Winter 2007 Contents Innovation Awarded for Boosting Australia’S Beef Industry
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
FEEDLOTTING - reducing the feed bill Revolutionising the northern muster Beef CRC awarded for national innovation Winter 2007 Contents Innovation awarded for boosting Australia’s beef industry . .3 Cutting costs for Australia’s feedlot sector . .4 Revolutionising the north Australian cattle muster . .6 A spotlight on Struan the hub of South Australian livestock research . .8 Do fertile bulls breed more fertile progeny . .10 Tackling ticks, head on! . .12 Building a better Thai beef stir-fry . .13 Editor’s Note Beef CRC Publications . .15 Welcome to the Winter edition of National Beef Calendar of Events . .16 the Beef Bulletin. In this edition we highlight the hard work of Beef CRC researchers across Australia. Some of this work aimed at improving the profitability and productivity of Australia’s beef industry was only recently recognised with a national award for excellence. The north Australian cattle muster is also under the Beef Bulletin spotlight with research to revolutionise northern herd management. The solution? A single calf drop, timed to perfection, matched to environmental or production cycles, year after year, all achievable with the use of smart genetics. With grain finishing quickly becoming the norm across the Australian supply chain and with little respite from high grain prices on the horizon what can be done to make more beef using less feed? Beef CRC researchers have an answer in sight following their discovery of more than 100 DNA markers linked to feed efficiency, one of the most crucial factors of lot feeding. The pages of the Winter Beef Bulletin will also take you to an idyllic spot between the renowned Australian wine regions of Padthaway and Coonawarra in South Australia. Ignore your thoughts of a full bodied red. Instead we take a look around South Australia’s hub of livestock ©2007 Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies. This research, Struan Research Centre. book is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any Don’t forget, if you know of process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission someone who would like to receive of the copyright owner. Neither may information be stored electronically the Beef Bulletin, please contact the in any form whatsoever without such permission. Enquiries should be Beef CRC Headquarters on (02) 6773 addressed to: 3501 or email [email protected] Beef CRC CJ Hawkins Homestead For past editions of the Beef Bulletin visit www.beefcrc.com.au then click University of New England on the Publications tab. ARMIDALE NSW 2351 AUSTRALIA [email protected] Disclaimer: Any information provided in this book is intended as source of information only and is no advice, endorsement or recommendation. Warwick Fraser Innovation awarded for boosting Australia’s beef industry groundbreaking new with Meat and Livestock Australia from throughout Australia. Plans approach helping boost and Meat and Wool New Zealand, are underway to extend to New A on-farm productivity Beef CRC Beef Profit Partnerships will Zealand in coming months. and profitability involving beef bridge the research-industry gap by Across Australia, “Beef Profit producers, feedlotters and bringing researchers and producers processors from across Australia Partnerships” have been established together.” Dr Burrow said. has been recognised with a national in every mainland state, including Excellence in Innovation award. “Beef Profit Partnerships will consist Beef Supply Chain Partnerships of cattle producers, feedlotters and with a number of domestic and The Beef CRC’s “Beef Profit processors working with Beef CRC international beef processors and Partnerships”, have been recognised extension specialists using their own exporters. with a Cooperative Research Centre beef businesses to measure, monitor Association (CRCA) ‘Excellence in “Beef Profit Partnerships are focused and evaluate current practices and Innovation’ Award. on outcomes such as profitability, set new goals and objectives to productivity, sustainability and Beef producer, Phil Chalmers, a improve profitability. compliance with exacting market Beef Profit Partnership participant “This approach will deliver clear specifications, rather than on the accepted the award on behalf of communication “Beef Profit Partnerships throughout up and down the Australia. Mr Chalmers anticipates beef supply chain, his involvement in a Beef Profit whilst at the same Partnership will boost his on farm time improving productivity by 20 percent and With so many new beef technologies in the b u s i n e s s double his farm income. performance.” pipeline, we need to make sure industry is “Beef Profit Partnerships” use ready and willing to implement … “Based on an exciting ‘Improvement and product value, Innovation’ approach called Australia is ‘Continuous Improvement and the world’s largest beef exporter, Innovation’, initially developed by technologies such as DNA markers, competing against huge beef Richard Clark and Janice Timms which is the more traditional powerhouses like Brazil,” Dr Burrow of QDPI&F. The process has been approach to technology transfer,” Dr said. “For Australia to remain tailored to fast-track the uptake of Burrow said. competitive, our beef industry new technology for the thousands of “Our approach focuses thinking and needs to be ahead of the pack. This beef businesses across Australia and action to achieve higher returns on requires efficient and effective use of New Zealand. investment. Most importantly, it technology and innovation.” Forecast to improve beef business is specifically designed to be more More than 40 “Beef Profit rewarding than ‘business as usual,’ profits by at least five percent in just Partnerships” have been established because it has the ability to change two years, Beef CRC Chief Executive to date and consist of more than 500 the face of industry. As a result, the Officer, Dr Heather Burrow said cattle producers, the major northern entire beef industry becomes more the award officially recognised the Australian pastoral companies and profitable, creative and innovative,” Beef CRC’s forward thinking in feedlotters and meat processors Dr Burrow said. addressing the uptake of technology by beef industry end-users. “Over the past 14 years, the Beef CRC has put many runs on the board for groundbreaking science, but an even greater challenge than delivering world-leading technologies is to have those technologies used industry.” “With so many new beef technologies in the pipeline, we need to make sure industry is ready and willing to implement these technologies which we predict will dramatically change the way producers and suppliers do global business in the future,” Dr Burrow said. Accepting the CRCA Excellence in Innovation Award, Professor “With the help of extension staff from Dave Pethick representing MLA, beef producer Phil Chalmers, the State Departments of Primary beef processor Chris Knight, Beef CRC CEO Dr Heather Burrow Industries and Agriculture, along and Beef CRC Chairman Guy Fitzhardinge Cutting costs for ustralia’s burgeoning feedlot have now been found in Angus which control important, but industry is closely watching cattle alone. But we must now check expensive to measure, production Anew research targeting one them across other Australian cattle traits such as feed efficiency.” of the most crucial factors of lot breeds to be sure there is a consistent “Feed efficiency is a complex trait feeding, feed efficiency. benefit before a commercial test and not surprisingly, the closer we based on these genes is released.” Dr Scientists from the Beef CRC have look, the more genes we have been Herd said. uncovered more than 100 DNA able to uncover.” Dr Herd said. markers linked to feed efficiency According to Dr Herd this validation “We already know that feed over the past two years. process will undoubtedly discover efficiency is moderately heritable, additional genes linked to feed While not all the markers will reach and that using bulls and cows efficiency. Dr Herd predicts these commercialisation it is predicted with a genetically-superior bias genes will join those already their discovery will vastly improve towards feed efficiency will discovered within Angus bloodlines the utilisation of feed, a key produce progeny that eat less and to ensure the final genetic test will driver of feedlot productivity and are more profitable.” profitability. cover all Australian cattle breeds. Past Beef CRC research According to the Beef targeting improved feed CRC Project Leader Dr efficiency in feedlots Robert Herd, of the New Scientists from … the Beef CRC found Angus steers South Wales Department have uncovered more than 100 DNA bred from high and of Primary Industries, low efficiency parents feed is one of the largest markers linked to feed efficiency were able to deliver a costs for the Australian over the past two years. live weight gain on less beef industry. feed, with no adverse “The money spent on effects on growth and retail beef yield feed every year runs into the tens of “Assisting this gene discovery millions, and it’s made worse during process has been the rapid advances Bred at the NSW DPI Trangie tough seasons like much of Australia in DNA technology being applied Agricultural Research Centre, the has experienced recently,” Dr Herd in human medicine over the past Angus steers were backgrounded on said. ten years. These breakthroughs pasture and fed to meet light, medium “The price of grain