RangelandsRangelands Copyright © Western Australian Agriculture Authority,MEMOMEMO 2012 April 2012 ISSN 1033-5757 Vol. 2, No. 1 EDITOR: Matthew Fletcher Phone: (08) 9166 4019 PO Box 19, Kununurra WA 6743 Email: [email protected] CONTENTS Welcome from the editor ....................................................................................................................... 2 Rainfall maps ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Population genetics of wild dogs in Western Australia .......................................................................... 4 Pain management in castrated beef cattle ............................................................................................ 6 Turning off ‘fat’ cattle ............................................................................................................................. 8 Use the right ear.................................................................................................................................. 10 Devolved grants available to Kimberley producers ............................................................................. 10 Rangeland Condition Monitoring workshops ....................................................................................... 11 Range Condition Monitoring – plants of the southern shrublands ....................................................... 12 Examples of different rangeland condition states in an acacia sandplain pasture community ............ 15 Fencing facts and figures .................................................................................................................... 17 Jumping cholla cactus ‘solarisation’ as a control option ...................................................................... 19 Rangeland pastures after bushfire ...................................................................................................... 20 Kimberley early dry season aerial burning program ............................................................................ 22 Larrawa station producer demonstration site – paddock walk ............................................................ 23 Kimberley and Nullarbor rangeland surveys launched ........................................................................ 25 Update: Grazing Land Management package – Pilbara ..................................................................... 26 1080 Impregnated Oats for wild dogs ................................................................................................. 27 Cattle Market Update – 30 March 2012 .............................................................................................. 28 Visit http://www.agric.wa.gov.au RANGELANDS MEMO APRIL 2012 WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Thanks to all staff who contributed to the April 2012 Rangelands Memo. The period 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2012 provided average to very much above average rainfall across the WA Rangelands, as evidenced by the rainfall decile map on page 3. The majority of the Southern Rangelands had above to very much above average rainfall for this period. Cyclone Lua and its remnants dumped significant amounts of rainfall in mid-March in the East Pilbara, upper Fortescue, Ashburton, Gascoyne, Murchison catchments and Goldfields. For most cattle producers in the Southern Rangelands seasonal conditions over the last 15 months have been very good, with good forage availability. According to the rainfall outlook for 1 April to 30 June across the WA Rangelands there is little to suggest any significant variance from the norm this year. The feature article Population genetics of wild dogs in Western Australia provides an unprecedented view into the private lives of WA’s wild dogs. Danielle Stephens from the University of Western Australia has conducted a comprehensive study of wild dog genetics, as part of a PhD thesis. The thesis is the culmination of five years of collecting wild dog tissue samples (2286 collected), examination, data analysis, discussion and drawing conclusions. The article contains a striking map (see page 4) showing four distinct population clusters of wild dogs across WA, based on their genetic make-up. The map also illustrates how wild dogs tend to move within their population cluster boundaries rather than across them. However, within each population cluster wild dogs tended not to move large distances. As an example, dogs within the three western populations are significantly more related to other animals within 150–250 kilometres. Beyond this distance individuals are considered to be genetically ‘isolated-by-distance’. Key findings from this study will be valuable for identifying further targeted areas of research into wild dog control and for Regional Biosecurity Groups across the state working to control wild dogs. The roll-out of Range Condition Monitoring workshops in the Northern Rangelands begins on 17 April with workshops to be held at Burks Park and Red Hill stations—12 workshops are planned in total. If you have not yet sent an RSVP or are unsure of what workshop to attend, please contact the Pastoral Land Unit on (08) 6552 4574. A list of proposed workshops is on page 11. There will be a paddock walk on Larrawa station on Friday 20 April to look at works completed as part of a producer demonstration site that has been running since 2009. Good falls of rain in mid-March were recorded in the regeneration area and as a result the majority of ponds have filled and are ponding water to a depth of 10 cm. A significant amount of data has been collected over the previous three years on diesel consumption by 12G and 16G machines, cost of pond and spreader bank construction per metre, cost per hectare to rehabilitate and changes in annual and perennial vegetation post-construction of earthworks. This information will be presented at the paddock walk. Matthew Fletcher Please check the address label on your publication. If it is incorrect or if you would like to be included on our mailing list, let us know! Disclaimer This material has been written for Western Australian conditions. Its availability does not imply suitability to other areas, and any interpretation or use is the responsibility of the user. Mention of product or trade names does not imply recommendation, and any omissions are unintentional. Recommendations were current at the time of preparation of the original publication. Front page photos: Ronaldson Bros & Tippett (diesel engine), 1939 – Murray Shiner, Kununurra. These diesel engines were used to drive bucket elevators at grain receival sites throughout the WA wheat belt, up until the early 1970s. Massey Ferguson tractor, Belelle Station, Murchison – Kristie Parker, Broome. 1950s Austin Loadstar truck, Dalwallinu – Photographer, Bron Cooke, www.musteringthekimberley.com 2 http://www.agric.wa.gov.au RANGELANDS MEMO APRIL 2012 Western Australian Rainfall Deciles – 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2012 Distribution based on Gridded Data Product of the National Climate Centre Rain Outlook: 50% change of exceeding 1 April to 30 June 2012 Product of the National Climate Centre http://www.agric.wa.gov.au 3 RANGELANDS MEMO APRIL 2012 POPULATION GENETICS OF WILD DOGS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA Danielle Stephens, Research Associate, Helix Molecular Solutions and Malcolm Kennedy, Research Officer, DAFWA Wild dogs can have a significant impact on livestock enterprises. To help improve wild dog control across the state, Danielle Stephens from the University of Western Australia has conducted a comprehensive study of wild dog genetics. Danielle’s PhD thesis provides an unprecedented view into the private lives of WA’s wild dogs. Why use genetics for wild dogs? Genetic analysis can show how members of a population are related. This can inform us about their reproductive behaviour and movements. Genetic techniques have contributed to the manage- ment of other invasive species, such as pigs, starlings and camels. For wild dogs, genetic informa- tion can help determine the scale at which control measures can be most effective. It can also tell us about patterns of dog movements and likely sources of recruitment following control operations. Genetic analysis of wild dogs in Western Australia One part of Danielle’s study looked at the genetic relationships of wild dogs in WA. DNA samples were collected from 2286 wild dogs across WA between 2007 and 2009, with the help of land- holders, doggers, researchers and staff from the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Department of Environment and Conservation. The fantastic response from land managers who provided so many wild dog tissue samples from across the state, enabled Danielle to examine the genetics of these dogs on an unprecedented scale. The results show that there are four distinct wild dog populations in WA (Figure 1). Three popula- tions are located in the South West, Midwest and North West. A fourth, larger population occurs in eastern Western Australia. The map in Figure 1 is striking, but it is important to understand that the separate populations do not represent groups or individual animals moving freely about in each area. Rather, the populations represent patterns of relatedness over many generations. Figure 1 Individual wild dogs (represented by Wild dogs within a population (e.g. the red dots circles) are assigned to one of four population clusters based on their genetic make-up. Each indicating the North West population