Katherine Research Station PO Box 1346, Katherine NT 0851 Phone: (08) 8973 9739 Fax: (08) 8973 9777 [email protected] ISSN 0394-9823 www.nt.gov.au/d/

EDITION 300 June/July 2010

Then and Now: How far have we come? Whitney Dollemore, Pastoral Production To mark the 300th edition of the Katherine Rural Review we are going to reflect back at just what has happened since the first edition in February 1978. In the first edition of the Katherine Rural Review the feature article was a rundown on Bluetongue virus being isolated during a study on 235,000 insect’s involvement with Bovine Ephemeral Fever. The article mentioned that the virus was restricted to northern NT and Cape York Peninsula. The second edition mentioned Bluetongue but also started the debate about Brucellosis and Tuberculosis which later lead to BTEC. Also in this edition it was stated that Willeroo and Dry River stations were to be used in a share farming arrangement with the NT Government to investigate the viability of

CONTENTS

The Katherine Rural Review is prepared by the Department of Resources, integrating cropping Katherine. and stock production in the Katherine region. It is designed to provide advice to people in primary industry in the Katherine On an interesting note the third edition of the region. KRR announced the opening of the Katherine For further information please contact Renee (08) 8973 9739. abattoir in April 1978, with the main beef export This edition includes information about: marketing opportunities for NT producers being the US manufacturing market at 120¢/kg. Then and Now: How far have we come? ------1-2 KRS Plant Industries update ------3 By 1979 live export to South East Asian markets Kidman Springs Field Day program ------4 was greatly increased with 5,000 head leaving Darwin for 24–31¢/kg liveweight. The third Bookworms Review ------5-6 Pastoral Industry Survey was conducted at this Round the region ------6 time and Brahman cattle were introduced to Nuffield Scholars Tour Top End ------7-8 Kidman Springs (Victoria River Research Station Grazing on the Sturt Plateau ------9 – VRRS) to compare their performance against NLIS tagging in the NT – a reminder ------9 the most prominent breed used in the pastoral industry at the time, the Shorthorn. Cyber Geek – Friends in need website ------10 ABARE conference ------10 Throughout the 1980s the KRR reported on increased infrastructure development in the VRD, A new face at KRS ------11 brought about by the production of stock for the DoR Recent publications ------11 growing live export markets of South East Asia Industry notices ------12 and BTEC. During this time many focused Myrtle Rust information sheet------13 industry bodies also started to emerge with the Pastoral Market Update ------14-15 start of the North Australian Cattlemen’s Co- operative (NACC) now known as the NTCA Katherine Region Events Calendar ------16

(Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association) and the first meeting of the Kidman Springs Advisory Committee now known as KPIAC (Katherine Pastoral Industry Advisory Committee) to keep research relevant to industry needs.

The first Brahman cattle introduced to ‘Kidman Springs’.

During the 1990s focus was placed on research, with a number of projects underway. The re- introduction of Bos taurus genetics at Kidman Springs for increasing the fertility traits of straight Brahmans by crossbreeding and genetic selection occurred. The Willis Dropped-ovary technique of spaying over flank spaying was introduced at the Mt Sanford field day along with information relating to single round musters, radical weaning and supplementation. The single-dose botulism vaccine ‘SingVacc’ was also released. In the early 1990s live export numbers had also exploded to 120,000 head at 195¢/kg through the Darwin port, however in 1997 value of live export beef dropped to 70¢/kg! In the 2000s there was an increasing interest in commercial hay, improved pasture and horticultural production for the Katherine region. The total hay production was up 2,000 tonnes in 2001 to 38,360 tonnes! A ‘Seed Sampling’ course was held to improve the quality of seed supplied for pasture establishment in the NT and official figures from the 2005 mango season saw 1.2 million trays sent to market from Darwin and Katherine. The first case of Q-fever occurred in July 2002 leading to a vaccination program of people in close contact with large animals. The development and delivery of the MLA EDGE courses in cattle nutrition, breeding and grazing land management was launched in October 2003 for the pastoral industry. In July 2004 the NLIS system became mandatory, live export mortalities fell to 0.04% out of the Darwin port in 2005 and in 2006, and 2,618ha of land in the Katherine region had been dedicated to forestry and horticultural production. Cattle export numbers from the NT have continued to increase since the 1970s and are currently sitting at 304,000 head at an average 185¢/kg. The KRR has been a newsletter documenting the developments and activities in the NT pastoral industry from 1978 to the present. With the passing of the 300th edition of the KRR we hope there are many more articles published recording the transformation of the Katherine, VRD, Sturt and Gulf regions of the Northern Territory to come.

Page 2 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

KRS Plant Industries update Melissa Fraser, Team Leader, Plant Industries As many would know, there has been much change in the Plant Industries camp across the region in 2010. First we welcomed a new Director, Bob Williams, fresh from Queensland, in January and then I came on board shortly after, based at KRS. In March we farewelled our KRS based Plant Pathologist, Dr Shahid Khan, after 3 years with the Department; many thanks go to him for his dedicated service during this time. Then, in early June we farewelled our Extension Officer, Helen Foster, who had been with the DoR since 2008. Helen was involved primarily on the Delivering Mango Technology Project and worked closely with local growers to conduct nutrient monitoring and irrigation research projects. She also developed and delivered numerous extension packages during her time here and offered extension services and advice to a wide range of producers in the region. Many thanks go to Helen for her contribution to the development of Plant Industries in the Katherine region and we wish her well in her new role at Landmark. Finally, in late June we also farewelled Sustainable Production Research Officer, Dior Hussie, but only temporarily thankfully! Dior will be on maternity leave until 2011 and we wish her the very best of luck and good wishes for the safe and healthy arrival of her baby, due in late July. Now to the future; the Plant Industries team is still lucky to include our long serving District Agronomist, Malcolm Bennett, supported by our Technical Officers, Di Renfree and Mike Kahl. Indigenous Apprentice, Johnny Cooper, also recently joined the team and we are grateful for his continued active interest and participation in our work program. Bug man, Austin McLennan, is also still with us at KRS and we look forward to hearing more about the new project he is working on. I wish to wholeheartedly thank the Plant Industries team for their friendly welcome and continued patience with me as I progressively learn the ropes. In the coming months we will also be looking to employ a new Developmental Horticulturalist at KRS, strengthening our horticultural research and extension capacity. As for research direction, the team here is hoping to further develop the NT Hay Industry with a range of activities aimed at gaining better market information, determining the extent and quality of hay produced in the NT, and educating producers and processors about growing and accessing better quality hay. We also hope to continue our aerobic rice research in collaboration with SunRice and the Department of Agriculture and Food, following good results from some of the lines trialled by Dior over the 2009/2010 wet season. Our Mango and Melon industries will also be catered for by the arrival of the new horticulturalist; our local R&D agenda will be set once they have commenced. Austin will be kept busy with scoping the potential for a systems approach to manage fruit fly populations and facilitate improved market access for horticultural produce grown in the region. Austin will be seeking industry input during this process so please be prepared for consultation in the coming months. If you haven’t yet had a chance to meet myself or members of the Plant Industries team, please don’t hesitate to contact us or drop by KRS for a chat.

Melissa Fraser Regional Team Leader Plant Industries Katherine Research Station Department of Resources phone: 08 8973 9738 email: [email protected]

Page 3 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Page 4 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Bookworm’s review Trudi Oxley, Pastoral Production

Title: Should meat be on the menu Author: David Mason-Jones

I had the fortune the other day to be handed a book which I believe will become a very important asset to the cattle industry’s endeavour to promote the fact we play an essential role in a sustainable food chain. The following except is from the blurb on the back cover of the book which provides a snapshot of how the book presents and discusses the issues. “This book explores the widely held misconception that sheep, cattle and other grazing animals are responsible for an enormous net production of new global warming gases. The reality is that livestock are part of a closed atmospheric carbon cycle where the carbon they emit is equal to the carbon they take in.

With the information in this book, food lovers who enjoy eating meat, chefs, restaurant owners, catering managers, cooks at home in their own kitchens and the general public, can feel confident that they can put meat on the menu without fear of warming the Earth.

Not only are sheep and cattle neutral with respect to the carbon cycle, they can be the positive agents by which carbon dioxide can be drawn down from the atmosphere and sequestered in farmland soils.

Prominent scientists in Australia recognise the role of plants and animals in drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it beneath the ground as soil carbon.

Individual farmers and graziers all over Australia are taking action to raise carbon levels in their soils. In doing this they are directly addressing the excess carbon dioxide levels in the air which the IPCC, the CSIRO and the Australian Government have stated is a cause of global warming. Read how farmers and graziers, together with their plants and animals, can be the heroes of the environmental movement.

The book is around 87,000 words and deals with all the global warming aspects of the livestock industry. It contains many on-farm practical case studies of farmers and graziers in Australia who are working to make cattle, sheep and other ruminant livestock part of the solution to elevated global warming gas levels rather than part of the problem.”

I found the book very engaging and easy to read. The book also provides enlightenment on many of the climate change technicalities which you hear bandied about in the media, which are usually being provided from a negative point of view in regards to the livestock industry. It uses a wide pool of scientific and anecdotal evidence to counter and provide an alternative viewpoint to those who would vilify beef producers as a prime source of harmful emissions. I particularly enjoyed the way it takes the argument back to nature and science, as so many people have come to regard carbon as a ‘poison’, this book brings things back to the reality of how biological systems work. Case studies demonstrate how producers are using practical management strategies to minimise their carbon footprint. I am somewhat pedantic when it come to the discussion of grazing systems, so I was a bit disappointed that it discussed set stocking pretty much as being synonymous with overgrazing, and tended to focus only on rotational grazing as the key solution to improving landscape health (which in principle it can undoubtedly have a role to play). I believe in the end, the grazing systems debate as to how best to achieve ‘A condition’ land is perhaps for us in the industry to

Page 5 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300 sort out according to our situation. I don’t think this small complaint will have a negative effect on the general reader’s enjoyment, or the increased understanding and appreciation of the role of the livestock industry in managing emissions they will gain from this book. I think a practical and positive thing we could all do to promote our industry (and try and stem the juggernaut of negative information being aggressively marketed to our consumers), is to get ourselves a copy of the book, understand the argument so you can back yourself in a verbal tussle with any anti-livestock activitist attempting to dissuade you from eating meat, or politician trying to convince you agriculture should be included in a CPRS or ETS! If you follow and agree with the premise of the book buy five copies and send them to your friends in the city and ensure they lend it to five of their city friends who don’t have a connection to someone on the land! David’s website is well worth a look, http://www.journalist.com.au/ . The book can be purchased on-line on this website. The on-line retail price is $29.50 (AUD) with a charge of $6.50 for postage and handling.

Round the region

Local growers inspect a soil pit dug at Roper River Agriculture (Mataranka) to learn about the opportunities and limitations for irrigated agriculture on such soil types. The event was hosted by Greg Owens from the NT Agriculture Association.

PCA General Manager Farming (NT) Andrew Simon, in a crop of peanuts at the PCA Florina Road property. Andrew guided Department staff and GRDC representatives, Stuart Kearns (Program Manager, Validation and Extension) and James Clarke (Chairman of the Northern Panel) on a tour of the PCA operations. Malcolm Bennett (KRS District Agronomist), Stuart Kearns (GRDC), Noel Wilson (Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food), Peter Stephens (DoR Director of R&D) and Austin McLennan (KRS Entomologist), learning about PCA's peanut growing practices.

Page 6 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Nuffield Scholars tour Top End Melissa Fraser, Team Leader, Plant Industries Nuffield Scholars from across the country recently gathered in Darwin to embark on a tour across the Top End to see and hear about the challenges and opportunities facing our primary producers. The tour ran from Wednesday April 21st to Friday April 30th, covering Darwin, Douglas Daly, Katherine and Kununurra, before venturing along the to Broome. Past Scholars from 1966–2009 and their partners visited Paspaley Pearls and Crocodylus Park while in Darwin, and spent a day hearing from seven returned scholars about their overseas study tours. The Department’s own Bruce Sawyer was the Keynote speaker at this event, providing an overview of NT Participants board a Paspaley pearling primary industries. boat. Day 3 saw the tour head south, with a stop at Geoff and Sharon Arthur’s property to hear about their plans to develop their buffalo dairy, and then on to Phil and Annette Howie’s property in the Douglas Daly to view their rotational cell grazing operation. Arriving in Katherine, the group was enlightened over dinner with stories of pioneering hardship and the good ‘ol days by local station owner John Armstrong. The following day included a visit to Ballongilly Station to view Paul and Debbie Herrod’s Ponderosa Brahman Bull Stud, and later in the day visited the Oolloo Mango Orchard, before returning to Katherine to enjoy a dinner cruise up Nitmiluk Gorge. From this Nuffield Scholar Dale Metcalf from WA, point some of the scholars headed for home, while kneeling in a crop of cavalcade ready to the remaining crew headed west, reaching Kununurra be cut. on day 5 to view the Ord River Irrigation area. Over the following 2 days the team learnt about the Chia, Melon, Pumpkin, Citrus and Sandalwood industries that are thriving in the region and heard of the potential for irrigated cotton and rice production in the future. A four day trek along the Gibb River road followed, with visits to many natural wonders and a few properties along the way, including , Camballin and Stations. South Australian Nuffield Scholar Lynton Arney commented “the Nuffield tour of the Top End showed me the potential of country that has plenty of water and fertile soils that have a huge ability to Phil Howie talking about their operation produce. The farmers that we visited were the type of and how they have got to the point they people who saw potential in new enterprises. These are now. people are extremely skilled and resourceful at developing systems that work. However we also met several people who had seen many industries come and go as they either lacked the infrastructure or the critical mass for cost effective processing within the region. There is a real trade off between a niche and effective critical mass for value adding. It seems that crossing the middle ground is very dangerous. The north is full of opportunities and we visited some farmers that demonstrated what can be achieved with good management”.

Page 7 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Nuffield CEO Jim Geltch elaborated further about his experience in WA by commenting “During the tour of farming operations in the Ord Irrigation Area and around Broome, it became apparent to me the significant natural resources that are available for agriculture production. This abundance of resources is well documented, however turning this resource into marketable products appears to be a real challenge. Notwithstanding the barriers, there are some standout examples of success stories. One thing that struck me was the importance of the individual farmers in making it happen; John Foss and Rob Boshammer are just two examples. I would envisage investment in human capacity building via a Participants at the dinner cruise up Nuffield Scholarship as a worthwhile long Nitmiluk Gorge. term objective for the Top End region" From all reports it seems the trip was a worthwhile and interesting adventure. KRS staff member, Melissa Fraser, met up with the group on days 3 and 4 and greatly enjoyed meeting such a bunch of proactive and friendly farmers. The Nuffield scholarship scheme promotes excellence in all aspects of Australian agricultural production, distribution and management, and it became evident to Melissa that the Nuffield experience had changed all of these people’s lives – and businesses – for the better. Local primary producers, Jon and Sharon Shaw, operate a vegetable enterprise south of Ponderosa Bulls at Ballongilly Station. Katherine, and Jon is grateful for his Nuffield Scholarship experience. Jon toured the USA, northern England, Scotland, Israel and Spain in 2005 to study biological farming and marketing. “During my international study program I learnt about the importance of lowering input costs and since this time we have significantly reduced our chemical applications. I also learnt the importance of producing ‘value’ over ‘volume’ and the significance of targeting niche markets. The biggest benefit to me though was definitely a personal one; stepping outside of my comfort zone to do the study tour provided me with the opportunity for huge personal growth and I am really pleased that I took that step” Jon said. Jon Cable beach camels. strongly encourages other NT primary producers to apply for a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, believing that the experience and continuing involvement with like minded people is certain to strengthen any rural enterprise. To learn more about Nuffield Australia go to: www.nuffield.com.au or contact their head office on: 03 5480 0755.

Cable beach sunset.

Page 8 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Grazing on the Sturt Plateau Whitney Dollemore, Grazing Land Management Officer, Pastoral Production Producers from across the Sturt Plateau headed into Katherine Research Station from the 27th to 29th April for the Grazing Land Management Workshop. Topics covered in the course included, climate, land types and condition, phases of pasture growth, forage demand, long and short term carrying capacities, utilisation and evenness of grazing, managing with fire, pasture development, managing the tree–grass balance, weeds and planning. As you can imagine it was a jam packed three days! The 15 attendees from 10 stations ranged from the very experienced to the new comer and next generations. This dynamic made for a sensational amount of discussion and invaluable amount of local and relevant information. The attendees commented that it was well worth the effort and that to have the local grass growth data was invaluable to their station planning. It was even mentioned that as a result of the course planning will now be implemented instead of estimating based on past experience on a yearly basis. The next GLM course is being planned for August or September 2010 for anyone across the Top End. If you are interested in attending a GLM workshop or would like more information, please contact Whitney Dollemore on: phone: 08 8973 9749 or email [email protected].

NLIS tagging in the NT – a reminder

Given the recent changes in Indonesian import requirements we are now seeing many cattle, which were once destined for live export, moving in many directions within and outside the NT. This article is a reminder of NLIS responsibilities for NT cattle. Cattle moving within the NT or interstate to abattoirs, saleyards and properties require an NLIS tag; either a breeder tag (white) or a post-breeder tag (orange), depending on property of birth. Export cattle, moving directly from the property of birth to export do not require an NLIS tag. It is an offence for cattle to leave a property without an NLIS tag (except for direct export cattle).

Further information can be found on the NT Government website or by contacting NT Government Stock inspectors. Website: www.nt.gov.au/d/Primary_Industry/index.cfm?header=NLIS%20in%20the%20NT

Principal Livestock Regulatory Officer Katherine Stock Inspector Sharon Kearney Greg Scott phone: 08 8999 2031 phone: 08 8973 9754 fax: 08 8999 2146 fax: 08 8973 9759 email: [email protected] email: [email protected]

Page 9 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Cyber Geek–website of interest

Website: Friends in Need – Breast cancer support forum Address: www.friendsinneed.com

What information does it provide?

The Friends in Need website is an interactive website that provides information, support and counselling services (for members) for the general public and those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Becoming a member is free of charge and enables members to interact with each other via discussion boards and general posts about their experiences, all of which are inspirational and encouraging without glossing over the uncomfortable details. The site is very easy to navigate and has pages dedicated to family support, friends, fears, awkward and funny moments and many more, all of which have been written by members that have had first hand experience with breast cancer. This site has the ability to be a valuable tool for remote women and families affected by breast cancer as it may provide a vital connecting link with other cancer patients that many residents of the Northern Territory are unable to access. With the honest, down-to-earth writing styles of the members that have authored the site, readers are instilled with the knowledge that this is not just a promotional, feel-great-tomorrow website, but one that provides the truth and fair dinkum support that Territorian women respect and appreciate.

NT Regional Economic Outlook Conference Each year the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) run a one day conference with a range of speakers describing international and local trends that they predict will affect NT businesses. Usually this conference rotates between Darwin and Alice Springs, but this year for the first time it is coming to Katherine. It should be of interest to many. Save the date: Wednesday 13th October 2010.

Page 10 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Further details will follow in the next edition of the KRR or can be found on the website: www.abare.gov.au/regional/index.html

Johnny Cooper Position: Technical Officer in the Plant Industries Division Background: I was born in Katherine in the early 60’s and soon after moved to Kununurra as my father had work on the diversion dam and the Ord irrigation area. After this we moved to Old Station, where I spent most of my childhood and then moved throughout the Kimberly’s while my father worked mostly in the cattle industry. I did my schooling at Old Argyle Station, Halls Creek and VRD, then school of air from , before going to Perth for my first year of high school and then back to Kununurra. When I was 15, my brother (13) and I left school and worked as Jackaroos at New Argyle Station. During the 80’s I continued to work in the pastoral industry during the dry season, and then in agriculture around Kununurra in the wet season. I worked part-time with the Army during the 90’s for Norforce, and lived at Doon Doon Station. My five children still reside at Doon Doon; two work for the Argyle Diamond Mine, one works at the local school and two work in the community. In the early 2000’s I worked for ADRAIL to complete the Alice Springs–Darwin railway line, and then moved to Katherine. I got work at the Katherine Hospital, first as a cleaner and then I managed the Grounds and Gardens for 4 years. I started with the DoR in February this year, working primarily

in the horticulture block and am completing my apprenticeship (Cert II in Agriculture). Favourite thing about the NT: The lifestyle! And the ability to go about your own business without too much interference, but you know your mates are always there to lend a hand if you need it. Three people I would like to have dinner with: Jack Thompson, Bob Hawke and Slim Dusty. Other Interests: Pottering around the house and yard making sure everything is in order, camping and exploring the bush… I really miss the bush.

DoR – Recent publications DoR's Primary Industries group produce various publications via its Technical Publications Section at Berrimah Farm. With over 800 publications to choose from there is sure to be something to help you. Title Author Agnote i28 - Unwanted Farm Chemicals J. Alcock Agnote i49 - Agricultural Chemical Products J. Alcock Agnote i42 - Guidelines for the Disposal of Dips or Sprays Containing Fenthion J. Alcock Agnote i64 - Withholding Periods for Chemicals J. Alcock Agnote i69 - Compliance Guidelines for Minor On-farm Storage of Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals D. Watson Agnote J13 - Housing for Pigs R. Morton Agnote J77 - Declaring Stock Free of Hormonal Growth Promotants G. Crawford Agnote K1 - Infectious Diseases of Poultry A. Janmaat Agnote K2 - Non-infectious Diseases of Poultry S. Fitzpatrick Agnote K16 - The Brown Dog Tick L. Small Agnote K21 - Disease Prevention in a Small Poultry Flock R. Morton Agnote K28 - Swainsona Poisoning in Cattle and Horses J. Coventry Technical Bulletin No. 333 - Primary Industries Annual Extension Report 2009 DoR

Page 11 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

All these publications are available from the Department website www.nt.gov.au/d/publications/ or by contacting Jason on 08 8999 2313 or email [email protected]. Industry notices

Page 12 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Page 13 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Page 14 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Page 15 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Page 16 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300

Katherine Region Events Calendar

Event Location Date Contact July Victoria River Research Station Field Day Kidman Springs 28th Simone Parker: 08 8973 9739 August Nixon’s Xing Campdraft Katherine 27th–29th [email protected] Later on… Rain on the Rangelands Conference Bourke, NSW 26th–30th Sep Russell Grant: 02 6836 1575 NT Regional Economic Outlook www.abare.gov.au/regional/index.html Katherine 13th October Conference Neil MacDonald: 08 8973 9739 Please email with updates of events happening in your area.

POSTAGE If undelivered please return to: PO Box 1346 PAID Katherine NT 0851

If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter or if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, have a change of address or would prefer to receive this newsletter electronically please forward your request to [email protected].

Disclaimer While all care has been taken to ensure that information contained in this publication is true and correct at the time of publication, the Northern Territory of Australia gives no warranty or assurance, and makes no representation as to the accuracy of any information or advice contained in this publication, or that it is suitable for your intended use. No serious business or investment decisions should be made in reliance on this information without obtaining independent and professional advice or both in relation to your particular situation. Reproduction of Rural Review Articles The Department of Resources (DoR) welcomes the reproduction of articles appearing in this newsletter, but requests that the technical information be confirmed with the editor or author, prior to publication. The department also requests that acknowledgement be made for any original work sourced from the Katherine Rural Review.

Page 17 of 17 Katherine Rural Review, Issue 300