MLA, beef research Jim Rothwell, Program Manager

Animal Health, Welfare, Biosecurity

1. Consumer and Community Support

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

Continuous

improvement

of animal

welfare

Minimising

risk and

impact of

emergency

disease

Minimising

the impact

of endemic

disease

Minimising

industry

impact on the

environment

Sustainable

manageme

nt of the

natural

resource

base

Adapting

to climate

variability

4. Productivity and Profitability

4.1 Decision

support to

improve

farming

businesses

4.1.1 Novel and cost-effective solutions identified to significantly

raise and measure (a) business skills and (b) capacity to innovate by

2020

4.1.2 Significant increase in (a) business skills and (b) capacity to

profitably apply R&D to farming operations by 2030

4.2

Increasing

livestock

productivity

through

new

research

4.2.1 Minimum, whole-of-sector increases in productivity growth

above baseline levels: Northern beef production sector: 0.5% by

2020 and 2.5% by 2030

4.2.2 Minimum, whole-of-sector increases in productivity growth above

baseline levels: Southern beef production sector: 1.75% by 2020 and 7%

by 2030

4.2.3 Minimum, whole-of-sector increases in productivity growth above

baseline levels: Sheepmeat production sector: 1.5% by 2020 and 5% by

2030

4.2.4 Minimum, whole-of-sector increases in productivity growth above

baseline levels: Feedlot production sector: 1% by 2020 and 2% by 2030

4.2.5 Minimum, whole-of-sector increases in productivity growth above

baseline levels: Goat production sector: 0.5% by 2020 and 2.5% by 2030

R&D ongoing areas of focus

• Genetics and reproduction for improved productivity and

efficiency

• Grazing management

• Animal health and welfare

• Feedlot management

• Meat quality

• Environmental management

• Consolidating long term relationships with research partners

• Maximising the efficiency and profitability of the value chain

through ongoing support and delivery of promotions such as

MSA

• Regional consultation

On farm research profile

Feedbase and nutrition

Tropical legumes

Target weights and skeletal

frames for puberty

Strategic supplementation

practices

Supplements/forages to improve production

efficiency and decreasing greenhouse gas

emissions.

Reproductive efficiencies (CashCow flow on)

• Improve reproductive performance with focus on heifers

• Nutrition, management

• Select for female reproductive traits in bulls

• CalfAlert

• Remote telemetry (Taggle) of calving

• Coupled with WoW for tracking cows and calves

• CalfLoss project

Initially reviewing management

Improvements and interventions

on farm innovation networks

Improving market compliance for

pasture-fed beef (Rural R&D4P)

• BeefSpecs optimisation

tool

• Aim: objective measure of

live animal to predict

growth path and carcase

including MSA

• Complemented with 3D

imaging and adaptation for

Northern herds

• Future drafting tool

Guidelines for cattle transport for up to 48 hrs

Backed by scientific evidence – welfare and

eating quality

Linked to MSA system

MSA & revised long distance transport

Numnuts

Behavioural responses

Time (h)

1 2 & 3A

bn

orm

al p

ostu

re

s (

cou

nt)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

RingRR2LA RRLA

a

b

a

ab

ab

b

Tail Scrotum

Time (hours)

1 2 3

Pain

behavio

urs

(count)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

Sham

Sham LA

NN 0.75

NN 1.5

NN 3.0

NN 0.0

Ring 0.0

Relieve the pain of aversive procedures

Bugalgesic® Troy Pharmaceutical

• MLA donor company

• Meloxicam

• Active across the cheek/gingival

mucosa

• S4, vet supply, ‘pain relief for

husbandry operations’

• Up to $60/bottle = up to 90c a head

• includes a gun and high volume draw

off tube

• Launched 20th April 2015

• Tests whether a polled animal

has 1 or 2 copies of the polled

gene

• Accuracy is >98%

• Presence of polled gene will

eliminate the need for

dehorning

• Dehorning is a welfare and

mortality issue

• Uptake in seedstock industry

Breeding out horns = 39 years

Marker selection = 8 years

Polled gene test

Business case – non surgical spaying

Spaying costs the northern cattle industry $26-35/head from

mortality and morbidity and up to 10 kg/head in body weight loss.

A non–surgical alternative to spaying would allow increased

uptake of a spay alternative worth $35-$307/head, reduce cull cow

and calf mortality and facilitate the provision of empty heifers for

live export and feedlotting.

It would secure the reputation of industry to the Australian

community, domestic and international consumers.

The estimated value of such a product to the Australian cattle

industry is >> $35/head

International markets? Heifer use? Compete with surgical

spaying – cheap with lay spayers

Northern beef animal health 2016

• Beef module for Paraboss – QDAF, UQ, UNE

• Buffalo fly – in vitro culture, Wolbachia – QDAF, UQ

• Single shot cattle vaccine – MDC, QAAFI

• 3 day sickness single shot vaccine – MDC

• New cattle tick vaccine antigens - QAAFI

• Fluoroacetate toxicity – rumen detoxification - CSIRO

Seasonal Forecasting and Grass Growth

250 km resolution

60 km

resolution

Simulated mean winter rainfall (mm/day; 1982–2009)

• MLA will take over leading the

Monitoring Climate Variability Program

- 20 fold increase in spatial resolution of

forecasts

- 15% increase in accuracy

• MLA partnering in the NRM spatial hub

NRM Spatial Hub

Mitigation opportunities = production

efficiencies

18

0

5

10

15

20

30 51 72

Met

han

e (

g/kg

DM

inta

ke)

Time (days)

Asparagopsis algae

fed to sheep

30 year environment trends

• Emissions have been reduced by 14%

• Water use reduced by 67%

• GHG from land use change for grazing dropped by

42%

• Fossil fuel energy demand increased 2x and land

occupation for feed grain increased sevenfold

• Use of satellite maps of farm infrastructure

• Superior weather forecasting to assist

decisions

• Supplements to fill nutrient gaps/deficiencies

• Virtual stock auctions supported by on line

measurements

• Widespread use of pain relief for procedures

• Access to more reliable EBVs in Brahmans

and Composites

• Internet blackspots obliterated

Farms of 2020

• Satellite maps linked to animal remote sensing

virtual fencing and weather forecasts

• Objective measures available for optimising

market specifications, backgrounding

• Value-based pricing built into data systems

• Tropical legumes impacting 20% of properties

• Compliance of welfare standards (lower

mortality, polled stock, chemical spaying)

• Genomic trait data provided at bull purchase

• Tick vaccine deployed

• Freedom from exotic disease maintained

FarmS of 2030

Discussion and questions