year there will be a different colour used for lamb ear tags. It is easy to search for the table of sheep ear tag colours online. The colour for 2022 is red. If a sheep born on another property loses its ear tag while on your property, your only option is to replace it with a pink post breeder tag showing your PIC.

Another convention is to put the tag in the right ear of ewes and left ear of rams/wethers. This is helpful as a visual aid when you are sorting a flock of sheep by sex.

Additional information that may be included on ear tags:

V to indicate sheep has been vaccinated with Gudair
Individual sheep number – this can be any format that you choose. One example, for tags for lambs born in 2022 would be to use numbers 2200001, 2200002 etc.

There are many brands of ear tags. Each brand has their own applicator so be sure to match the applicator with the tags you are using. Tags can be bought online or ordered through rural stores. The smallest order size we have found is 10 tags.

Vaccination

Best practice:

Vaccinate ewes with 6in1 (or 5in1) vaccine against clostridial diseases 4-6 weeks before lambing. The ewes will pass the antibodies to the lambs in the colostrum. This gives the lambs the some protection in the first four weeks after birth.
Vaccinate lambs with 6in1 (or 5in1) vaccine at 4-6 weeks of age at lamb marking. This is the primer dose.
Vaccinate lambs with Gudair at lamb marking or up to 16 weeks of age. This is a lifetime vaccination. The vaccine is dangerous if accidentally injected into humans. Lambs that will be slaughtered in first two years do not need Gudair vaccination.
Give lambs a booster dose of 6in1 (or 5in1) vaccine 4-6 weeks after lamb marking (often done at weaning). This booster dose is essential for continuing immunity through the first year.
Vaccinate all sheep with 6in1 (or 5in1) annually.

Tail docking

Lamb tails are docked to reduce risk of fly strike caused by dags collecting on long tails. This may be more of a problem for woolly sheep so there is a trend developing to not dock tails of shedding hair sheep.

The current best practice recommendation is to dock the tail at the third palpable joint from the base of the tail. This provides more sun protection for bare skin around the tail and is thought to reduce occurrence of anal and vaginal prolapse.

The most accessible option for small farmers is ring docking where a rubber ring is applied to the tail and the tail falls off 2-4 weeks later.

Castration

Castration is the process of removing a ram lamb’s testicles where the lamb will not be used for breeding. This can be done surgically or by applying a rubber ring. Care needs to be taken to get both testicles in the scrotum before applying the ring.

Record keeping

Where sheep will be sold off property, records need to be kept for all medications given. These should include date, which sheep received treatment, name of drug or chemical, dose, batch number and expiry date. These records can be on paper or digital. Various templates are available online.

Other records often made at lamb marking are weight, assessment of lamb structure and adherence to breed standards.

Post marking and weaning

After marking, lambs need to find their mothers (called mothering up). Some breeds are better at this than others. Look for any lambs and ewes that are ‘yelling’ after marking. Quite likely they have lost each other.

Lambs are typically weaned at about 12 weeks of age. This gives the ewes time to recover before joining. Weaning can be very noisy with lambs and ewes calling to each other. Don’t do it near the house! The weaning process will be much slower if the lambs and ewes share a fenceline.

Lambs are more susceptible to worms immediately after weaning. It is helpful to give them a drench and move them onto clean pasture to set them up well to keep growing. This is when they should also get their booster vaccination (6in1 or 5in1). Weaned lambs need the best pasture possible.

Resources

Pain relief options for sheep (MLA) https://elearning.mla.com.au/courses/pain-relief-for-sheep/

Vaccination options for sheep (MLA)
https://elearning.mla.com.au/courses/vaccination-in-sheep-flocks/
Sheep Vaccinations in the Capital Region https://smallfarmscapital.org.au/summaries-and-links/9086990
LPA Livestock Treatment Record Sheet (see pp 6-7 for example and template)
https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/meat-safety-and-traceability/documents/on-farm-practices/lpa-farm-records_update_may14.pdf
Another treatment record template from Victoria
https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/536793/Record-keeping-template-Veterinary-Chemical-Use.pdf

This workshop was organised by the Small Farms Network Capital Region committee. Our thanks go to veterinarians Peter and Penny Dagg for sharing their expertise and Ashleigh Wildridge for presenting information.

Grassing the Bare Patches Autumn Update

Alex James — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 14:14:48 GMT

Grassing the Bare Patches is a citizen science project that has been running in Bywong and Sutton over the past eighteen months. It has been looking at bare patches of ground on three small farms and simple things that might be done to repair them.

We have tested the soil before and after so we can compare the controls with the plots where we applied treatments. We have measured the herbage mass each season and recorded the plant species that we observed growing on each plot.

This blog post contains a summary of the project findings, and a comparison of the soil test results from the beginning and end of the project.

Project Summary

Soil Test Comparison

This project is funded by the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program.

Plant Identification

Alex James — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 00:13:35 GMT

This is a summary of the key points from the webinar and paddock walk on plant identification with Jo Powells, Geoff Robertson and Margaret Ning in March 2022.

You can watch the webinar by clicking on this link.

The key messages from this paddock walk are summarised below, and links to further information on each topic can be found at the bottom the page;

Grasses are usually categorised by the shape of their seed head.
Different parts of grasses are used to identify species these include nodes, auricles, leaf shape and ligules. The presence and absence of hairs on the leaf, nodes, stem and other parts of the grass can also help identify different species.
Perennial grasses are classified as C3 or C4 grasses, this refers to the way in which the grasses capture carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. They are adapted to different environments, with C3 grasses found in temperate areas, while C4 grasses come from tropical climates.
Cocksfoot grass has branched, open panicles and is folded like a book at the base of the leaf, phalaris has a round stem with cylindrical seed head.
Grass weeds such as Serrated Tussock, Chilean Needle Grass and African Love Grass can be a big problem for property owners. African love grass has a seed panicle that looks like a Christmas tree, Chilean Needle Grass has distinct ribbed, hairy leaves and a corona at the base of the seed awn. Serrated tussock is largely indigestible and can cause animals to die of malnutrition. Find out more about these weeds in the NSW DPI Weed Wise App.
Not sure what you’ve got at your place? Contact South East Local Land Services, local council weeds officer or try logging your sighting on the Canberra Nature Map website or app for identification.

Chilean Needle Grass Seed Head – Photo NSW DPI

Jo Powells is a Senior Agricultural Adviser - Pastures from South East Local Land Services based in Cooma.

Contact your nearest South East Local Land Services Office.

Resources

Friends of Grasslands (FOG) – Parts of Grasses

Department of Primary industry and Fisheries – C3 and C4 Grasses

Ag Guide Pastures in Farming Systems

Grasses of the NSW Tablelands

Canberra Nature Map

NSW DPI pasture plant species and varieties

Grass Identification

This event was made possible with funding from the Australian Government thorough the National Landcare Program and in-kind support from South East Local Land Services.

Increasing small farms’ resilience to extreme heat, drought and bushfires

Alex James — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:35:40 GMT

Small farmers in the Capital region are already experiencing the predicted patterns of climate change outlined in the Climate Change for NSW Snapshot but the options for adaptation are not well known. This project seeks to fill the information gap about strategies and techniques available to small farmers to address these challenges and adapt to climate change.

Find out how two farming families are applying the knowledge they learnt at workshops to their small farms in this video. Suz talks about how she adapted her farming practices to conserve ground cover, improve pastures and her plans to manage water in the future, while Sam and Frank discuss how they are using burning practices to reduce fuel loads and regenerate the landscape.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding for this project from the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grants program.

More information about the community grants can be found on the AdaptNSW website.

Increasing small farms’ resilience to extreme heat, drought and bushfires forum

Alex James — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 14:08:43 GMT

The Small Farms Small Farms Network Capital Region held a Small Farms and Climate Change Forum where the participants provided feedback about the types of things they need to learn to improve farm resilience in a challenging climate. The feedback from the forum guided the selection of topics for a series of practical workshops (or webinars) around the Capital region tailored to the needs of small farmers and delivered by subject matter experts. Summaries and fact sheets on our website allow a wider audience to access the information.

You can read the Small Farms and Climate Change Forum Summary here.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region was one of 23 projects awarded a grant in the first round of projects through the Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Grants from the NSW Government.

Trees for tomorrow webinar summary

Alex James — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 06:37:33 GMT

In this webinar we explored the topic of trees and climate change with Cameron Pensini the Sustainability Project Officer from the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council and Dr David Freudenberger from the Australian National University.

The webinar was recorded on 13 October 2021, you can view the recording here.

These are the main points from the webinar:

Surface heat mapping done by the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) shows that urban areas like Queanbeyan, Googong, Braidwood and Bungendore are significantly hotter than natural areas such as Tallaganda National Park. These towns are urban heat islands and are two degrees warmer than the surrounding landscape. The council is developing an urban cooling strategy to combat the problem of heat islands and has studied tree species that might be suitable for establishing urban forests. The QPRC has developed a list of 130 suitable trees for the future urban cooling project and has established a trial site for urban trees in Bungendore.
The rational for selecting trees species for climate change in urban areas can be applied to a rural setting. For more information click on the Yass Area Network and Macquarie University Guide below.
Dead grass has the same surface temperature as bitumen, which can be up to four degrees hotter than forest areas.
Due to human impacts our land is now a ‘novel landscape’ that is vastly different to what it was prior to human habitation. Novel landscapes or ecosystems occur when a new combination of species appear due to human activity, environmental change or the impact of introduced species (Lyndenmayer et al 2008).
‘Ecosystem services’ are the benefits provided to humans through the transformation of natural resources (land, water, vegetation and atmosphere) into goods and services essential to life and wellbeing. These ‘goods and services’ include clean air, water, climate regulation, soil building, habitat, fertility and food. Trees provide provisioning, regulating, processing and cultural services to human beings. These free services are essential to human life but are often difficult to attribute a monetary value to.
Every bit counts when it comes to vegetation and planting trees. Even a small patch of high-quality vegetation can help provide rich diversity on farms. For further information see Greening Australia and the Australian National University, Sustainable Farms Project links below.

Further information

Macquarie University Climate Ready Revegetation Guide

Keeping it Cool – Vegetation and Heat Adaptation Strategy - Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council

Yass Area Network Climate Ready Project

Fodder trees and shrubs workshop

Revegetation for small farms

Key Concepts of Ecosystem Services

Lyndenmayer, D.B. et al (2008), Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice, Conbio Online Library 26/11/2021 https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00021.x

ANU Sustainable Farms Research

The Crossing Courses and Workshops

Greening Australia Connecting and Protecting Landscapes

This event is funded by the NSW Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant.

Small Farms and Bushfire Webinar Summary

Alex James — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 02:02:22 GMT

This is a summary of a webinar recorded on the 7 October 2021 with Jason McWhirter the District Officer, Lake George Zone - NSW Rural Fire Service. In this webinar Jason shared his expertise in planning for and managing bushfire.

You can watch the webinar recording by following this link.

These are the key points from the webinar:

Each region in NSW has a Bushfire Risk Management Plan. In the Bungendore region it is called the Lake George Bushfire Risk Management Plan (BFRMP). These plans are developed by a committee of local residents, agencies and the NSW Rural Fire Service. The BFRMP is a strategic document for each region that identifies community assets and sets out a five-year multi agency response to reduce the risk of bushfire impacting these assets. Community assets include human settlements, economic infrastructure, environmental and cultural assets. Once the asset assessment is completed treatments are prescribed to reduce the risk of bushfire. The treatments can include hazard reduction burning, grazing, community education, fire trail maintenance and establishing local Rural Fire Service (RFS) groups.

The NSW Fire Service can assist land managers with the construction and management of Asset Protection Zones through the Hazard Reduction Certificate process, this includes approval for vegetation management, hazard reduction burning and clearing. Hazard management is done to reduce fuel loads that influence the rate and intensity of fire.
Every landholder should develop and Asset Protection Zones around their house in bushfire prone areas. The Asset Protection Zone allows you to manage vegetation to reduce the risk of bushfire impacting a house. Measures can include mowing, establishing lawn, clearing trees and shrubs away from the house and using non- flammable mulches. Jason explained the 10/50-meter rule that applies to private home owners in bushfire prone areas. The scheme allows people living in designated areas to clear trees within 10 meters of their home and clear underlying vegetation within 50 meters of their home without approval. More detailed information about this rule can be found in the link below.
Local RFS Community Engagement Officers can help you develop a vegetation management plan, offer advice on equipment and applying for a hazard reduction certificate. You can book a site visit with your local RFS Brigade or contact your local Fire Control Centre.
It’s a good idea to discuss your fire plan with your neighbours.
Embers can travel tens of kilometres ahead of the fire front and can stay alight for several days after the fire.
A Fire Permit is required from the 1st October -31^st May and can be obtained from the NSW Rural Fire Service. Hazard Reduction Certificates are only required for native vegetation.
HOW FIRE PROOF IS YOUR PLAN? Bushfire Survival Plans are essential for every landholder. Jason’s advice is to think about what your trigger points are for action. This could include leaving early on catastrophic fire days or leaving when the fire gets within a certain radius. Jason said that it is a good idea to give everyone in the household a job (including young children). Include in your plan how you will manage livestock and think about access to feed and water for 3-7 days post fire.
Equipment and access – when property planning make sure you think about the size of your gate and driveway. Will a fire truck FIT? Plan 20,000 L water storage for bushfire fighting, a diesel pump, 38 mm firefighting canvas hose with STORZ fittings, a bucket and mop for putting out embers, P2 mask, cotton clothing, boots and hat.

More information on getting ready for bushfire season can be found in the links below.

Pig Webinar Summary

Alex James — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 02:14:56 GMT

This webinar was held on the 18 August 2021 with Dr Lou Baskind from South East Local Land Services and Dan Head from Value Life Farm.

You can watch the recording here.

Below is a summary of the key points from the webinar and a list of resources for more information.

Water and nutrition- Pigs require access to high quality water and feed. They are monogastric animals like humans. In order of priority, pigs need fresh water, energy, protein, macro nutrients and other micro nutrients.

The pig’s diet will influence the growth rate and quality of pork you produce. Pasture alone is not adequate to meet the nutritional needs of pigs and supplementary feeding is essential. Dan uses a sustainably sourced pig feed in bulka bags from Heritage Feeds. The amount of feed a pig requires will depend on the age and stage of development. Dan gave an example of a feeding regime that he uses - piglets are fed ad lib until they are five months old and then 2kg/head/day except for lactating sows then the rate increases to 7 kg/day.

Pigs are curious animals and can damage water troughs, a closed off inlet valve can be useful for preventing damage to troughs or you can use water nipples.

Swill Feeding is illegal in Australia.

Swill feeding is the traditional name for the feeding of food scraps to pigs. Prohibited pig feed (‘swill’) includes meat (raw, cooked or processed), bone, blood, offal or hide derived from a mammal and anything that has come into contact with these materials (NSW DPI).

Pigs are considered high risk for the introduction of exotic diseases in to Australia and swill feeding is considered to be the most likely pathway of disease introduction.

Penning and housing- Wallowing is an important natural behaviour of pigs. Pigs cannot sweat so wallowing allows them to moderate their body temperature. Pigs can be kept on a deep litter system, where the manure and urine are composted down with wood chips. Dan uses electric fencing for his pigs, he trains them using feed and uses boards to move them in yards if required. This method of handling is referred to as low stress livestock handling and will improve meat quality (see refences below). Shelter is also important for pigs, especially for furrowing sows and piglets, and during the summer months to protect them from sunburn and heat stress.

Pigs can be raised outdoors and used for removing weeds, cultivation and rotational grazing. They can be raised successfully using organic and regenerative agriculture principles. Dan sought inspiration from Joel Salatin, Justin Rhodes and has his own YouTube Channel. For more information visit the Value Life Farm website.

Disease and zoonosis – pigs carry several diseases that can spread to humans including leptospirosis, Erysipelas, Q Fever and Brucella suis. If you are handling pigs, it is worthwhile checking with your doctor what vaccinations you should consider, and with your vet about how to vaccinate your pigs in order to protect yourself as well.

Piglet castration – male piglets must be castrated using a knife not rings like the ones used for lambs. Seek advice from your vet or an experienced pig farmer.

Councils have rules about owning pigs – check with your local council before buying them.

Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline

1800 675 888

Property Identification and moving pigs - all owners of pigs require a property identification code (PIC). Look at this handy guide from the NSW Department of Primary Industries for more information.

Moving Pigs Eight Step Guide

Resources

Swill feeding

Pig husbandry and housing

Pig nutrition Basics - DAF QLD

Deep litter housing for pigs

Responsible pig ownership - NSW DPI

Eight must dos for pig ownership - NSW DPI

Pig biosecurity management resources

Local Government rules

Local Government (General) Regulation 2005

Part 5 Standards for Keeping Birds or Animal, Keeping of Swine clauses 17 and 18.

Palerang Local Government Planning rules for keeping pigs

Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council Duty Planner 1300 735 025.

Low stress handling research

Grandin T., (2020) “Livestock Handling at the Abattoir: Effects on Welfare and Meat Quality”, Meat and Muscle Biology 4(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.9457

Grandin T., (2019) Understanding Flight Zone and Point of Balance for Low Stress Handling of Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs.

Pig Agskills Book - Tocal Collage NSW

This webinar was made possible with funding from the NSW Environmental Trust through Every Bit Counts Project and with in-kind support from South East Local Land Services District Veterinarian Dr Lou Baskind and Dan Head from Value Life Farm.

Land for Wildlife Program Review

Alex James — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:10:36 GMT

The Small Farms Network Capital Region was a Land for Wildlife Provider from June 2017 to April 2021. During that time we facilitated the assessment of 64 properties in the Palerang District. Our intrepid Land for Wildlife assessors were Kris Nash and Jo Walker who bought years of experience along with encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and natural resource management (NRM) to the program. They used this experience to provide landholders with advice and education about the plants and animals on their properties.

The Land for Wildlife Program is a free, non-binding program for landholders. Under the program, property owners receive a free visit from a NRM specialist and a report about the plants and animals living on their property.

Jo and Kris reflect below on their experience being Land for Wildlife assessors for the Small Farms Network Capital Region and the former Palerang Action Network for Sustainability.

Most people are surprised to learn the diversity they have on their farm

It was fascinating to discover the variety of landscapes existing in the area we covered, ranging from tall forests to grassy open expanses and including rocky outcrops of shale or granite, creeks, gullies and dams. Identifying plants involved peering into the high branches of eucalypts, crawling through shrubbery and kneeling to get a close look at Sundews and other tiny plants.

Sometimes we came across threatened ecological communities (grassy box woodland, grasslands) and uncommon or threatened plant species but otherwise we encountered everything from dense to open forest, patches with an intact and diverse native understorey, to low diversity paddocks with a few remnant eucalypts.

There were a few surprises too. I think the most memorable was an understorey of purple-flowering Comesperma ericinum (Heath Milkwort) in an area of dry forest in Wamboin. This species is not common in this area and usually occurs as an individual plant or in small groups.

The average number of plants per property was 60 species (112 from one property), with 316 different native plants recorded across the assessment area. Many more species would have been recorded had it been possible to visit everyone during spring, but most property owners were pleasantly surprised at the number of native plants on their block. All properties had at least 0.5 ha of native vegetation, most had far more.

Weeds, wildlife habitat and wombats

The most common issue discussed was the identification and control of weeds including woody weeds, sifton bush, pine trees, various noxious grasses, pesky annuals and garden escapees. Other issues included erosion control, the enhancement of dams, protecting native seed stock from grazing animals, rehabilitation, salinity control and feral animal management.

We encountered goannas, baby kangaroos and wombats, threatened birds and frogs, scats, scratchings, nests and diggings of many animals, and sadly a bunch of sugar glider tails.

So how can we improve our land?

Our main advice to property owners was to weed, weed, weed and more weeding. We know this is easier said than done but removing pressure from weedy plants will provide more room for native grassland and bush to recover. Other common advice included keeping as much exposed or disturbed soil covered as possible, 80% at least, through mulching, laying heavy logs, branches and/or rocks. Planting additional plants is not usually necessary when the understorey is diverse and there is regeneration of overstory species. That ‘mess’ is great for biodiversity and should be valued. The other major goal should be to retain and protect remnant trees for their all-important hollows for nesting birds and animals.

Great people and a few eccentrics too

It was also interesting to talk to the people who had invited us onto their land for the assessments. They were as diverse as the plants, but all had a deep desire to do something for the environment and the local wildlife. Several of them were wildlife rescuers and carers. The pig purchased as a ‘mini’ but now grown to an enormous stature deserves a mention, as does the lengths people have gone to, to provide homes and habitat for the animals sharing their properties. They were all very keen to know what plants were on their land and their relationship with the local wildlife, and were sometimes amazed by the number of native plants on the lists. To help them understand which plants were listed, we provided them with some information and a follow up email.

Altogether, it was a rewarding experience for us to be able to provide enthusiastic landholders with more knowledge of their farm. It was a privilege to be part of the Land for Wildlife program and humbling to meet such dedicated and caring people. It was a personal highlight to assist landholders discover just how diverse and valuable for wildlife their individual properties were.

Individual land holders and the broader community has benefited from Jo and Kris’s expertise and enthusiasm for helping others to learn about the natural environment. Vicki, one of the landholders, had this to say about the assessment done by Jo and Kris.

‘I found the whole Land for Wildlife experience very positive and learnt a lot about the plants growing here. It was great to know we had such diversity on our farm. The visit from Jo and Kris helped us appreciate the value of the habitat that we have on our farm. Rather than thinking we have a paddock of rocky outcrops we now see a paddock with great habitat potential. Being given a list of species was the icing on the cake. The assessment has encouraged me to focus more on weed removal instead of re-vegetation. Over-all our visit from Jo and Kris was a very enlightening and positive experience from extremely knowledgeable and committed people.’

Thanks for the funding and support

The Small Farms Network Land for Wildlife Program would not have been possible without the support of the Geary’s Gap/Wamboin Landcare Group., National Landcare Program and John Asquith from the Community Environment Centre.

Here is a message from Geary’s Gap Landcare.

Gearys Gap/Wamboin Landcare Group has been very pleased to have been able to support LfW in this region over the past decade. The activities of Landcare and Land for Wildlife are complementary and each makes a valuable contribution to the natural environment of this region. The excellent collaborative work of the two organisations has been exemplary.

Thanks to Jo and Kris for a wonderful contribution and to all our supporters.

For more information on the Land for Wildlife program please contact the Community Environment Centre.

Wicking Bed Design

Alex James — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 06:00:10 GMT

Chris Curtis from Roogulli Farm presented at this webinar on the 21 July 2021. Wicking beds are plant containers with a water reservoir in the bottom of the container, water wicks up through the potting medium through capillary action. At this webinar Chris discussed his research into several growing mediums and the water holding capacity of different reservoir materials in wicking beds.

You can view a recording of the webinar on YouTube here.

A copy of the abstract from Chris’s research can be downloaded here and you can read the full dissertation on his website.

These are the main points from the webinar:

Some materials are more efficient at wicking water than others. Chris’s research shows that gravel and scoria have poor capillary rise and are not efficient as reservoir materials for wicking beds. These materials do not wick water efficiently into the root zone of plants.
Cocopeat and Waterups are good at wicking water from the water reservoir to a depth of 150mm and maintained the best soil moisture for plant growth.
Using geotextile between the reservoir and growing layers showed no significant difference to the performance of the wicking bed in this study.

Resources

You can download a copy of Chris’s PowerPoint presentation here.

Pulse water meter

Thank you to Chris for volunteering his time to present this webinar.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding from the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grants program.

More information about the community grants can be found here.

Cultural Burning Workshop Summary

Alex James — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 04:04:22 GMT

On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April 2021 we met Den Barber from Yarrabin Cultural Connections and a team of cultural burning practitioners at Birkenburn Farm near Bungendore to learn about Aboriginal cultural burning.

The workshop began with an Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony. The smoking ceremony involves smouldering gum leaves to produce smoke, which provides a spiritual cleansing and protection for all workshop participants.

For Aboriginal people, cultural burning is an ancient traditional practice used for thousands of years throughout the many different Cultural Lands of Australia. The process is complex with many interconnected objectives including protecting cultural assets by maintaining the health of surrounding country, protecting ceremonial sites, habitat enhancement and fuel reduction. Fuel reduction is often not the primary objective. Cultural burning uses frequent, low intensity fires that do not adversely impact parent trees or the forest canopy. Parent trees are considered sacred by Aboriginal people.

You don’t manage your mother you look after her

Den Barber told us about the Aboriginal belief of caring for Mother Earth. Before starting the fire, we prepared the burn site (under the direction of our guides) by raking back excessive bushfire fuel loads of bark, leaves and sticks from the base of the trees. It was necessary to create containment lines in this ‘Country’ that has not seen any fire for more than 50 years by raking debris to create bare tracks. Den showed us a ‘parent tree’ which had a hollow in it, we could see signs that the hollow was in use because there were scratch marks and frass at the base of the tree.

Cultural burns help protect native animal habitat by reducing fuel loads and the intensity of fires. The low intensity of a cultural burn allows animals, insects and reptiles to move away from the fire. By protecting the forest canopy the ecosystem is preserved, unlike bushfires where whole ecosystems can be lost in one fire event.

The right fire at the right time

Cultural burning is not about saving money or meeting hazard reduction burn targets. It is about putting the right type of fire, at the right time into the right landscape. This takes time, patience and guidance from an Aboriginal practitioner. Aboriginal people have a relationship with fire and the Mother Earth, they are the traditional custodians of fire in the Australian Landscape.

Let go of time… and be patient

Den taught us the right way to start a fire by establishing a single ignition point in the middle of the burn site, so that the fire will move out in a circular fashion from that point. Using a series of fires like this produces a mosaic burn effect in the landscape. The fire is low and slow and aims to predominantly leave only a black ash layer behind. Some patches and even individual plants will not be burnt.

A cultural burn will only be conducted during suitable weather conditions including the right amount of wind, temperature, humidity as well as the appropriate season.

Look for signs that a burn is needed, this could involve asking yourself questions. What are the fuel loads like in the forest? Are the trees or shrubs fruiting? How much dead grass is in the tussocks? Is one plant type dominating?

Burning in grassland is like mowing the lawn

Slow cool burning protects the roots of the grasses and shrubs so they can regenerate when it rains. Den suggests that grassland is ready to burn when 50% of the tussock is dead grass.

One of our guides shared his experience of using cultural burning to manage Serrated Tussock. Burning tussock at the right time of the year can reduce seed heads and create space for other plants to establish. Burning over several years is required and can be used as part of an integrated weed management plan.

Knowledge is only powerful when shared

Towards the end of the workshop, we asked how non-Aboriginal people could apply the knowledge learnt at the workshop? What should we call a burn if we want to conduct one? Den’s answer ‘if you have received Cultural Knowledge, you should acknowledge that it is a Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Practice. It is good to share and practice cultural burning regardless of your heritage.’

The generous way in which Den and the Yarrabin Fire Crew shared their traditional knowledge was appreciated by everyone attending the workshop.

Rural Fire Service perspective

A Bush Fire Hazard Reduction Certificate may be required to perform any type of burning on privately owned land and a Fire Permit from the Rural Fire Service (RFS) is required during the bushfire period. You need to comply with the conditions of the certificate or permit including safety requirements and notifying your neighbours. Notification of intention to burn is a relatively simple process that can be done online. Please contact the RFS for more information.

Resources

Firesticks Alliance

Yarrabin Cultural Connections Pty Ltd

Steffensen, V (2020). Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia. Richmond, Hardie Grant Explore, Australia.

Australian Story documentary featuring Victor Steffensen

CSIRO publishing ‘How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia’

NSW Rural Fire Service

Fire permits

Notification of intention to burn

Savanna burning

Nature Conservancy Research into the effects on cultural burning on climate change

Serrated Tussock

Burning as a control method for Serrated Tussock

This event was funded by the NSW Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant.

Predator Proofing Animal Enclosures

Alex James — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 01:25:48 GMT

This workshop was held in Bywong in July 2021 and was about constructing animal yards that are suitable for keeping farm animal safe and predators out. Our guest speaker was Chris Curtis from Roogulli Farm.

You can watch Chris talk about predator proofing animal yards in a short video here.

Key Points

Think about the athletic abilities of the feral predator you are trying to keep out of an animal pen. Feral predators can push, dig, climb, jump or chew through fences. Foxes can jump up 1.8 meters high. Design your fence based on the animal you are wanting to keep out.
Breed healthy animals – healthy lambs with good mothers are less likely to by predated by foxes. It is good management to bury the placenta and birthing refuse after lambing. One study found that fox predation accounted for 0.8% of lamb deaths. Choose a breed of sheep known for good mothering, paying attention to nutrition and ewe health.
Electric fencing provides a psychological barrier for feral predators and other animals, but is generally less effective at keeping out feral predators than a permanent fence.
To be effective against foxes, a permanent fence should be 1.8 m high with a 600mm floppy top and 600mm skirt that is buried or pegged into the ground. See the link to the Fencing for Fox Control below for more information on designs. An example of an overhanging fence of this type designed for foxes, cats and rabbits can be found at Mulligans Flat Reserve in the ACT.
You can install a wildlife gate for wombats. The gate should be a steel plate hinged at the top and weighing 4-5 kilograms so only wombats can push it open.
Guardian animals including Maremma dogs and alpacas are effective in reducing predation by foxes and wild dogs.

Chris provided the following resources for this workshop, click on the link below to open them:

Predator proofing animal enclosures PowerPoint presentation

Bibliography – a list of research papers on this topic

Chris has designed a simple box addition to his chicken coop that allows chickens to enter the coop but excludes foxes. The bends in the entry way are designed so that the fox cannot bend around the tight corners.

Resources

Lamb predation and fox control in south-eastern Australia 2001

Fencing for fox control. Factsheet, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, 2012. PestSmart website.

Cost effective feral animal exclusion fencing for areas of high conservation value in Australia, Natural Heritage Trust 2004.

Wombat Gate

Alpacas as guardian animals

Guardian Dogs – Best Practice Guide to the use of Maremma dogs as guardian dogs, Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre

Toolkit resource - guardian animals for livestock protection and wild dog exclusion

This project was supported by the NSW Government through a grant from South East Local Land Services.

Sheep Health

Jennie Curtis — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 09:22:04 GMT

Ashleigh Wildridge and Peter Dagg from Animal Health Australia, with assistance from Penny, presented an overview about sheep health and biosecurity. This information is relevant even if you only have a couple pet sheep.

Watch the webinar recording in YouTube.

Key points

Anything that moves can bring in pests, weeds and diseases
Making a whole of farm plan can help you decide the best place for paddocks, yards, trees, water, feed storage and visitor access
Making a footbath for visitors going into your paddocks is as easy as a bucket of (diluted) bleach
Quarantine all livestock that enter/return to your property for at least 21 days
Yards are easy to set up and make handling sheep much easier - they don’t have to be expensive
Your local vet can help you to learn about vaccinating and drenching
Check feed and water regularly for contaminants and keep them away from pests
Feed off the ground in a consistent location to reduce contamination of food and to help manage any weeds that come with the feed
You need a Property Identification Code (PIC) before you can bring livestock onto your property (contact Local Land Services)
When buying sheep, get a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) and a sheep health declaration from the seller and keep these in your records, NLIS registration is essential so you can record the movement of the sheep onto your property
Avoid buying sheep online, especially from social media pages or Gumtree if seller will not provide an NVD and sheep health declaration
When selling sheep, you need to have Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) accreditation so that you can provide an NVD to the buyer along with a sheep health declaration
Chat to your neighbours about pest and weed control since working together can be more effective

Resources

A National Guide for Smallholder Livestock Producers
(Meat and Livestock Australia)
This guide, providing an overview of your responsibilities when keeping livestock including pet sheep in Australia, is a good place to start.
https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/research-and-development/program-areas/livestock-production/a-national-guide-for-smallholders.pdf

Farm Biosecurity toolkit
(Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia)
Forms, biosecurity manual and other resources for creating your biosecurity plan
https://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/

A Producer’s Guide to Sheep Husbandry Practices
(Meat and Livestock Australia)
Guidance for many standard sheep handling and treatment practices including yards, tagging, injections, worm egg counts, drenching, foot trimming, lamb marking and humane killing.
https://publications.mla.com.au/login/eaccess?elink=3GS9UMSdcGsMs351SXSL

Sheep Calendar of Operations
(NSW Local Land Services)
What to do when for sheep on the NSW South Coast region
https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1280923/Final-Version-SELLS_Sheep_Calendar.pdf

General information about biosecurity, health and welfare for sheep (Animal Health Australia)
https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/species/sheep/

National Livestock Identification System (NLIS)
Register here to be able to record sheep movements on and off your property (this is free)
https://www.nlis.com.au

Meat and Livestock Australia
(MyMLA)
Register with MyMLA as the first step to gaining LPA accreditation so you can sell sheep (even pet sheep) and write NVDs
https://www.mla.com.au

Animal Carcass Disposal
(NSW DPI)
Safe handling and disposal of carcasses.
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1299603/animal-carcass-disposal.pdf

Yards and Equipment
(NSW DPI)
Series of fact sheets about design of yards, sheep handlers, ramps and shearing sheds.
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/sheep/yards-equipment

Straying Stock
(NSW DPI)
What to do if stock stray onto your property
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/723180/Straying-Stock.pdf

Vaccination in Sheep Flocks
(Meat and Livestock Australia)
Guide to how vaccinations work and the vaccines available for sheep.
https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/research-and-development/program-areas/animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/210517-vaccination-in-sheep-flocks.pdf

Feral Predator Management

Alex James — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:57:40 GMT

This event held on the 22 May 2021 was a combined webinar and paddock demonstration with Alice McGlashan. Alice is a natural resource management practitioner and environmental educator who lives on a rural bush property near Canberra. At this event she shared her knowledge about feral predator management using different trapping methods.

The webinar recording can be viewed here.

Alice recorded a 15-minute video demonstrating the use of padded jaw traps, you can view the video here.

This is a summary of the main points from the webinar and paddock walk, a list of resources can be found at the bottom of this page.

The Pest Smart Website has a best practice guide for the use of cage and padded jaw traps. The website includes information on the model code of practice for the humane control of foxes and feral cats. Control programs should aim to reduce the negative impacts of the feral animal using the most humane, cost effective and efficient techniques available. You can browse the website for information and advice on most feral animals. Model Code of practice for the humane control of foxes.
Before you start trapping it is useful to know where pest animals are moving and feeding on your property. Information on our previous event Feral Animal Monitoring can be found here.
Once you have determined a suitable site for trapping, Alice suggests you free feed using tasty treats for random days over a couple of weeks before you set your traps. You can use sardines, chicken wings, fresh dog bones, or roadkill rabbits for free feeding and as bait when setting traps.
Anchor your traps safely using galvanised 8mm or 10mm chain and good quality galvanised small D shackles, to the trunk of a tree or strong fence post. You do not want your trapped animal escaping with a trap on its foot. If your neighbour’s dog gets trapped you can safely release and return them.
Be trap responsible – check your trap every morning and afternoon. In the morning cover the trap so you don’t trap non target species during the day. You must not leave traps unsupervised and they need to be checked twice/day. If you catch a fox or feral cat you need a strategy to dispose of them safely and humanely. This could include using a captive bolt gun, organising a shooter or during working hours you can call South East Local Land Services for help. Having a cage big enough to hold the fox or cat is a good idea because you can release them into the cage and cover it in a quiet place until they can be euthanized.

Links and Resources

South East Local Land Services Feral Fighters Program - Feral Fighters is an initiative to strategically target pest animals at a regional and state scale through strategic, coordinated group baiting control programs.

South East Local Land Services have Biosecurity Officers who can help you develop a feral animal control program. They can help you organise a coordinated feral animal baiting program with your neighbours. Find your local Land Services Office here.

Members Camera loan program - Small Farms Network Capital Region Members can borrow a wildlife monitoring camera to use for feral animal monitoring.

Trapping Equipment- There are many suppliers of trapping equipment. Alice uses Victor #1 1/2 and #1 3/4 2 coil traps from traps.com.au and gettrapped.com.au. You are encouraged to do your own research for suitable suppliers.

Pest Smart Website https://pestsmart.org.au/pest-animals/

Trapping of foxes using padded-jaw traps (fox005) standard operating procedure.

General methods of euthanasia under field conditions

This project was supported by South East Local Land Services.

Enterprises for Small Farms

Alex James — Thu, 06 May 2021 04:21:05 GMT

This workshop was held in Tarago on Sunday 2 May 2021. Our presenters were Ross Kuchel, Agricultural Adviser from South East Local Land Services, Peter and Penny Dagg from Eastern and White Dorpers, Fiona McNeil from Bent Shed Produce and Stephanie Helm from The Vintner’s Daughter.

The topics covered included farm planning, water resources, managing risk, farm business resources, business planning, biosecurity, moving livestock and taking care of your natural assets.

Plan, plan and plan was Ross’s clear message. Knowing your personal values and goals can help you develop the priorities for your land and farm business. Understanding your legal obligations when it comes to managing water, weeds, vegetation and livestock is important. More information about how to do this can be found in the Rural Living Guide and by contacting your nearest Local Land Services Office.

Penny Dagg discussed starting out with livestock, managing a sheep stud, biosecurity and animal health. Penny told us how difficult and expensive it was to buy water and feed during the drought. Penny’s advice is to plan for the extremes and prepare to de-stock if necessary. Importing feed from outside the region can increase the biosecurity risk of getting new weeds that don’t normally grow at your place. Penny’s top tip: don’t be afraid to ask for advice, everyone starting out on the land needs help and support.

Stephanie Helm shared her family’s experience running a small winery and cellar door during COVID-19 and how the crisis led to a decision to start online marketing and to diversify into other farm enterprises to manage risk. Stephanie showed us how it is possible to integrate animals into a horticultural business and reduce chemical use at the same time. Stephanie’s top tips are take the time to create a business plan, develop your business skills and learn how to use social media.

Fiona McNeil’s key point was don’t forget to pay yourself a living wage. For unskilled labour this is a minimum of $25/hour and for skilled labour aim for around $50/hour. The Australian Taxation Office website can help you work out labour, car and other business expenses. Fiona discussed the challenge of working full time while juggling a business and how health can change your priorities. Her top tips are to contact the Business Enterprise Centre for support and look out for changes to council zoning that could affect your chosen enterprise.

Resources

Farm Planning Ideas - Local Land Services

Sustainable Farms - Ten Ways to Improve the Natural Assets a farm

Six Maps

National Livestock Identification Scheme

Order of Streams NSW Water

Business Enterprise Centre Queanbeyan

Business Planning Templates

Native Vegetation Planning

Thank you to our presenters and the Country Women’s Association Tarago Branch for supplying delicious food for this event.

This workshop was made possible with funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program and in-kind support from South East Local Land Services.

All about Alpacas

Alex James — Tue, 04 May 2021 01:26:26 GMT

Do you have an alpaca or two? Would you like more information on how to care for them? Perhaps you inherited a few when you purchased your small farm. This webinar with Dr Lou Baskind is about the basic care and management of alpacas and was recorded on the 3 March 2021.

You can view the YouTube recording of the webinar here.

Summary

1. Alpacas have a digestive system similar but not the same as other ruminants such as cattle. Alpacas have three stomachs and they chew their cud. Alpacas are more efficient at digesting low quality feed than other ruminants and have a lower risk of bloat compared to cattle. BUT that does not mean that you don’t have to watch what they eat. Alpacas have a requirement for long stemmed grass at all times for their gut to work efficiently. Pregnant and lactating females (called hembras) have a higher requirement for energy and protein. If there is a lot of green grass you might want to consider supplementing them with low quality feed for fibre.

Body condition scoring of alpacas

2. Alpacas must have a at least one companion otherwise they will fret. Alpacas have very strong herding instincts and need the companionship of other alpacas to thrive, it is best to provide each alpaca with a companion alpaca of the same gender.

3. Alpacas have a strong instinct to bond with other grazing herd animals and this has resulted in the growing use of wethered adult male alpacas or adult females as sheep and goat flock guardians. They have a strong instinct to fend off dogs and foxes to protect their flock.

4. Vitamin D deficiency – because alpacas come from high altitudes, even in Australia they can suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. Crias (baby alpacas up to the age of 3) are most at risk of the disease. Prevention is the easiest treatment; you can do this by shearing the alpacas and by giving them a vitamin D injection every year. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause problems with calcium absorption.

5. Alpacas are susceptible to worms and liver fluke. These parasites are best controlled by integrated worm management, with consideration given to regular worm testing, creating worm free paddocks and targeted use of drenches.

Resources

Worms and alpacas

CRIA Genesis Website - A comprehensive website about alpacas.

Low stress animal handling

Tocal College Alpaca Ag Skills

Australian Alpaca Association

This webinar was made possible through funding from the NSW Environmental Trust through it’s Every Bit Counts Project and with in-kind support from South East Local Land Services Vet Dr Lou Baskind.

Indian Myna Webinar Summary

Alex James — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:37:32 GMT

At this webinar Bill Handke from the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group Inc. discussed why a feral bird, the Indian Myna, is a problem and what actions you can take at home to manage them.

The webinar was recorded on the 17 March 2021 and you can view the recording here.

A copy of Bill’s PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded here.

In 2021 we recorded Indian Mynas, nest boxes and habitat with Bill Handke, Tod Spencer and Alice McGlashan. At this webinar we discussed Indina Myna birds and how you can create habitat for Australian Native Birds. See this link.

This is a summary of the five key points from the webinar:

1. Indian Mynas are native to the Indian subcontinent and are highly invasive, adaptive and intelligent. The birds were introduced into Melbourne in 1862 to control pests in market gardens and have subsequently spread along the eastern Australian seaboard. They are classed as one of the top 100 invasive species worldwide and are implicated in species decline and extinction because they prey on native animals and birds and compete with them for food and nesting sites. In Canberra, the impact of Indian Mynas on native birds has been studied by ANU researchers who identified they have a severe impact on birds such as rosellas, wrens, Willy Wagtails, Silvereyes and Whistlers.

2. Indian Mynas were introduced into Canberra in 1968 and have been recorded in densities of up to 250 birds/km². Indian Mynas are a major threat to native wildlife because they:

outcompete native birds for nesting hollows.
feed on eggs, chicks, skinks and insects.
drive small birds out of gardens.
are vectors for bird diseases (such as Avian Influneza).
degrade woodlands by reducing ecosystem services by other birds.

3. Indian Mynas pose a human health risk because they carry bird mites and blood-borne parasites that can be transmitted to humans. They can increase the fire risk in rooves by creating nests in roof cavities. They are also a pest for agricultural, viticultural and horticultural industries. A major concern to the public is the loss of social amenity because of Mynas fouling backyards and BBQ areas, their raucous calls and their displacement of native birds.

4. The experience in Canberra indicates that trapping is highly successful and is the best method for controlling and removing the birds. Indian Myna bird trap designs can be found below. The disposal of animals once they have been trapped has been approved by the RSPCA. Training and support from the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group is provided for people interested in trapping Mynas in their backyards.

5. You can also help at home by reducing feeding opportunities, eliminating nesting sites in roofs and reducing roosting sites. Avoid planting trees with dense foliage, such as pencil pines, in which Mynas will roost at night.

Useful links and information:

Canberra Indian Myna Action Group

A website dedicated to help people manage and control Indian Mynas.

Indian Myna Information Sheet

Indian Myna Trap Plan

Indian Myna - the flying cane toad

Trapping Help Sheet and Protocol on Animal Welfare

Myna Scan

MynaScan is a resource developed to help community members, pest controllers and biosecurity groups to map sightings and the damage that Myna birds cause, and coordinate control efforts with local community groups. MynaScan is free, easy to use, and can help you develop a detailed map of Myna bird activity in your local area. You can also upload images for accurate record keeping.

This webinar was made possible with funding from the NSW Environmental Trust through Every Bit Counts Project. Thank you to Bill Handke and the Canberra Indian Myna Action Group for their support of this webinar.

Feral Predator and Native Animal Monitoring

Alex James — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 01:17:24 GMT

Alice McGlashan has spent many years monitoring feral animal predators and wildlife on her property just outside of Canberra. At this webinar/paddock walk she discussed her observations and methods for filming animals to help other small farmers set up monitoring programs for their properties. A useful links section is included at the end of this summary.

You can view the recording of the webinar on the 27 February 2021 HERE.

The key messages from the webinar and paddock walk are summarised below:

1. The key design features to look for in a wildlife camera are;

Choose a NO glow camera that does not emit any light at night. Cameras that emit a white flash, bright or dim red flash tend to cause feral predators to avoid the camera installation location.
Choose a camera with a design that you can easily access the SD card and batteries while the camera is strapped to the tree/post.
Use good quality low self-discharge (retain charge while wildlife camera is not recording) rechargeable batteries (such as Fujitsu NiMh AA rechargeable batteries) and a good quality battery charger with a ‘slow charge’ option. Fast charging batteries significantly reduces their life span. Good quality rechargeable batteries should last for years.

2. When thinking about where to put your camera, start at the places where you think feral predators are active (i.e., around chicken pens, along fence lines, well used paths). Foxes and their young are habitual and will follow the same paths each night. Leave your camera in the same location for 7 days.

3. Choose the height of your camera a little higher, or at the same height as the body of the animal you are wanting to monitor. For foxes and cats this is just below knee height.

4. Moving foliage and long grass can trigger the camera. If at all possible, choose a location where the camera is not looking towards long grass or shrubs. If you don’t have a choice, review the camera footage and erase the SD card. At the same time change the camera batteries (if they are flat). Change the SD and batteries every 2-3 days as needed if the weather is other than very calm.

5. Wildlife cameras can record still images or video (with sound). Video is great for recording animal behaviours, however fill up the SD card and flatten the camera batteries quicker than recording still images. Still images are great for recording presence/absence of animals. Set the camera to record still images (not video) if you wish to leave the camera in a remote location for several weeks to months without needing to replace the SD card or batteries. For easy to access locations where the camera will be checked every 1-2 weeks, choose video or still images depending on the purpose of the survey.

6. For wildlife monitoring – do not use baits or attractants to lure wildlife to your camera location. This can change the behaviour of the animal you are trying to monitor and put them at risk of predator attack or harmful to their health. Instead choose a camera location that will observe them in their natural environment. Direct the camera towards animal paths, rotten logs, rock piles, shrubby undergrowth, tree hollows and at tree trunks - depending on which animals you are seeking to observe.

7. Your scent can deter predators from visiting an area. Attaching the camera can be fiddly, Alice suggests you practice setting the camera up in an area that you will not be monitoring. When you set the camera in the monitoring location use a ground sheet and gloves so your scent is not transferred to the camera installation location, and the camera itself.

8. Use short sticks of varying thickness behind the installed camera (horizontal) to angle the camera up or down as needed when strapped to a tree, fence post or similar. And ensure the camera is very firmly strapped in location to prevent it from being dislodged by an animal.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region Trail Camera Loan Program is an initiative to provide financial members of the network short term access to high quality wildlife cameras to use on their properties. Find out more and loan a camera.

Alice recorded a 9 minute demonstration video on how to use a wildlife camera, see the link below.

Video - how to use a wildlife camera

Resources

Pest animal monitoring techniques PEST SMART

Is it OK to feed wild animals?

WIRES - Information about feeding wild animals

Setting up a Browning Trail Camera

SFNCR fox and rabbit workshop.

This event is made possible with funding from South East Local Land Services.

Water Resilience in the Landscape

Alex James — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 01:30:11 GMT

This workshop was held at the Mulloon Institute on the 5 December 2020 (with social distancing). Our guest speakers were Peter Hazell and Anne Gibson from the Mulloon Institute and Jennie Curtis from Roogulli Farm.

What is the water cycle? It can be illustrated by the diagram below.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The water cycle is essential to life on earth and 65% of rainfall is produced over land.

Peter explained to us that the small water cycle on your farm can be influenced by management. If there is insufficient water in the soil, on its surface and in plants, solar energy cannot be transformed into latent heat that produces water evaporation but is instead changed into sensible heat. The surface of the ground soon overheats, and as a result, a breakdown in the supply of water from the large water cycle arises over the affected land (Source Europeanwater.org). We learnt that farmers can maximise the water potential of their farm by increasing soil carbon, rotational grazing, maintaining ground cover, avoiding bare soil, planting trees, installing simple structures to encourage water infiltration and reducing the effects of erosion.

The Mulloon Institute has been working with local farmers along Mulloon Creek. These are the three main principles of the Mulloon Creek Rehydration Initiative:

1. De-energise flood waters by putting leaky weir structures in Mulloon Creek. The leaky weirs spread nutrients and water across the flood plain. The recharged ground water is released back into the creek system in times of drought and habitat is created in the resulting chain of ponds. The Mulloon Institute is monitoring the project including stream flows and water quality.

2. Slow the speed of surface water runoff higher in the landscape. At the Mulloon Institute they achieve this in steep areas using swales, leaky weirs and non-permanent structures in first and second order streams. Water energy is dissipated and stored in vegetation below the swales.

3. Increase surface roughness using vegetation, rocks and plants to create niches and microclimates. This conserves water in the landscape, creates habitat for wildlife and potentially increases feed resources for grazing.

Peter described simple ideas such as creating a wetland upstream from a dam or in the inflow area of the dam to catch sediment. He also suggested making brush packs using unwanted plants such as Kunzea and blackberry to place along the contour as small-scale solutions to reducing runoff and improving water quality.

Find out more information about the Mulloon Institute Rehydration Initiative here.

Jennie Curtis is a landscape architect who manages Roogulli Farm in Bywong with her husband Chris. The farm is a mixed enterprise with a Babydoll Southdown sheep stud and a market garden. These are key points from Jennie’s presentation:

1. A swale is a ditch or wetland along the contour. It is hard to see a well-designed grassed swale; the cross section should blend smoothly into the surrounding landscape. Swales can be used to redirect water away from structures (drainage) and into places where you want the water to infiltrate the soil. For example, Jennie showed how water flooding the house pad on her farm was redirected into garden areas using swales.

2. You can rip along the contour to slow the impact of runoff and improve water infiltration rates. A word of caution though, ripping can increase weeds in the short term and in some situations ripping can cause erosion.

3.      Know your levels – use a laser level, survey or water in a clear pipe to measure levels and identify lines along contours since the eye can be deceptive.
4.      After drought or bushfire, water can be slowed by using simple silt fences constructed along the contour using hessian or silt fence fabric secured to star pickets. This can help protect dams and waterways from debris and erosion when vegetated filtration zones are missing in the landscape.
5.     Leaky weirs can be used across drainage lines to slow water flows. The water held temporarily behind the structure has more opportunity to infiltrate the soil and helps protect the area upstream from erosion. These structures need to be designed to be structurally sound and sized to handle the peak water flows found in that flow line. This often requires professional design assistance.

The guiding principles that Jennie uses are:

Simple solutions can work well
Deal with the problem near the source
Know your levels. Slow water by sending it along the contour. Move water by sending it downhill
Avoid concentrating flows
Design with maintenance in mind
Design for easy access (think about how swales will be crossed by vehicles, people and animals).

The placement of structures in water courses requires rigorous engineering and planning. Weirs, rock structures are examples of ‘controlled activities’ that may require a permit and approval. It is wise to check that your contractor is aware of these requirements before building any structures in water courses.

Find out about Water Licencing and Compliance here.

Contact NSW Water Advisory Services on 1800 353 104 or email water.enquiries@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Resources:

Digital elevation model and contours from Geoscience Australia

Water recovery for the climate: a new water paradigm

Peter Andrews - Natural Sequential Farming

Rivers of Carbon - What are swampy meadows and chains of ponds and why we need them

NSW Local Land Services. Chapter on water in Rural Living Handbook

Small Farms Network Capital Region Irrigation workshop

Small scale ideas for managing erosion

Information on dams, building dams and water on small farms

What is a swale?

Swales? Or Not to Swale?

This event was funded by the NSW Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant. You can find out more about the IRCC projects here.

Soil test results - what they mean

Alex James — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 03:42:19 GMT

At our online meeting Dr Jason Condon chatted with farmers Jennie Curtis, Allan Spencer and Harji Dhindsa about the soil test results from the demonstration plots on their farms.

Soil samples were taken from each farm in September from a ‘good patch’ and ‘bare patch’ of soil in the demonstration plots. The soil from the bare patch plots was bulked. The soil was sampled at depths 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20cm to see what was going on in the different soil layers.

Jason discussed what the soil test results mean and the differences between the patches, soil depths and farms. We recommend you take the time to listen to Jason’s presentation. He explains how to interpret the soil test results including soil pH, aluminium, potassium, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, exchangeable sodium percentage, soil electrical conductivity and calcium/magnesium ratio. He then goes on to suggest actions that can be taken to improve the soil health on each farm.

This meeting was recorded on the 16 November 2020 and you can view the video here.

Jason explained the demonstrations sites have their own unique factors that are limiting plant growth and contributing to the bare patches. It was fascinating to learn about how the “Law of the Minimum’ works in practice and how soil structure can affect plant growth.

Key messages from the meeting:

Acidic soils are those with soil pH (measured in Calcium chloride, CaCl₂) less than 5.5. The pH test in CaCl₂ (pH_Ca) better mimics the soil conditions that plants are growing in compared to pH measured in pure water (pH_w).
When the soil pH_Ca is less than 5, the concentration of exchangeable aluminium (Al) in the soil increases. This aluminium can be toxic to plants and can take up valuable nutrient holding sites in the soil (called the cation exchange capacity, CEC) causing useful nutrients to be displaced from the topsoil. When the percentage of the CEC taken up by aluminium (Al%) is over 5% some plants and soil organisms will suffer aluminium toxicity however, even aluminium tolerant plants will still suffer from toxicity at Al% over 30.
Legume rhizobia may not fix nitrogen if the soil pH is below 5. Two of the demonstration sites have very low pH that decreases at depth. The Al toxicity would be limiting the growth of plant roots in the surface layer, which means the plants will have less resilience to stress and die off sooner in spring as water becomes limiting.
Low soil pH can affect the cycling of major nutrients including potassium and phosphorus. Correcting soil pH is a key way to improve nutrient cycling in the soil. Grazing animals cycle potassium and phosphorus through their urine and manures, if products such as hay, animal meat or fibre are removed then these nutrients are lost from the system and the fertility of the soil is reduced.
When phosphorus (P) is low the plants become P deficient and growth will be limited. Even native grass pastures require a source of P (around 20 Colwell P), improved pastures require more P (around 30 Colwell P).
Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) measures soil sodicity. If the ESP is above 6 then the soil is sodic. Soil sodicity causes soil dispersion that leads to erosion.
When the calcium – magnesium ratio is low (below 2) the soil structure is not stable, this makes the pores smaller, the aggregates fall apart and slaking occurs. Slaking contributes to poor water infiltration because of the smaller soil particles. At depth where the Ca:Mg ratio is low, this can cause major soil slumping and potential erosion. The slaking at depth could also affect plant growth due to lack of oxygen and space for plant roots to grow.

This is a summary of the key differences between the project sites.

Resources

Soil Acidity and Liming AGFACT

Identifying dispersive sodic soils

Assessing soil aggregate stability

Cycling on phosphorus in grazing systems

You can catch up on the latest Grassing the Bare Patches Project here.

Dr Jason Condon is a soil scientist and educator from the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, a partnership of NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University based in Wagga Wagga.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding for this project from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

Pastures for the Future

Alex James — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 03:51:47 GMT

At this event Helena Warren from Cadfor Equestrian and Murray Greys spoke at a webinar and then in afternoon led two paddock walks where she identified pasture species. In the webinar Helena discussed the critical elements of establishing and maintaining grazing pastures in a challenging and changing climate.

You can watch the webinar recording.

Key points

1. Know the production capability of your farm and aim to keep ground cover at 70% or higher. This will reduce the likelihood of your soil becoming degraded. The land class, parent material (rock), slope, soil type and management all contribute to the suitability of your land to support livestock.

See more about land classes

The MLA Pasture Soil Health Kit contains information on ground cover management and stocking rates.

2. Know your soil type and soil pH. Helena explained the Law of the Minimum, which states that plant growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource (or limiting factor).

Limiting soil factors can include:

Physical characteristics such as soil depth, soil texture, organic matter and moisture
Low or high soil pH that makes some minerals toxic and affects nutrient uptake by plants
The nutrients available for plant growth.

A soil pH of less than 5.5 can reduce some nutrient availability and cause aluminium toxicity that will affect plant growth and legume nodulation. Over time, soils in the Southern Highlands have become more acidic due to cropping and agriculture. Some plants are more adapted to low soil pH, salinity and low rainfall. For example, Serradella is more tolerant of acid soil and Balansa Clover tolerates saline soils but generally it is easier to address the soil pH problem rather than try to find plants that will grow in increasingly acidic soils.

See more about soil pH

3. Understand the nutritional requirements of your livestock. For example, horses require lower energy pastures than sheep and cattle. Grazing horses on native pastures can help reduce the occurrence of laminitis, while young growing sheep or lactating ewes have a higher demand for protein and energy.

4. Pasture establishment requires water and the correct soil temperature. The type of plant you want to grow will dictate the best time for planting. C3 grasses are temperate grasses and C4 grasses are adapted to warm conditions. Having a mix of both types of grasses can help you grow more pasture throughout the year. Native pastures are generally well adapted to surviving drought conditions.

More information

Grazing Management for Native Pastures

Tactical Grazing to Maximise Animal and Pasture Productivity

Weed removers, pasture improvers – effective weed control.

Rejuvenating perennial pastures

Pasture Species and Varieties

Grasses of the NSW Tablelands

Grass Habits and Habitats

Farming Forecaster – a tool for monitoring soil moisture and ground cover

Agrifutures – free downloads and resources

Weeds Poisonous to Horses - free downloadable PDF.

C3 and C4 native grasses

Pasture walks

In the afternoon Helena led two paddock walks through old pastures in Bywong where we learned to identify pasture plants and looked at the pH profile in soil cores using a home pH testing kit.

Pasture plants we looked at

Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is red at the base and has shiny leaves. Considered a good pasture grass, but not good for horses as it is high in sugar. See more

Giant Brome Grass (Bromus diandrus) also know as rip gut brome is annual tufted grass to 100 cm tall with sharp seed heads. Common in disturbed areas, such as road sides and stick camps. Considered a weed and has limited feed value. May produce useful early spring feed but is only palatable when it is vegetative. Seeds can damage the eyes, mouth and guts of stock. See more

Prairie Grass (Bromus catharticus) a tufted short lived grass to 150cm tall. The leaves are sparsely hairy and bright green. This grass has higher feed value than Giant Brome Grass. See more

Common Wheat Grass (Anthsachne scabra), a native cool season perennial grass to 100cm tall. The leaves typically have a twist and the flag leaf sticks out at a right angle. The leaf sheaths are hairy and auricles are present. A minor component of pastures but is drought and frost tolerant. See more

Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) an introduced perennial pasture grass. Cocksfoot is tolerant of acidic soils (down to pH 4.0 and have high exchangeable aluminium).

To differentiate Cocksfoot from Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica) grass, the stem of Cocksfoot rolls in your fingers like a flat tyre, while the Phalaris stem is round and rolls easily. The seedheads are also different. In the photo below, a Phalaris grass stem is shown on the left and Cocksfoot is on the right.

See more about Cocksfoot and Phalaris.

Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum) has small white pea like flowers on stems that bury the seed into the soil (like a bur). The leaf of the subterranean clover is heart shaped and hairy with equal leaf storks. See more

White Clover (Trifolium repens) is a perennial, aerial seeding clover with white flowers and often a pale green stripe across the leaves. See more

Balansa Clover (Trifolium michalelianum) Introduced cool season annual, the seed heads consist if many white pea like flowers held on stems above the ground. The flowers are white to pink. It is a hard seeded annual clover that tolerates waterlogging. See more

Meadow Fescue (Festuca pratensis) an erect, short-lived, tussock forming perennial grass with leaves 3-5mm wide. Rough to touch on the top and shiny below. The auricles are stem clasping and hairless. See more

Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus) grass is common in stock camp and low lying areas. It has furry leaves that many stock do not like to eat. Erect tufted greyish grass, covered in velvety hairs. The flower heads are purplish to white. Regarded as a weed. See more

Wallaby Grass (Danthonia species) is shown in the photo below, a native grass that survives drought. The leaf has a hairy ligule where it joins the stem. This feature is present in the many species of Wallaby Grass. See more

Spear Grass (Austrostipa spp) a native grass, good for biodiversity. Can grow year round but most productive in spring. Leaves are fine, inrolled, usually rough to touch. See more

This project is supported by the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grants program. More information about the program can be found here.

Small Farms and Climate Change Forum

Alex James — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 02:15:23 GMT

Climate change is a big thing. How do we tackle it and prepare for it? The Small Farms and Climate Change Forum on 5 September 2020 was an opportunity to examine these issues and identify the topics that small farmers want to learn about in relation to climate change.

You can view the recording of the Forum presentations here.

Our guest speakers were Melinda Hillery, Senior Project Officer, Climate Resilience and Net Zero Emissions Branch, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and farmers Harry Watson from Millpost Merino and Helena Warren from Cadfor Agistment and Murray Greys.

Below is a summary of the key points discussed at the Forum and links to more resources on climate change.

Mel Hillery provided a snapshot of the projected changes to weather patterns in the near future (around 2030) and the far future (around 2070) as a result of climate change. She suggested the best way to prepare for climate change is to know (inform yourself about climate change), assess how climate change might impact us and respond by taking positive actions to prepare for climate change.

KNOW: What we know from climate research and historical observation

Climate change is happening now. We are already seeing impacts of increasing global temperatures such as changing snow seasons, bushfire, floods and droughts. There are flow-on effects to native ecosystems and impacts on farming and aquaculture. Examples include bushfire smoke taint to grapes and increasing ocean temperatures that have led to tropical species moving further south.

The areas that have warmed the most since 1970 are in Eastern Australia and the observed increase has been 0.3-0.4 degrees/decade. Further information on historical climate change in our region is available at the Bureau of Meteorology website.

Modelling for the South East and Tablelands region of NSW suggests that by 2030 the number of hot days will increase with 5-10 extra hot days above 35 degrees Celsius per year compared to 1960-1990.

Rainfall projections under climate change are more complicated. It is expected that there will be more rainfall extremes and it is projected that spring rainfall will be reduced. These changes are indicated in all of the climate models from the NSW Government.

ASSESS: What climate change means for you and your community

Mel suggests a vulnerability assessment is better for small farmers than a risk assessment.

These are the key features of a vulnerability assessment:

Climate hazards: what are they (eg. increasing temperature, heat waves, floods, fire)?
How sensitive are my activities and my property to these hazards?
What is my capacity/capability to manage that?
Where am I the most vulnerable (combine hazards, sensitivity and capacity)?

Use this to plan ahead. This is where we move from ‘business as usual' to how can we adapt to climate change.

RESPOND: Adaptation and transition to a low carbon future

The NSW Government has a target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Good news includes work being done by the Cobargo Community post fires and the Yass Area Network Climate Ready Revegetation Project. You can find out more about these projects here.

Harry Watson and Helena Warren provided us with case studies about how they are managing and adapting to climate change.

Key points from Harry:

Have a good farm plan.
Plant lots of trees and shrubs that can be used for multiple purposes. Tree planting has been extensive on Millpost farm, including planting oaks and deciduous trees to the north western fire sector. The trees are used for shade, stock fodder and cooling the homestead and stock yards. They also provide windbreaks from the prevailing weather systems from the north west.
Think about how you farm. Millpost Farm have changed their sheep genetics. This means that they no longer have to mules their sheep and there is less pressure from fly strike. They are moving to shearing twice/year.
Practice rotational grazing. Millpost Farm grazes their sheep all in one mob and allows the pasture long recovery periods. Moveable troughs allow flexibility in grazing.
In times of drought Harry suggests you destock and/or hand feed your stock in feed lots.
The farm has a high proportion of native grasses in some of the grazing paddocks, Harry thinks that these grasses can cope better with climate extremes.
Kangaroos are causing grazing pressure on Millpost Farm. To look at this problem they are involved in a study with the University of Tasmania trialling the use of Maremma dogs as apex predators to see if they deter the kangaroos from the grazing paddocks.

Some useful texts:

Permaculture - Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability

Holistic Management Handbook

Water for Every Farm - Yeoman's Keyline Plan

Key points from Helena:

Helena suggests you maintain rain-ready pastures by providing adequate nutrition for your pasture and checking your soil acidity. Keep your soil at pH 5.5 because the bacteria involved in creating soil organic carbon don’t like acid conditions. Adequate potassium reduces cold stress for plants. Ensure there is adequate soil nutrition at the end of the winter so the plants are ready to grow when the soil warms up.
Establish tropical pastures (C4 grasses) to take advantage of summer rainfall.
Helena is trialling planting fodder trees – Tagasaste (tree lucerne) for drought feeding.
Helena chooses to breed cattle with light coloured coats that deal with the heat better.
Disease burdens in the Capital Region for Blue Tongue, Akabane, Ephemeral Fever and Queensland itch are changing. How? Generally, these diseases are moving south east as the climate warms and summer has more rainfall.

Resources and further information

Further information on climate change and adaptation can be found in the links below:

NSW Government Adapting to Climate Change

Impact of climate change on biodiversity

Specific snap shots for soil erosion and biodiversity have been developed and can be viewed on the Adaptation Research Hub website.

Information on climate ready trees and revegetation

Which Plant Where?

Information on the importance of soil organic matter

More information on C3 and C4 grasses.

More information on Blue Tongue disease and its movement south.

This event was made possible with funding from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change Community Grants Program.

Growing Truffles - Small Farms Style

Jennie Curtis — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 05:43:08 GMT

Allan, a small farmer in Bywong, tells us about his truffle farm.

Watch the video

Poisonous plants and livestock

Jennie Curtis — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 12:14:39 GMT

Dr Lou Baskind, the District Veterinarian from South East Local Land Services in Braidwood, discussed weeds, livestock and how pasture plants can be poisonous to ruminant livestock in some conditions. Temperature, rainfall and the plant’s lifecycle can influence the amount of poisonous compounds in a plant. Other plants have inherent physical and chemical properties that are poisonous.

Download a copy of the slides from the presentation
Weeds-and-Livestock-Slides

The three common problems that weeds can cause in livestock are:

Physical impediments such as wool contamination and physical damage to the animal
Malnutrition
Poisoning.

Key points

Animal species are affected by different weeds, for example, alpacas can tolerate some weeds that sheep and cattle can’t.
Sharp weed seeds can cause damage to the face, eyes and hide of animals. The affected animal is then predisposed to other health problems including secondary infections such as pink eye in cattle and scabby mouth in sheep.
Weeds often out compete other more nutritious pasture species and this can affect the animal’s ability to consume enough feed to meet its nutritional requirements. The fibrous nature of some grass weeds with low digestibility creates gut fill, limiting the intake of nutritious feed. Most weed species are too low in nutrition to maintain body condition. Serrated tussock has the same digestibility as cardboard.
Over 200 plant species are potentially poisonous to ruminants. The three main factors that contribute to plant poisonings are:
- Plant factors such as toxic chemicals in the plant that are there as a defense mechanism, the stage of growth and the part of the plant
- Environmental factors – temperature, water stress and drought
- Animal factors – age, species, prior learning, hunger, malnutrition and confinement.
Fodder oats can cause nitrate toxicity in cattle. When grazing new paddocks be careful with monocultures of the same grass type. Where possible avoid sudden changes of diet because the microbes in the rumen don’t have time to adjust to the new feed which can cause poisoning. Feeding roughage (such as oaten hay) is protective against nitrate poisoning.
If you have multiple deaths in your flock or herd, call your local vet or the district veterinarian. Don’t dispose of the animal carcasses because they can be used for autopsy and blood testing.
First aid if you suspect plant poisoning: remove the animals quietly from the pasture they are grazing, don’t stress or overwork the animals. Provide clean (not green) oaten hay, shade and access to water.
Plant poisonings can be chronic (sudden onset) and cumulative.

More resources

Phalaris staggers
St John’s Wort poisioning
Patterson’s curse
Bracken fern poiso ning
Australia’s poisonous plants, McKenzie, R 2012
NSW DPI Weeds Wise App

Sheep vaccinations in the Capital Region

Alex James — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 21:29:16 GMT

Vaccinations can help prevent common sheep diseases when used correctly. They have the potential to improve sheep health across the region for all farms, small and large. A key element in deciding which vaccines are useful on your farm is to find out the risk of particular diseases in the local district and the past history of your property.

Many vaccines require two doses for the vaccination to be effective followed up with annual boosters. Specific recommendations for effective vaccination can be found in the manufacturer’s instructions for each vaccine along with information about storage conditions and the length of time that the vaccine can be used after opening.

Correct injection technique and sterile, clean needles are required both to deliver an effective vaccination and to protect sheep and people from adverse side effects. Used syringes and needles need to be disposed of safely. For more information about injection techniques in A Producer's Guide to Sheep Husbandry Practices.

Vaccines can help prevent the following diseases of sheep in Australia. The information provided below is general in nature. It is strongly recommended that you consult your vet or animal health advisor before carrying out a vaccination program.

Commentary marked with * was provided by Alex Stephens, District Veterinarian, South East Local Land Services in July 2020.

Tetnus, Black Leg, Black Disease, Malignant Oedema and Pulpy Kidney (Clostridial diseases)
5-in-1 vaccination – typically given as a primer dose at lamb marking followed by a booster dose four to six weeks later and then an annual booster dose. Various brands available.

This vaccine is widely used throughout Australia and is usually the one being referred to when people say that their sheep are vaccinated.

* Booster vaccinations are recommended to be given more often, every three months in high risk situations, particularly to younger stock. Boosters are also recommended to be given at other high risk times such as grazing high risk pastures and crops and at the start of a flush of green grass after a long dry spell.

MLA Clostridial Diseases information

Cheesy Gland
6-in-1 vaccination – covers same diseases as 5-in1 as well as Cheesy Gland and has similar vaccination regime. Various brands available.

* Cheesy gland is an endemic disease in the Capital Region so Alex Stephens advised use of 6-in-1 rather than 5-in-1 for the initial vaccinations and annual booster. Use 5-in-1 if you are giving the extra boosters in high risk situations mentioned above to manage a higher clostridial risk.

MLA Cheesy Gland information

NSW DPI Fact Sheet Cheesy Gland

Johnes Disease
Gudair vaccination – single dose lifetime vaccination given to lambs.

* The Capital Region is one of the highest endemic areas for Ovine Johne’s Disease. Alex Stephens advised that this vaccination is given to any sheep that are going to be kept to be greater than 2 years of age (ie. breeding stock or wethers).

MLA Australia Gudair information

DPI Johnes Disease Fact Sheet

Erysipelas arthritis
Eryvac and Eryguard are brands of vaccine – primer and booster dose for lambs then annual vaccination.

* This vaccine is given in response to a diagnosis of this bacterial cause of arthritis on a property. This disease has been diagnosed and vaccinated against in the Capital Region. Where properties are getting higher rates of arthritis an investigation and diagnosis is advised.

Scabby Mouth
Scabigard is a vaccine option – single dose given to lambs.

*Scabby Mouth is a common viral disease seen in the Capital Region. It is present in some flocks and not in others. It is only advisable to vaccinate against this disease as a disease control measure if it is present on your property, as vaccination (with the live vaccine) will introduce the disease to your property. It is a nasty disease and vaccination is an effective control measure.

DPI Scabby Mouth Fact Sheet

Barbers Pole Worm
BarberVax – a vaccine option where Barbers Pole worms are prevalent and resistant to drenches.

* Fortunately in the Capital Region we can still use strategic drenching with effective drenches to control Barbers Pole Worm. This is a very effective vaccine and should be considered where producers want or need to drench less or they have significant resistance issues. This vaccine has not had a high uptake in this area so you may need to order it in in advance and courier fees may apply.

WormBoss Barbers Pole Worm

Campylobacter
Ovilis Campyvax – where abortions and still born lambs have been caused by Campylobacter infection. Initial primer and booster dose followed by annual booster given to ewes before joining.

* Campylobacter is a prevalent disease is the Capital Region. The vaccine is reasonably new. Uptake of this vaccine has been higher in recent years, reflecting higher sheep prices and research showing the disease to be quite prevalent in the area. Abortions are more likely to be seen when sheep are being held more closely together and eating from the ground, such as during drought feeding times. See the link for a local case study.

Campylobacter case study

Anthrax
Anthrax vaccine – annual vaccination which requires authorisation in NSW by Local Land Services.

Anthrax is a serious and usually fatal. It is a notifiable disease in NSW. It typically occurs in an area through the centre of NSW and into Victoria.

* The Capital Region is not within the Anthrax belt/zone and so vaccination against Anthrax would not be advised. Vaccination is usually done in response to control of an outbreak, which would most usually occur within the Anthrax zone

More information on anthrax

To contact your local District Veterinarian in NSW, visit NSW Local Land Service Contact us

This post was reviewed by Alex Stephens, the District Veterinarian from South East Local Land Services (SELLS). Alex works at the Yass SELLS office.

Sheep nutrition

Alex James — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 20:58:52 GMT

In this webinar Alastair Rayner from Rayner Ag discussed sheep nutrition, how to use the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Drought and Supplementary Feed Calculator app, biosecurity and the National Vendor Declaration Scheme. The webinar was recorded on 10 June 2020.

You can watch the webinar recording on the Small Farms Network Capital Region YouTube Channel.

Key points from the webinar:

Poor production and ill thrift can usually be attributed to a lack of energy or protein in the sheep’s diet. Sufficient energy and protein are essential for growth and health. Fibre in feed enables the rumen to function correctly. More about rumen function.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are not the first factor that impedes the growth and health of sheep. A lack of energy or protein to meet the animals' basic demand for nutrients is most likely the cause of ill thrift.
The moisture in grass and supplements will affect calculations for the ‘as fed’ amount in rations. The ‘as fed amount’ is the amount of feed minus the moisture content. You can find out more about dry matter and pasture assessment on the Lifetime wool website.
Care need to be taken when introducing new feeds to sheep. Grains and pellets need to be introduced slowly (over at least two weeks) to reduce the risk of acidosis. Feeding out plenty of fibre rich hay or grass can buffer the effects of grain poisoning.
The NSW Drench plan from WormBoss summarises a plan for managing intestinal worms in sheep in NSW. The WormBoss website provides extensive information and tools for managing worms. The Capital Region is in the WormBoss NSW Non-Seasonal Rainfall area.
The NSW DPI Drought and Supplementary Feed Calculator app can be used to calculate how much supplementary feed (if any) to give your sheep and to choose types of feed suited to the circumstances of your sheep and pastures. It includes an easy-to-use pasture digestibility and availability assessment tool. This helps you to decide whether you have enough pasture for your sheep to meet their nutritional requirements. Ewes in late pregnancy, lactating ewes and weaners have a higher demand for energy and protein. The weight of the sheep also affects the amount of feed needed (a smaller sheep eats less).
Targeted mineral supplements in late pregnancy can improve lambing outcomes. The most common mineral deficiencies in ewes are magnesium and calcium. This article from Australian Wool Innovation covers the metabolic syndromes of ewes and how to manage them.

Other useful websites

Agriculture Victoria - Trace minerals in sheep

Sheep Connect - Pasture assessment skills and feed management

WormBoss control program for non-seasonal rainfall areas in NSW

Small scale poultry and egg production

Alex James — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 03:24:06 GMT

This webinar covered the information for people thinking of keeping production poultry on a small scale for eggs, meat or live chicken sales. The webinar was recorded on Saturday 27 June 2020 and features Dr Lou Baskind, District Veterinarian from South East Local Land Services, and Wendy Hutton, a chicken farmer from just outside Canberra.

Watch the webinar recording

Key messages:

Check with your local council about what planning permissions are required for the size of your enterprise. You may require a permit for some agricultural enterprises depending on your zone and the type of business. Roadside stalls have specific requirements. Requirements vary between Councils.
There are rules in NSW that govern the production of eggs on a small scale. You will need an egg stamp if selling from somewhere other than your own farm gate. Check out the NSW Food Authority Guidelines.
The best way to keep your eggs clean is to provide clean nesting boxes and collect the eggs regularly. Providing appropriate perches will stop birds sleeping in and dirtying the nesting boxes. It is illegal to sell eggs that are cracked or covered in faeces.
It is preferable to not wash eggs. People can become infected with Salmonella and other diseases after eating foods that are directly or indirectly contaminated with animal faeces.
If you want to sell chicken meat you need to use a registered abattoir. For home consumption, there are humane slaughter guidelines available that include stunning the animal as best practice. The handling of animals for slaughter should not be rushed. Read the guidelines.
If you have 100 or more poultry you need to apply for a property identification code (PIC).
Biosecurity management of your flock is important. Diseases are costly to production. Any new birds should be kept in quarantine away from your existing flock for three weeks and monitored for signs of ill health.
Two common diseases of chickens that are challenging to manage with biosecurity alone are Marek’s disease and Fowl Pox. Vaccination is an important part of their management. Vaccinating chickens for Mareks disease requires skill and good timing because the chicken needs to be vaccinated when it is one day-old. More about Marek's Disease.
Off-label use of veterinary chemicals is not allowed without a veterinary authority. You need to know and follow the required withholding period for each product administered to your birds.

Other resources

Biosecurity Checklist for Poultry Keeping (a simple guide from DPI Tasmania)

NSW DPI Guidelines for Poultry Biosecurity

Acid soils: filling the bare patches

Alex James — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 02:58:38 GMT

Despite good rainfall in many areas since autumn, some patches of soil are still bare. Dr Jason Condon from Charles Sturt University explained how soil acidity can be a factor driving poor ground cover in pastures. Jennie Curtis, a small farmer from the Capital Region, showed us some of the bare patches at her place.

The webinar recorded on Saturday 4 July 2020 will help you to develop an understanding of soil acidity including the causes and influence of soil acidity on plants and the landscape. Simple methods to diagnose soil acidity are explained. Addressing soil acidity may be a useful step in filling the bare patches on your land.

Watch the webinar recording

Key messages:

1. Soil pH is a measure of hydrogen ions in the soil. The most commonly used pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. As the number goes down from 7 (ie. 6, 5, 4...) the soil acidity increases while values above 7 are alkaline. In the Capital Region many soils are acidic. Soil pH can be measured in the field using a test kit or by sending a sample to a laboratory for more accurate results. The pH (CaCl2) test is the more accurate of the two pH tests, as it reflects what the plant experiences in the soil. The values of pH (CaCl2) are normally lower than pH(w) by 0.5 to 0.9. A simple pH soil testing kit from the rural shop measures pH in water.

NSW DPI Understanding Soil pH

NSW DPI Soil Acidity and Liming

2. Agriculture involves removing plant material either by harvesting plants or grazing plants and this process acidifies soils. To counteract this you need to get to know what the problems are for your soils.

3. If your soil is pH 5 or lower, the percentage of available Aluminum is more likely to be at levels that are toxic to plants. High Aluminium reduces root growth and stops cellular growth at the root tip - the roots will be short and stumpy. Where % Aluminium is high, Magnesium and Calcium are leeched away from the root zone.

4. Soil acidity is not uniform down through a soil profile so the pH results from a 0-10cm soil test won't give you the full story. Often the pH at the surface where plants are growing is higher and then the soil is more acidic further down. A dig stick can be used with pH indicator powder from a pH test kit to show the range of acidity in your soil profile (see photo below where the pH in water is being tested).

5. When you get a soil test done, only pay for what you need. A simple soil test should include soil pH, electrical conductivity, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, % Aluminium and organic carbon.

6. Lime is akaline and can be used to adjust soil pH. It is not an annual fertiliser. Soil tests should be used to identify the need for lime and the effects of applying lime can take a long time to be seen. In acidic soils, research suggests that lime moves down through the soil profile best when a target pH of 5.5 is used. This often requires a high initial application rate followed by small top ups every few years for maintenance of a target pH of 5.5. This approach allows lime to be applied on the surface or in relatively shallow seed furrows and to move down through the soil profile without cultivation of the soil. Monitoring your soil is essential for finding our what works on your farm.

7. Plain lime is best for surface application. Prilled lime can have a good effect when applied in seed rows or riplines but generally is not as effective as regular lime when applied on the surface.

This project is supported by South East Local Land Services, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Backyard chicken keeping

Alex James — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 01:46:43 GMT

Dr Lou Baskind, District Veterinarian Form South East Local Land Services, joined the small farms network for a webinar about keeping backyard chickens.

Key messages:

All animals under human control have the right to minimum animal health standards. This is called the five freedoms model.
To thrive, laying hens need access to clean, cool water - don’t forget that water will freeze in winter in cooler climates and should be checked daily.
A ration composed of energy, protein, Calcium and micronutrients is essential. Inadequate protein can lead to nutritional stress, which can cause feather pecking, reduced egg laying and poor immunity. Check the protein content of your feed is adequate. 16% protein is needed for adult layers.
Provide a range of Calcium sources for your chickens. It takes 15 hours for a chicken to produce an egg and egg formation usually occurs overnight. If there is insufficient Calcium in the blood it can be mobilised from the bones causing stress for the bird. Calcium should be provided in lots of different sizes. Some examples are clean and dry crushed egg shells, crushed oyster shells and limestone.
Only use registered chemicals for treating worms, lice and red mite. Always observe the withholding periods on the packet. Off-label use of other vermicides can be dangerous for your chickens and human health because there are no recommended dose rates or with holding periods. A veterinarian is best placed to advise on the use of chemicals for parasite management in your flock. They can give an off-label authority if you need to use chemicals that are not registered for chickens. Lice from chickens will not affect humans.
Chickens need the right size and shape of perch (flat) for the size of their feet. Do not use round perches such as dowels. The chook needs to be able to fit their whole foot onto the perch so they can rest properly.
Daylight hours affect the natural laying behaviour of chickens. If your chicken is not laying in winter that is most likely because of their natural breeding rhythm.

UPDATE: Pestene Insect Powder is a registered chemical for lice in chickens and can be safely used. Pestene is best used as a preventative and can be added to the dust bathing area or directly applied to the chickens.

Registered chemicals for poultry

Product Name	Registered for laying poultry
Pestene (sulphur and rotenone dusting powder)	YES
Avitrol Bird Mite and Lice Spray	NO (Caged birds)
Avian Insect Liquidator	NO (ornamental and caged birds)
Avimec (Ivermectin)	NO (budgerigars)
Fido's Fre-Itch Rinse Concentrate for Dogs and Cats	NO
Ivermectin*	NO
Fipronil (Frontline Spray Flea and Tick Control for Cats and Dogs)	NO

Further information

Essentials for Backyard Chicken Keeping and Health by Dr Lou Baskind

DIY rodent free chicken feeder from Gardening Australia

NSW Department of Primary Industries Poultry Fact Sheets

The Queeensland Department of Industry has published a series of articles relating to poultry diseases and health. Follow the links below to find out more information.

Moulting and the laying hen

Feather loss not related to moulting

Building resilient landscapes after fire and drought

Jennie Curtis — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 12:22:10 GMT

This workshop examined rural landscape issues emerging as a result of prolonged drought and recent bushfires. The workshop was held in Bombay, just south of Braidwood.

Led by Andy Taylor from South East Local Land Services (SELLS) in Braidwood, the workshop was an opportunity for local farmers learn about actions they can take to mitigate the effects of erosion. We also learnt from Judy Carmody about the support available from the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program and Felicity Sturgiss, Senior Land Services Officer (SELLS), talked to us about ways to support wildlife after fires.

Andy Taylor has written a handy guide to managing erosion after fi re.

Jane Ambrose from Upper Shoalhaven Landca re talked about Landcare in the area and how to get involved in the projects they run. Jane kindly agreed to share her notes from the workshop.

Key points from the workshop were:

The scale of the drought and fires has made erosion events more likely due to lack of ground cover. A question asked at the workshop was “How do I to prioritise erosion control activities?” Andy suggests using Six Maps to calculate the catchment size above an erosion point and prioritising groundworks on the gullies with the largest catchment. You can slow water higher in the landscape by using grazing management to maintain ground cover and sediment traps to slow water runoff.
Understanding your soil type is vital for remediating erosion. Around the Bombay area, where the soils are sodic and highly erodible, protecting the topsoil is critical to prevent erosion. Information about your soil type can be looked up on eSpade along with soil testing results for your area. Here is the eSpade link and an example of the soil report you can get from eSpade.
Dams and rivers away from the fire grounds have been adversely affected by debris from ash, soil and dung. These contaminants can cause water quality issues for stock, fish and other water users. It is possible to build a sediment trap above a dam using vegetation, rocks or a sediment fence to slow down the movement of water into the dam so that debris is dropped in the trap before the water reaches the dam. This will improve the quality of the water collected in the dam.
Repairing containment lines created by bulldozers during the fires is important to reduce erosion. Replacing the topsoil with a grader is a good way to start. Mitre and roll over drains can help slow down and divert water in steep sections. Weed free hay bales can also be used as sediment traps to slow water movement.
Because of the intensity of the recent bushfires, the seed bank in the soil could be depleted. A hot fire can change the soil chemistry including soil pH and soil structure. Generally speaking, native grasses have evolved with fire and will recover better than introduced species of grasses. Perennial grasses with deeper root system can also recover well, depending on how hot the soil surface became. Consider using sterile Rye Corn to help establish groundcover. Rye Corn is a better choice than other exotic species on sites with high conservation values where you don’t want to introduce weeds and new exotic grasses. Branches, jute mesh, rocks and other vegetation can all be used to slow down water and create niches for plants and pastures to establish.

Branches create a planting niche

Using old lucerne hay under jute matting to slow down water

Jute matting with seed spread over the top

Felicity and Andy reiterated the importance of biosecurity when planning erosion works and when feeding wildlife. For example, use straw or other inert materials for erosion management rather than hay or materials containing seed to prevent the spread of weeds. Seek appropriate advice on what to feed wildlife in fire affected areas and avoid feeding meadow hay that could accidentally introduce weeds.

The following are links to more information:

Understanding the impact of the 2020 fires

Building a sediment fence

Pasture recovery after fire

Fire retardant p lant list from Yarralumla Nursery (but remember all plants can burn)

Bushfire Customer Care NSW Government

Healing the land techniques for managing erosion workshop summary

The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding from the Every Bit Counts project. The Every Bit Counts project has been funded by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust.

Sheep handling ideas for small farms

Jennie Curtis — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 12:05:23 GMT

The network’s very first webinar was a discussion about sheep handling on small farms. Things like yard setup, weighing sheep and feeding out can be done in many ways. The scale of small farm operations means that producers need to find cost-effective, practical solutions to everyday sheep handling tasks that our larger farming cousins take for granted. Sometimes these solutions can be slower to carry out but when there are only a few sheep, this is not necessarily a problem.

This webinar, presented by Jennie Curtis from Roogulli Farm, was a chance for small farmers to see some ideas for sheep handling equipment, learn from each other and ask questions.

Jennie, with assistance from Alice McGlashan, created a video showing ideas for yards for small flocks, a way to weigh sheep, a method for tipping sheep up and a variety of feeders.

Watch the video

Weigh bars and race set up

Homemade sheep feeder

Download design for sheep hay and pellet feeder used at Roogulli Farm (based on many others found in Google searches)

For general principles of yard design and the U-Bugle design in particular see The ‘U’ bugle sheep yard from NSW DPI.

Thank you to Jennie Curtis, Alice McGlashan and Chris Curtis for assisting with this webinar and donating their time.

Ngunawal Stories of Lake George

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:15:58 GMT

A vision splendid, a place filled with trees and koalas, while the rivers teamed with fish and platypus. From the historical records this is what Bungendore would have looked like to the early European settlers who arrived in 1820. It was the country of the Ngunawal people and to this day a culturally significant place for their descendants.

This workshop was about stories of past times, honouring Aboriginal and early European history, while learning the importance of the fragmented vegetation that remains. The guest speakers were Wally Bell, Karen Williams and Jasmyn Lynch.

Wally Bell is a Ngunawal man from the Yharr clan group and a Traditional Custodian of the Ngunawal. Wally welcomed us to his country and called upon the spirits to guide and protect us during our visit to Day’s Hill Reserve in Bungendore. Wally’s story telling about the local area was moving. He talked about Budjabulya the creator and water spirit who lives in Lake Ngungara (renamed Lake George). Ngunawal people believe that since the beginning of time this spirit has nurtured the Ngunawal people and created the lakes, rivers, valleys, people, animal and plants.

Wally talked about the importance of Mother Earth to him and how we can all play an important role in restoring and healing the land. Wally’s advice is to sit, observe and listen to the land on which you live. Respect it and look after it because land is a gift.

Wally also emphasised the importance of scar trees and how they were used as directional markers. Often they were located up high so people could see them from a distance.

We looked at some Aboriginal stone artefacts and asked a lot of questions about what to look out for on our own properties. Wally told us that Aboriginal artefacts retain the spirit of the person who made them and must be left in the location where they are found.

Karen Williams shared her knowledge of the early European history of the area, including a story about the first explorer in 1820, Joseph Wild. Jasmyn Lynch talked about the fragmented native vegetation that remains, including nationally threatened ecosystems such as the Temperate Grassland of the Southern Highlands, White Box, Yellow Box and Blakely’s Red Gum Woodland.

You can download a copy of Ngunawal-stories-of-Lake-George-2019, the handout prepared by the speakers. The notes include a comprehensive list of online resources.

Read more about the Aboriginal history and culture of the Canberra region by the Buru Ngunawal Aboriginal Corporation.

Irrigation for Small Farms

Jennie Curtis — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 11:26:33 GMT

We all know that water is essential for life and making every drop count, especially during drought, is essential. How to maximise water harvesting and efficient irrigation methods was the focus of this workshop.

Two successful market gardeners from Canberra’s rural outskirts, Chris Curtis from Roogulli Farm and Geoff Foster from Jerabutt Organics showed us how they manage water and grow enough to sell at the local farmers market. Planning effectively for water resources on small farms is challenging. Running a commercial small-scale enterprise is a remarkable achievement during drought. Geoff and Chris manage to do both.

Chris Curtis has written two fact sheets on how to design a small-scale drip irrigation system and how much water to apply to different crops.:

Drip-irrigation-design-example

How-much-water-to-apply

Key points

Secure your water supply from the threat of bushfire. Geoff demonstrated his bore and pump set up with a backup generator if the power is cut. Geoff has designed the system so that the water used for firefighting can be sourced from the bore or the house tanks via gravity feed. There is a sprinkler system that surrounds the western fire sector of the house including one on the top of the bore shed.

Invest and plan for the largest water capacity you can and then have extra tanks to collect the overflow. Rainfall is sporadic in this region, often falling over a short period of time with high intensity. Geoff showed us his set up for the market garden. Water is collected from the greenhouses using a viaduct system into a storage tank that can also be filed from the house tank over flow. There is a bore which is used to irrigate the outdoor garden beds while the plants in the three bay greenhouse are irrigated using rainwater.

Always use a tap timer so you don’t accidentally drain your tanks. Buy the cheapest tap timer you can because they are not very durable. Tap timers are suitable for low pressure set ups and automating the irrigation of garden beds.

When you dig a trench for irrigation consider laying an extra pipe for future upgrades. Geoff has a duel irrigation system from the bore and tanks. Two lines have been run in the same trench so if one water source dries up a back-up supply can be used.

You can fit your garden beds with two types of irrigation. Geoff uses fine sprays to establish seeds and seedlings. Once the plant roots have grown, pressure-compensating drip irrigation is put onto the beds.

More information

Water NSW Farm Dam Handbook

How to calculate how much rainfall you can collect from a house roof

Chris Curtis’s wicking bed research

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program.

Keeping horses at pasture

Jennie Curtis — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 12:46:17 GMT

Horsewoman Helena Warren from Cadfor Equestrian and Murray Greys shared her expertise with a group of participants over a two-day workshop in 2019.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program

Key points

Pastures for horses

When planning your horse property, think about ways to minimise runoff and nutrient loss. This can include locating horse infrastructure away from water courses, fencing along contours, rotational grazing, using windbreaks and installing vegetation buffers. A two-metre fenced wind break can provide adequate ground cover to prevent significant erosion and water loss.
According to Helena, reseeding a pasture from scratch is a three year process that takes a lot of planning including soil testing, managing weeds, planting a break crop and final seeding. Refer to the DPI Primefact on Pastures for Horses for more information. When the cost of pasture establishment is compared to the ongoing cost of supplementary feeding, fertilising and maintaining pasture becomes financially viable.
Being able to assess your horse’s condition score and weight is a useful tool for feeding management and worming. The amount of feed a horse requires depends on their weight, activity, growth stage and body condition. The NSW DPI Primefact 928Estimating a horses condition and weight gives a step by step guide on how to do this.
For optimum feed production, perennial grasses should be rested (ideally at the flowering stage) to allow them to develop their basal buds and roots. This will maintain the vigour of the grasses. Allowing native pastures to seed in autumn will also encourage the spread of these grasses in a pasture.
Helena described the optimum resting of pastures in a rotational grazing system as the ‘three leaf rule’. The three leaf rule allows the grass roots enough time to recover to maintain good production and for the grass to have the optimum sugar level for horses. The leaf stage of optimum grazing will depend on the species of grass. The Grazing Management Tool provides advice on how to grow more pasture and influence the species mix in your pasture.

NSW Local Land Services runs Prograze courses that can help property owners develop skills in managing their pasture. Contact your local office.

Stringhalt

Stringhalt is a plant poisoning syndrome that affects horses and is caused by the ingestion of flatweed. At the workshop over one third of the participants had horses that were affected by stringhalt. Helena recommended the Investigations into the Australian Causes of Stringhalt in Horses publication for managing horses with stringhalt.

Laminitis

After colic, laminitis is the second largest killer of horses in Australia. Laminitis is caused by overconsumption of grasses or feeds high in sugar, but it is often associated with some other stress factor. The critical point to remember when feeding a horse with a high risk of foundering is to keep the structural carbohydrates low. The availability of sugars in grasses is impacted by a number of factors including the species of grass, moisture stress, time of day and amount of shade in a paddock. The production rate of sugar in grasses is linked to photosynthesis.

Perennial pastures require resting to maintain their leaf production and to be safe for horses at risk of laminitis to graze. Continually grazed grasses at the 1 leaf stage are high in sugar and can increase laminitis risk. More mature grasses in the three leaf stage of production have lower sugar levels. Native pasture grasses are lower in sugars than introduced pasture grasses. The types of grasses suitable for horses are different to those suitable for ruminants. Cattle and sheep digest sugars in grass in the rumen to feed the microbes in the stomach. In horses sugar is digested in the hindgut, from here the sugar enters the bloodstream which can cause metabolic syndromes such as laminitis.

Weeds in hay

Helena recommends that you monitor your feed sources, especially hay, for weed contamination. Some pasture grass hay can be contaminated with undesirable pasture species and weeds. If hay you are buying is cheap this is usually for a reason. If you are unsure of a grass species advertised you can look up the NSW DPI Weed Wise website and NSW Plant Net website.

Feed rations

The quote of the day was ‘feed to work’. Would it surprise you to learn that some pleasure horses are overfed? Helena explained how to calculate a ration for a horse based on condition score, growth stage, level of work, pasture availability and feed types.

You can create a feed budget for your horse using the links below. Having a feed budget can save you time and money and you can tailor the ration to what feeds are available. Please note that these are general guides and the condition of individual horses should be monitored to ensure animal welfare requirements are met.

Feed requirements of horses – for working out what to feed

FeedXL on line – application (fees apply) for working out feed requirements.

Parasitic worms

Worm testing and rotational grazing are critical elements in an effective worm management program. Some horses have high worm burdens, while others have developed natural resistance. The only way to find out if your horse needs a drench is by doing a faecal worm egg test. You can get testing kits from Local Land Services or many rural suppliers.

Faecal worm egg testing allows you to choose the appropriate type of drench to use. It is important to not routinely drench using the same active ingredient as this increases the likelihood of developing worms with drench resistance.

Integrated pest management for horse farms
Primefact – Worm Control in Horses

Soils

According to Helena the best time to take soil samples is in October when the soil is depleted during the pasture growing season. Further advice about soil sampling and fertilising pastures can be found in the Fertilisers for Pastures booklet. Some benchmarks for healthy soils can be found here.

During the field day we looked at the soil test results from the property. The test results indicated that the soil pH was probably too low and the Aluminium too high. Y

Harrowing horse paddocks and using rotational grazing can help increase organic matter in the soil and reduce fertiliser costs. Soil testing and working out a nutrient budget can help you decide if additional fertilisers are required. Fertilisers for Pastures contains a guide to working out a nutrient budget for a horse property.

More information
Pasture Management and Laminitis Risk
Diagnosing and treating gastric ulcers in horses
How to discourage your horse from eating sand
Poisonous plants of horses field guide
Strategic planning for horse properties

Revegetation for small farms

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 13:11:47 GMT

Owen Whitaker is a fifth generation farmer with 25 years’ experience revegetating farms and managing large scale revegetation projects. At this workshop he shared his revegetation wisdom and practical knowledge.

“Planting trees is an investment, well designed windbreaks can mitigate production losses from cold winds, improve pasture productivity, provide fodder and enhance biodiversity” Owen Whitaker 2019

The 3 P’s of successful revegetation according to Owen are planning, preparation and persistence.

Owen Whitaker’s Planting Guide

Tips for revegetation projects:

Before deep ripping contact Dial Before You Dig and/or get professional advice to locate services, this can save you thousands of dollars. (Note that some services on rural properties may not be on record with DBYD.)
Tree and shrub tube stock can be planted in rows using existing fences or in strategic clumps around the paddock to provide stock with access to shade and shelter from all directions. This can be achieved by using circular ‘ring style’ fencing around star pickets without strainer posts with either electric or hinge joint wire, depending on livestock.
Trees can be incorporated into lane ways so that paddocks can be split up for rotational or holistic grazing.
A typical shrub and tree planting layout would be 2 metres away from fences, 3 metres between rows and 4 metres between plants. Plant shrubs in the outside rows and trees in the middle rows creating a tapered profile effect to deflect winds. Offset the plants between the rows. The minimum tree row width for a good shelter belt effect is 3 rows x 10 metres however for a better return on outlay 5 rows x 20 metres would deliver the best micro-climate and ecological outcome.
Controlling biomass and ripping 6-12 months ahead of planting will help water to penetrate into the ground and build moisture profile to aid seedling establishment. Removing pasture by using a knockdown herbicide will reduce the allelopathic effects of pasture and competition for water when the tube stock is planted. Do not use a residual herbicide when preparing the planting site as the active ingredients will inhibit tree establishment.
Have a tree guard making party and have all guards assembled ready to go before planting day.
Mulching around the base of plants (but not against the stems) can help the seedlings to establish. A woody mulch is preferred over pasture hay.
A Pottiputki planting tool can be used with seedlings grown in a HIKO tray. The seedlings are inserted into the top of the planter so you don’t have to bend down to plant seedlings.

Pottiputki Planting Tool (above)

HIKO tube stock (above)

Owen’s tips for direct seeding:

A four-wheel drive direct seeder is a good option for lighter soil types on slopes that are not suited to ripping. Plants sown using direct seeding can take three to five years to germinate. Seeds will germinate at the ideal time and when moisture is available, usually during summer rains.
Native grass seed is often expensive. You can reintroduce native grasses cost effectively by sowing or blowing small amounts of seed into degraded pastures. The seed can also be hand sown. Smaller seeds should be mixed with sawdust or vermiculite so they can be spread more effectively.
The composition of pasture can be manipulated to include native grasses by allowing the grass time to seed and using rotational grazing. Animals will move the seed around your farm on their coats and in their dung. Wind and rain will increase native grass density over time and seasonal events.
The benefit of direct seeding is that the store of seed remains in the soil and will germinate over a number of years. This helps mitigate the risk of plant failure due to drought. You may need to thin some of the seedlings that emerge over time.
Some seeds require treatment before planting. For example, some Acacia seeds require scarification (i.e. soaking in hot water) before planting.

More information:
Greening Australia Revegetation Guides for Victoria
Guide for planting temperate grasslands
Plant Net Online – Comprehensive listing of plants in NSW
Braidwood Local Planting Guide for Upper Shoalhaven Landcare
A Guide to Managing Grassy Box Woodlands

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program

Foxes and rabbits

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 12:26:13 GMT

This workshop explored options available for fox and rabbit control in peri-urban areas. The workshop presenters were Nicky Clark and Phil McGrath, Biosecurity Officers from South East Local Land Services and Alice McGlashan, a local small farmer.

A combination of management tools delivers the best results when it comes to managing feral animals. To manage rabbits and foxes, persistence and planning is required.

Trapping

Alice showed us methods that she uses to ‘out fox a fox’ when it comes to soft jaw trapping combined with wildlife cameras. The benefit of soft jaw trapping is that non target species including your neighbours’ dog, possums and other wildlife can be released.

When deciding on where to focus your control program, a wildlife camera can be helpful. Foxes tend to use established pathways and young kits will follow adult paths even if the adult has been killed. You can use a trail camera to learn the favoured routes and pathways of the foxes so you know where to set the traps. This might include locations close to the tracks, chicken pens and adjacent to fences and gates. Once you have established their typical routes on your property, you can use the information to set fox traps in the same place in subsequent years.

Alice’s tips for buying a trail camera: you get what you pay for, it is worth shopping around and USA sites will often be cheaper. There have been advances in camera technology over the past few years. A no-glow camera is essential. Do not buy a low glow/red glow camera because the light is visible and foxes are put off by the glow.

The use of soft jaw leg hold traps requires skill and training but the results can be good in peri-urban areas. The use of the traps is governed by legislation. The traps should be buried in soil or sand and disguised with surrounding leaf litter. Alice demonstrated laying a number of traps around a bait like a dead chicken or other meat. She suggested wearing gloves and minimising body contact with the ground and nearby objects to minimise the human scent left in the area. Ensure that the trap chains are secure.

Once you have trapped the fox you can transfer to fox to a cage and cover the cage with a blanket. Local Land Services biosecurity officers are licensed to euthanize foxes or you can organise a local shooter.

Alice has published guides to managing predators and using trail cameras.
Nest Box Tails Feral Predator Control
Wildlife cameras for feral predator monitoring

Fox management

Nicky and Phil advised that Spring and Autumn are the best times to manage foxes. Options for control include laying 1080 baits, trapping and shooting. Other exclusion methods such as fencing and companion animals can also be used.

South East Local Land Services delivers training on the use of 1080 baits for fox control to minimise risk to other animals. If you use a 1080 baiting program it is essential that the baits are laid in the areas where foxes travel. Any uneaten baits must be picked up to avoid poisoning non-target species.

In NSW there is a Fox Control Pest Order and control programs are most effective when a number of neighbours in an area work together. According to the Department of Primary Industries, re-invasion by foxes can re occur within two to six weeks so ongoing planning and trapping over a number of years and in coordination with neighbours delivers the best results.

More information about managing foxes:
Principles of pest animal management
Standard operating procedure for using soft jaw traps for foxes
Feral Scan website

Rabbit control

1080 and Pindone are toxins registered for rabbit control and are listed under the Pest Control Orders issued by the Environment Protection Agency. To use these baits you need to undertake training with Local Land Services. Contact your local office for more information.

Nicky and Phil suggest the following steps for effective rabbit control:

First reduce rabbit numbers using a bating program. A rabbit baiting program involves a pre-feeding routine so that the rabbits learn to eat the carrots before poisoned carrots are put out for one night. Where possible it is good to get a group of neighbours involved in a baiting program. Rabbits can move up to one kilometre from their warren. When they are 20-60 days old, young rabbits will disperse.
Poisoning of non-target species and secondary poisoning are both factors to consider when deciding on a baiting program.
Remove warrens and harbours. The removal of habitat is essential when managing rabbits. This includes the removal of fallen logs, rubbish and blackberries – anywhere that is providing burrow protection for the rabbits. For warren ripping use an experienced contractor with tines up to 900mm long and rip no less than 50 cm apart.
Warren and harbour destruction guidelines
Reassess rabbit numbers. Follow up with another control program that could include baiting, trapping or fumigation. If you decide to use a fumigant you can run a dog over the warrens so that all the rabbits go into the burrows before you start. The use of soft jaw traps is approved under legislation for rabbit control and can be effective once rabbit population are brought under control.
Calicivirus is part of the rabbit control story but many rabbit populations have developed resistance to the virus. According to Phil, the second release of the calicivirus only had a 20-40% knockdown effect. You can read more about the biological control of rabbits on the CSIRO website.
You can revegetate the area after ripping and baiting but you will need to monitor for rabbit activity. Of all the methods discussed above, fumigation poses the most risk to humans.

More information for rabbit management:
Local Land Services Rabbit Control
Uses and effects of 1080 poison
Soft jaw trapping of rabbits
NSW DPI Rabbit Control

This project received funding from the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program.

Grass identification

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 11:55:03 GMT

Learning to identify grass weeds, pasture grasses and native plants was the focus of this Farmers Postcard event led by Kris Nash and Fiona Leach, Agricultural Adviser with South East Local Land Services.

Kris showed the participants how to use the morphology of a grass plant for identification, most importantly the ligule and auricle on the sheath of the grass stem. Here are copies of Kris’s handouts explaining the different parts of grasses and identification of grass weeds and native grasses:

Parts of grasses
Field ID for native grasses
Field ID for exotic grasses

Key messages

Clearing for agriculture, grazing and urban development has seen the decline of natural temperate grasslands in Australia. There is now only 0.5% of natural temperate grasslands left in Australia. Preserving and managing this declining valuable resource is very important.

You need some disturbance regime to manage native grassland. Aboriginal people used traditional burning techniques to manage the diversity of species living in an area.

Grass weeds are like teenagers, they change their appearance with the season making them difficult to identify at different times of the year.

Tips to maintain a healthy pasture:

Don’t over graze the pasture and do practice rotational grazing.
Cover bare soil where possible and carry around some seed to sow desirable species.
Create micro climates for seeds to collect and germinate.
If you want to collect seed heads try using old baskets or branches to protect the seed from livestock and kangaroos.

African Love Grass can be distinguished from Hairy Panic by looking at the seed, Hairy Panic has two seeds on the end of each 'stem'. African Love Grass plants often look messy at the base with old curly leaves in the centre of the thatch. This grass has a higher feed value than Serrated Tussock but is very invasive.

African Love Grass fact sheet
Serrated Tussock fact sheet
Chilean Needle Grass fact sheet

Fencing for productivity and diversity

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 10:28:55 GMT

The purpose of this workshop was to demonstrate how to design and install electric fencing in ways that make a small farm more productive and increase the range of plants and animals living there. Dean Paton from Gallagher Fencing, Matt Chidgey from Southern Ag and David Hilhorst from Works for Water were the presenters.

Some key points from the workshop:

The best type of fence to install depends on many factors including land form, location and the purpose of the fence. Electric fencing is suited to managing livestock, predators and feral animals. An electric fence energiser converts mains or battery power to a high voltage pulse. Electric fences generally work by becoming a psychological barrier to animals – they learn about the ‘shock’ that is delivered when they touch the fence and start to avoid it.
Effective farm planning and observing animal behaviour can save you time and money. By observing your livestock and the movement patterns of wildlife, you could save money by slightly shifting the location of a fence or aligning it with existing animal tracks. Here are some questions to ask. Why are animals putting pressure on a fence? How can I use a fence to move and manage my livestock or wildlife better? The information sheet written by David Hilhorst (see below) outlines fencing design strategies including fencing for holistic grazing, fencing to land class and wildlife friendly design.
Permanent electric fencing can compare favourably to conventional fences in terms of cost. The cost of a fence is determined by many variables including the slope, recommended spacing of posts, dropper interval and the types of materials used. At the time of writing a standard fence will cost approximately $12 a metre for materials and labour. Permanent electric fencing will cost about $10.50 a metre for an 8 strand electric suspension fence such as the Weston Fence demonstrated in this video. The energiser for the electric fence is not included in this cost. For information and advice on pricing and design, contact a fencing supplier. It is wise to shop around and discuss options with other small farmers for the fence that you are building.
For fences in flood prone areas, the flood gates should be able to release from the posts if the pressure of water or debris gets too high. Some options for the materials used in flood areas include second-hand fencing materials and semi-permanent movable electric fencing.
Choosing the correct energiser and earth return system for an electric fence is important. According to Dean Paton, the energiser should be located halfway along the fence. For an electric fence to be effective the electric circuit must be completed. This is achieved by grounding. In dry areas effective earthing can be achieved by using an earth return system or bentonite to improve conductivity.

More information about earthing systems can be found here.

Resources and links

Free fencing handbook

Guidelines for fencing in flood prone areas

Wildlife friendly fencing design

Fencing how and where for small farms

Basic Information on Electric fencing

Gallagher Fencing Website

There are a range of fencing materials online. The product demonstrated at this workshop was from Gallagher but you could also try Waratah Fencing.

Ngunawal Cultural Walk and Talk

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 10:25:40 GMT

This event was about building connections with people and the land: an opportunity to learn more about diversity, indigenous culture and the local area. The walk and talk was led by Tyronne Bell from Thunderstone Aboriginal Cultural and Land Management Services. Tyronne talked about his culture and traditional Ngunawal uses of plants and animals found at the site.

Key points from the workshop

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a spiritual connection with the land, which can be expressed in some part through stories about plants, insects and animals in a particular location.

By studying the behaviour of different species of insects, Aboriginal people used their traits to help them in their everyday lives. For example, Tyronne told us about the ability of ants to regulate the temperature of their nest by bring different coloured gravel to the surface of the nest. White in summer and black in winter. Meat ants were used by some Aboriginal people to clean the carcasses of fish so the bones could be used as needles.

If you find Aboriginal artefacts, scar trees or other relics it is important to leave them intact and where you found them. These items hold great significance for Aboriginal people and are protected under NSW law. You can find out more information at the Office of Environment and Heritage website.

Preserving Ngunnawal language is very important to local Aboriginal people. The language can be spoken by everyone and children especially should be encouraged to use it. Tyronne taught us how to say thank you in the Ngunnawal language ‘djan yimaba’. You can find more information about Ngunawal language in the links section below.

Some Aboriginal people used to bend and weigh down trees in order to use the trunk as a structure to build a shelter on. In winter more permanent structures and caves were used as housing and remains of stone structures built by Aboriginal people have been found in our region.

Plant species commonly found in the Bungendore area had special uses for Aboriginal people. For example, the Cherry Ballart (Exocarpus cupressiformis) looks like a small cypress tree and the sweet, juicy fruit provide a spring time snack, the sap can be used for snake bite, the fresh leaves are used for headaches, the roots as clap sticks and it can also be used as a shade tree to camp under. The plant was is used as an indicator species for the coming season.

Other plants that we learnt more about on the walk and talk were Hardenbergia violacea, Indigofera australis, Diannella species, Lomandra species, Acacia species, Cassinia quinquefaria, Microseris lanceolata and Bulbine bulbosa. Tyronne told us about the uses of these plants for food basket weaving and stunning fish. Some of them are poisonous and should not be eaten. Find out more about these plants and their uses by following the links below.

Australian National Botanic Gardens Aboriginal Trail

PDF Information Resources Aboriginal Plant Uses – Australian National Botanic Gardens

According to local Aboriginal culture there are six seasons in a calendar year and no autumn. The calendar includes two summers, two winters and two springs, each with their signature weather pattern and special traditions.

Other useful information and contacts

Protect and manage objects – Office of Environment and Heritage

Aboriginal Plant Uses in Southern Australia

https://www.anbg.gov.au/aborig.s.e.aust/exocarpus-cupressiformis.html

ACT Environment and Planning Website for indigenous NRM

Plant Net Flora online – http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage ACT pdf brochure – includes pictures of plants

Ngunnawal Plant Use book

Ngunnawal language – simple list of words

Language revival project – https://aiatsis.gov.au/research/research-themes/ngunawal-language-revival-project

Indigenous Weather Calendar BOM

http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/calendars/gariwerd.shtml

Indigenous weather knowledge

http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/calendars/gariwerd.shtml

War on worms

Jennie Curtis — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 10:22:34 GMT

Managing parasitic worms in livestock is a tricky business for people on small farms. There are many variables to understand and manage including animal factors (breed, age, sex, pregnancy status and nutrition), grazing options and climactic conditions. This workshop was an opportunity for participants to learn about management tools that reduce the need for drenching and maximise the efficiency of drenches when they are used.

Dr Jane Morrison from Coopers Animal Health and Dr Alexandra Stephens from South East Local Land Services spent the day with our participants guiding them through the theory of worms and the practical aspects of worm management. Our hosts Suzie and Catherine showed participants how to do DIY faecal egg counts using a microscope.

The following points were the highlights of the workshop for Tracey, one of the participants.

1. Learning about the life cycle of the different worms in sheep and cattle was really important. I now understand how the worm life cycle can help inform strategic grazing decisions and the class of animal that you might graze on a particular paddock. I found out that temperature and rainfall impact on the survival of worm eggs and larvae on the pasture. There are two main life cycles of worms direct and indirect. Direct life cycles involve only one host, for example round worms and indirect life cycles involve two different types of hosts.

Round worm life cycle

Liver fluke life cycle – an example of an indirect worm life cycle.

2. Using faecal egg count tests can help inform decision making about drenching livestock and potentially save me time and money. The demonstration of how faecal egg counting is done helped me understand that using worm testing is a good management tool that can enable targeted use of drenches when needed.

Drench decision guide for sheep

3. Overall, the main benefit of the workshop for me is that I now realise how much detail there is in controlling worms in animals and that improving my knowledge about worms and their management can make a big difference to their health.

Five key components of a worm management strategy

Grazing management is the most important factor in controlling worms. Grazing management can include spelling paddocks and choosing the best clean paddocks for the classes of stock that have the highest nutritional demands and susceptibility to worms (weaners and pregnant or lactating ewes). Control worms without drench by using good grazing management including ‘smart grazing’, cross grazing with other species, rotational grazing and the use of fodder crops.

Grazing management and worms

Breed and feed for worm resistance. Older animals in good condition have higher immunity to worms than young or poorer animals. Adult cattle and sheep are good at developing worm immunity, except when they are lambing/calving and lactating. Aim for a condition score of 2.5 or above for more resilient animals with stronger immunity. Rams and breeding ewes can be selected for worm resistance – some breeds may have higher immunity to worms including Corriedale and Border Leicester sheep.

Use strategic drenching and good drenching principles. Dose correctly to the heaviest animals, calibrate the drench gun, use faecal egg counting to check drench efficiency and choose combination drenches with 2 plus additives. Use long acting drenches judiciously as they can accelerate resistance in worms. Always use a quarantine drench when you purchase new stock even if you have been told that the animals have been drenched. There are special drench combinations that should be used for quarantine drenching. Drench lambs/calves at weaning as they are highly susceptible to worms and are usually being weaned during high worm risk weather. Seek further advice form a vet if you need help.

Tactical drenching – these are drenches that are used when a faecal egg count test shows a high result or the animals show clinical signs of worm infestation.

The difference between tactical and strategic drenches – WormBoss

Manage worm resistance by informing yourself about the causes and what you can do to help prevent it. Get advice about interpreting faecal egg count tests and managing worms in livestock. Drenching may not be necessary if egg counts are low.

Managing drench resistance

You can contact your Local Land Services office for guidance on managing worms in livestock. Kits for faecal egg count tests are available free from Local Land Services offices and many rural suppliers.

The WormBoss website provides a comprehensive toolkit for managing worms.

Healing the land: techniques for managing erosion

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:18:33 GMT

Community spirit, professional expertise and practical demonstrations were a feature of this erosion and revegetation workshop. Guest speakers David Hilhorst and Andy Taylor from South East Local Land Services and Scott Soper led an inspiring and educational day.

Here are ideas and strategies from the workshop.

Pioneer plants such as wattle add nitrogen to the soil and improve soil fertility and structure. You can use branches from these plants (preferably with seed attached) and lay them over bare ground to create a nursery for seeds and/or or tube stock.

Locally grown small trees including wattles, kunzea and tea tree can be lopped and placed strategically on an eroded gully floor, the branches can be bundled and pegged creating a brush raft. The raft areas catch sediment that can be direct seeded using native grasses, sedges and rushes.

Look for wet patches above and below small erosion head cuts and use these sites for revegetation using locally sourced plants. Use bendy plants that slow the speed of the water including Juncus species, Carex appressa and Lomandra species. Trees that grow thick trunks should be avoided in confined gully beds and streams because tree trunks can deflect flood waters into banks and exacerbate the erosion problem.

Protect your soil from erosion is by maintaining 70- 80% ground cover in your paddocks and by limiting stock access to dams and dam spill ways. Erosion can be caused by overland flows from vegetation removal, dams, roads and gullies and by subsurface water movement. You can use simple clues to help you read your land, for example, are larger trees dying in patches? This could indicate that salinity is a problem. The eroded site at the property we visited was most likely being impacted by saline ground water which we learned also affects the water quality in the dam.

Mapping shallow ground water with an electrical conductivity survey gives an insight into the depth of the water resource and the salinity of an area. Windellama Landcare owns electrical conductivity (EC) mapping equipment and it can be hired for use by property owners and contractors. You should seek advice from South East Local Land Services to help you plan your erosion control work and EC mapping – Contact your Local Land Services office.

Eroded patches of sodic soils in gullies look like candle wax or stalactites. You can do a simple sodicity test using a small clod of soil and a clear dish. If area around the clod becomes cloudy, this indicates that the soil is sodic and might be highly erosive. Soil sampling of your farm could help you decide if you should be planting salt tolerant species at an eroded site.

Saline and Sodic Soils – the Difference video

Weirs, rock structures and rock/wire mesh weirs are all examples of “controlled activities” that may require a permit. Contact the Office of Water for advice about building structures including dams in drainage lines. As a general principle, water should always be returned to the same drainage line not diverted to another site. Before undertaking major works in water courses and gullies it is wise to check that your contractor has sought the correct approvals.

Contact a water regulatory officer as listed on the Office of Water website, call the licensing information on 1800 353 104 or email information@water.nsw.gov.au for more information.

Jute mesh or hessian can be used on bare eroded sites to create zones where vegetation can be established. ‘Burritos’ can be made by wrapping jute or hessian fabric around a mixture of forest mulch and compost which can then be laid on the contour and held in place using wire pegs. Mulched areas can then be seeded with a soil conservation grass mix or local native grasses. Once micro climates have been established other plants can be encouraged to grow using the brush raft technique described above.

Weeds such as blackberry and serrated tussock can be used as a resource to help provide mulch, organic matter and plant cover at eroded sites if they are already growing there. It is important though to manage weeds to prevent flowering or setting seed by cutting, spraying or manual removal. Chip and spray the weeds or cut the canes and leave them in situ on the gully floor or bank, this slows the flow of water and traps sediment. The area can be then planted with desirable plants and grasses. The thorny plants can act as protection for new plants during establishment. Continual monitoring of weed prone sites is important.

The SIX Maps website can be used to work out the size of the catchment for an erosion head cut. For example, using SIX Maps, Andy Taylor estimated that for 1 in 50 year high rainfall events, the gully on this farm would have one tonne of water per second flowing over it. That is equivalent to one intermediate bulk container (IBC)/second. Estimating catchment size, soil testing and electrical conductivity testing are just some of the tools that can be used when planning erosion control measures.

Further information and resources

Gully Erosion Assessment and Control Guide

The Farm Dam Handbook

Rural Living Guide – A guide for Rural Landholders in the South East

Guide to Managing Ground Cover – MLA

DPI Erosion Website

Grassland Flora – a field guide for the Southern Tablelands

Native tree and shrub resources

SIX Maps – mapping tool

This event was made possible with funding and in-kind support from South East Local Land Services.

Calf marking and cattle health

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:14:55 GMT

This workshop was an opportunity for a group of small farmers to learn and practice routine animal husbandry procedures for cows and calves. ‘Marking’ refers to a set of husbandry practices for calves that includes vaccination, ear tagging, castration, dehorning and mothering up.

See the MLA’s A Guide to Best Practice Husbandry in Beef Cattle for information on calf marking.

Discussions from the workshop are outlined below.

Vaccinations are given subcutaneously – just under the skin. The best place to give the injection is on the side of the calf’s neck (see fact sheet on vaccinations below for a diagram). The 5-in-1 vaccination covers five clostridial diseases, namely pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia), black disease, tetanus, blackleg, and malignant oedema. 7-in-1 covers the same diseases as 5-in-1 plus Leptospira harjo and Leptospira Pomona. Using 7-in-1 is recommended if you are keeping the stock for breeding. Keep vaccines cool in an esky while you are marking. Hygiene is important – keep the needles and injection site on the animal clean. To be effective these vaccines require an initial dose, a booster 4-6 weeks later and an annual booster.

See Future Beef Knowledge Centre information on vaccinations for beef cattle

Zoonosis refers to a disease or infection that can transfer from animals to humans – examples include Q Fever and Leptospirosis. People who work with animals should be vaccinated against Q-fever and understand how to minimise the risks of contracting these diseases.

Castrate calves as young as possible (around two weeks of age), not more than 3 months or younger than 24 hours. The rubber ring method is the easiest and safest method for small farmers to use on young calves. Using analgesia (pain relief) such as local anaesthetic and/or anti-inflammatory drugs could be beneficial to reduce pain and swelling at the castration site, and improve welfare. There is a 90 day withholding period for some medications given to calves.

If you have any concerns about the condition of stock in your area you can contact the NSW Stock Squad or RSPCA. It is not anonymous but it is strictly confidential and protected in accordance with the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act.

NSW Stock Squad Cooma 02 6452 0099

RSPCA 1300 CRUELTY or online

Grazing and droving on roadsides requires a permit – information on stock permits

Additional resources from workshop

Presentation from Dr Lou Baskind – District Veterinarian South East Local Land Services

Prime Fact – Cattle Producers Biosecurity Duty

Spotted anything unusual?

Call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675 888

Do not be afraid to contact or report to your District Veterinarian. District veterinarians can help with diagnostic investigations of unexplained deaths or herd syndromes and there are often funding arrangements in place. Some specific signs to report if noted in cattle: sudden or unexpected deaths, red or brown urine, cattle ticks, chronic wasting conditions, lumps along the neck, cysts in meat, or abortions/vaginal discharge.

Other cattle disease information

Tick Fever

Bovine cysticercosis

Enzootic bovine leucosis

Bovine Johnes Disease

Parasitic diseases

Contacting South East Local Land Services

Email enquiry.southeast@lls.nsw.gov.au

Braidwood 02 4842 2594
Goulburn 02 4824 1900
Yass 02 6118 7700

A passion for rations - supplementary feeding

Jennie Curtis — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 11:04:36 GMT

Low rainfall and high stock feed prices put significant strain on livestock managers. This workshop presented by Darren Price from Price Rural Consultants and Helen Smith, Agricultural Advisor from South East Local Land Services (LLS), looked at how to feed livestock safely and economically when pasture is in short supply. It was held in Winter 2018 during the drought.

Key points and resources

1. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about your capacity (cost, feed availability and time) to feed livestock in the coming months. Reduce your numbers or destock while the animals are in good condition.

Visual guide to condition scoring sheep and cattle
Condition score for sheep explanation
Condition score video for sheep
Condition scoring cattle information
Animals in poor body condition cannot be transported (see Is It Fit to Load)

2. Choose which animals stay and go with the goal of improving your herd/flock in the long term. Check the condition of your stock and cull animals that are under performing. Cull any animals that are getting old, with cracked teeth or missing teeth – as a general rule cows over the age of eight years have reached the end of their productive life, although there might be the occasional pet that gets to stay longer. Pregnancy test and cull any stock that are not pregnant (if they should be pregnant). You have to decide if the value of the animal is worth the money and time you invest in feeding them: whether this is the dollars you earn from selling weaners or the satisfaction you have in producing your own food.

3. Think about the water requirements for your livestock. Get your livestock water storage full and keep as full as possible. Some supplements have salt in them that increases the animal’s requirement for water. Pregnant and lactating animals have a higher demand for water than other classes of stock. Water quality testing kits for livestock drinking water can be sourced from your Local Land Services office.

Livestock water quality Prime Fact 326.
Also look at the NSW DPI Fact sheet Stocktaking water (August 2018)
The average water requirements of stock can be found in the Managing and Planning for Drought 2018 handbook on page 47.

4. Remember to undertake routine animal management procedures including managing parasites, giving vaccinations and monitoring animal health during dry conditions. Weaning early to reduce the demand on breeding stock could be a strategy to consider. The Sheep Connect website has webinars about early weaning, feeding and selling sheep during drought.

Early weaned animals need high quality feed and careful health management. You can seek advice from Local Land Services, private vets or other agricultural consultants. Talk to your livestock agent about the best time to sell weaners. It might be easier to sell them younger/lighter and let someone else manage them.
Parasite burdens can be higher when animals are under stress and pastures are low so monitor with worm egg count testing and treat as needed.
Where possible, avoid shearing during winter as this will put extra stress on sheep that already have a high energy demand because of the cold.

5. Develop your skills for assessing pasture quantity and quality. This is essential for working out the amount of feed that you have in your paddocks. Dry standing feed can be useful for providing gut fill when feeding stock with other supplements.

You can make your own pasture measuring stick very easily with a piece of plastic pipe with the distance from the end marked in centimetres. You can use this with a pasture recording sheet to estimate the quantity and quality of the feed that you have on your property.
The Meat and Livestock Australia Website describes pasture assessment techniques and has a pasture height recording sheet.
Making More from Pasture also has useful information.
Pasture assessment takes some practice. The PROGRAZE course can help with learning this skill (contact your Local Land Services office).

7. Sheep and cattle can be fed grain or grain-based pellets as supplementary feed (must not contain restricted animal material). They will also need a source of fibre (pasture or hay).

To work out how much supplementary feed is needed, find out the nutritional requirement of your class of stock and then work out what is the shortfall in the pastures that needs to be replaced. Animals that are in late pregnancy, lactating or growing (weaners) need more feed than other classes of stock. The energy requirements of stock increase in cold conditions. When assessing feed look at the components in the following order: water, energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.
[Note: the NSW DPI Drought and Supplementary Feed Calculator app has made this process much easier - Ed.]
An example for feed budgeting for sheep can be found at the Lifetime Wool Website.

7. All new feeds should be introduced gradually over a period of weeks so livestock do not gorge themselves and get bloat or grain poisoning. It takes time for the rumen microbes to adjust to a new feed (including green pastures after long dry periods). When changing feeds, shandy the new feed with the existing ration.

8. To work out the best value feeds for supplementing pasture, look at the energy value of the feed. Feeds that are cheaper (dollars per kilogram) may not necessarily end up being the best value if the energy content is lower or quality is poor which often results in more wastage.

10. Molasses can be used to top up energy but is not adequate for survival on its own. Molasses can be given as a liquid or a lick block. The stock must also have access to pasture and/or hay.

11. Urea can be fed to top up protein but needs to be used very carefully and can be toxic (especially to non-ruminants). Seek advice before using.

12. Cattle need additional calcium, sodium and magnesium (e.g. in a loose lick) when fed low quality hay or grain-based feeds. For more information visit the Future Beef Website

13. Sheep need additional calcium and salt when fed grain-based feeds. For more information see Autumn Feeding Guide for Sheep

14. After 4-6 months without green feed, young animals may need additional Vitamin A (ADE injection) and Vitamin B12 (injection). Seek veterinary advice.

This workshop was made possible with funding and in-kind support from South East Local Land Services and the voluntary efforts of the Small Farms Network Capital Region committee.

Biosecurity and animal health

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 10:56:31 GMT

For this workshop our hosts were Peter and Penny Dagg from Eastern Dorpers and White Dorpers who shared their knowledge and experience about managing sheep health with our enthusiastic participants. Our other guest speakers were Dr Kate Sawford, the District Veterinarian from South East Local Land Services and Dr Natasha Lees from Scibus Pty Ltd (so a line-up of four vets in total!). The day included some theory sessions, a paddock walk and a sheep handling demonstration.

Please note that the following notes from the workshop are general in nature and farmers should seek expert advice for their particular situation.

The best methods of disease control are good animal husbandry, including ensuring your stock have access to adequate feed and water, and vaccinating and drenching your stock following best practice advice. If you are new to farming and not sure what to look out for here are some general tips:

Do your stock have adequate nutrition for the stage they are in the production cycle? For example, breeding ewes and cattle have higher nutritional requirements than other classes of stock. Animals that have just calved or lambed have additional requirements.
Some disorders are caused by nutrient deficiencies at certain times of the year.
If you call the vet, have a good case history ready, including how old the animal is, how many are sick, has it just given birth, what do you feed it and when you last vaccinated and drenched the animal?

Learn the correct way to vaccinate your animals. Most vaccines are administered subcutaneously, between the skin and muscle. Read the instructions about dosage and administering the vaccine on the box. Try not to accidentally vaccinate yourself since some vaccines can have serious side effects. Vaccines that are particularly high-risk for humans include the Gudair vaccine for sheep.

Learn the correct way to drench your animals for internal parasites, including worms and liver fluke. WormBoss has lots of information about the different types of worms, drenches and other management strategies for sheep and goats.

There are some animal diseases that can transfer to humans and impact on your health. These are called zoonotic diseases. One example is Q fever which is a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms in people and it can have long term effects. It is recommended that people handling sheep, cattle and goats consider getting tested and vaccinated for Q Fever, particularly if they are in contact with breeding animals. See the NSW Health Website for more information. Many rural-based medical practices offer Q Fever vaccination.

You should contact your local vet or District Veterinarian to report animal health concerns affecting several animals or multiple unexplained animal deaths as soon as possible. You can also call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Line on 1800 675 888 and find more on the Animal Health Australia website.

When purchasing livestock, ask for an animal health declaration. This covers a range of diseases and parasites. While this is not a mandatory requirement, all good breeders should supply them for sheep, cattle and goats that are moved around Australia.

Some diseases move with infected breeding animals like bulls and rams. Diseases like Vibriosis in cattle and Brucellosis in sheep can have a significant, detrimental effect on herd performance.

Vibriosis fact sheet

Ovine Brucellosis fact sheet

Liver fluke fact sheet

Every landholder who manages livestock (ruminants, pigs and horses) on their property is required to have a Property Identification Code (PIC). The data collected through the annual stock return for each property is used to create an annual animal census and the data is used in times of natural disaster to aid in recovery and organise fodder drops. The PIC number is also used for food safety requirements and food traceability which is required for international trade and domestic food safety. You can find out more about livestock management including applying for a PIC at South East Local Land Services – Livestock.

There are a number of steps that you need to take to buy and sell livestock. When purchasing livestock it is important to purchase livestock from a trusted source with a National Vendor Declaration and animal health declaration to avoid importing diseases and parasites onto your property. Information about buying and selling ruminants can be found on the NSW DPI website and the 8 Step Guide to moving and selling sheep and goats. The South East Local Land Services Guide to Moving Stock is another useful resource.

Farm biosecurity is a set of measures that you can put in place to manage the risks of diseases, weeds and pests on your property. Simple biosecurity measures that small farmers can take include:

Monitoring inputs and outputs from your farm
Having a place to quarantine new stock to reduce the risk of introducing diseases, worms and weed seeds
Purchasing clean feed (ask for a commodity vendor declaration)
Controlling the movement of vehicles and equipment on and off your property
Not feeding restricted animal material (meat and meat by products) to ruminants or swill to your animals (both are illegal feeds)
Keeping good animal husbandry records of mating, drenching, medications and routine procedures
Having good fencing especially boundary fences that prevent stock from straying into or out of your property
Practicing good farm hygiene – disinfect needles between vaccinations of animals, handle sick animals last to prevent the transfer of diseases, wash and disinfect loaned machinery.

The Animal Health Australia Website has a useful Biosecurity Brochure for farmers.

This event was made possible with funding and in-kind support from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, South East Local Land Services and Scibus Pty Ltd. This initiative is part of the Australian Government’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper, the Government’s plan for Stronger Farmers and a Stronger Community.

The Small Farms Network would like to thank the sponsor of the network The Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability and the Small Farms Network Capital Region Committee. Finally thank you to our hosts and volunteers Peter and Penny Dagg at Eastern Dorpers and White Dorpers for hosting the field day and sharing their knowledge and expertise.

Weeds in waterways

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 16 May 2018 10:47:57 GMT

We have a knack for bringing wet blustery conditions on our field days and Weeds in Waterways on the 14 April 2018 was no exception. Eighteen hardy souls donned their jackets for a day of information and demonstrations by presenters Rebecca Bradley – Senior NRM Manager from South East Local Land Services, Lori Gould – Grass Roots Environmental and John Franklin – Franklin Consulting.

Rebecca Bradley began by explaining the legal obligations of farmers with regard to weed management in NSW. The Biosecurity Act 2015 has two key principles: biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility and all land managers have a general biosecurity duty.

All waterways are unique and behave differently depending the geology, soil type, river processes and energy level. You need to have a basic understanding of all aspects of stream behaviour before undertaking ground works. Something that works in one location may not be suitable on your property. Getting good local advice is a must. There are chemical, biological, physical and farm management factors that determine the behaviour of a watercourse. First and second order streams can have structures put in them to mitigate erosion, third order streams require a permit for structures and professional advice should be sought in this situation.

John Franklin and Lori Gould shared their expertise in managing weeds in waterways including a discussion about willows and managing a riparian restoration project.

Willows friend or foe?

Willows (Salix spp.) are currently identified as a weed of national significance (see weeds of national significance list). They are invasive and well adapted to Australian conditions. Key points about willows:

Willows spread and propagate in different ways depending on the species. They can also form hybrids with each other. Some willows grow from seed, cuttings (that break off the plant and move in the water) and by suckers. Hybrid willows are very vigorous and can reproduce just two or three years after germination.
The replacement of native vegetation by willows adversely affects biodiversity in waterways by reducing habitat and aquatic diversity. Willows create a flush of organic matter when they drop leaves in autumn. This reduces water quality by reducing available oxygen and releasing chemicals that harm small in stream herbivores that are adapted to living with evergreen plants (such as eucalypts).
Willows use much more water than native vegetation in streams and willows in stream beds can divert stream flows, resulting in erosion.
Any willow project should consider what other vegetation there is on the site and whether revegetation is required. Sometimes there is enough remnant vegetation to recolonise once willows are removed. Circumstances where willows shouldn’t be removed (or removal should be staged) are on eroding outer bends of rivers and creeks and in places where it isn’t cost effective. For example, large infestations where willows are removed without any major environmental benefits, such as sites with willows upstream and downstream and little remnant vegetation. These sites really need a ‘whole of reach’ approach and actions need to be well coordinated. Often these sites become beyond the landholder’s capacity to manage. However, large projects can be a great success such as the Yass River Linkages Project.
If you propose to remove or prune any existing trees or vegetation, you should contact your council first to check if you need approval.

For more information on willows see the Rivers of Carbon website – What is the problem with Willows?

Managing weeds in waterways

Some general principles for managing weeds in waterways:

Understand what you have in terms of native vegetation and weeds and do a simple map.
Cooperate with your neighbours where possible.
Prioritise weed control in high asset areas and/or where the weeds are in low numbers, removing weeds by hand or targeted spraying. Start with weeds that are the highest environmental priority (e.g. Serrated Tussock, St John’s Wort and other noxious weeds) and then progress to managing lower priority weeds if appropriate. If weeds are extensive then control may need to be staged from the outside in or from upstream to downstream. The amount that can be achieved will depend on time and budget.
It is generally considered better to poison willows in stream beds and leave them in place, rather than removing them manually using equipment. This reduces the risk of branches snapping off and plants establishing from the cuttings. The best option depends on what assets are downstream (e.g. fences, crossings, bridges).
When planning your project think about what you want to replace the weeds with. Plant a diversity of plants including ground covers, grasses, shrubs and trees. This provides valuable habitat for animals. Use local plant lists and resources from Landcare and Greening Australia to find out what to plant in your area. For example ROC Native Revegetation Species List and Local Native Plant Guide – Molonglo Valley.
Prepare tree planting sites by deep ripping and spraying in autumn and planting in winter and spring. Spraying with herbicide reduces grass competition or scalping is a chemical-free option.
Always water plants in and use tree guards.
Keep monitoring the site for new infestations of weeds and plant health.
Fence off the watercourse and manage grazing to allow the plants to establish. Timed grazing can be reintroduced once the revegetated trees and shrubs have grown to a suitable size.

Other information

The following fact sheets may be helpful:

· Willows

· Blackberry

· Serrated tussock

· Love Grass

· Scotch Broom

· Preparing a Whole of Property Weed Management Plan – South East Local Land Services

This field day was made possible with funding from the Australian Government and in-kind support and funding from South East Local Land Services. Thank you to our sponsors of the network, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability, and our host farm.

The cutting edge - chainsaws

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 16 May 2018 09:48:20 GMT

The weekend in March 2018 was a ‘cut above’ the rest of our workshops for 27 participants from the region.

Workshop trainer Barry Aitchison shared with us some chainsaw related statistics. The National Coronial Information Service data shows at least 99 deaths occurred in Australia between 2000 and 2016 as a result of chainsaw use and tree felling (Source ABC News). According to Barry in 2014 there were over 60 accidents from chainsaw use requiring at least 66 stitches in NSW hospitals. Having worked in the industry for over 33 years Barry believes that the main cause of injury is apathy, complacency and fatigue since most accidents occur in the afternoon.

So what are Barry’s top five tips for safe chainsaw operation and maintenance?

Safety is the number one priority – invest in a good chainsaw and safety equipment. Including chainsaw chaps, helmet, eye and ear protection, gloves, close fitting clothing and lace up boots if possible. A dust mask is also useful to prevent dust and fungi from the wood dust getting into your respiratory system. When in the bush consider using a hi-vis safety vest. Always be aware of other people around you by keeping them in your line of sight.
Chainsaw fuel once mixed does not last forever. At the beginning of the season empty the old fuel from the chainsaw and put in fresh fuel. Use a high octane fuel and a special synthetic chainsaw oil. If the chainsaw is not working check the fuel, spark plug and chainsaw air cleaner first. For new chains soak the chain in bar oil for two hours so the reservoirs in the chain fill up with oil to lubricate the bar.
Use a safety chain with a low profile, this will help prevent kickback. Different chainsaws models require different chains. The chain, bar and sprocket must match. The chain cannot be pulled in the reverse direction if the chain and sprocket don’t match. The chain can be fitted the wrong way, so check the cutting edge is facing forward.
A kickback occurs when the top quadrant (or kickback zone) at the end of the cutter bar snags on a log. The resulting torque effect causes the chainsaw bar to kick upwards towards the operator. To help prevent kickback, know where the top of the cutter bar is at all times and put the bottom part of the bar into the log first. Use a safety chain and ensure that the chain brake is working. Modern chainsaws have chain brakes as a standard safety feature. More about kickbacks.
Know your equipment and keep it sharp and clean. The chain can be sharpened using special files designed for each chain. The chainsaw bar can build up a burr that can be removed using a special tool. The burr will slow down the chain spinning on the bar. Carry a wedge to help free your cutter bar if it gets caught in a cut. And apply bright coloured paint to your tools so they don’t get lost or left behind in the forest.

See chainsaw maintenance video

By providing links to external information in this summary, the Small Farms Network Capital Region is not recommending or promoting any brand of equipment. The links contain the best available diagrams and information on the topic.

The Small Farms Network Capital Region would like to thank Mr Greg Simms from BRural for sponsoring this field day. Sponsorship enables us to keep the cost of our workshops affordable. Check out the range of BRural chainsaw equipment in store and online.

This field day was made possible with funding from the Australian Government, in-kind support from South East Local Land Services and sponsorship from BRural. Thank you to our sponsors, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability, and our hosts Alan and Sue for giving up their weekend to help others learn.

Tapping into it - water for small farms

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 08:35:56 GMT

This workshop held in early 2018 looked at many aspects of storing and using water on farms. The following is a summary.

Farm dams

Each NSW property has a maximum volume of water (harvestable right) that can be stored in dams that is based on the area of the property. Before building a dam you need to calculate the capacity of existing dams to see if you have any more harvestable rights available (see NSW Office of Water Maximum Harvestable Right Calculator).

If you have harvestable rights available then you need to work out whether a licence is required to build a dam (see NSW Office of Water Harvestable Rights – Dams). The easiest option is to build a dam on a first or second-order stream. Dams on third-order waterways require a licence. The order of streams is based on the pattern of blue lines for watercourses shown on topographic maps (e.g. look up SIX maps for your property). There is an explanation about how to work out what order watercourse you are dealing with in NSW Office of Water Dams in NSW: Where Can They be Built Without a Licence. [Your Council may also require you to lodge a development application before constructing a dam – Ed.]

Good spillway design is crucial to ensuring that excess water can be released safely when there is lots of rain. It is desirable to have good ground cover on the spillway to protect it from erosion and also to keep it dry as often as possible. A trickle pipe can be installed to release small amounts of water so the spillway is kept dry.

Farm dams can be made wildlife friendly and more attractive by excluding stock and planting riparian plants. See The Farm Dam Handbook (Water NSW) for design ideas and strategies.

What makes dams leak?

Poor construction

topsoil not removed before dam wall is constructed so water seeps out through topsoil layer in dam wall
inadequate compaction of dam wall

Poor materials

a waterproof dam requires 10-12% clay
typically dams built in basalt soils will leak

Leaking dams are expensive to repair. Options for repair include polymer material applied when dam is full or rubber or plastic liners. Contrary to popular opinion, throwing Bentonite into a dam will not fix leaks.

It is also good practice not to plant trees on dam walls to reduce the risk of their roots causing leaks when the tree dies.

Silted up dams

Aim to maintain groundcover in the dam catchment to minimise silt flowing into the dam. Silt can be cleared out of a dam by emptying the water and then bucketing out the mud and spreading it on the dam wall or elsewhere. Sometimes dams leak after this has been done because the silt has been sealing leaks.

Erosion around dams

Generally erosion is caused when a dam is built on steeper ground so that the water drops down the front edge of the dam. The eroding areas can be protected by spreading rock on them. It might also help to build a berm across the front of the dam to direct the water into a narrow channel flowing into the dam that can be protected with rock. Strategies for dealing with erosion involve slowing the water moving down the slope, covering exposed soil and re-establishing ground covers.

The NSW Government Soil Conservation Service provides consultants who can help design dams and provide advice for solving problems with existing dams.

Stock water

There are three key things to consider when planning your water supply for stock:

Quantity – how much is needed (see NSW DPI Primefact 326 Water Requirements for Sheep and Cattle), will you have enough in dry times? Remember that wildlife will use stock water too and you also need water for firefighting, garden watering and to allow for evaporation (25-30% from farm dams in the Southern Tablelands).
Quality – different quality water is needed for different purposes (e.g. drinking water for humans, drinking water for stock, irrigation water for garden). You can test your water to check that it is fit for purpose. Testing is important in dry summers when salt levels can build up in dams. Blue Green Algae (which is also sometimes red/brown) is toxic and stock should be kept away from it. The NSW DPI website has more information on water quality and testing for livestock and blue green algae testing.
Reliability – see NSW DPI Primefact 269 Stock Water: A Limited Resource

Stock water can be provided by giving access to a dam or pumping water to troughs. Generally stock should be fenced out of dams to maintain water quality but you can fence so that they have limited access to a dam over rocky ground. Water troughs need to be kept clean and you need to make sure that all animals have access to troughs – sometimes there are bullies who keep the other stock away from the trough.

The water in the dam will be cleaner if you fence to stop stock camping in the dam catchment. It is also important to maintain 100% ground cover in the dam catchment and 80% elsewhere to reduce silt and nutrient run off into the dam.

House water

Most farms store rainwater collected from roofs in tanks for use in the house including drinking. While this tank water is relatively low risk, good hygiene is critical for ensuring water is safe for drinking. People with compromised immune systems and the elderly are most at risk.

Key actions are:

clean house roof gutters to remove dirt and debris
first flush diverters can keep the dirtiest water out of the tank but they need regular maintenance to work properly
tanks can be cleaned (say annually) using technology similar to cleaning a swimming pool while the water is still in the tank
pumps should be regularly cleaned and maintained
drinking water can be filtered using charcoal and paper filters which should be replaced annually
home test kits are available to check the quality of the tank water

If the water becomes contaminated (e.g. dead animal in tank), water can be made safe for drinking by boiling. UV filters can also be used to clean water but are more expensive.

This field day was made possible with funding from the Australian Government, in-kind support from South East Local Land Services, the Soil Conservation Service and Veolia. Thank you to our sponsors of the network, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability, and our host farm.

From the ground up - understanding soils

Jennie Curtis — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:28:59 GMT

Led by Jo Powells, Senior Agronomist with South East Local Land Services, the focus of the field days was land capability, soil chemistry and interpreting soil test results.

Key points

‘Land capability’ is the inherent ability of the land to sustain agricultural production. It takes into account the characteristics of the site including slope, vegetation and the physical characteristics of the soil. There is a range of classification from 1 (highly arable) to 8 (only suited to light grazing or conservation). The Rural Living Guide has more information about Land Capability Classes.
Regular soil tests can give you the information needed to recognise the physical and chemical limitations of your soil. The tests can help you to identify key properties of the soil and how it will react to inputs. For example, fertilising without regular soil testing may lead to nutrient imbalances or the over application of a particular nutrient. If you decide to soil test, use a NATA Accredited Lab for the analysis so you know that the result are based on accepted standards and can be compared with other soil tests.
Pasture legumes are sensitive to soil pH and low soil Sulphur which can lead to poor nodulation and reduced nitrogen fixation by the plant.
Phosphorus is usually the key nutrient limiting pasture production in Australia. By understanding and using soil test results, you can choose to use different fertiliser treatments to increase pasture production.
Some soils in the Capital region are classed as sodic soils. These soils have an exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) > 6% and are prone to dispersion and structural collapse when wet. This can lead to erosion problems or a very compacted layer in the soil. Cultivation of sodic soils can increase water infiltration and exacerbate the problems. Sodic soils can be improved by applying gypsum, or a combination of gypsum and lime in acidic soils. Soil testing can guide you in deciding on the best way to manage these soils.

Resources:

Alternative Fertilisers and Pasture Productivity – a South East Local Land Services research project in collaboration with Bookham Landcare to trial a range of alternative fertiliser treatments – the videos reporting on the research findings are excellent and may well challenge your ideas about soil biology and fertilisers.

The Trouble with Sub Project – a South East Local Lands Services research project with Harden Murrumburrah Landcare investigating problems with performance of sub-clover in pastures and relationship to soil chemistry.

Australian Soil Fertility Manual – CSIRO Publishing (edited Graham Price), available from various sources including digital version.

Agskills Manual – Managing for Healthy Soils – a starting point for learning about soils.

Rural Living Guide – useful primer developed by South East Local Land Services for small farms, provides overview of wide range of topics related to managing and farming rural lands with links to many resources.

Introduction to Soil Sodicity – technical note by Co-operative Research Centre for Soil and Land Management.

Best practice guidelines to using poultry manure on pastures – guide to using chicken manure by Neil Griffiths, District Agronomist, Extensive Industries Development, published by NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Soils for Life – website with information about soils regenerative practices

Northern Rivers Soil Health Card – tool developed for farmers by farmers to use to monitor the health of their soils.

These field days were made possible with funding from the Australian Government, in-kind support from South East Local Land Services. Lunch for the field days was provided by the ACT Regional Landcare Facilitator. Thank you to our sponsors of the network, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability, and our host farms for the field days.

Practical weed management

Jennie Curtis — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:20:10 GMT

At this workshop with Alison Elvin we discussed weeds – why they are growing, how to identify them and what they look like in the paddock.

“Weeds are messengers – they can tell you a lot about your land and what is happening with the soil” Alison Elvin 2017

So why are weeds a problem and how can we manage them? Weeds are usually performing a function within the landscape or filling a niche where they can easily out compete other plants. They often grow on bare, acidic, compacted soils with little top soil. The most important thing that you can do to stop weeds getting a foothold is to maintain ground cover and protect top soil.

General weed management guidelines

Accurate identification of weeds and your paddock plants is essential. Learn about what you have.
Maintain ground cover by managing stocking rates and using mulch to protect small bare patches of soil.
Most weeds set huge numbers of seeds that can survive in the soil for long periods. For example Serrated Tussock can set up to 140,000 seeds per plant per year. Stop weeds seeding in the current year by rotational grazing, mowing or other means. Cool burns at the right time of the year (with a permit) can help reduce seed.
Killing weeds can be helpful for reducing spread – use mechanical removal methods where possible. If you use herbicides, only spray on calm, sunny days at times when plants are actively photosynthesising. This will improve the uptake of chemical. Use a funnel over the nozzle to prevent spray drift.
Manage soil fertility – by improving soil fertility and taking soil samples you can address any mineral deficiencies in the soil. Cape Weed and other yellow flowering weeds indicate the soil is deficient in Calcium.
Biosecurity – seed moves on vehicles, in and on livestock, in feed (e.g. hay) and by wind. Use quarantine paddocks for newly arrived stock, buy feed from reputable sources and feed out in restricted areas.
When removing or controlling weeds – replace the weed with plants/seeds of the vegetation that you want to grow there. Sow seeds, plant shrubs/seedlings and spread mulch. On elevated ground, remove weeds and use mounds and swales made from vegetation or hay bales to trap seeds. Work in small patches to reduce erosion risk.
Some weeds like thistles can be beneficial – they have very deep tap roots and exude secretions that feed fungi in the soil. Consider chipping the weeds and leaving the roots intact as this will help the fungi spread and improve soil fertility.
Only use herbicides according to the label instructions and use personal protection equipment. Help reduce development of herbicide resistance by using integrated control methods. When selecting a contractor, ensure that they have Chemcert Training.

Serrated Tussock

Serrated Tussock has an interesting history in Australia. It was introduced in pack saddles before WW1 and only became a problem after the Rabbit Drought. Serrated Tussock is a problem because it is highly unpalatable to stock, it has a high silica content and the microbes in the rumen won’t break it down. It will kill stock that graze it when there is nothing else to eat. Over grazing pastures will compound the problem because the weeds that are toxic to the stock will proliferate since they are the least desirable to graze.

Here are some tips to identifying Serrated Tussock and controlling it:

Poa spp., Corkscrew Grass and other native tussock grasses flower in early spring, Serrated Tussock flowers in November and December.
Serrated Tussock is usually a lime green colour when actively growing, native tussock grasses are more bluish grey. The seed heads of Serrated Tussock will blow around in late summer, native tussock will hold onto the seed heads (see photo). Serrated Tussock generally only flowers once a year. Native grasses can flower twice a year if conditions allow. Alison Elvins suggested that the best time to identify serrated tussock is in winter. Physical barriers and dense windbreaks on the boundary can reduce spread of serrated tussock because 70% of the seed heads move around 70-90 cm above the ground.
If you need help with identification and management of weeds your Council Weeds Officers can assist you.

More information

NSW WeedWise – NSW DPI website with descriptions and photos of common weeds along with information about control and management options.

Weed Spotter – ACT and Southern Tablelands website for reporting and mapping weeds and weed control actions – citizen science in action.

Weed Management Guide – Serrated Tussock – information sheet about Serrated Tussock issues, identification, spread and management options by CRC Weed Management.

Serrated Tussock Resistance to Fluproponate – information from the Serrated Tussock Working Party for NSW and ACT about the developing resistance to herbicides and how you can help reduce this problem.

This workshop was made possible with funding from the Australian Government and support from South East Local Land Services and Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council. Thank you to our hosts for contributing to a successful day and our network sponsors, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability.

Lamb marking and weaning

Jennie Curtis — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 08:09:54 GMT

Matthew Lieschke and Dr Bill Johnson from South East Local Land Services led the discussion and practical session about managing lambs and ewes at lamb marking. Lamb marking is a key animal husbandry task for people raising lambs and typically involves ear tagging, vaccination, castration and tail docking.

Key points

Plan to mark lambs at 2-8 weeks of age. Younger lambs are likely to recover faster. Lamb marking should be completed before the lambs are 12 weeks old. If you have lambs arriving over a long period, it might be better to have several lamb marking times. Marking before the end of October reduces the risk of fly strike.

Preparation of the site and equipment will help you to minimise infections. Generally a temporary holding pen out in a paddock is cleaner than the sheep yards and a good place to do marking. Avoid mud and dusty conditions. Cover surfaces where equipment is placed with a clean cloth or towel. You can use a lamb cradle or hold the lamb securely in your arms (see photo).

Disinfect any equipment between animals using Hibitane (Chlorhexidine). Push needles into a sponge soaked in the disinfectant solution after each injection. Note that most other types of disinfectants are deactivated by organic matter and need to be changed frequently.

Vaccinate each lamb at lamb marking with 5 in 1 or 6 in 1 vaccine for sheep with a follow up booster vaccination 4 weeks later. This is injected subcutaneously (under the skin) either in the neck or the brisket (if holding the lamb). Needles for sheep vaccinations should be sharp, 18 gauge and 6mm or 12mm long.

Lambs that will be kept for more than 2 years can be vaccinated with Gudair vaccine for lifelong protection against Johne’s Disease. Be careful with Gudair vaccine which can have bad side effects for people who accidentally touch or inject it.

[Options now available for reducing pain at marking include Numnuts and Buccalgesic - Ed.]

The recommended tail length for tail docking is three palpable joints. In ewe lambs, a tail of this length covers the vulva. Shorter tail lengths take longer to heal, can affect the movement of the tail and increase the likelihood of fly strike. If you are using lamb marking rings, the ring should be placed on the joint rather than the bone between joints, the tail will usually drop off in about 3-4 weeks.

Castration of male lambs is often done by placing a lamb marking ring over the scrotum, making sure that both testicles are included and that the teats are not included before releasing the ring into place (see ‘A producers guide to sheep husbandry practices’ below for more details).

Lambs need to have an ear tag with the Property Identification Code (PIC) if they will ever be moved off the property. The tag can also have other information such as a number for the flock or individual sheep and a V if vaccinated for Johne’s Disease. Different coloured ear tags are used for each year but this is not compulsory. Pink tags are only used to replace tags where a sheep was born on another property and has lost its tag. Use a tag applicator that matches the type of tags. Dip the tag in disinfectant before applying half way along and half way up the ear. A convention is that ewe lambs are tagged in their right ear, ram/wether lambs are tagged in their left ear.

After marking, allow lambs time to ‘mother up’ with the ewes. It can help to put the lambs in the middle of the paddock and then let the ewes out to the lambs and give them time to find each other. The male lambs will often lie down.

Plan to wean at 12-14 weeks of age. In tougher years, it can be better to wean earlier so that ewes can start to put weight on in preparation for joining. By 8 weeks old the lamb is getting less than 10% of its nutritional intake from milk. Wean lambs onto your best paddocks that have been rested for 3 months to reduce worm burdens and don’t have nasty grass seed heads. Lambs are usually given their first drench at weaning. Weaning is also a good time for the lambs’ booster vaccination (if it hasn’t already happened).

Further Information

A producers guide to sheep husbandry practices – Meat and Livestock Australia. This guide gives a comprehensive guide on best practice sheep husbandry and more detail on lamb marking procedures.

Sheep Ag Skills – A Practical Guide to Farm Skills

Sheep Weaning Best Practice (WA)

Early weaning and creep feeding of lambs in poor seasons (WA)

Creep feeding lambs (NSW DPI)

Options for weaning (Sheep 201)

This field day was made possible by funding from the Australian Government, in-kind support from South East Local Land Services and the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability. We thank them for their ongoing support.

Fencing - how and where for small farms

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 09:05:14 GMT

This field day was about the practical aspects of fencing. Andy Taylor and Shane Laverty from the Rural Landscapes Program, South East Local Land Services discussed the theory of fencing and led a fencing demonstration.

Key ideas

There are some principles for fence design that usually apply. The best fence on the farm should be the boundary fence. When considering gate sizes choose larger gates that Rural Fire Service trucks can fit through – as a standard option choose 12′ (3.6m) wide gates if possible. If you have livestock, hang the gate on one side of the post so the gate can be opened flush with the fence when moving stock and the animals won’t get stuck between the gate and the fence. Gates located in corners usually work best – it is often difficult to get animals to go through a gate in the middle of a straight fence.

The type of fence that you install should be influenced by considerations such type of stock, cost, understanding where the water runs, different soil types, land capability, vegetation and watering points. A property planning field day can help with planning the type and location of fences. In some cases electric fences (permanent or temporary) may be an option.

Effective personal protection equipment is vital when fencing. This includes gloves, eye protection and protective ear muffs if you are using noisy mechanical equipment (for example when banging in steel posts).

There are many choices for fencing materials. Low tensile wire just keeps on stretching – medium tensile wire is a better option. Hinged joint fencing mesh comes in many sizes. The numbers in the hinged joint mesh name refer to the number of horizontal wires, fence height and distance between the vertical wires. For example, a 6/70/30 hinged joint mesh has 6 line wires, is 70cm high and the vertical wires are 30cm apart – this size suits smaller animals like sheep. A boundary fence might use 8/90/30. Hinged joint mesh has a top and bottom. The side with the smaller gaps is supposed to be closest to the ground. Usually you put plain wire through the steel posts (star pickets to the non-farmer) lined up with the top, middle and bottom of the hinged joint mesh and attach the mesh to the wires using fencing clips. Two more wires will usually be run in the space above the mesh. To get the fence height right, bang the steel posts into the ground until the bottom hole is just above the ground.

When repairing fences check the existing strainer posts, stays, steel posts and wire and see what can be salvaged. The most important part of the fence is the end assembly (strainer post and stay) and the most common type are steel. These can be galvanised or black steel and can be purchased as a complete kit.

Resources

South East Local Land Services Rural Living Guide – a comprehensive guide for anyone on the land, lots of useful resources including tips on fencing

Fencing Ag Guide – A practical Guide – available from Tocal College for purchase, has detailed information on building a fence including ends, corners, the law and fencing and more.

Land and Property Information website – information on boundary fencing and the law.

Commercial fencing guides – there are a range of materials online from the major fencing suppliers. Some of these pamphlets were handed out at the workshop. Here is a sample from Waratah Fencing, but you could also try Gallagher or Whites Group Fencing.

This event was made possible by funding supplied by the Australian Government and in kind support from South East Local Land Services. Thank you Mark and Rhonda who hosted the event on their farm and our sponsors the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability.

Sheep husbandry for small farms

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 25 May 2017 08:50:29 GMT

Our 2017 sheep husbandry workshop was delivered by Doug Alcock (Graz Prophet Consultants) . The workshop covered a huge amount of ground about farming sheep in the Capital region. Our host was Craig Starr at Gold Creek Station (a mighty fine venue for country weddings and other celebrations).

Key points

Fat scoring is a handy technique for assessing whether your sheep are fat, thin or just right. A fat score 1 is a very skinny sheep that needs attention. Fat score 5 is where you can hardly feel the ribs (and maybe the sheep needs to go in the diet paddock). Fat score 3 is a good place to be.

NSW DPI Primefact 302 Fat Scoring Sheep and Lambs has information about how to do fat scoring.

Hoof trimming for sheep is done to help keep the feet healthy. Sometimes they get grit and gravel stuck between hoof layers and get infections. If there is lots of wet weather and the sheep have a foot infection with a putrid smell then it could be footrot and you need a vet. See Primefact 265 Footrot in Sheep and Goats.

Pasture planning: our pastures in the Southern Tablelands follow a somewhat predictable growth pattern with most pasture growth in September and October. To minimise the costs of supplementary feeding, it is helpful to match stocking rates to pasture growth. In dry years there will be less grass.

Graz Clock is a spreadsheet created by Doug that can be used to help with understanding pasture cycles and planning stocking.

Attending a PROGRAZE course will teach you about how to manage pastures and grazing.

Supplementary feeding: if there is not enough grass and you want to keep your sheep then you will need to feed them extra. The amount to feed depends on the type of sheep (dry, pregnant, lambs, weaners) and the amount of grass in the pasture.

Feed such as wheat, barley, oats, corn or sheep nuts needs to be introduced slowly (say 50g/head/day for three days, then 100g/head/day and so on) so that you don’t poison your sheep. If they have never had the feed before then you need to be especially careful that a few brave sheep don’t eat the lot and die. Lupins are a safe option.

NSW DPI Primefact 331 Supplementary feeding of sheep in southern NSW has more information.

[See also the NSW DPI Drought and Supplementary Feed Calculator app which allows you to calculate feeding options for your sheep and pastures.]

Lambing time: generally it works best to time lambing so that lambs are being weaned when there is lots of grass. In the NSW Southern Tablelands, lambing in August means that the young lambs can take advantage of the peak grass growing time (September/October) and minimises the amount of supplementary feeding needed.

Joining: sheep have a 150 day gestation period so you need to put the rams in with the ewes in early March to get lambs in August. This is known as joining and can go on for about 5 weeks. You need to feed your rams well before this (lupins are good). Ewes will have more twins and triplets if they are fat score 3 or higher at joining.

Lamb marking is generally done when the lambs are two to six weeks old. This can involve ear marking, ear tagging, castration, tail docking and vaccination.

Shearing: in the merino wool industry, shearing has traditionally been done at the end of June but this means that the sheep use extra energy to keep warm instead of growing bigger lambs. If you shear sheep in winter you will need to give them supplementary feed.

Shearing in late November/early December can help reduce flystrike and problems with seeds burrowing into the skin.

It is best not to shear in the month before lambing when pregnant ewes need to spend lots of time eating.

Many meat sheep such as Dorpers don’t shed fully and may need shearing.

Mostly you need to shear when the shearer is available.

Fly strike: sheep with wet fleece or dags can get flystrike in the warm months. This is where flies lay eggs on damaged skin and maggots hatch and feed on the skin. Usually this happens around the tail (breech strike) or along the back (body strike). Generally sheep with wool have more problems with flystrike. See the FlyBoss website for more information about treatment and prevention measures.

Crutching is shearing the wool from around the tail and inside back legs to keep dags off the breech area. This helps to reduce breech strike. It is often done before and during the fly season and prior to lambing.

Parasitic worms: there are three main types of intestinal worms affecting sheep in the Capital region: Barber’s Pole Worm, Brown Stomach Worm and Black Scour Worm. If left uncontrolled, these can kill your sheep. Best practice worm management combines pasture management, faecal worm egg counts (WEC) and effective drenching. You need to do regular WECs if you want to have any idea about what is happening with worms in your sheep.

Kate Sawford, District Veterinarian for the Braidwood Region has written a useful guide to Controlling Worms in Sheep in the Braidwood Region.

The WormBoss website has extensive information about managing worms in sheep and helps you decide when drenching is needed. The Capital region is in the WormBoss NSW non seasonal rainfall area.

Worm egg count test kits are available from South East Local Land Services offices and rural suppliers. The test kit is free and has information about the costs for the tests.

Working with sheep

Moving sheep around yards

Sheep need to be moved into and around yards for routine tasks such as fat scoring, shearing, hoof trimming, drenching and vaccinations. A sheep dog can help with this but many people on small farm holdings use a bucket with some feed rattling in it instead.

A bugle shaped layout for yards works well for funnelling sheep into a race or small space.

It is easiest to move sheep if you are beside them. The balance point is at their shoulder. If you move forward from this towards the head then the sheep will go backwards, if you move behind the balance point towards the back leg then the sheep moves forwards. Mostly it doesn’t work to stand behind the sheep. This all takes practise.

Drenching sheep

Drench is an oral treatment for worms. The WormBoss website provides extensive information about selection and use of drenches.

You need to know the weight of your sheep before drenching (so you need scales).

Drenching guns are often rather inaccurate in the doses they deliver. Use a beaker to collect a number of doses (say 8-10) to check for accurate volume.

Quarantine drench any new sheep arriving on your property and keep them in a quarantine paddock for at least three days. See NSW DPI Primefact 477 Quarantine Drenching – Don’t Import Resistant Sheep Worms.

Drenching at weaning is encouraged by Doug (even when WECs are low).

This video about drenching technique may be helpful.

Vaccinating sheep

Sheep are generally vaccinated with 5 in 1 or 6 in 1 vaccine. The vaccine is injected subcutaneously (under the skin), usually behind the ear on the neck.

This video about injecting technique may be helpful.

Other resources

NSW DPI ‘Sheep Agskills: A Practical Guide to Farm Skills’, available CSIRO Publishing.

J Court, JW Ware and S Hides ‘Sheep Farming for Meat & Wool’, available CSIRO Publishing.

Cattle husbandry

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 11 May 2017 08:41:49 GMT

The Cattle Husbandry for Small Farms field day was held at DMB Galloways in Sutton on the 29 April 2017.

The day was led by Greg Meaker a former educator in beef cattle husbandry and management at Tocal Collage and District Livestock Officer with NSW Government Industry and Investment, Goulburn. Greg is also owner manager of two working properties in the Gunning district.

Key points and resources

Before purchasing livestock it is important to decide on what type of operation you want (breeding or growing out), or if you want to purchase livestock to keep your pastures in check. If you are looking at trading livestock see:
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock
https://www.mla.com.au/prices-markets/
The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is an important regulatory requirement that all livestock owners need to be aware of. The NLIS system enables livestock to be traced and managed during livestock emergencies such as disease outbreaks. You can view a PDF of the requirements here NEW NLIS Information BookletYard weaning- weaners and new stock should be ‘yard weaned’ to teach the young cattle about the yards and being handled. During this time routine worming and husbandry can be performed. Yard weaning makes the cattle more manageable and can improves lifetime weight gains (by 20-30 kilograms) because handling stress is reduced.
See the Yard Weaning and Education article.
Low stress cattle management -there are number of guiding principles that can be used to improve cattle performance and ease of handling. Find out more about the theory and practice of low stress cattle management on the Future Beef website.
Calendar of Operations – The South East Local Land Services has published a Beef Calendar of Operations – NSW Coast
If you are looking at a breeding operation the management of bulls is essential to the productivity of your herd. When purchasing or leasing bulls vibriosis testing is an important step to stop the disease from becoming established in your herd.
See the NSW DPI Vibriosis fact sheet.
Sudden changes in diet and a poor vaccination regime can cause a disease called pulpy kidney. This disease is caused by Clostridium perfringens type D. This bacteria normally inhabits the intestine of cattle but can become present in large numbers when there are sudden changes to the animals’ diet. For more information and management options see the NSW DPI Enterotoxaemia in cattle fact sheet.
Yards based on a tear drop/circular design suit the handling and flow of cattle in the yards. The NSW DPI website has a series of designs suitable for cattle herds under 100 head. See NSW DPI Yards and Equipment for Cattle.
NSW DPI Feed cost calculator – this website allows you to compare the cost, protein content and energy of different types of supplementary feeds.

More information

Thank you to our hosts Dianne and Mark from DMB Galloways.

This field day was made possible by funding from the Australian Government, in-kind and volunteer support from South East Local Land Services, the Palerang Local Action Network for Sustainability and the ACT Regional Landcare Facilitator. We thank them all for their ongoing contribution to this project.

Horse Property Planning

Jennie Curtis — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 08:35:36 GMT

Stuart Myers from Equiculture presented a horse property planning seminar in March 2017.

Key points:

Horses have evolved to eat a low protein, low fibre diet, walking and foraging in herds.
The domestication of horses and use of horses after the industrial revolution has guided often-used practices for stabling and managing horses – usually for human convenience. Horses don’t really like stables and would rather be in a yard if they have to be contained.
Most modern horses require the three F’s: friends, forage and freedom.
Horses can be used for grassland management by having a systematic approach to running horses as a herd and rotating paddocks.
The first step in horse property design is to perform a site analysis and understand the capacity of your land. The site analysis allows you to identify aspects of your property such as buildings, roads, waterways, boggy areas, dams, remnant bush and hilly areas. Locations for yards, working and stabling areas, lane ways, paddocks and revegetation sites can then be planned.
Design road access and lane ways to be wide enough for trucks and fire vehicles, allow a good turning circle at the end of lane ways.
By using good quality pasture hay in round bales you can rehabilitate areas of low ground cover by allowing the horses to feed in this area. The hay and manure will act a mulch and encourage pasture regeneration.
‘Think like a horse’ – they want to be close to the feed source ‘YOU’. Horse owners can use this behaviour to their advantage by arranging gates, lane ways and paddocks that allow horses easy access to a central yard facility where water and feed is available. This way, the horses want to come into the yard when they see you there. Consider having an all-weather yard with a suitable surface (deep wood chip, rubber matting or earth). This makes management easier and also allows horses to be called and corralled in times of emergency.

Some useful links

Information about horses, fire and flood planning at the Equiculture website. This resource has links to other websites to help you plan for emergencies.

Healthy soil = Healthy Pasture find out more about managing soils by watching the short videos @ the soils network of knowledge

The Soil Food Web

Equine Permaculture and Property Planning

Paterson’s Curse – DPI Prime Fact Sheet on the weed and poisoning of horses.

NSW WeedWise Online - this website has detailed information on weeds and livestock. Of particular interest for horse owners are fireweed and Crofton weed

Thanks to our seminar hosts.

The event was made possible with funding from the Australian Government and support from South East Local Land Services and FuturePLANS.

Working with weeds

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 07:28:06 GMT

At the Working with Weeds field day, Alison Elvin from Natural Capital Pty Ltd presented a compelling and informative story about weeds. Warren Schofield from ACT Biosecurity and Rural Services and Alice McGrath from South East Local Land Services also presented information on weed management and planning on the day.

According to the Australian Government it is estimated that weeds cost Australian farmers approximately $1.5 billion a year in weed control activities and $2.5 billion in lost agricultural production. So why are weeds such a problem and can we change our thinking to manage them better?

Key points from the field day:

Correctly identify your weed. Developing knowledge of weed and plant identification is critical to understanding what is happening on your land.
Boost your soil health by improving soil organic carbon and addressing any nutrient deficiencies. Consider using soil tests to help you address nutrient imbalances. Weeds can be indicator species, for example, Paterson’s Curse can indicate that the soil is lacking in copper and calcium.
Develop a plan for managing weeds over a 5-10 year period. There can be benefits to starting small and radiating out from control patches.
Weeds are pioneer plants that produce a lot of biomass, the organic matter from weeds can be used by slashing before flowering and used to increase soil carbon. Some grass species can also be baled for hay to use later for fodder.
Adjust your grazing system and aim to maintain ground cover, focusing on perennial species. Ensure that desirable species have the chance to flower and set seed at least every 3 years to allow seed banks to build up. Using rotational and strip grazing can also have benefits.
Keep bare soils covered to prevent erosion and weeds colonising. Weeds like to germinate on bare soils and thrive in impoverished soils.
Integrate your weed control measures. Use targeted control with chemical sprays, crash grazing and manual removal. Use the correct herbicide and correct rate for the specific weed in the correct season to prevent herbicide resistance. Develop a farm plan and keep records of what you do.
Consider returning marginal land to remnant bush and graze only lightly. Fence and plant perennial species on the contour and plant wind breaks where the prevailing winds come from to stop weeds entering your property. Physical traps can be used along fence lines.
Does the weed have a biological control agent?

Useful websites and links:

Weeds in Australia

South East Local Land Services Integrated Weed Management Plan
– A Land Managers Guide
– Planning Tool

Biological Control of Weeds

This field day is made possible with funding from the Australian Government.

We also thank the following for their contribution:

The ACT Regional Landcare Facilitator and ACT NRM with funding from the Australian Governments National Landcare Programme
South East Local Land Services
ACT Biosecurity and Rural Services
Future PLANS
Small Farms Network – Capital Region Steering Committee
Our host Paul from Springfield.

Healthy Land, Healthy Horse

Jennie Curtis — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 07:14:29 GMT

The Healthy Land, Healthy Horse field day for horse owners was hosted by Geoff and Mark from Manna Park Agistment Centre in Bywong> This provided a beautiful setting for Stuart Myers from Equiculture to share the Equiculture system of horse management. A range of topics were discussed from horse biology to the importance of maintaining a diversity of plant species on farm for grazing.

Key messages were:

Horses thrive on a high fibre, low energy diet.
Encourage biodiversity. Plant and encourage a wide variety of plants and pasture species on your grazing land. Horses are adapted to using various herbs and shrubs in their diet. A varied diet can have medicinal benefits for the horse and helps diversity on the farm. Encourage remnant vegetation by fencing it off and planting shelter belts of native trees.
Running horses as a herd allows pastures to be managed productively. By using rotational grazing and planning paddock management, horse owners can reduce their reliance on supplementary feeding.
Focus on ‘grass farming’ by improving your knowledge of pasture species and encouraging them to self-seed and proliferate. Horses can be used to spread mulch and beneficial pasture seeds by feeding them on bare areas of soil.
Use the ‘stubby test’, graze the pasture when it reaches the height of a stubby standing up and stop grazing when the stubby reaches the height of the stubby lying down.
Native grasses can be very beneficial to horse health and provide the low energy diet they need.
Concentrate key activities in specially designed areas e.g. covered feeding areas and multi-use surfaces (grassed arenas that can be used for training and grazing). Watering points at a central site can reduce set up costs and encourage horses to get more exercise.

Resources

Information about moving horses in NSW

PIC information for horse owners

University of Maryland Rotational Grazing Institute

Weed information

Equiculture resources and books

Event partners

This field day is made possible with funding from the Australian Government. We also thank the following for their contribution:

ACT Regional Landcare Facilitator and ACT NRM with funding from the Australian Governments National Landcare Programme
Future PLANS and Small Farms Network Capital Region – volunteer committees
Geoff, Mark and volunteers from Manna Park Agistment Centre

Keeping poultry on a small scale

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 08:07:29 GMT

This is an updated summary from a poultry workshop held in 2016. The workshop was led by Dr Jayne Weller from Exotic Animal Veterinary Service and Dr Kate Sawford the District Veterinarian from South East Local Land Services. The main topics covered on the day were keeping chickens on a small scale, exotic and zoonotic diseases of poultry and farm biosecurity. The workshop was held at Carwoola Farm which has now ceased operations.

The key take home messages from the workshop were:

When designing a chicken coop for layers it’s a good idea to keep the nesting boxes at a lower level than the roosting perches to encourage the chooks to sit on the perches at night rather than in the nesting boxes. Designing your hen house in this way will reduce the amount of poo in the boxes – and as a bonus you will get clean eggs.
Clean eggs are safer for consumption. Egg shells are porous and if eggs are heavily contaminated with poo, the bacteria can move into the egg and make you sick.
Clean next boxes are also healthier for the chooks. Bacterial can move up the chook’s reproductive tract while she is laying the egg, and these infections can be very serious.
If you are not producing your own chicks (from existing chooks and roosters), try to stick to either buying immunised chicks or using one trusted supplier to reduce the chance of introducing disease to your flock. Always quarantine new batches from existing birds for at least three weeks.
Commercial feeds have been developed for climate-controlled large-scale commercial production. This will usually not be the best nutrition for your backyard layers. Provide your chickens with a diet containing 16% protein. If the feed has less protein than this, consider additional protein sources. You can also do online courses to learn how to make your own balanced diet for layers.
Chooks need additional sources of calcium to form the egg shell. If your commercial feed has less than 4% calcium, top it up with a little calcium powder (powdered limestone) and also offer free access to larger pieces of calcium source like oyster shell-grit or eggshells. If feeding eggshells back to the chooks, make sure all egg material has been cooked off in a low oven.
Diagnosing sick chooks is very difficult – even for vets – and often requires an autopsy. Many diseases and nutrient deficiencies can have similar presentations. Often, symptoms are noticed when it is already too late. Prevention of disease and nutrient deficiency is definitely the way to go.
If one of your chickens happens to get sick, remove them from the main flock to reduce the risk of spread and put them in a temporary pen. This is called a hospital pen and should be far enough away that the sick chook can’t sneeze droplets onto the other chooks. On the other side of a solid structure is the best.
To stop chooks flying, you cut seven primary feathers on both wings. Cutting the feathers on only one wing makes the chook unbalanced and they can hurt themselves.
You can make a quick pen using $50 temporary fence panels available from a well-known hardware store with an electric wire around the bottom.
Chooks breathe in strange ways. They don’t have muscles to draw the air in. If you hold them to tight or squash them, they can’t breathe.
There are some home remedies to assist an egg-bound hen, but if you are not making progress quickly, they will need to be taken to a vet. The vet will anaesthetise them and remove the egg. They are at a high-risk of ongoing problems and may need medications. There is a permanent operation that vets can do to prevent it happening again but it is extremely expensive and they won’t lay eggs anymore.
Some illnesses in chickens, like salmonella and Avian Influenza can be passed on to humans. The government monitors for these diseases, especially those which are usually exotic to Australia, and others which can impact on our poultry industries. If you have chickens showing unusual symptoms, or many of them getting sick at once, you should contact your local District Veterinarian or the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline. They will assess whether testing is required. They will not force you to destroy your poultry as a result of this testing unless the risk to public health is extremely high.

Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline: 1800 675 888

Contact your Local Land Services District Vet

Resources and Information

Here is a collection of websites and information which may be relevant to your small farm.

NSW Food Authority website
Small Egg Farms

NSW Department of Primary Industries Primefacts and website
DPI Keeping Poultry on a Small Scale

Backyard Poultry Forum
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/

Common Diseases of Backyard Chooks

This summary was updated with help of Dr Lou Baskind, District Veterinarian, South East Local land Services. The event was made possible with funding from South East Local Land Services and funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Sheep husbandry introduction

Jennie Curtis — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:33:49 GMT

Former NSW Department of Agriculture Sheep and Wool Officer, Col Langford, led an informative and interactive discussion aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of livestock managers. An outdoor practical session followed where participants learned about estimating the age of a sheep, how to catch sheep and fat scoring along with pasture and weed assessment.

South East Local Land Services District Veterinarian, Dr Kate Sawford detailed the legislative requirements for Property Identification Codes (PICS) and the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). Did you know that all properties with stock (even just one animal) need a PIC? If you move sheep from one property to another then you need to record this in the online NLIS.

There was also a discussion about drenching, sheep diseases and routine management of sheep. The WormBoss website is a good resource for finding out managing intestinal worms in sheep to avoid unnecessary drenching.

Take home messages from the field day for participants Jennie and Susan were:

Sheep have lice. Just like children have nits. So don’t buy “lousy” sheep. Check before you buy.
In this region it is a good idea to supplementary feed pregnant ewes over winter. In June and July the pasture hardly grows at all and this is the time when pregnant ewes most need to maintain their weight.
Sheep pellets are the equivalent of convenience food for sheep. While they use grains in their manufacture, they have lower nutritional value than grains and cost more to provide the same amount of energy to the sheep. You can’t even rely on them to use the same recipe every time so you should introduce each new batch slowly. You can use the by-products from malt whiskey distilling to supplement the feeding of your sheep. A wee dram of feed introduced slowly over two weeks will get them used to the taste.
Dorper lambs can be very good at jumping.
Fat score 2 is a very bony sheep. Fat score 3 is just right. It’s not hard to learn to take the fat score of sheep. If you cook a steak using the palm of your hand to test how well it’s cooked you can score a sheep.
The best way to help with lambing is to keep the ewes at fat score 3 throughout their pregnancy. It’s true. All breeds can have easy births. Just like breeders advertise. It’s all down to the shepherd. A well-managed pregnant ewe will usually have an easy birth.
You can have sheep and still have a life. It’s all down to planning. A yearly management calendar will let you know what needs to be done and when. You can then plan a holiday.

Resources

Farm biosecurity measures can protect your property from the entry of pests and diseases and can save property owners time and money managing their stock. See www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
Information about PICs and South East Local Land Services information and advice can be obtained from southeast.lls.nsw.gov.au/livestock. Your local district veterinarian at South East Local Land Services can also provide you with information and advice on managing worms in your flock. There are some key measures that landholders can take to manage worms in their flocks including buying worm resistant rams, providing adequate nutrition particularity to pregnant ewes, doing regular worm counts and rotating drench types. See www.wormboss.com.au
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline: 1800 675 888
The Tocal Agricultural College publishes a series of booklets designed to assist you in managing your enterprise. You can order the Sheep Agskills and Fencing Agskills booklets on line at www.tocal.nsw.edu.au/publications

This field day was made possible by funding from the National Landcare Programme, from the Australian Government and support from South East Local Land Services.

Fodder trees and shrubs

Jennie Curtis — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:10:35 GMT

Dr Dean Revell from Revell Science in Western Australia was the keynote speaker at the Fodder Trees and Shrubs for Grazing Systems field day in Bywong. Over 35 farmers attended to learn about how native fodder trees and shrubs can be incorporated into livestock systems.

Dr Revell led a discussion about how fodder grazing systems using native shrubs combined with pasture can provide stock on small and large farms with feed during autumn and winter feed gaps (or any other time when the weather is being unkind). We learned that shrubs use ground water not accessible to grasses, bring nutrients to the surface for other plants to use and provide shade and shelter for grazing stock. Dr Revell also outlined the amazing ways in which stock learn to use fodder shrubs and how we can use animal behaviour to teach stock to eat new plants.

Grazing systems using shrubs also benefit animals by reducing stress caused by extremes in temperature, allowing the metabolic system of the animal to work efficiently which keeps growth rates steady. Some shrub species also provide medicinal value to the livestock thereby reducing worm burdens and potentially methane gas production. Farm productivity improves by reducing the cost of inputs including supplementary feed and drenches. It also allows farmers flexibility in rotating paddocks and feed resources. The downside to fodder crops is the initial start-up cost, but economic modelling over the long term showed improved grazing productivity.

Geoff Butler from Wamboin Gearys Gap Landcare was on hand to share his extensive knowledge on local plant species that could be suitable for fodder. He discussed the establishment of shelter belts and the importance of site preparation including ripping, time of planting and tube stock establishment. Establishing effective windbreaks can have many positive effects in farming systems in addition to slowing wind speeds at ground level including providing habitat for beneficial birds and insects, providing additional feed resources during drought (using fodder trees suitable for coppicing) and providing shade and shelter for stock.

South East Local Landcare Services Officer Matthew Lieschke gave a seasonal update and demonstrated how to calculate supplementary feeding rates for livestock if you do not have any fodder shrubs to fill the gap.

A key message from the field day is that incorporating native fodder shrubs into a grazing system can reduce the need to hand feed and that while stock are using the fodder shrub area, other pastures are able to recover better.

Resources

The Enrich Project that Dr Revell worked on has now finished but the reports from the project are available online:

Perennial Fodder Shrubs – Key Findings from Enrich

Perennial Forage Shrubs – From Principles to Practice on Australian Farms

More information about the work of Dr Revell including a free worksheet for shrub forage calculations: www.revellscience.com.au

Follow up book published by Mallee CMA: Native Forage Shrubs for Low-Rainfall Areas

Local Land Services Seasonal Updates and Newsletters from southeast.lls.nsw.gov.au

A list of native plants suitable for growing on small farms in the Capital Region is provided in the back section of the locally written book Look After Your Natural Assets.

The field day was made possible with funding and support from South East Local Land Services.

Small Farm Walk ‘n Talk

Jennie Curtis — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 11:58:52 GMT

A group of new and prospective small farm owners gathered in November 2015 for the first field day for the Small Farms Network Capital Region. The Small Farm Walk ‘n Talk was a friendly and information rich day held in Rossi on a small farm that has a mix of grazing land and native bush.

In keeping with the challenges for this and many other small farms in our area, Matthew Lieschke (Local Land Services Livestock Officer) led a discussion about pasture management including identification of grasses and how to work out how many grazing animals are a realistic goal. Captains Flat Rural Fire Service talked about the fire risks and planning for fire (and yes there was a close inspection of their fire truck by interested parties at the end of the day). Alice McGrath (Local Land Services) talked about recognising the land capability class of your small farm, which gives you an idea of what farming activities it might be suited to. Donna Hazel (Local Land Services) led a discussion about remnant native vegetation including what types of trees, shrubs and grasslands are covered by the Native Vegetation Act.

A clear message from the day is that if you are thinking of buying a small farm with the goal of running a particular type of farm, you should look for a property that is already suited to that type of enterprise. Steep slopes are hard to flatten, native trees often cannot be cleared, soil types are hard to change and rainfall is really not negotiable. If you already own the farm then you might need to adjust your goals to suit what you have.

This field day, generously hosted by small farm owners Susan and Michael, was made possible through financial and organisational support from South East Local Land Services.

Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council Inc Event summaries

Using fire to manage biodiversity in the paddock

Resources

Grassing the Bare Patches Field Day

Regenerative agriculture discussion with Vince Heffernan

Managing native pastures webinar and paddock walk summary

Woodland birds and habitat workshop

Further information

Managing blackberries in creeks and waterways

Resources

Goat Webinar

Resources

Lamb Marking

Grassing the Bare Patches Autumn Update

Plant Identification

Increasing small farms’ resilience to extreme heat, drought and bushfires

Increasing small farms’ resilience to extreme heat, drought and bushfires forum

Trees for tomorrow webinar summary

Further information

Small Farms and Bushfire Webinar Summary

More information and links

Pig Webinar Summary

Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline

1800 675 888

Resources

Land for Wildlife Program Review

Wicking Bed Design

Cultural Burning Workshop Summary

Predator Proofing Animal Enclosures

Sheep Health

Key points

Resources

Feral Predator Management

Links and Resources

Enterprises for Small Farms

All about Alpacas

Summary

Resources

Indian Myna Webinar Summary

Feral Predator and Native Animal Monitoring

Resources

Water Resilience in the Landscape

Resources:

Soil test results - what they mean

Pastures for the Future

Small Farms and Climate Change Forum

Growing Truffles - Small Farms Style

Poisonous plants and livestock

Sheep vaccinations in the Capital Region

Sheep nutrition

Small scale poultry and egg production

Acid soils: filling the bare patches

Backyard chicken keeping

Building resilient landscapes after fire and drought

Sheep handling ideas for small farms

Ngunawal Stories of Lake George

Irrigation for Small Farms

Keeping horses at pasture

Revegetation for small farms

Foxes and rabbits

Grass identification

Fencing for productivity and diversity

Ngunawal Cultural Walk and Talk

Key points from the workshop

Other useful information and contacts

War on worms

More information and links

Healing the land: techniques for managing erosion

Further information and resources

Calf marking and cattle health

A passion for rations - supplementary feeding

Key points and resources

Biosecurity and animal health

Weeds in waterways

The cutting edge - chainsaws

Tapping into it - water for small farms

From the ground up - understanding soils

Practical weed management

Lamb marking and weaning

Further Information