R[0]="2083"; T[0]="Computer now integral to northern downs dairy"; A[0]="By ... Editor"; Dn[0]="20071024"; Dt[0]="Wednesday 24 October 2007"; Acats[0]="a26a46a92"; B1[0]="      Dairy farmers are embracing the use of computers to better manage their enterprise thanks to an innovative learning program developed by Subtropical "; B2[0]="Dairy with support from FarmBis... "; B3[0]=" "; B4[0]=" "; B5[0]=" "; S1[0]="      Dairy farmers are embracing the use of computers to better manage their enterprise thanks to an innovative learning program developed by Subtropical "; S2[0]=" Dairy with support from FarmBis.
      A mobile computer training room has now delivered 27 customised courses across all dairy regions in Queensland "; S3[0]=" and northern NSW.
      Northern Downs dairy farmer Gae Vonhoff has been an enthusiastic participant in courses on the spreadsheet program Excel and "; S4[0]=" Quicken accounting.
      A laptop computer is now an integral tool in the successful running of a 200 cow dairy with husband Lindsay "; S5[0]=" at Kaimkillenbun.
      'The training was brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone.
      Having the FarmBis subsidy available really "; S6[0]=" made the courses affordable.
      It was the difference between participating and not,' Mrs Vonhoff said.
      The targeted learning "; S7[0]=" has been delivered through Subtropical Dairy, a Dairy Australia regional development program.
      Queensland farmers participating have had the cost of their "; S8[0]=" learning supported by FarmBis, a joint Commonwealth-State training program.
      Producers in the State are eligible for a 65 percent FarmBis subsidy on "; S9[0]=" the cost of the training.
      The program material has been developed by the course co-presenters, Di Gresham, website manager and Gympie dairy "; S10[0]=" farmer and Ray Murphy, a Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) farm business management specialist based in Toowoomba.
      Mrs Gresham has "; S11[0]=" been leading the industry in adoption of computer technology and manages an extensive dairy industry website (DairyInfo.biz), on behalf of Subtropical Dairy.
      "; S12[0]=" She said the program aimed to make producers comfortable with computing and introduce the wide range of benefits to everyday farm management.
      "; S13[0]=" 'There are time and cost savings to be made using computer technology as an aid to best practice management,' Mrs Gresham said.
      "; S14[0]=" Accounting course participants get files customised for a dairy enterprise which they can download into a proprietary software program on their own computers.
    "; S15[0]="   Spreadsheet training also includes a range of useful formulas on a USB drive for downloading.
      'There are just so many uses "; S16[0]=" for spreadsheets from budgeting to herd management, ration formulation, tracking fertiliser applications and managing employee details.' 'It is a real eye opener for many farmers "; S17[0]=" just how useful they can be in the every day running of their business,' Mrs Gresham said.
      Mrs Vonhoff has used her "; S18[0]=" training to integrate cow records for herd management, downloading data from electronic ear tags into her laptop.
      With mating information fed in, "; S19[0]=" an Excel spreadsheet is used to calculate predicted calving dates.
      'It has been so much simpler to manage all the herd information "; S20[0]=" from reproduction and dry cows to keeping track of births and deaths.
      Entering medications is a great help with QA compliance,' Mrs "; S21[0]=" Vonhoff said.
      She now uses Quicken to keep detailed records of feed inputs including by products.
      'Fine tuning costs "; S22[0]=" helps our financial bottom line,' Mrs Vonhoff said.
      With years of difficult seasons they have adapted to the challenge of dryland farming, "; S23[0]=" growing their own hay and silage which is supplemented with bought in grain.
      'We have had some rain this year and conditions "; S24[0]=" are not too bad at the moment,'' she said... "; R[1]="2082"; T[1]="Dairy farmers take to innovative computer training"; A[1]="By ... Editor"; Dn[1]="20071024"; Dt[1]="Wednesday 24 October 2007"; Acats[1]="a26a46a92"; B1[1]="      Dairy farmers are embracing the use of computers to better manage their enterprise thanks to an innovative learning program developed by Subtropical "; B2[1]="Dairy with support from FarmBis... "; B3[1]=" "; B4[1]=" "; B5[1]=" "; S1[1]="      Dairy farmers are embracing the use of computers to better manage their enterprise thanks to an innovative learning program developed by Subtropical "; S2[1]=" Dairy with support from FarmBis.
      A mobile computer training room has now delivered 27 customised courses across all dairy regions in northern "; S3[1]=" NSW and Queensland.
      Courses have ranged from use of the internet and email management to accounting and the use of spreadsheets.
  "; S4[1]="     The targeted learning has been delivered from The Atherton Tableland to Coffs Harbour by the Subtropical Dairy Program, a Dairy Australia regional development "; S5[1]=" program.
      More workshops are planned, including Monto in the North Burnett in October.
      Queensland farmers participating have had "; S6[1]=" the cost of their learning supported by FarmBis, a joint Commonwealth-State training program.
      Producers in the State are eligible for a 65 "; S7[1]=" percent FarmBis subsidy on the cost of the training.
      The program material has been developed by the course co-presenters, Di Gresham, website "; S8[1]=" manager and dairy farmer and Ray Murphy a Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) farm business management specialist based in Toowoomba.
      "; S9[1]=" Mrs Gresham with her husband Ray milks 300 cows on their family enterprise south of Gympie.
      She has been leading the industry "; S10[1]=" in adoption of computer technology and manages an extensive dairy industry website (DairyInfo.biz), on behalf of Subtropical Dairy.
      She said the program "; S11[1]=" aimed to make producers comfortable with computing and introduce the wide range of benefits to everyday farm management.
      'There are time and "; S12[1]=" cost savings to be made using computer technology as an aid to best practice management,' Mrs Gresham said.
      Accounting course participants get "; S13[1]=" files customised for a dairy enterprise which they can download into a proprietary software program on their own computers.
      Spreadsheet training also "; S14[1]=" includes a range of useful formulas on a USB drive for downloading.
      'There are just so many uses for spreadsheets from budgeting "; S15[1]=" to herd management, ration formulation, tracking fertiliser applications and managing employee details.' 'It is a real eye opener for many farmers just how useful they "; S16[1]=" can be in the every day running of their business,' Mrs Gresham said.
      Michelle Bunter has been an enthusiastic participant in all "; S17[1]=" the training programs.
      Mrs Bunter and her husband Mark milk 220 cows on their farm at Cedar Pocket, east of Gympie.
  "; S18[1]="     She juggles farm life and raising three children with study towards a Diploma of Business.
      She has accessed FarmBis support "; S19[1]=" to complete study units towards her diploma as well as for the specialist dairy training courses.
      'It has been really helpful to "; S20[1]=" make the training affordable when our dairy income is under so much pressure.
      I have always been open to on-going learning, Mrs "; S21[1]=" Bunter said.
      The training helped her fully computerise the farm business accounts and the lodgement of Business Activity Statements.
      "; S22[1]=" 'We've been able to analyse our business costs in much greater detail and pinpoint areas where savings can be made.
      'When you "; S23[1]=" have no control over the price received for milk, every dollar we can shave off our expenses is really important to our bottom line,' Mrs "; S24[1]=" Bunter said... "; R[2]="2077"; T[2]="Drought hits dairy products"; A[2]="By ... Editor"; Dn[2]="20071024"; Dt[2]="Wednesday 24 October 2007"; Acats[2]="a26a89"; B1[2]="      Australian shoppers could soon be buying imported cream, butter and cheese if the drought continues in dairy producing areas.... "; B2[2]=" "; B3[2]=" "; B4[2]=" "; B5[2]=" "; S1[2]="      Australian shoppers could soon be buying imported cream, butter and cheese if the drought continues in dairy producing areas.
      "; S2[2]=" But those imports are also going to cost a lot more, with prices jumping up to 30 per cent in the past week because of "; S3[2]=" global shortages.
      Cheese specialist Will Studd says the current high milk prices aren't making much difference to producers, and shoppers could be "; S4[2]=" surprised at what's left on the shelves by Christmas.
      'It's quite hard to find cheddar at the moment, and of course that "; S5[2]=" was made last year, so it's not looking good for making any cheddar at all in any volume for this year,' he says.
    "; S6[2]="   'And then you start to look into things like butter, and that's very, very difficult to get, most of its coming in from New "; S7[2]=" Zealand now.
      'And certainly with cream, depending on the season this year, that's not looking too hot either that's getting very hard "; S8[2]=" to get as well.'.. "; R[3]="2075"; T[3]="Livestock virtually fenced in"; A[3]="By ... Editor"; Dn[3]="20070823"; Dt[3]="Thursday 23 August 2007"; Acats[3]="a25a26a27a93"; B1[3]="      A virtual fence for livestock that allows better use of pasture, protects the environment and reduces labour, is being developed by the "; B2[3]="CSIRO Food Futures Flagship using satellite technology... "; B3[3]=" "; B4[3]=" "; B5[3]=" "; S1[3]="      A virtual fence for livestock that allows better use of pasture, protects the environment and reduces labour, is being developed by the "; S2[3]=" CSIRO Food Futures Flagship using satellite technology.
      The project is focussed on developing an animal-friendly virtual fencing system for cattle that enables "; S3[3]=" the animals to be confined without using fixed fences.
      At this stage in the development of what is designed to be a "; S4[3]=" commercial product, the research team has developed a prototype system and successfully demonstrated its use on a herd of cattle.
      CSIRO's Dr "; S5[3]=" Andrew Fisher said the system works in a similar way to a conventional electric fence for livestock, except that the fence is invisible.
    "; S6[3]="   It is a major improvement on existing virtual fencing approaches.
      'The boundaries are drawn entirely by GPS and exist only as "; S7[3]=" a line on a computer,' Dr Fisher said 'There are no wires or fixed transmitters used at all.
      Importantly, what we're developing, "; S8[3]=" achieves the same result as a conventional fence but without the need for posts and wire.' The system employs electronic collars which emit a sound "; S9[3]=" to warn the cattle when they are approaching a virtual boundary line.
      Conducted strictly in line with animal welfare requirements, the virtual "; S10[3]=" fencing project involves collaboration - under the umbrella of the Food Futures Flagship - between CSIRO Livestock Industries in Armidale and the CSIRO ICT Centre "; S11[3]=" in Brisbane.
      'Importantly, what we're developing, achieves the same result as a conventional fence but without the need for posts and wire.' "; S12[3]=" Research team member, CSIRO Livestock Industries' Dr Caroline Lee, said the collars contain advanced software to identify when a cow is near a fence line "; S13[3]=" and which signal should be emitted.
      'Signal timing and duration are based on the behaviour of the cow, and the animals can "; S14[3]=" learn about a virtual fence for the first time in less than an hour and avoid the fence boundary,' Dr Lee said.
      "; S15[3]=" 'The cattle learn, by associating the sound signal with their behaviour of approaching the virtual fence boundary which is programmed into the collars.' The scientists "; S16[3]=" conducted measurements, overseen by an independent animal welfare expert, which show the animals are not unduly stressed by the virtual fence.
      According "; S17[3]=" to CSIRO ICT Centre researcher, Dr Tim Wark, once the boundary is set, the sensor-based system is fully automated and self-sufficient.
      It "; S18[3]=" also enables farmers to continuously monitor where their cattle are located.
      'Although there is still some work to be done in areas "; S19[3]=" such as smart-power management before the system is commercially viable, we can envisage a farm of the future where farmers can fence their property from "; S20[3]=" the comfort of their homesteads,' Dr Wark said... "; R[4]="2059"; T[4]="Drought is no excuse for neglecting livestock"; A[4]="By ... Editor"; Dn[4]="20070823"; Dt[4]="Thursday 23 August 2007"; Acats[4]="a25a26a72a89"; B1[4]="      The RSPCA's laying of almost 100 charges of animal cruelty against a Pilliga cattle producer yesterday has prompted the NSW DPI to "; B2[4]="issue a reminder to the State's livestock owners of their responsibilities when it comes to animal welfare... "; B3[4]=" "; B4[4]=" "; B5[4]=" "; S1[4]="      The RSPCA's laying of almost 100 charges of animal cruelty against a Pilliga cattle producer yesterday has prompted the NSW DPI to "; S2[4]=" issue a reminder to the State's livestock owners of their responsibilities when it comes to animal welfare.
      'There is a strong expectation "; S3[4]=" within society that neglecting the welfare of animals, both big or small, is not acceptable,' NSW DPI's director of animal welfare, Ross Burton said today.
"; S4[4]="       'Nobody is more aware of this than the State's farming community which has worked hard to sustain their livestock through the worst "; S5[4]=" drought on record.
      'In nearly all cases, the State's farmers are to be commended on the manner in which they have cared "; S6[4]=" for their animals.
      'Drought is no excuse for letting the condition of livestock slip to the point that the animals' welfare suffers "; S7[4]=" and they ultimately become a critical case of neglect ...
      and most farmers are aware of this.
      'The truth "; S8[4]=" is the drought has forced many producers to make hard decisions to protect the welfare of their animals, this includes providing adequate amounts of feed "; S9[4]=" and fresh water.
      'Livestock producers have had to decide to either sell their stock or buy fodder in to feed them through "; S10[4]=" the long dry ...
      which can be very expensive.
      'Recent cold and wet weather has placed additional pressure on "; S11[4]=" livestock, with many owners still hand feeding in the hope that they will experience a good spring with plenty of pasture growth.' Mr Burton urged "; S12[4]=" producers interested in drought assistance, including animal welfare support, to contact the NSW DPI drought hotline 1800 814 647.
      'The State Government "; S13[4]=" has a whole range of drought assistance measures to ease the pressure on livestock producers battling the drought,' he said.
      These include: "; S14[4]="
      * Subsidies to transport stock to sale and slaughter, subsidies to transport fodder;
      * A specialist "; S15[4]=" drought counselling service provided by a team of drought support workers;
      * Mental Health Information Service;
    "; S16[4]="   * Drought household assistance, Rural Financial Counsellors;
      * Drought livestock disposal scheme; and
      * "; S17[4]=" A fodder registry... "; R[5]="2055"; T[5]="Beef industry forecast appears gloomy"; A[5]="By ... Editor"; Dn[5]="20070823"; Dt[5]="Thursday 23 August 2007"; Acats[5]="a26a27a57"; B1[5]="      Meat and Livestock Australia's mid year projections reveal the beef industry is in for a gloomy 12 months.... "; B2[5]=" "; B3[5]=" "; B4[5]=" "; B5[5]=" "; S1[5]="      Meat and Livestock Australia's mid year projections reveal the beef industry is in for a gloomy 12 months.
      Figures "; S2[5]=" out today show production levels will remain steady, but the national herd will drop 2 per cent or by 600,000 animals.
      And "; S3[5]=" while there will be tighter numbers, there will not be higher prices due to the surging Australian dollar and a blow out in input costs.
"; S4[5]="       MLA says export sales will be hurt by the US return in Asia, with Korea set to fall up to 30 per "; S5[5]=" cent and Japan by 4 per cent next year.
      But chief market analyst Peter Weeks says the domestic market is providing some "; S6[5]=" good news in an otherwise flat forecast.
      'That's our solid market, that's still going strong and we're looking at a growth in "; S7[5]=" consumption this year of about 1 per cent and a bit faster next year, maybe in the order of 2 per cent next year.
  "; S8[5]="     'In fact, our five year projections would have domestic consumption growing all the way out.'.. "; R[6]="1995"; T[6]="Dairy farmers back further industry research"; A[6]="By ... Editor"; Dn[6]="20070331"; Dt[6]="Saturday 31 March 2007"; Acats[6]="a26a93"; B1[6]="      Almost 70 per cent of dairy farmers have voted to continue funding industry research and development, despite some of the worst drought "; B2[6]="conditions on record... "; B3[6]=" "; B4[6]=" "; B5[6]=" "; S1[6]="      Almost 70 per cent of dairy farmers have voted to continue funding industry research and development, despite some of the worst drought "; S2[6]=" conditions on record.
      In a national poll, farmers were given three options to maintain, increase or drop levy rates.
      "; S3[6]=" They have backed the recommendation from national body Dairy Australia to maintain current levies, which will raise $28 million this year.
      Dairy "; S4[6]=" Australia chairman Max Roberts says there are clear priorities for spending that money.
      'I think I would highlight water and access to "; S5[6]=" water, and also the dairy industry competing for water entitlements would be very, very high on the list,' he said.
      'We've absolutely "; S6[6]=" got to recognise that down on the farm, when you're making the decision as to whether you vote for the levy to continue or you "; S7[6]=" vote to maintain your farm in the drought, I've got to say it's a very, very difficult decision.' Australian Dairy Farmers represents producers and spokesman "; S8[6]=" John McQueen says he is not surprised by the result.
      Mr McQueen says most farmers recognise the benefits from research and development.
"; S9[6]="       But he says there will be challenges ahead, with lower milk production causing a 20 per cent drop in Dairy Australia's bottom "; S10[6]=" line.
      'The budget for Dairy Australia certainly will mean some significant cutbacks and the industry has recognised that,' he said.
    "; S11[6]="   'The objective is to minimise the impact that will be had on research, there will be attempts to try and get funding from other "; S12[6]=" places to overcome the shortfall to some extent.'.. "; R[7]="1958"; T[7]="NSW DPI traces cattle ticks to Wauchope district"; A[7]="By ... Editor"; Dn[7]="20070308"; Dt[7]="Thursday 8 March 2007"; Acats[7]="a26a27a86"; B1[7]="      NSW Department of Primary Industries has acted quickly to quarantine a Wauchope-district property following the detection of cattle ticks last week.... "; B2[7]=" "; B3[7]=" "; B4[7]=" "; B5[7]=" "; S1[7]="      NSW Department of Primary Industries has acted quickly to quarantine a Wauchope-district property following the detection of cattle ticks last week.
  "; S2[7]="     The cattle tick infestation at Upper Rollands Plains near Wauchope on the NSW mid north coast is the most southerly detected in NSW "; S3[7]=" for many years.
      Cattle Tick Program staff traced the infestation after discovering cattle ticks on one animal in a consignment of five "; S4[7]=" head of cattle at Casino abattoirs during a routine check.
      NSW DPI Program Manager (Cattle Tick Control), Mr Peter McGregor, said the "; S5[7]=" Rollands Plains property and its neighbours had been placed in quarantine to prevent the spread of cattle ticks.
      'Inspectors are carrying out "; S6[7]=" investigations to determine whether there are other infestations in the area.
      'Movements of stock on and off the Rollands Plains property will "; S7[7]=" be traced to determine both the spread and the source of the ticks,' he said.
      Initial information is that the animals were "; S8[7]=" previously on a drought-affected property in the Tamworth area.
      They were transported to the Wauchope area in early February and sold through "; S9[7]=" the Wauchope saleyards before going to slaughter at Casino.
      'Our investigations will include following up on the Tamworth property and the Wauchope "; S10[7]=" saleyards,' said Mr McGregor.
      Mr McGregor said the NSW north coast had a favourable climate for cattle ticks, the most serious external "; S11[7]=" parasite of cattle in Australia, but cattle ticks were capable of surviving anywhere in NSW.
      'Cattle ticks were found at Bellingen in "; S12[7]=" 1991 and eradicated but normally we don't get infestations this far south,' he said.
      Mr McGregor asked stockowners to report any unusual "; S13[7]=" ticks to NSW DPI or the Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB) for identification.
      'Cattle ticks are a notifiable disease in NSW, meaning "; S14[7]=" stockowners must report findings,' he said.
      'They have the potential to cause significant damage to the NSW beef and dairy industries.
  "; S15[7]="     When found in NSW they must be eradicated.' Mr McGregor said there had been 16 infestations of cattle ticks detected in NSW this "; S16[7]=" tick season which will continue until June when colder weather traditionally brings an end to the period of tick activity.
      He said "; S17[7]=" there were a total of 78 infestations reported during 2006... "; R[8]="1935"; T[8]="Red meat expenditure continues record breaking run"; A[8]="By ... Editor"; Dn[8]="20070304"; Dt[8]="Sunday 4 March 2007"; Acats[8]="a08a10a26a27"; B1[8]="      Australia's love of red meat continues to strengthen, with preliminary estimates released today by Meat & Livestock Australia showing that consumer expenditure "; B2[8]="on red meat in Australia grew by a massive $480 million last year... "; B3[8]=" "; B4[8]=" "; B5[8]=" "; S1[8]="      Australia's love of red meat continues to strengthen, with preliminary estimates released today by Meat & Livestock Australia showing that consumer expenditure "; S2[8]=" on red meat in Australia grew by a massive $480 million last year.
      This was the ninth year of consecutive sales growth "; S3[8]=" for the domestic red meat category and comes at a time when the industry is suffering from severe drought and experiencing near record demand from "; S4[8]=" overseas.
      The estimates, calculated by MLA and based on ABS and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry statistics, show domestic red meat "; S5[8]=" expenditure - made up of beef, lamb and mutton sales - was a record $8.7 billion in 2006, up 5.9 percent on the record set "; S6[8]=" in 2005.
      MLA Managing Director David Palmer said the level of expenditure was higher than anticipated and was an indication that red "; S7[8]=" meat continues to play an important and growing role in the Australian diet.
      This really is a remarkable result, considering the challenges "; S8[8]=" the Australian red meat industry has faced over the past couple of years, Mr Palmer said.
      It is a sign of a "; S9[8]=" mature industry that we can maintain consistent quality and supply during severe drought and at a time when there is huge demand for our product "; S10[8]=" from overseas markets.
      Mr Palmer said there were a number of key drivers behind the record increase in expenditure, including effective promotion, "; S11[8]=" consistent product quality and a wider knowledge about the nutritional benefits of red meat in the diet.
      'One of the key factors "; S12[8]=" behind the growth in expenditure on lamb was the hugely successful Sam Kekovich Australia Day marketing campaign, which generated a spike in sales during January "; S13[8]=" and also led to a continuation of the strong demand in following months, Mr Palmer said.
      Other marketing campaigns also helped boost "; S14[8]=" expenditure, including the Bring out the beef campaign and the Red meat we were meant to eat it campaign which was fronted by movie star "; S15[8]=" Sam Neill.
      However, the real foundation of the growth in the beef and lamb categories is the consistent quality of the product, "; S16[8]=" its health benefits and the efforts of retailers to continually meet the demands of consumers.
      Domestic expenditure on lamb showed the largest "; S17[8]=" growth in 2006, with a 10.6 percent increase on the year before to $1.9 billion.
      Lamb volumes increased by 7.2 percent with "; S18[8]=" retail prices up 3.2 percent.
      Expenditure on beef increased to $6.5 billion, an increase of 5.6 percent on 2005.
      "; S19[8]=" Beef volumes increased by 2.5 percent with retail prices up 3.0 percent.
      Mutton was the only category to fall in 2006, with "; S20[8]=" expenditure on it dropping by 15 percent to $269 million.
      Latest demand figures also show that consumer demand for lamb is now "; S21[8]=" the highest it's been since 1985 and demand for beef is the highest since 1990... "; R[9]="1895"; T[9]="New management tool for East Australian graziers"; A[9]="By ... Editor"; Dn[9]="20070216"; Dt[9]="Friday 16 February 2007"; Acats[9]="a25a26a27a72"; B1[9]="      CSIRO has just released a new real-time information tool to help graziers in eastern Australia better cope with the impact of climate "; B2[9]="variations on pasture production... "; B3[9]=" "; B4[9]=" "; B5[9]=" "; S1[9]="      CSIRO has just released a new real-time information tool to help graziers in eastern Australia better cope with the impact of climate "; S2[9]=" variations on pasture production.
      Primary producers from Rockhampton in Queensland across to Ceduna in South Australia and down to Tasmania can now "; S3[9]=" access newly released satellite pasture growth data from the Pastures from Space website -: www.pasturesfromspace.csiro.au.
      The Pasture Growth Rate (PGRŪ) data on "; S4[9]=" the website is from the previous weeks' climate records and satellite images which are merged to calculate how fast the pasture is growing at the "; S5[9]=" national, regional, farm and paddock scale.
      PGRŪ supports farmers in making management decisions like grazing rotation, feed budgeting, fertilizer application and other "; S6[9]=" 'precision' techniques.
      Because the data is on the web, near real-time decisions can be made.
      Spatial analyst from CSIRO "; S7[9]=" Armidale, Graham Donald, says PGRŪ provides an assessment of the amount of pasture grown in the last week (in kilograms of dry matter per day).
"; S8[9]="       'The major difficulty graziers face with climatic uncertainty is how to match fluctuating feed supply with demand.
      'Because the "; S9[9]=" data is on the web, near real-time decisions can be made.' 'It is economically and environmentally vital for producers to manage productivity, meet market demand "; S10[9]=" and maximise profit - but to do this they must utilise their available stock feed strategically and sustainably,' Mr Donald said.
      'These "; S11[9]=" accurate satellite estimations of PGRŪ provide information on feed resources allowing producers to more effectively manage their enterprise and raise the productivity of their businesses,' "; S12[9]=" he said.
      'Producers in eastern Australia now have the tools capable of measuring positive and negative effects on their farms and farming "; S13[9]=" regions generally,' Mr Donald said.
      In providing information about seasonal and yearly fluctuations in pasture production, the Pastures from Space project has "; S14[9]=" also proven invaluable as a decision support tool to shire councils, state government agencies and the banking and finance sectors.
      CSIRO developed "; S15[9]=" PGRŪ in collaboration with the Western Australia Departments of Food & Agriculture and Land Information (now known as Landgate), with the Bureau of Meteorology providing "; S16[9]=" critical regional climate data... "; R[10]="1880"; T[10]="Livestock producers taking on-farm research into own hands"; A[10]="By ... Editor"; Dn[10]="20070207"; Dt[10]="Wednesday 7 February 2007"; Acats[10]="a25a26a27"; B1[10]="      Australia's livestock producers are being given the opportunity to design, conduct and get funding for their own on-farm research projects.... "; B2[10]=" "; B3[10]=" "; B4[10]=" "; B5[10]=" "; S1[10]="      Australia's livestock producers are being given the opportunity to design, conduct and get funding for their own on-farm research projects.
    "; S2[10]="   The initiative, coordinated by Meat & Livestock Australia, is known as Producer Research Support (PRS) and allows livestock producers to research and trial practices "; S3[10]=" that will improve the financial or environmental performance of a property.
      National PRS co-ordinator, Gerald Martin said over 300 producer groups "; S4[10]=" have participated in the PRS on-farm trials and encouraged producers across the country to get involved and tackle those issues that directly impact on the "; S5[10]=" day-to-day running of their business.
      'The great thing about the PRS program is that it puts research into the hands of producers "; S6[10]=" - basically we are giving farmers the opportunity to trial their own research at a local level,' Mr Martin said.
      'Livestock producers "; S7[10]=" are in the best position to determine what on-farm research and management practices work for them.
      They live and breathe the challenges "; S8[10]=" every day, so it makes sense that they be given an avenue to get involved when it comes to designing and implementing local R&D on-farm.
"; S9[10]="       'Many groups have already tackled agronomic aspects such as weeds, soil fertility and improved pasture species.
      Others have trialed "; S10[10]=" better grazing management, the value of supplements and improved genetics - the opportunities are endless.' The deadline for producers to submit applications for research support "; S11[10]=" is 28 February.
      Application forms can be obtained on the MLA website - www.mla.com.au/producersupport.
      The PRS program provides participants "; S12[10]=" with on-going support through a dedicated co-ordinator, phone number and email address.
      The PRS program will also provide regional facilitators who will "; S13[10]=" be available to assist groups with the reporting of progress back to MLA.
      Successful groups can receive up to $15,000 in support "; S14[10]=" over three years, with the funds helping to cover the expertise needed and expenses that are not normal items, such as feed quality testing.
  "; S15[10]="     Producers are encouraged to utilise the best local expertise, such as DPI staff and local consultants, to help design and manage the trials.
"; S16[10]="       'The goal of this initiative is to allow producers to trial, adapt and adopt improved management options on their own farm - "; S17[10]=" or more simply - put their ideas into action,' Mr Martin said... "; R[11]="1783"; T[11]="Cattle ID scheme issues being resolved: NLIS chairman"; A[11]="By ... Editor"; Dn[11]="20061223"; Dt[11]="Saturday 23 December 2006"; Acats[11]="a26a27"; B1[11]="      The chairman of the National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) for cattle says problems with the scheme are being addressed.... "; B2[11]=" "; B3[11]=" "; B4[11]=" "; B5[11]=" "; S1[11]="      The chairman of the National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) for cattle says problems with the scheme are being addressed.
      "; S2[11]=" A leaked copy of an audit of the scheme, commissioned by the federal Agriculture Minister, has highlighted problems with farmer cooperation, scrutiny of the system "; S3[11]=" and different levels of state compliance.
      Chairman John Wyld says the NLIS is working well overall, but admits there are weaknesses, including "; S4[11]=" the lack of a back-up plan if Telstra's systems supporting the database go down.
      'Our contract with Telstra requires a full disaster "; S5[11]=" recovery plan,' he said.
      'Now I'm aware there is an ongoing issue between MLA and Telstra, but it's really a matter that "; S6[11]=" Telstra's not been able to comply with but it's part of our contract.
      'So they're currently not complying with the wishes of "; S7[11]=" NLIS or the wishes of MLA.'.. "; R[12]="1730"; T[12]="Dairy farmers attitudes to environment changing"; A[12]="By ... Editor"; Dn[12]="20061206"; Dt[12]="Wednesday 6 December 2006"; Acats[12]="a26a42"; B1[12]="      A new survey has revealed a noticeable change in Australian dairy farmers' attitudes towards the environment.... "; B2[12]=" "; B3[12]=" "; B4[12]=" "; B5[12]=" "; S1[12]="      A new survey has revealed a noticeable change in Australian dairy farmers' attitudes towards the environment.
      More than 1,200 "; S2[12]=" dairy farmers were asked about their natural resource management practices and the results show producers are considering their impact on the wider community.
    "; S3[12]="   Dairy Australia's Cathy Phelps says while most farmers acknowledge there is room for improvement, they are committed to protecting the environment.
      "; S4[12]=" 'It's partly about having that social license to farm and ensuring that the industry is well accepted in the community,' she said.
      "; S5[12]=" 'I think it's also the fact that the industry has taken a lead role in driving these programs and ensuring that they're farmer led.
  "; S6[12]="     'I think there's an industry pride there and an industry ownership in what they're doing.'.. "; R[13]="1696"; T[13]="Auto-calf feeder delivers benefits"; A[13]="By ... Editor"; Dn[13]="20061127"; Dt[13]="Monday 27 November 2006"; Acats[13]="a26a27"; B1[13]="      An $18,000 investment in a hi-tech automatic calf feeder has delivered on the Clews family's management objective to improve efficiency by saving "; B2[13]="time and labour... "; B3[13]=" "; B4[13]=" "; B5[13]=" "; S1[13]="      An $18,000 investment in a hi-tech automatic calf feeder has delivered on the Clews family's management objective to improve efficiency by saving "; S2[13]=" time and labour.
      The Rossmoya district dairying enterprise operated by Ray and Ailsa Clews and their sons, Aaron and Michael and daughter "; S3[13]=" Zoe, is currently milking 240 cows using an intensive pad and paddock feeding system where time is a valuable resource.
      The Clews "; S4[13]=" family installed the dual De Laval CF150 auto calf feeding system in May this year.
      When operating at the maximum 50 calf "; S5[13]=" capacity, a task that previously took one person four hours a day to complete can now be done in just 30-40 minutes.
      "; S6[13]=" Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries senior dairy extension manager at Rockhampton, Glen Chopping, said the transition to the automatic calf feeding system "; S7[13]=" ensured that each animal was receiving optimum nutrition thanks to the electronic recording system.
      'Because each calf has been fitted with an "; S8[13]=" electronic ear tag that activates a computer, every time the animal accesses the milk and grain distribution stalls, daily consumption is automatically recorded,' Mr Chopping "; S9[13]=" said.
      The technology alerts the Clews family to any individual calves that are not feeding enabling them to quickly address any potential "; S10[13]=" animal health issues.
      Michael Clews said a calf can be in the automatic feeding system from 42 to 50 days.
    "; S11[13]="   Reject milk including colostrum milk is directed from the 15-a-side double up herringbone dairy to a 1000 litre capacity refrigerated stainless steel milk vat.
"; S12[13]="       This holding tank has been placed adjacent to a now-disused piggery shed that has been converted to house the calf crop and "; S13[13]=" the two automatic feeders.
      In early November, 150L a day was being pumped to the vat to feed 23 calves housed in "; S14[13]=" the shed with adjoining yard access.
      As the milk is pumped on demand to the feeding stalls, it is warmed to 38 "; S15[13]=" degrees through a hot water heat exchange system.
      'Our 18 per cent protein grain concentrate comprises steam-flaked sorghum, canola meal and mineral "; S16[13]=" supplements prepared on-site with a 1 tonne mixer,' Mr Clews said.
      'The computerised system has three targeted milk and grain concentrate consumption "; S17[13]=" triggers that monitor each calf through to weaning.
      'The calf starts on a daily access of 3L of milk and 0.2kg of "; S18[13]=" grain for the first 10 days.
      'After 10 days, individual animals can access 5L of milk and ad-lib grain for the next "; S19[13]=" 39 days.
      'All calves are weaned over a final 11 day period.
      'If a calf consumes 2kg of grain "; S20[13]=" within 48 hours at any stage of the feeding program, it will be automatically weaned off the milk,' Mr Clews said.
      Mr "; S21[13]=" Clews said there were two inbuilt scanners that activated the milk flow metering device and the grain distributor that released 100mg at a time.
  "; S22[13]="     When a calf left grain uneaten in the dispenser, the intake was attributed to the next animal using the stall.
      "; S23[13]=" Mr Clews said the grain release was capped at 2kg/day and when weaned off the milk, the calf moved onto the next grow-out phase with "; S24[13]=" access to a self-feeder in a yard.
      Mr Clews said the automatic calf feeding system was meeting their labour-saving expectations.
    "; S25[13]="   Hygiene was important and the calf shed had to be cleaned out every two to three days to prevent a build up of flies.
"; S26[13]="       The shed was sprayed for fly control to prevent any outbreak of scours and impacts on dehorned calves.
      Plans "; S27[13]=" were in hand to install fly wire screens to alleviate the problem in the former piggery complex... "; R[14]="1685"; T[14]="Northcliffe dairy farmer wins top Telstra honour"; A[14]="By ... Editor"; Dn[14]="20061123"; Dt[14]="Thursday 23 November 2006"; Acats[14]="a26"; B1[14]="      Suzanne Daubney has been awarded the Australian Government Business Innovation Award at the 2006 Telstra Western Australian Business Women's Awards luncheon held "; B2[14]="at the Hyatt Regency this week... "; B3[14]=" "; B4[14]=" "; B5[14]=" "; S1[14]="      Suzanne Daubney has been awarded the Australian Government Business Innovation Award at the 2006 Telstra Western Australian Business Women's Awards luncheon held "; S2[14]=" at the Hyatt Regency this week.
      She was presented with her award by Senator Judith Adams, Senator for Western Australia.
    "; S3[14]="   Suzanne is the Managing Director of Bannister Downs Dairy.
      Following a downturn in the West Australian dairy industry, Suzanne investigated ways "; S4[14]=" to integrate her family's dairy farm to offer quality produce direct to the consumer.
      Starting Bannister Downs Dairy in 2004, Suzanne has "; S5[14]=" established a fresh milk business that employs 13 people, and processes and distributes products five days a week within WA.
      Bannister Downs "; S6[14]=" Dairy also uses innovative sustainable packaging, which has resulted in a noticeable reduction of plastic carton waste.
      In 2005 Bannister Downs Dairy "; S7[14]=" won Best Full Cream Milk at the Perth Royal Show.
      The winner of the prestigious 2006 Telstra Western Australian Business Woman of "; S8[14]=" the Year title was Barbara Etter, Assistant Commissioner of WA Police, who also won the Hudson Community and Government Award.
      Other successful "; S9[14]=" category winners in the 2006 Western Australian Business Women's Awards were: o Westpac Business Owner Award (for owners with a 50 percent share or more "; S10[14]=" in a business, with responsibility for key management decision making): o Heather Jones - Owner & Director, Success Transport Pty Ltd, Bassendean o Zaffyre International "; S11[14]=" Private and Corporate Sector Award (for employees in the private and corporate sector or owners with less than a 50 percent share of a business): "; S12[14]=" o Michelle Rhodes - Director, 360 Environmental Pty Ltd, West Perth o Hudson Community and Government Award (for employees of government departments, statutory bodies and "; S13[14]=" not-for-profit organisations): o Barbara Etter - Assistant Commissioner of WA Police, East Perth o Panasonic Young Women's Award (for all entrants in one of the "; S14[14]=" categories listed above, who will be aged 30 years or under as at 5 June 2006): o Bronwen Parsons - National Operations Manager, Choice Future "; S15[14]=" Planning Pty Ltd, Osborne Park.. "; R[15]="1644"; T[15]="Accent on dairy nutrition pays dividends"; A[15]="By ... Editor"; Dn[15]="20061117"; Dt[15]="Friday 17 November 2006"; Acats[15]="a26"; B1[15]="      Central Queensland is looking down the barrel of a hot, dry summer so to get the best possible performance out of the "; B2[15]="Clews family's 240 milkers, a balanced nutritional intake is paramount... "; B3[15]=" "; B4[15]=" "; B5[15]=" "; S1[15]="      Central Queensland is looking down the barrel of a hot, dry summer so to get the best possible performance out of the "; S2[15]=" Clews family's 240 milkers, a balanced nutritional intake is paramount.
      Rockhampton district's Ray and Ailsa Clews and their sons, Aaron and Michael "; S3[15]=" and daughter Zoe, have set goals to ensure that the 'D' for dairying translates into a profitable 'D' for dollars.
      Michael Clews "; S4[15]=" said that encouraged by Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries dairy extension manager Glen Chopping, he and Aaron attended a recent DPI&F dairy nutrition workshop "; S5[15]=" at Monto.
      Mr Clews said the workshop prompted them to undertake significant changes to improve stock water access and feed pad infrastructure "; S6[15]=" on their Rossmoya farm.
      'When our cows go through our 15-a-side herringbone dairy equipped with hydraulic stall gates, they receive a 14 "; S7[15]=" per cent grain concentrate ration totalling 2.8 kg/day,' Mr Clews said.
      'They are then yarded onto the feed pad enclosure where the "; S8[15]=" herd is provided with immediate access to a 3 tonne mix of grain and sorghum silage fed out into 176m of feed pad trough lines.' "; S9[15]=" Mr Clews said the two 88m long feed pad troughs were made from reject cement railway sleepers laid out on polybelt lining and glued together "; S10[15]=" with a powerful stud adhesive.
      The well-drained pads - designed to ensure there was minimum feed wastage - were separated down the "; S11[15]=" centre by an elevated electrified wire to prevent stock from walking across the pad and damaging the polybelt lining.
      The Clews family "; S12[15]=" adopted the pad system feed-out system three years ago.
      Last summer, they ensiled 3000 tonnes of forage sorghum in two pits and "; S13[15]=" a 300t capacity bunker.
      In early November, they still had 1000t on hand.
      A commercially prepared grain ration is "; S14[15]=" combined with the silage in a 4t capacity Jaylor vertical feed mixer and delivered to the pad twice daily post-milking.
      Mr Clews "; S15[15]=" said that after three hours on the pad, the cows were relocated to strip graze predominantly green panic irrigated pasture.
      'As a "; S16[15]=" follow-up to the nutrition workshop, we have installed three 5.5m cement water troughs within the feed pad enclosure and have plans to further expand both "; S17[15]=" the water and feed infrastructure.
      'We have a 300 megalitre ring tank licensed to flood harvest from Scrubby Creek which is the "; S18[15]=" principal source of water to irrigate 120 hectares of pasture and forage,' Mr Clews said.
      The ring tank is getting close to "; S19[15]=" empty but the Clews have a unique fall back supply of stock and domestic water that can be drawn from purpose-built 3m deep trench lines "; S20[15]=" that accumulate free-flowing subterranean water.
      Mr Clews said their milking herd had been based on Jersey cattle delivering a high composition milk "; S21[15]=" product that attracted a 2.5 cents/L bonus from Parmalat.
      'Three years ago - literally by accident - we discovered Brown Swiss cattle "; S22[15]=" that have a milk yield comparable to Holstein Friesians, heat and tick tolerance, exceptional temperament and high composition milk,' Mr Clews said.
      "; S23[15]=" 'In addition to a number of purebred Brown Swiss cows that we purchased to monitor their performance, we are now milking first cross heifers that "; S24[15]=" are doing well.
      'Our 240 milkers are currently producing in excess of 4000L/day and maintaining the bonus payment high composition of 3.4 "; S25[15]=" percent protein and 4.5 per cent butterfat.' 'We have also initiated a supplementary feeding program for our replacement heifers to maximise their potential.' Mr Clews "; S26[15]=" said the family's introduction to Brown Swiss followed an Atherton Tableland post-deregulation dairy herd dispersal sale where cows being trucked south were spelled at their "; S27[15]=" Rossmoya farm.
      'These Brown Swiss cows were here for two weeks and were so impressive we bought some of them.
    "; S28[15]="   We followed up with another eight purebred cows bought from a Newcastle breeder and have progressed the transition from Jerseys.' Mr Clews said the "; S29[15]=" nutrition workshop had given the family a better appreciation of the importance of maintaining rumen health and doing the little things right such as flushing "; S30[15]=" the water troughs every second day.
      'We now take time out to observe our cattle while gaining a sense of satisfaction seeing "; R[16]="1612"; T[16]="Wine-soaked grain reduces cows stress"; A[16]="By ... Editor"; Dn[16]="20061108"; Dt[16]="Wednesday 8 November 2006"; Acats[16]="a13a26"; B1[16]="      Australian cows destined for top-dollar Japanese dinner tables are being fed wine-soaked grain to help ensure their meat is marbled to perfection, "; B2[16]="news reports said on Monday... "; B3[16]=" "; B4[16]=" "; B5[16]=" "; S1[16]="      Australian cows destined for top-dollar Japanese dinner tables are being fed wine-soaked grain to help ensure their meat is marbled to perfection, "; S2[16]=" news reports said on Monday.
      Farmer John McLeod told The West Australian that the serving suggestion came from celebrity chef Akio Yamamoto, "; S3[16]=" who even specified that premium Margaret River cabernet-shiraz-Merlot would produce the best results in Wagyu herds.
      'It's quite a good drop actually, "; S4[16]=" and they tend to eat more than they should, so I guess they like the taste,' McLeod said.
      'The antioxidant properties that "; S5[16]=" we associate with red wine appear to have an effect on the meat's colour and shelf-life, and from the tests we carried out the meat "; S6[16]=" tastes sweeter.' The cows get one litre a day for 60 days - not enough to make them wobbly on their hoofs but enough to "; S7[16]=" lift appetite and reduce stress.. "; R[17]="1559"; T[17]="Livestock prices slump"; A[17]="By ... Editor"; Dn[17]="20061027"; Dt[17]="Friday 27 October 2006"; Acats[17]="a07a08a25a26a57"; B1[17]="      Sheep and cattle prices have slumped across the nation, as farmers offload stock they cannot feed.... "; B2[17]=" "; B3[17]=" "; B4[17]=" "; B5[17]=" "; S1[17]="      Sheep and cattle prices have slumped across the nation, as farmers offload stock they cannot feed.
      Sheep have lost "; S2[17]=" nearly 75 per cent of their value in the past four weeks.
      Yardings in all states have increased substantially, with the southern "; S3[17]=" states hit hardest.
      Travis Parsci, from the National Livestock Reporting Service, says the falls are drastic.
      'In the last "; S4[17]=" fortnight we've probably seen 20 to 30 cents shaved off a lot of average prices.
      We have seen a lot of the "; S5[17]=" plainer grades suffering even larger falls,' he said.
      'It's been caused by the large number of cattle coming onto the market, as "; S6[17]=" everyone's aware, by the dry condtions, the lack of water in particular and also a lack of feed that a lot of producers are faced "; S7[17]=" with at the moment.' The drought is also pushing wool prices up.
      News of Australia's plight is prompting wool buyers to stock "; S8[17]=" up for fear that supplies will run out.
      The southern market indicator rose by up to 18 cents at last week's national "; S9[17]=" sales, the biggest weekly rise since January.
      Tony Kidman from Quality Wool in south Australia, says buyers also want to avoid buying "; S10[17]=" drought-effected wool, which is less strong than other wool.
      'There's a perceived lack of wool, particularly after Christmas this year - not "; S11[17]=" only just wool, but the better styled high tensile wool because of course the drought will tend to bring in more finer wool and less "; S12[17]=" of it and tender wool as well,' Mr Kidman said... "; R[18]="1495"; T[18]="Have your say - MLA voting deadline nears"; A[18]="By ... Editor"; Dn[18]="20061006"; Dt[18]="Friday 6 October 2006"; Acats[18]="a25a26a27"; B1[18]="      Members of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have just one week to secure their full voting rights for the company's Annual General "; B2[18]="Meeting (AGM) this year... "; B3[18]=" "; B4[18]=" "; B5[18]=" "; S1[18]="      Members of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have just one week to secure their full voting rights for the company's Annual General "; S2[18]=" Meeting (AGM) this year.
      All MLA members are encouraged to return their levies notice to MLA by Tuesday 10 October in order "; S3[18]=" to maximise their votes.
      Levies notice packs were mailed to all MLA members in late July.
      All MLA members "; S4[18]=" are automatically allocated a single vote, however to receive their full voting entitlement members must complete and return their levies notice by the 10 October "; S5[18]=" deadline.
      The more money that members have paid in sheep, cattle, grain-fed cattle and goat transaction levies during the 2005-2006 fiscal year, "; S6[18]=" the more votes they are entitled to.
      MLA members will be voting on four resolutions at the AGM; all involving the selection "; S7[18]=" of four nominated Board directors.
      Current MLA Board directors Mr Peter Trefort, Mr Paul Troja and Professor Chris Hudson will be seeking "; S8[18]=" re-election, along with first-time nominee Professor Bernie Bindon.
      MLA has approximately 42,750 members and so far 9,405, or about 22 per cent "; S9[18]=" of members have secured their full voting rights for the AGM.
      State-by-state the numbers of producer members who have secured their full "; S10[18]=" voting rights are: New South Wales 2,967, Queensland 2,492, Victoria 1,779, Western Australia 1,023, South Australia 842, Tasmania 254, the Australian Capital Territory 14 and "; S11[18]=" the Northern Territory 25.
      The AGM is being held on Wednesday 22 November in Adelaide, South Australia.
      Members not "; S12[18]=" able to attend the AGM are still being encouraged to take up their full voting entitlement and vote by proxy to ensure they have their "; S13[18]=" say.
      For more details members should phone 1800 675 717... "; R[19]="1372"; T[19]="Caution on grazing failed canola crops"; A[19]="By ... Editor"; Dn[19]="20060908"; Dt[19]="Friday 8 September 2006"; Acats[19]="a25a26a27a82"; B1[19]="      Farmers contemplating grazing failed crops need to be aware of their responsibilities in relation to the grazing withholding periods for the different "; B2[19]="chemicals applied to their crops... "; B3[19]=" "; B4[19]=" "; B5[19]=" "; S1[19]="      Farmers contemplating grazing failed crops need to be aware of their responsibilities in relation to the grazing withholding periods for the different "; S2[19]=" chemicals applied to their crops.
      The reminder comes as farmers consider turning stock in on crops which, given the current seasonal conditions "; S3[19]=" and lack of subsoil moisture, will be hard pressed to produce an economic yield.
      Technical Specialist for pulses and oilseeds with NSW "; S4[19]=" Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Don McCaffery, said canola crops are likely to be the first crops to be grazed off with some already abandoned "; S5[19]=" in western areas.
      'The central and southern NSW canola crop is well behind in crop development compared to this time last year "; S6[19]=" and it is likely some crops will not produce an economic yield if kept for grain,' he said.
      'By grazing these crops "; S7[19]=" farmers will be able to recover some of the growing costs via their livestock.' To avoid chemical residues farmers should observe the grazing withholding periods "; S8[19]=" for any chemicals applied to the crop.
      That includes pre and post-emergent herbicides like atrazine and/or simazine used on TT canola varieties.
"; S9[19]="       Grazing crops within the nominated grazing withholding period can have serious commercial impacts as well as being a breach of the Pesticides "; S10[19]=" Act.
      National Vendor Declarations (NVDs) for both sheep and cattle ask specific questions about observance of stockfeed withholding periods.
      "; S11[19]=" Producers will face financial penalties, including buyer avoidance or discounts, if stock aren't declared as only grazed on 'clean' feed in the 60 days before "; S12[19]=" sale.
      Farmers should check the labels for all chemicals applied to all of their crops to ensure they are safe to graze.
"; S13[19]="       The grazing of canola or other brassica crops may pose other animal health issues so farmers should: ' Avoid putting hungry stock "; S14[19]=" onto canola.
      Ensure stock have partial gut-fill when they are introduced; ' Introduce stock slowly for short periods of time and observe "; S15[19]=" them closely for any abnormal behaviour; and ' Where possible, include hay or grain to dilute the diet... "; R[20]="1354"; T[20]="Beware when buying stock feed"; A[20]="By ... Editor"; Dn[20]="20060903"; Dt[20]="Sunday 3 September 2006"; Acats[20]="a25a26a27"; B1[20]="      A dry season like this can provide extra challenges when buying stock feed.... "; B2[20]=" "; B3[20]=" "; B4[20]=" "; B5[20]=" "; S1[20]="      A dry season like this can provide extra challenges when buying stock feed.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries "; S2[20]=" senior beef extension officer at Miles, Kay Taylor, said in these sorts of seasons the quality of some bought in feeds tended to drop off "; S3[20]=" as supplies became scarce because of demand and dry weather.
      Ms Taylor said that with this came increased risk of buying feed "; S4[20]=" that did not meet its description or the nutritional requirements of animals, or that contained prohibited ingredients or harmful substances.
      'In Queensland, "; S5[20]=" there are controls on the supply of both processed and unprocessed stock feed through the Agricultural Standards Act 1994.
      'Even so, the "; S6[20]=" clear message is still 'buyer beware',' she said.
      'When feeds become harder and more expensive to access, there are often more cases "; S7[20]=" of purchased feeds not meeting the description they were given or the standard they expected.' Ms Taylor said with unprocessed stock feeds such as "; S8[20]=" whole cottonseed, various forms of hay and horticultural by-products, livestock producers are a little more susceptible.
      'Not only can feeds be nutritionally "; S9[20]=" well below what is expected, they may contain weeds, burrs, moulds and other substances that may make them unpalatable, poisonous, or a residue risk, or "; S10[20]=" spread undesirable weed seed,' she said.
      'No stock feed should contain 'prohibited materials' or excessive levels of 'harmful ingredients',' Ms Taylor said.
"; S11[20]="       She said that when buying unprocessed stock feeds, purchasers should ask for a Commodity Vendor Declaration that included an accurate description of "; S12[20]=" the product, and information about the use and presence of agricultural chemicals.
      She said manufacturers of processed stock feeds such as dry "; S13[20]=" licks, weaner pellets, liquid supplements, and bagged protein meals were required by law to clearly label them with specific nutritional and safety information.
    "; S14[20]="   'It's up to the purchaser to have the skills to assess whether the product can cost-efficiently provide the nutritional needs of a particular group "; S15[20]=" of stock.
      'The DPI&F provides training in this field through courses such as Nutrition EDGE,' Ms Taylor said.
      DPI&F "; S16[20]=" regional inspector Geoff Cahill said feed buyers who felt they had been misled about the description of unprocessed stock feed could consider refusing to take "; S17[20]=" delivery, or seek legal advice from a solicitor.
      'Where purchasers suspect that a commodity breaches the prohibited material or harmful ingredient provisions "; S18[20]=" of the Agricultural Standards Regulation 1997, they can submit a sample to an independent accredited laboratory for analysis.
      'DPI&F inspectors can investigate "; S19[20]=" the incident if the analysis confirms the presence of a prohibited material or an excessive quantity of a harmful ingredient,' he said... "; R[21]="1303"; T[21]="Rising fuel prices prompt droving revival"; A[21]="By ... Editor"; Dn[21]="20060818"; Dt[21]="Friday 18 August 2006"; Acats[21]="a26a27a36a51"; B1[21]="      A professional drover says rising fuel costs are prompting a revival of the droving tradition.... "; B2[21]=" "; B3[21]=" "; B4[21]=" "; B5[21]=" "; S1[21]="      A professional drover says rising fuel costs are prompting a revival of the droving tradition.
      Queenslander Bill Little says "; S2[21]=" it is now often cheaper to walk cattle through stock routes, than truck them.
      He is currently droving 1,500 steers from the "; S3[21]=" Northern Territory through western Queensland into the Channel Country.
      Mr Little says it is nice to see a revival because not too "; S4[21]=" long ago it was a dying profession.
      '[It was] completely lost for a while with the trucks and that sort of thing, "; S5[21]=" but if we can get the management and consistent management right through the network it'll become quite viable to walk cattle,' Mr Little said.
  "; S6[21]="     'There's a lot more drovers, I sort of started droving 25 years ago there were very few, but now I could sort of "; S7[21]=" name 20 professional drovers in Queensland.' He says droving will become more attractive to graziers provided there is enough feed on stock routes.
    "; S8[21]="   'I think it's time people looked at the big screen and tried to maintain these stock routes, they're very valuable to the rural industry.'.. "; R[22]="1302"; T[22]="Completed genome set to transform the cow"; A[22]="By ... Editor"; Dn[22]="20060818"; Dt[22]="Friday 18 August 2006"; Acats[22]="a26a27a93"; B1[22]="      The ability of scientists to improve health and disease management of cattle and enhance the nutritional value of beef and dairy products "; B2[22]="has received a major boost with the release this week of the most complete sequence of the cow genome ever assembled... "; B3[22]=" "; B4[22]=" "; B5[22]=" "; S1[22]="      The ability of scientists to improve health and disease management of cattle and enhance the nutritional value of beef and dairy products "; S2[22]=" has received a major boost with the release this week of the most complete sequence of the cow genome ever assembled.
      Developed "; S3[22]=" by an international consortium of research organisations, including CSIRO and AgResearch New Zealand, the new bovine sequence contains 2.9 billion DNA base pairs and incorporates "; S4[22]=" one-third more data than earlier versions.
      Differences in just one of these base pairs (known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) can "; S5[22]=" affect the functioning of a gene and mean the difference between a highly productive and a poorly performing animal.
      Over two million "; S6[22]=" of these SNPs, which are genetic signposts or markers, were identified as part of the project.
      'We can use this data to "; S7[22]=" identify those genes that are involved in important functions like lactation, reproduction, muscling, growth rate and disease resistance' Australia's representative on the US $53 million "; S8[22]=" Bovine Genome Sequencing Project, CSIRO's Dr Ross Tellam, says the new map marks the end of the sequencing phase of the project, with the focus "; S9[22]=" now on analysing the available data.
      'This is very valuable information,' Dr Tellam says.
      'We could potentially achieve as "; S10[22]=" much improvement in cattle breeding and production in 50 years as we have over the last 8000 years of traditional farming.' Cattle geneticists will use "; S11[22]=" the bovine genome as a template to highlight genetic variation within and between cattle breeds, and between cattle and other mammal species.
      "; S12[22]=" The head of bioinformatics research at CSIRO Livestock Industries, Dr Brian Dalrymple, says the new data is very valuable because it provides researchers with a "; S13[22]=" more complete picture of the genes in a cow and how variations in the DNA code influence desirable production traits.
      'We can "; S14[22]=" use this data to identify those genes that are involved in important functions like lactation, reproduction, muscling, growth rate and disease resistance,' Dr Dalrymple says.
"; S15[22]="       The Hereford breed was selected for the bulk of the sequencing project, which began in December 2003.
      Holstein, Angus, "; S16[22]=" Jersey, Limousin, Norwegian Red and Brahman animals were also sequenced to detect specific genetic differences between breeds.
      'This is just the beginning "; S17[22]=" of a revolution in the way we produce our animals and food,' Dr Dalrymple says.
      'Once we have a complete set of "; S18[22]=" genes that influence tenderness, for example, we will be able to predict that animals of a certain type, fed a particular type of pasture or "; S19[22]=" grain, will consistently produce meat of a particular standard of tenderness and marbling.' He says, despite the centuries of inbreeding involved in developing different cattle "; S20[22]=" breeds, most maintain a 'surprisingly large' degree of genetic diversity.
      Contributors to the US$53 million international effort to sequence the genome of "; S21[22]=" the cow (Bos taurus) include: the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the U.S.
  "; S22[22]="     Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; the state of Texas; Genome Canada via Genome British "; S23[22]=" Columbia, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia; Agritech Investments Ltd., Dairy InSight, Inc, AgResearch Ltd; the Kleberg Foundation; and the National, Texas "; S24[22]=" and South Dakota Beef Check-off Funds.
      The data can be accessed via a number of public databases including: the Baylor College of "; S25[22]=" Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center (www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu)... "; R[23]="1237"; T[23]="Launch of Tas Dairy Industry Strategic Plan"; A[23]="By ... Editor"; Dn[23]="20060805"; Dt[23]="Saturday 5 August 2006"; Acats[23]="a02a26a69"; B1[23]="      The Dairy Industry Strategic Plan for 2006 - 2010 provides direction to make Tasmania an even better place to be dairy farming, "; B2[23]="the Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn said... "; B3[23]=" "; B4[23]=" "; B5[23]=" "; S1[23]="      The Dairy Industry Strategic Plan for 2006 - 2010 provides direction to make Tasmania an even better place to be dairy farming, "; S2[23]=" the Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn said.
      The Minister launched the Dairy Industry Strategic Plan 2006-2010 at the "; S3[23]=" Elliott Research and Demonstration Station.
      Mr Llewellyn said the Dairy Industry Strategic Plan 2006-2010 is the second industry initiated five-year plan "; S4[23]=" for the dairy industry.
      The objective of the first plan was to grow the industry and improve profitability, productivity and sustainability "; S5[23]=" and the new Strategic Plan will be used to ensure new government and industry projects address high priority dairy issues.
      While "; S6[23]=" the new Plan continues to focus on growth and increased production, the key action priorities have altered slightly.
      The introduction of "; S7[23]=" a new objective to improve animal and feed performance brings added focus to this area of farm management.
      Mr Llewellyn said "; S8[23]=" the dairy industry has changed over the last five years; the profitability, productivity and sustainability of Tasmania's dairy farms are higher today than they were "; S9[23]=" five years ago.
      Milk production over the last five years has remained stable at around 600 million litres while the number "; S10[23]=" of dairy farms has declined to less than 500.
      Milk production per farm has increased over the last five years along with "; S11[23]=" average farm profit, productivity and sustainability.
      Industry and government research, development and extension programs (RD&E) have helped increase productivity and sustainability.
"; S12[23]="       Some of the Tasmanian programs such as the 2012 pasture project were very successful and this project is now to be used "; S13[23]=" interstate to help farmers increase pasture production.
      Tasmania continues to have the lowest cost of milk production in Australia and confidence "; S14[23]=" among dairy farmers remains high.
      The SMART Farming package will provide the funds to reinvigorate the Elliott Research and Demonstration Station.
  "; S15[23]="     The new strategic plan gives increased priority to RD&E projects on animal and feed performance.
      This new priority is "; S16[23]=" consistent with the decision by the University of Tasmania and Dairy Australia to employ specialist dairy nutrition staff and install equipment for dairy nutrition trials "; S17[23]=" at Elliott.
      The Minister congratulated the many dairy stakeholders who collaborated to develop the Strategic Plan.
      He commended "; S18[23]=" them for working together constructively to complete the Tasmanian Dairy Industry Strategic Plan 2006 - 2010 and for providing an example to other agricultural industries "; S19[23]=" of good leadership and planning.
     
      * the DairyTas Board,
      * TFGA Dairy "; S20[23]=" Council,
      * All Tasmanian milk companies,
      * Dairy Australia,
      * "; S21[23]=" Department of Economic Development,
      * Department of Primary Industries and Water and
      * the Tasmanian "; S22[23]=" Institute of Agricultural Research.
      'I am pleased to launch the new Strategic Plan and I look forward to being able to "; S23[23]=" refer to the document when working with industry groups to grow and develop the dairy industry over the next five years,' Mr Llewellyn said... "; R[24]="1221"; T[24]="Dairy farmer's guide to increasing milk protein"; A[24]="By ... Editor"; Dn[24]="20060804"; Dt[24]="Friday 4 August 2006"; Acats[24]="a26"; B1[24]="      A comprehensive booklet outlining simple ways dairy farmers can increase their earnings by up $30 000 a year has just been released.... "; B2[24]=" "; B3[24]=" "; B4[24]=" "; B5[24]=" "; S1[24]="      A comprehensive booklet outlining simple ways dairy farmers can increase their earnings by up $30 000 a year has just been released.
"; S2[24]="       The result of a six-year collaborative effort involving scientists and dairy farmers in a national project called Protein Plu$, the 66-page booklet "; S3[24]=" provides a range of management strategies aimed at increasing on-farm milk protein content.
      Principal research scientist with CSIRO Livestock Industries, Dr Colin "; S4[24]=" White, says the booklet - Protein Plu$ Checkbook: A guide to increasing milk protein % and profit - presents the project's findings in a way "; S5[24]=" that is easy to understand and implement.
      'Low protein content in summer milk is a problem in WA, Queensland and northern NSW,' "; S6[24]=" Dr White says.
      'Downstream processors producing yogurt, quality cheese and other milk products are dependent on a certain percentage of protein and "; S7[24]=" fat in milk to make their products.
      The Protein Plu$ project has ensured that protein levels can be maintained so that milk "; S8[24]=" will always froth in cappuccino machines and downstream processes can continue to produce quality products.
      'By using the management strategies outlined in "; S9[24]=" the booklet, dairy farmers can each expect to increase their milk cheque by between $3000 and $30,000 a year,' Dr White says.
      "; S10[24]=" 'Producers can choose between techniques which quickly, but only temporarily increase their protein percentages, or they can opt for strategies that deliver slower, more lasting "; S11[24]=" improvements.' The Protein Plu$ project was undertaken in two phases.
      The first involved identifying the reasons behind falling milk protein levels and "; S12[24]=" the second involved developing techniques and management strategies that could reverse the trend.
      The project identified nutrition, stage of lactation, calving time, "; S13[24]=" genetics and body condition score as the main factors influencing milk protein percentage and yield.
      'Dairy producers who trialled the management strategies "; S14[24]=" outlined in the booklet recorded increases in their milk protein content by the target of 1.5 grams per litre,' Dr White says.
      "; S15[24]=" 'The project was an outstanding success and is delivering increased profits to the industry and savings estimated to be at least $15 million a year.' "; S16[24]=" 'This project is an example of how simple solutions can be identified by applying modern science to a complex problem,' Dr White says.
    "; S17[24]="   The project involved scientists and researchers from CSIRO Livestock Industries; the WA Department of Agriculture and Food; the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; "; S18[24]=" Dairy Australia; Sub-Tropical Dairy; Western Dairy; Dairy Farmers; Parmalat; and Norco.
      The booklet can be purchased from DPI&F Publications, GPO Box 46, "; S19[24]=" Brisbane, Qld 4001... "; R[25]="1142"; T[25]="NZ butter suspended from Europe"; A[25]="By ... Editor"; Dn[25]="20060718"; Dt[25]="Tuesday 18 July 2006"; Acats[25]="a08a26"; B1[25]="      The world dairy market looks set to further weaken after the suspension of New Zealand butter from Europe.... "; B2[25]=" "; B3[25]=" "; B4[25]=" "; B5[25]=" "; S1[25]="      The world dairy market looks set to further weaken after the suspension of New Zealand butter from Europe.
      The "; S2[25]=" European Court of Justice made the ruling after a German company challenged New Zealand's import licence.
      New Zealand's exports to Europe make "; S3[25]=" up about 15 per cent of the total world butter trade.
      Rabobank dairy analyst Tim Hunt says Australian farmers will feel the "; S4[25]=" effects.
      'Fonterra and the New Zealand Government are working hard to reverse the decision but if the issue is not resolved and "; S5[25]=" trade resumed within four to six months we're going to have a lot of butter looking for a new home on the global market,' he "; S6[25]=" said.
      'And that's not good news for Australian exporters, it will probably be redirected to markets in competition with our products and "; S7[25]=" that's occurring at a time when there's already considerable pressure on dairy fat prices.'.. "; R[26]="1126"; T[26]="No loss of market access from BJD"; A[26]="By ... Editor"; Dn[26]="20060717"; Dt[26]="Monday 17 July 2006"; Acats[26]="a26a27a33"; B1[26]="      The discovery of bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in a beef herd in the Albany area does not affect WA's access to export "; B2[26]="or interstate markets for cattle beef or dairy products... "; B3[26]=" "; B4[26]=" "; B5[26]=" "; S1[26]="      The discovery of bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in a beef herd in the Albany area does not affect WA's access to export "; S2[26]=" or interstate markets for cattle beef or dairy products.
      Chief Veterinary Officer Peter Buckman said BJD occurred in all cattle raising countries.
"; S3[26]="       It is known to be present in Australian herds since the 1920's, and was in all other States except the Northern Territory.
"; S4[26]="       Western Australia is currently recognised in Australia as a Free Zone for BJD, a rare status in worldwide terms because of the "; S5[26]=" extent of the disease in other countries.
      'Farmers around the world manage the disease by managing their herd and pasture grazing,' he "; S6[26]=" said.
      'There are no restrictions on Western Australian cattle other than the cattle that are now in quarantine on the affected property.
"; S7[26]="       There are also no restrictions on beef or dairy products.' Dr Buckman said Western Australia had detected BJD seven times in the "; S8[26]=" past, as far back as 1952,' he said.
      'WA has been able to eradicate BJD each time because it had not spread "; S9[26]=" from the original infected herds.
      This case may be more complicated as it appears that it may have been in the herd "; S10[26]=" for some time,' Dr Buckman said.
      Department and industry representatives are meeting in Perth to plan strategies to investigate the outbreak and "; S11[26]=" plan a way forward,' Dr Buckman said.
      'It will not be solved tomorrow.
      It will be a long term "; S12[26]=" effort by industry, cattle owners and the Department,' Dr Buckman said.
      Currently the Department is following up herds that are known to "; S13[26]=" have received or sent cattle to the infected herd or are known to be at risk from the infected herd.
      These herds "; S14[26]=" will be tested to see if the disease is more widespread.
      Dr Buckman said the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) had proved "; S15[26]=" invaluable in identifying the location of cattle moved within the last twelve months.
      He said tracings prior to the introduction of the "; S16[26]=" NLIS would have taken much longer.
      'The Department will continue to respect the personal privacy of owners affected by BJD.
    "; S17[26]="   This is a long standing policy in such cases.
      Unless the person wishes to have his name disclosed, we don't disclose.' "; S18[26]=" Dr Buckman highlighted the need for stock owners to continue standard biosecurity precautions and not allow cattle onto their property without knowing their history.
  "; S19[26]="     Cattle owners should ask their vet to investigate if mature cattle have a persistent diarrhoea and progressive weight loss that does not respond "; S20[26]=" to treatment... "; R[27]="1109"; T[27]="No loss of market access from BJD"; A[27]="By ... Editor"; Dn[27]="20060714"; Dt[27]="Friday 14 July 2006"; Acats[27]="a25a26a27a33"; B1[27]="      The discovery of bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in a beef herd in the Albany area does not affect WA's access to export "; B2[27]="or interstate markets for cattle beef or dairy products... "; B3[27]=" "; B4[27]=" "; B5[27]=" "; S1[27]="      The discovery of bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in a beef herd in the Albany area does not affect WA's access to export "; S2[27]=" or interstate markets for cattle beef or dairy products.
      Chief Veterinary Officer Peter Buckman said BJD occurred in all cattle raising countries.
"; S3[27]="       It is known to be present in Australian herds since the 1920's, and was in all other States except the Northern Territory.
"; S4[27]="       Western Australia is currently recognised in Australia as a Free Zone for BJD, a rare status in worldwide terms because of the "; S5[27]=" extent of the disease in other countries.
      'Farmers around the world manage the disease by managing their herd and pasture grazing,' he "; S6[27]=" said.
      'There are no restrictions on Western Australian cattle other than the cattle that are now in quarantine on the affected property.
"; S7[27]="       There are also no restrictions on beef or dairy products.' Dr Buckman said Western Australia had detected BJD seven times in the "; S8[27]=" past, as far back as 1952,' he said.
      'WA has been able to eradicate BJD each time because it had not spread "; S9[27]=" from the original infected herds.
      This case may be more complicated as it appears that it may have been in the herd "; S10[27]=" for some time,' Dr Buckman said.
      Department and industry representatives are meeting in Perth to plan strategies to investigate the outbreak and "; S11[27]=" plan a way forward,' Dr Buckman said.
      'It will not be solved tomorrow.
      It will be a long term "; S12[27]=" effort by industry, cattle owners and the Department,' Dr Buckman said.
      Currently the Department is following up herds that are known to "; S13[27]=" have received or sent cattle to the infected herd or are known to be at risk from the infected herd.
      These herds "; S14[27]=" will be tested to see if the disease is more widespread.
      Dr Buckman said the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) had proved "; S15[27]=" invaluable in identifying the location of cattle moved within the last twelve months.
      He said tracings prior to the introduction of the "; S16[27]=" NLIS would have taken much longer.
      'The Department will continue to respect the personal privacy of owners affected by BJD.
    "; S17[27]="   This is a long standing policy in such cases.
      Unless the person wishes to have his name disclosed, we don't disclose.' "; S18[27]=" Dr Buckman highlighted the need for stock owners to continue standard biosecurity precautions and not allow cattle onto their property without knowing their history.
  "; S19[27]="     Cattle owners should ask their vet to investigate if mature cattle have a persistent diarrhoea and progressive weight loss that does not respond "; S20[27]=" to treatment... "; R[28]="1097"; T[28]="More fertile cattle worth millions to producers"; A[28]="By ... Editor"; Dn[28]="20060713"; Dt[28]="Thursday 13 July 2006"; Acats[28]="a26a27a93"; B1[28]="      Research into finding the links between the genetic make-up of bulls and the fertility of their female progeny could be worth millions "; B2[28]="of dollars to Australian beef producers... "; B3[28]=" "; B4[28]=" "; B5[28]=" "; S1[28]="      Research into finding the links between the genetic make-up of bulls and the fertility of their female progeny could be worth millions "; S2[28]=" of dollars to Australian beef producers.
      The potential to improve reproductive performance has been revealed in a major research project involving "; S3[28]=" monthly ovarian scanning of 2000 heifers from weaning to first calving.
      More than 36,000 pieces of data have been gathered by scientists "; S4[28]=" from CSIRO, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit at Belmont Research Station and four other Queensland Department of Primary "; S5[28]=" Industries research stations across the state.
      CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies calculations show the northern Australian beef industry could generate an extra "; S6[28]=" $35 million a year through improved female reproductive performance.
      CSIRO Livestock Industries Technical Officer at Belmont, Nick Corbet, said regular scanning would "; S7[28]=" continue over the next six breeding cycles to build a picture of lifetime calving performance.
      Mr Corbet said if the research led "; S8[28]=" to an improvement in calving rates it would provide a significant boost to grazing profitability.
      Fertility is a complex trait, but under "; S9[28]=" conditions of good feed, no disease and no parasites, a cow could be expected to raise a calf every 12 months between the ages of "; S10[28]=" three and 10 years.
      Researchers decided to begin the fertility research with young cattle, looking for an early indicator of an animal's "; S11[28]=" lifetime reproductive performance.
      Results of the ultrasound scanning have shown a huge variation in the age and weight of cattle at first "; S12[28]=" ovulation.
      Extremes ranged from a 10-month old heifer weighing 214 kg to a 3.4 year old animal weighing 458 kg.
    "; S13[28]="   Through progeny testing and the use of Estimated Breeding Value data, bulls that consistently produce early ovulating heifers can be identified.
      "; S14[28]=" Early results have shown that age at first ovulation is moderately heritable with a moderate to strong genetic correlation between first ovulation age and calving "; S15[28]=" success at first mating.
      Heifers that ovulate younger are more likely to conceive and calve earlier following their first joining.
    "; S16[28]="   Further data is being collected to determine whether the pattern of early calving persists over the female's reproductive life.
      'It "; S17[28]=" will be particularly important to examine whether there are any negative impacts on lifetime fertility as a result of earlier calving following the first joining,' "; S18[28]=" Mr Corbet said.
      The research showed the condition of heifers also affected breeding performance.
      Heifers typically had a 3.3 "; S19[28]=" to 4.6 mm rump fat measurement when they ovulated for the first time.
      Animals with less than 3 mm at time of "; S20[28]=" mating had a lower rate of pregnancy with the optimum level being 5 to 7 mm.
      See more media releases in our... "; R[29]="1086"; T[29]="Seventh case of BSE in Canada?"; A[29]="By ... Editor"; Dn[29]="20060713"; Dt[29]="Thursday 13 July 2006"; Acats[29]="a26a27a33"; B1[29]="      According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), confirmatory testing is currently underway on samples from a cow in Alberta suspected of "; B2[29]="having bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)... "; B3[29]=" "; B4[29]=" "; B5[29]=" "; S1[29]="      According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), confirmatory testing is currently underway on samples from a cow in Alberta suspected of "; S2[29]=" having bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
      The animal was reported to be a 50-month old dairy cow that died and was retained on "; S3[29]=" farm.
      The cow was identified through the national BSE surveillance program and no part of the carcase entered the human food or "; S4[29]=" animal feed systems.
      This animal was born after Canada imposed feed restrictions in 1997.
      This investigation comes less "; S5[29]=" than two weeks after Canada confirmed its sixth case of BSE.
      The CFIA has stated that the detection of this new case "; S6[29]=" is consistent with a low level of disease and does not indicate an increased risk of BSE in Canada.
      In addition, the "; S7[29]=" Canadian Cattlemen's Association believes it will not have any impact on trade... "; R[30]="1081"; T[30]="Department investigates suspect cattle disease"; A[30]="By ... Editor"; Dn[30]="20060712"; Dt[30]="Wednesday 12 July 2006"; Acats[30]="a26a27a33"; B1[30]="      The Department of Agriculture and Food has confirmed it is investigating a case of the wasting disease bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in "; B2[30]="a beef herd in the Albany area... "; B3[30]=" "; B4[30]=" "; B5[30]=" "; S1[30]="      The Department of Agriculture and Food has confirmed it is investigating a case of the wasting disease bovine Johne's disease (BJD) in "; S2[30]=" a beef herd in the Albany area.
      Chief Veterinary Officer Peter Buckman said the case was referred to the Department after the "; S3[30]=" cattle owner had found a recurring problem with a small number of cows suffering weight loss and diarrhoea.
      'Department investigation found that "; S4[30]=" the clinical signs and blood and tissue tests results were all consistent with BJD infection,' Dr Buckman said.
      'DNA testing has now "; S5[30]=" confirmed the presence of BJD.
      'The herd has been quarantined and the Department will trace cattle movements to and from the herd "; S6[30]=" over the last 12 years.' Dr Buckman said the finding of BJD in Western Australia had significant consequences for the State's cattle industry.
    "; S7[30]="   'Western Australia is currently recognised nationally as a Free Zone for BJD,' he said.
      'WA will not immediately lose its Free "; S8[30]=" Zone status, but maintaining that status would require testing all risk properties and destocking all cattle from any infected property.
      'It would "; S9[30]=" also require wide scale surveillance testing to prove the disease was not longer present in the State.' Dr Buckman said the Department and industry representatives "; S10[30]=" would develop a plan to investigate the extent of the disease in Western Australia and determine whether eradication was technically possible and cost-effective.
    "; S11[30]="   'Tracing and testing to evaluate whether eradication is feasible and cost-effective will take months to complete,' Dr Buckman said.
      'The cattle "; S12[30]=" industry is fortunate in having a joint industry and government Cattle Industry Compensation Fund that will fund the costs of carrying out the testing necessary "; S13[30]=" to define the extent of the disease.
      'The fund would also enable the industry to carry out BJD eradication if that is "; S14[30]=" deemed feasible.' BJD is a serious intestinal wasting disease of cattle that can infect other animals such as alpaca, goats and deer.
      "; S15[30]=" It is caused by the bacterium M.
      paratuberculosis.
      BJD is not known to affect humans, and properly processed meat "; S16[30]=" and milk remain safe.
      Dr Buckman said BJD was unrelated to the sheep disease ovine Johne's disease (OJD) that was found in "; S17[30]=" Western Australia in November 2003.
      BJD spreads in the faeces and milk of infected animals and is picked up by ingesting contaminated "; S18[30]=" feed or water.
      It has an incubation period of 3-4 years before an infected animals start to lose condition.
      "; S19[30]=" Infected animals develop an incurable foul smelling diarrhoea.
      As the disease progresses, increasing numbers of bacteria are shed in the faeces and "; S20[30]=" further contaminate the pasture... "; R[31]="1076"; T[31]="Workshops give a nutritional edge"; A[31]="By ... Editor"; Dn[31]="20060712"; Dt[31]="Wednesday 12 July 2006"; Acats[31]="a26a27"; B1[31]="      Beef producers who attend a three-day Nutrition EDGE workshop at either Moonie or Dalby in August will be better placed to get "; B2[31]="the best value from paddock and bought feed... "; B3[31]=" "; B4[31]=" "; B5[31]=" "; S1[31]="      Beef producers who attend a three-day Nutrition EDGE workshop at either Moonie or Dalby in August will be better placed to get "; S2[31]=" the best value from paddock and bought feed.
      A Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries beef extension officer, Kay Taylor of Miles, "; S3[31]=" said with the challenges of on-going dry weather, choosing and using feed to advantage remained a high priority for beef businesses.
      Ms "; S4[31]=" Taylor said beef producers attending previous Nutrition EDGE workshops had found that they left with the skills of understanding what different animals required at different "; S5[31]=" times, how to assess their paddock feed in a range of seasonal conditions, how to assess all of the options available, and how to make "; S6[31]=" supplementary and drought feeding more effective and cost efficient.
      'The workshops also provide the basics on developing a range of nutritional "; S7[31]=" strategies, such as finishing turnoff animals, growing out weaners, early weaning calves, getting first 'calvers' back in calf, and drought feeding breeders,' she said.
  "; S8[31]="     Ms Taylor said workshop participants had found they could save money by being able to read the labels of commercial feed products and "; S9[31]=" decide which option is best suits the need and provides best value.
      She said the workshops attracted a Farmbis subsidy, so participants "; S10[31]=" needed to book early so their subsidy application could be submitted and approved before the start of the workshop.
      She said the "; S11[31]=" workshop at Moonie would be held on August 2, 3 and 8, and at Dalby on August 24, 25 and 31.
      'Additional "; S12[31]=" workshops are planned for the Moura-Theodore and St George-Bollon areas in November,' she said.
      Kay Taylor (4628 5200 or kay.taylor@dpi.qld.gov.au) can take "; S13[31]=" registrations and provide more information... "; R[32]="1067"; T[32]="BJD-infected cattle in quarantine"; A[32]="By ... Editor"; Dn[32]="20060712"; Dt[32]="Wednesday 12 July 2006"; Acats[32]="a26a27a33"; B1[32]="      A herd of beef cattle near Albany in Western Australia has been quarantined after testing positive for a rare wasting disease.... "; B2[32]=" "; B3[32]=" "; B4[32]=" "; B5[32]=" "; S1[32]="      A herd of beef cattle near Albany in Western Australia has been quarantined after testing positive for a rare wasting disease.
  "; S2[32]="     Veterinarians from the Department of Agriculture found the cattle are infected with Bovine Johne's disease (BJD), a condition that causes cattle to develop "; S3[32]=" incurable diarrhoea and waste away.
      The cattle were tested after their owner found many smaller cows in the herd were losing "; S4[32]=" weight.
      Chief veterinary officer Dr Peter Buckman says the department is tracking the Albany herd's movements to see if the disease "; S5[32]=" has spread.
      'Removal to slaughter of the whole herd is the only means of eradication,' he said.
      Western Australia "; S6[32]=" has a free zone status for BJD, which is now under threat.
      The department says it is developing a plan to "; S7[32]=" investigate whether the disease has been found anywhere else in WA and destroy any cattle carrying it... "; R[33]="1049"; T[33]="Biological battle on ryegrass toxicity"; A[33]="By ... Editor"; Dn[33]="20060708"; Dt[33]="Saturday 8 July 2006"; Acats[33]="a25a26a27a33a72"; B1[33]="      Annual ryegrass toxicity is taking its toll, costing livestock producers about $40 million a year according to Department of Agriculture and Food "; B2[33]="estimates... "; B3[33]=" "; B4[33]=" "; B5[33]=" "; S1[33]="      Annual ryegrass toxicity is taking its toll, costing livestock producers about $40 million a year according to Department of Agriculture and Food "; S2[33]=" estimates.
      Along-side chemical control of ryegrass, three biological control options - Safeguard ryegrass, Twist fungus and non-toxigenic Rathayibacter are showing the "; S3[33]=" best chance of success.
      Contracted on a project funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Department development officer David Kessell will "; S4[33]=" present the options to producers at the Department's Sheep Updates on 13 July, sponsored by MLA and Australian Wool Innovation Ltd.
      "; S5[33]=" Annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT) is a disease of grazing livestock resulting from the ingestion of annual ryegrass seed-heads infected by the toxin forming bacterium Rathayibacter "; S6[33]=" toxicus.
      Mr Kessell said the causal organisms of ARGT were spreading throughout Western Australia after first appearing near Gnowangerup in 1968.
"; S7[33]="       'Recent surveys have shown the organisms are now widely spread in the wheatbelt and mixed farming areas where annual ryegrass is "; S8[33]=" present,' he said.
      'Deaths have also occurred on the Swan coastal plain in animals fed locally- produced hay.
      "; S9[33]=" 'But, while the major visual impact is livestock deaths, this only accounts for approximately five per cent of the overall costs of the disease.
"; S10[33]="       There are subclinical effects on wool and reproduction and suspected on meat production and feed conversion efficiency.
      'Daily "; S11[33]=" monitoring of stock is costly and psychologically draining on producers.
      There is also a large cost to export hay producers through rejection "; S12[33]=" of contaminated hay (currently from 1 bacterial gall/kg of hay).' Mr Kessell said in winter, a number of herbicide options were available to reduce "; S13[33]=" the ryegrass populations in crops and pastures.
      The sowing of Safeguard ryegrass was also a very useful option for graziers.
    "; S14[33]="   In spring, the use of slashing or heavy grazing to remove infected seed-heads before toxicity developed could vastly increase the safety of affected "; S15[33]=" paddocks.
      Spray-topping with gramoxone or glyphosate at the correct times would also prevent further development of toxicity and make paddocks safer to "; S16[33]=" graze, but both these treatments were very damaging to legume seed set.
      Mr Kessell said an integration of several biological control "; S17[33]=" options was likely to have the most success.
      'Safeguard is a cultivar of ryegrass that has resistance to gall production from "; S18[33]=" the nematode Anguina funesta.
      For Safeguard to have the greatest impact, it must be established in at least a 3:1 proportion with "; S19[33]=" the local ryegrass,' he said.
      'Twist fungus (Dilophospora alopecuri) competes with the bacteria for the nematode vector and plant host.
  "; S20[33]="     Inside the ryegrass, twist grows more rapidly inhibiting nematode and bacterial gall production.
      Once established, twist will persist and spread, "; S21[33]=" has been shown to dramatically reduce numbers of toxic bacterial galls, and is not adversely affected by commonly used fungicides.' 'Even though there has "; S22[33]=" been a late start to the season, anyone who has purchased twist fungus should put it out as soon as possible to ensure the greatest "; S23[33]=" likelihood of successful establishment.
      It won't keep until next season.' Mr Kessell said the combined effectiveness of the two approaches was "; S24[33]=" demonstrated at a number of sites around WA in 2005.
      'In a particularly impressive case, on a farm near Beverley WA, "; S25[33]=" the treatment reduced toxic gall numbers from potentially deadly to relatively safe, within one season,' he said.
      Non-toxigenic Rathayibacter is a "; S26[33]=" non toxin producing species of the bacteria which is being assessed in quarantine studies and may prove to be highly effective in the control of "; S27[33]=" ARGT.
      These bacteria grow more rapidly and have been shown to displace the toxic bacteria.
      A decision from "; S28[33]=" AQIS to allow field trials is hoped for by the end of 2006.
      Potentially these bacteria would be easier to mass produce "; S29[33]=" and apply than twist fungus... "; R[34]="1038"; T[34]="Red meat industry launches enviro-friendly biodiesel venture"; A[34]="By ... Editor"; Dn[34]="20060708"; Dt[34]="Saturday 8 July 2006"; Acats[34]="a26a27a36a94"; B1[34]="      Meat & Livestock Australia has today joined Midfield Meat International, Australian Meat Processors' Corporation and Sustainability Victoria to launch an initiative designed "; B2[34]="to produce biodiesel from tallow... "; B3[34]=" "; B4[34]=" "; B5[34]=" "; S1[34]="      Meat & Livestock Australia has today joined Midfield Meat International, Australian Meat Processors' Corporation and Sustainability Victoria to launch an initiative designed "; S2[34]=" to produce biodiesel from tallow.
      The project, being developed at Midfield Meats in Warnambool, is funded by the red meat industry in "; S3[34]=" a joint effort that has the potential to produce over 10 million litres of biodiesel from animal fat every year.
      The fuel "; S4[34]=" would be sold to the open market as well as being used for Midfield's own transport fleet.
      Dr Diana Day, Board "; S5[34]=" Director of Meat & Livestock Australia, said the project was an exciting opportunity to improve the long-term sustainability of the red meat industry.
    "; S6[34]="   'This technology is great for profitability as it has the potential to take the volatility out of the tallow market by linking the value "; S7[34]=" of tallow to international oil prices.
      This could provide a financial return greater than current average prices and put processors in a "; S8[34]=" more financially secure position,' Dr Day said.
      'Additionally, we are currently facing a global fuel crisis leaving the Australian red meat industry "; S9[34]=" with an ever-growing need for alternative fuel solutions in order to maintain competitiveness.
      'This renewable energy technology will positively contribute to reductions "; S10[34]=" in greenhouse gases - a real bonus to the health of regional and global climates.' Meat & Livestock Australia's Manager - Environment, Dr Stewart McGlashan "; S11[34]=" said biodiesel has been established globally as a proven fuel with a favourable emission profile.
      'It's becoming increasingly important to manage "; S12[34]=" our natural resources and build an environmentally friendly, but still competitive, red meat industry,' Dr McGlashan said.
      'We see this project as "; S13[34]=" a significant step towards achieving this goal by developing a solution that's good for business while reducing our environmental impact.' The Midfield Meat Group operates "; S14[34]=" one of the largest red meat (beef, veal, lamb, mutton and offal derivatives) processing plants in Australia as well as a rendering plant, a pastoral "; S15[34]=" company and a transport business.
      The Midfield Meat Group is also currently exploring the viability of developing a cogeneration plant to power "; S16[34]=" the abattoir... "; R[35]="1025"; T[35]="Great care needed if pasture fertilised with poultry litter"; A[35]="By ... Editor"; Dn[35]="20060707"; Dt[35]="Friday 7 July 2006"; Acats[35]="a03a25a26a27a33"; B1[35]="      Cattle and sheep owners are reminded to take great care if they spread poultry litter on their pastures.... "; B2[35]=" "; B3[35]=" "; B4[35]=" "; B5[35]=" "; S1[35]="      Cattle and sheep owners are reminded to take great care if they spread poultry litter on their pastures.
      Some "; S2[35]=" recently reported cattle deaths in the State's South East may have been caused by pasture that was newly fertilised with poultry litter, says Tasmania's Chief "; S3[35]=" Veterinary Officer, Dr Rod Andrewartha.
      'It is most important that poultry litter is fully incorporated into the soil before any cattle or "; S4[35]=" sheep are put onto the pasture.' While the deaths are still under investigation, there are various diseases that can be caused by cattle or sheep "; S5[35]=" eating even small quantities of poultry litter.
      'The general rule is that if you can still see the poultry litter in the "; S6[35]=" pasture, it's too early to graze,' Dr Andrewartha said.
      'For most of the year, it takes about three weeks for poultry litter "; S7[35]=" to disappear into the ground.
      If there is prolonged dry weather, it may take more than three weeks.' He said that livestock "; S8[35]=" owners also need to be aware that fertilising pasture with poultry litter also has implications to Australia's BSE free status.
      Poultry feed "; S9[35]=" contains some meat, meat meal and may contain other animal product.
      This is known as Restricted Animal Material (RAM) which must never "; S10[35]=" be fed to ruminant animals.
      The ban on feeding RAM to ruminants is essential to maintaining Australia's status as being free of "; S11[35]=" Mad Cow Disease.
      'We carry out regular biosecurity audits to assure our major trading partners that they can buy our meat and "; S12[35]=" dairy products with confidence' Dr Andrewartha said.
      'Our high standards set us apart from many of our competitors and enable us to "; S13[35]=" access lucrative overseas markets.
      'I appeal to all livestock owners to make sure they do the right thing.
      "; S14[35]=" 'It's fine to use poultry litter to fertilise pasture if, and only if, all ruminant animals are kept off that pasture until all the "; S15[35]=" poultry litter has disappeared into the ground.'.. "; R[36]="1008"; T[36]="McGauran backs livestock ID system"; A[36]="By ... Editor"; Dn[36]="20060630"; Dt[36]="Friday 30 June 2006"; Acats[36]="a26a27"; B1[36]="      The Federal Agriculture Minister, Peter McGauran, has defended an audit of the National Livestock Identification System.... "; B2[36]=" "; B3[36]=" "; B4[36]=" "; B5[36]=" "; S1[36]="      The Federal Agriculture Minister, Peter McGauran, has defended an audit of the National Livestock Identification System.
      The Australian Beef "; S2[36]=" Association (ABA) says the audit ordered by Mr McGauran in recent weeks, will not be independent, and will not solve problems inherent in the livestock "; S3[36]=" traceback system.
      ABA chair Linda Hewitt says there is no point checking the database is working, if the accuracy of information entered "; S4[36]=" at the property and meatworks level is not checked.
      Mr McGauran says the audit will be both independent and comprehensive.
    "; S5[36]="   'I can only say that this will be an independent assessment by the government of the day.
      The ABA is quite "; S6[36]=" intemperate.
      They claim the NLIS is fundamentally flawed, not just the database,' Mr McGauran said.
      'Now I am prepared "; S7[36]=" to act on the basis of persistent criticisms, even undermining of the NLIS system and the database, but I am not prepared to put the "; S8[36]=" ABA in charge of the investigation.'.. "; R[37]="999"; T[37]="Milk processor explores merger option"; A[37]="By ... Editor"; Dn[37]="20060628"; Dt[37]="Wednesday 28 June 2006"; Acats[37]="a26"; B1[37]="      One of Australia's largest milk processors has opened the door to a possible merger.... "; B2[37]=" "; B3[37]=" "; B4[37]=" "; B5[37]=" "; S1[37]="      One of Australia's largest milk processors has opened the door to a possible merger.
      Victorian-based Tatura Milk, which provides "; S2[37]=" about 5 per cent of Australia's dairy products, is undertaking a financial review after posting a $6 million loss before tax last year.
    "; S3[37]="   Chairman Ian Bertram says all opportunities will be explored during the six-month review.
      'We haven't ruled out any possibilities, we've left "; S4[37]=" it very open, we don't know the outcome, we don't know the answer,' he said.
      'We have had discussions with other possible "; S5[37]=" suitors about where to from here, but that's about as far as it's gone.'.. "; R[38]="991"; T[38]="Empty cows present research challenge"; A[38]="By ... Editor"; Dn[38]="20060628"; Dt[38]="Wednesday 28 June 2006"; Acats[38]="a26a27"; B1[38]="      When breeding cows do not conceive annually it represents lost productivity and profitability but the challenge for industry researchers is to determine "; B2[38]="why these cattle fail to reproduce... "; B3[38]=" "; B4[38]=" "; B5[38]=" "; S1[38]="      When breeding cows do not conceive annually it represents lost productivity and profitability but the challenge for industry researchers is to determine "; S2[38]=" why these cattle fail to reproduce.
      Rockhampton-based Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal scientist Dr Dick Holroyd said a six-year project "; S3[38]=" initiated in May 2004 was currently working its way through 2000 breeders located at five state-wide research stations.
      Funded through the Cooperative "; S4[38]=" Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies (Beef CRC III), Dr Holroyd said the project objective was to identify the early life indicators of female reproductive "; S5[38]=" performance that could be used by the beef industry.
      'Our task is to record the nature and frequency of each cow's reproductive "; S6[38]=" performance after annual six calving opportunities which is considered - for the purposes of this experiment - a lifetime,' Dr Holroyd said.
      "; S7[38]=" 'There is lack of data on the genetics of lifetime female reproductive performance and the relationship of the genetic data with other production traits.
  "; S8[38]="     'If we can identify early life indicator traits with strong genetic relationships to lifetime reproductive performance, there is scope to develop management strategies "; S9[38]=" to manipulate or alter these traits to increase the productivity and profitability of the Australian beef herd,' Dr Holroyd said.
      The Brahman "; S10[38]=" and composite breeders sourced from the CRC II project were currently held at research stations at Belmont (Rockhampton), Brian Pastures (Gayndah), Brigalow (Theodore), Toorak (Julia "; S11[38]=" Creek) and Swans Lagoon (Ayr).
      Major partners in this research include DPI&F, CSIRO, University of New England and NSW DPI.
    "; S12[38]="   Dr Holroyd said that part of the research was focussed on studying the reproductive tracts of culled cows that had failed to conceive or "; S13[38]=" had aborted calves in two successive seasons.
      From the 660 cows at Belmont Research Station, 21 failed breeders were recently culled and "; S14[38]=" slaughtered.
      'By looking at the reproductive organs, our objective is to identify any physical reasons for the infertility.
      'Having "; S15[38]=" the reproductive tracts in a laboratory situation also provides a valuable opportunity to train technicians in the use of ultrasound equipment,' Dr Holroyd said.
  "; S16[38]="     'Ultrasound technology applied in the field alongside the cattle crush enables our technicians to view the ovarian structure to determine if an animal "; S17[38]=" is cycling and can also identify early pregnancy to as little as 24-25 days.' 'To date, our laboratory findings have identified abnormalities of the cervix, "; S18[38]=" uterine infections that have affected normal reproductive cycling and some mature animals with infantile reproductive organs.
      'Others have no apparent physical defects "; S19[38]=" which leaves no obvious explanation for the lack of conception but as these cows are naturally mated, it is not always the fault of the "; S20[38]=" female,' Dr Holroyd said.
      Dr Holroyd said a decade of CRC project female reproductive performance genetic research data was also being used "; S21[38]=" to develop early life predictors to improve bull fertility and performance.
      This aligned study to be completed by November 2011 will ultimately "; S22[38]=" involve the assessment of 3500 bulls aged from six to 24 months to identify male fertility traits that can contribute toward improved female reproductive performance... "; R[39]="930"; T[39]="Phantom cattle prompt audit of livestock ID system"; A[39]="By ... Editor"; Dn[39]="20060619"; Dt[39]="Monday 19 June 2006"; Acats[39]="a26a27"; B1[39]="      The Federal Government has ordered an independent audit of Australia's national livestock identification system.... "; B2[39]=" "; B3[39]=" "; B4[39]=" "; B5[39]=" "; S1[39]="      The Federal Government has ordered an independent audit of Australia's national livestock identification system.
      The system allows Meat and "; S2[39]=" Livestock Australia to electronically trace cattle from birth to slaughter using ear and rumen tags, but it has been controversial since its inception 12 months "; S3[39]=" ago.
      The Agriculture Minister, Peter McGauran, says he has ordered the audit after criticism from the Australian Beef Association (ABA), which claims "; S4[39]=" there are 11 million 'phantom' cattle on the database that do not exist.
      But the minister has warned the ABA against tarnishing "; S5[39]=" the beef industry's reputation.
      'Such criticism can potentially harm the industry,' he said.
      'Consequently, even though MLA and the "; S6[39]=" database is subject to regular and ongoing audits and examination, I'll undertake an inquiry off my own bat.
      I am not calling "; S7[39]=" into question the system.
      I want to be sure that its performance lives up to its claims.'.. "; R[40]="837"; T[40]="Tasmanian cow tests positive for hydatid tapeworm"; A[40]="By ... Editor"; Dn[40]="20060606"; Dt[40]="Tuesday 6 June 2006"; Acats[40]="a26a27a33a69"; B1[40]="      A Tasmanian bred cow has tested positive for the hydatid tapeworm, the state's first case in a decade.... "; B2[40]=" "; B3[40]=" "; B4[40]=" "; B5[40]=" "; S1[40]="      A Tasmanian bred cow has tested positive for the hydatid tapeworm, the state's first case in a decade.
      Tasmania "; S2[40]=" embarked on a world leading hydatid eradication program 40 years ago and while hydatids have been discovered since, most have been traced to imported stock.
"; S3[40]="       The state was declared provisionally-free of hydatid disease in 1996.
      Chief vet Rod Andrewartha says the infected cow was "; S4[40]=" part of a mixed line of cattle.
      'Occasionally of course we will detect cysts and we can normally trace them back to "; S5[40]=" sheep or cattle imported from the mainland, in this particular case we found it in an animal which was born and bred in Tasmania,' he "; S6[40]=" said.
      'That is the major concern for us, tracing back and finding out how it picked up the infection.'.. "; R[41]="755"; T[41]="Cheese factory to lead the world"; A[41]="By ... Editor"; Dn[41]="20060526"; Dt[41]="Friday 26 May 2006"; Acats[41]="a26"; B1[41]="      A major restructure by U.S.
      food giant Kraft will see a South-East cheese factory become the fourth largest Philadelphia "; B2[41]="cream cheese producer in the world... "; B3[41]=" "; B4[41]=" "; B5[41]=" "; S1[41]="      A major restructure by U.S.
      food giant Kraft will see a South-East cheese factory become the fourth largest Philadelphia "; S2[41]=" cream cheese producer in the world.
      The move, to occur in 2007, will see 14 new jobs and provide long-term security for "; S3[41]=" the existing 90 employees at the Suttontown cheese factory, near Mount Gambier.
      The announcement comes as Kraft begins a two-year restructure "; S4[41]=" to focus on key brands such as Vegemite.
      Kraft spokesman Andrew Kilsby said the transfer was 'a testament to the workers "; S5[41]=" in Suttontown'.
      'Over the years the factory has been built up from something very small to a world leader,' Mr Kilsby "; S6[41]=" said.
      Industry and Trade Minister Kevin Foley said it was 'great news' the Suttontown factory would continue to grow, despite the "; S7[41]=" job losses elsewhere in Australia.
      'The announcement will mean more jobs for the region, which is great news, but it will "; S8[41]=" also mean a great boost for economic activity in the southeast,' he said... "; R[42]="733"; T[42]="Producers eye profitability following Tasmania dairy study tour"; A[42]="By ... Editor"; Dn[42]="20060518"; Dt[42]="Thursday 18 May 2006"; Acats[42]="a07a26a53"; B1[42]="      Key lessons on business management and profitability are being evaluated by Queensland dairyfarmers who took part in a 2005 Dairy Water Use "; B2[42]="for Profit project study tour of Tasmanian industries... "; B3[42]=" "; B4[42]=" "; B5[42]=" "; S1[42]="      Key lessons on business management and profitability are being evaluated by Queensland dairyfarmers who took part in a 2005 Dairy Water Use "; S2[42]=" for Profit project study tour of Tasmanian industries.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries dairy extension officer Greg Stanley said enthusiasm and "; S3[42]=" a positive outlook towards their businesses were two major outcomes given by the 30 Queensland producers who attended the successful tour.
      'While "; S4[42]=" weather conditions are vastly different to those in Queensland, aspects of dairy farming such as business management and profitability remain important for all milk producers.
"; S5[42]="       This was vitally so for Tasmanian dairyfarmers with most farms inspected showing a return on capital of 8 to 12 percent.' The "; S6[42]=" tour group met with and learned valuable lessons from some of the most progressive and skilled managers in Tasmania while visiting a cross-section of dairy "; S7[42]=" farms with milking herds ranging from 200 to 700 cows.
      'Most irrigation in Tasmania takes place during a four month period over "; S8[42]=" summer with most rainfall during the winter months.
      Most tour group interest was on the island's use of low-pressure irrigation systems such "; S9[42]=" as centre pivots, solid sets and booms but the scale of some irrigation infrastructure also drew keen attention as less water is used by the "; S10[42]=" southern dairy farms,' 'Sustainable farming systems and managing the environmental impact of primary production were areas investigated on the tour.
      It was "; S11[42]=" revealed that as funding for Landcare and environmental issues is made available to Tasmanian producers there was significant allocation of funds on fencing waterways and "; S12[42]=" drainage works,' Mr Stanley said.
      He said similarly to Queensland, some of the farms visited had good effluent systems with owners realising "; S13[42]=" the benefits of effectively utilising this resource.
      Some farms inspected used travelling effluent irrigators to apply liquid wastes to pastures.
    "; S14[42]="   Mr Stanley said the high Tasmanian rainfall created challenges for managing laneways with some farms using woodchips on livestock high use areas which was "; S15[42]=" expensive to implement, but effective in reducing bogging and cow hoof problems.
      'Labour management was a major focus on some Tasmanian farms.
"; S16[42]="       On one property a 38 hour week was imposed for all labour, including managers and owners, in recognition that all staff performed "; S17[42]=" much better when not exposed to extended working hours and with reduced and improved hours they were able to think clearer and have more drive.
"; S18[42]="       'As well as touring leading dairy operations, the tour group also visited aquaculture, food processing operations and forestry businesses and through exploring "; S19[42]=" management, profitability, market focus, labour issues, throughput and efficiency of these industries they were able to gain an understanding of the challenges and identify common "; S20[42]=" issues and solutions that may be incorporated into their own farm management practices in Queensland,' Mr Stanley said.
      He said there was "; S21[42]=" significant optimism in the Tasmanian dairy industry with many farmers relatively young, progressive and enthusiastic.
      They take business management seriously and closely "; S22[42]=" monitor the cost of production to ensure they operate profitable and sustainable businesses... "; R[43]="731"; T[43]="Topfodder Successful Silage workshops to run again this year"; A[43]="By ... Editor"; Dn[43]="20060518"; Dt[43]="Thursday 18 May 2006"; Acats[43]="a02a25a26a27a72"; B1[43]="      Expressions of interest are being invited from Queensland cattle producers wishing to attend a series of Topfodder successful silage workshops planned for "; B2[43]="the second half of 2006... "; B3[43]=" "; B4[43]=" "; B5[43]=" "; S1[43]="      Expressions of interest are being invited from Queensland cattle producers wishing to attend a series of Topfodder successful silage workshops planned for "; S2[43]=" the second half of 2006.
      The workshops are run over 3 days and include practical sessions along with hands on evaluation of "; S3[43]=" silages.
      Workshop participants have the opportunity to increase their farm profitability by making more dollars from each kilo of silage fed out "; S4[43]=" to their livestock.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries dairy extension officer John Miller said silage is now being served to more "; S5[43]=" Queensland cattle at mealtime than ever before as a vital part of their everyday diet.
      He said many Queensland cattle producers "; S6[43]=" are keen to ensure the silage they put in front of their stock is not only palatable, but is highly nutritious as well.
    "; S7[43]="   Topfodder successful silage workshops offer producers the opportunity to hone their silage production skills and knowledge.
      One silage producer who went "; S8[43]=" along to a recent workshop is sure he has benefited from attending.
      'I just didn't realise how much silage quality will deteriorate "; S9[43]=" if you don't pay attention to the detail,' he said.
      'Ensuring that you have sealed the silage, not just covered it, was "; S10[43]=" one of the biggest issues that came through to me at the course.' Mr Miller said Topfodder successful silage workshops are planned to run in "; S11[43]=" the second half of this year throughout Queensland.
      The workshops are run over 3 days and include practical sessions along with some "; S12[43]=" hands on evaluation of silages.
      Expressions of interest in attending are now being called for from Queensland producers who can register their "; S13[43]=" interest with the Queensland Topfodder coordinator, John Miller at the Murgon DPI&F office (07) 41 699800 or Graeme Busby at Toowoomba DPI&F on (07) 46 "; S14[43]=" 881254... "; R[44]="669"; T[44]="DPI&F works around the clock to get generators for dairy industry"; A[44]="By ... Editor"; Dn[44]="20060413"; Dt[44]="Thursday 13 April 2006"; Acats[44]="a26"; B1[44]="      The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is putting in every effort to obtain generators to help cyclone-affected dairy farmers in far "; B2[44]="north Queensland... "; B3[44]=" "; B4[44]=" "; B5[44]=" "; S1[44]="      The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is putting in every effort to obtain generators to help cyclone-affected dairy farmers in far "; S2[44]=" north Queensland.
      DPI&F officers based at the Cairns State Disaster Control Centre are rounding up as many generators as they can for "; S3[44]=" dairy farmers.
      DPI&F's northern communication and Information manager, Gerard Byrne, said no stone would be left unturned in efforts to source and "; S4[44]=" transport generators to the affected dairy farms as quickly as possible.
      'The dairy industry can be assured that DPI&F is working very "; S5[44]=" closely with the Department of Public Works to get between 20 and 40 generators sent to the Tablelands as a matter of high priority,' Mr "; S6[44]=" Byrne said.
      'If we can access more generators, we will accept them with open arms.
      'On-farm refrigeration of milk "; S7[44]=" and the operation of machinery are vital for the dairy industry.
      'We are working around the clock to do everything we can "; S8[44]=" to help.
      'We have been able to secure the services of an extra milk tanker in the next 24 hours to help "; S9[44]=" collect milk.
      'The DPI&F will continue to give the dairy industry high priority and it will not lose this priority status until "; S10[44]=" every affected farmer has been looked after.'.. "; R[45]="668"; T[45]="Hands-on AI courses popular"; A[45]="By ... Editor"; Dn[45]="20060413"; Dt[45]="Thursday 13 April 2006"; Acats[45]="a26a27a53"; B1[45]="      Green sleeves were the order of the day for 11 keen participants undertaking a four-day artificial breeding cattle insemination course at the "; B2[45]="Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Brigalow Research Station at Theodore on March 21-24... "; B3[45]=" "; B4[45]=" "; B5[45]=" "; S1[45]="      Green sleeves were the order of the day for 11 keen participants undertaking a four-day artificial breeding cattle insemination course at the "; S2[45]=" Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Brigalow Research Station at Theodore on March 21-24.
      While pushing a gloved arm up the nether "; S3[45]=" region of a cow may not be all that appealing, it is a serious business for stud and commercial cattle breeders keen to maximise the "; S4[45]=" benefits of superior genetics.
      DPI&F senior extension officer with Beef Breeding Services Dennis Boothby has been passing on his extensive knowledge and "; S5[45]=" experience to hundreds of Queensland cattle producers during his career as an instructor spanning more than 30 years.
      Working in partnership with "; S6[45]=" the Australian Agricultural College Emerald campus, DPI&F provides the instruction and access to two research station venues to train qualified AI technicians under the Australian "; S7[45]=" Qualifications Training framework.
      Beef Breeding Services business manager Greg Bell said the department's Brigalow Research Station and the Swans Lagoon Research Station "; S8[45]=" at Ayr provided the ideal facilities with ready access to cows, excellent stockyards and live-in accommodation.
      'Dennis is instructing four courses annually "; S9[45]=" split between Brigalow and Swans depending on where the demand is coming from and also undertakes a number of contracted courses in other regions during "; S10[45]=" the year,' Mr Bell said.
      'We are seeing a high percentage of younger people at these courses with many following in the "; S11[45]=" footsteps of their parents who attended similar AI courses 15-20 years ago.
      'The course teaches the basics of setting up an AI "; S12[45]=" program, provides an insight into genetic evaluation through an understanding of EBVs (Estimated Breeding Values), oestrus synchronisation, herd nutrition, animal selection, safe handling of frozen "; S13[45]=" semen and practical insemination techniques,' Mr Bell said.
      Mr Bell said the cost of the AB course was $975/person with a FarmBis "; S14[45]=" subsidy available for eligible applicants.
      Inquiries should be lodged through the Australian Agricultural College Emerald campus to Elaine Sleeman Ph 4982 8807 "; S15[45]=" or DPI&F Beef Breeding Service on 4936 0212... "; R[46]="642"; T[46]="Dairy farm water use efficiency workshops in April & May"; A[46]="By ... Editor"; Dn[46]="20060329"; Dt[46]="Wednesday 29 March 2006"; Acats[46]="a26a40"; B1[46]="      A highly successful series of water use efficiency and effluent workshops held last year for Queensland dairy farmers will be repeated in "; B2[46]="April and May... "; B3[46]=" "; B4[46]=" "; B5[46]=" "; S1[46]="      A highly successful series of water use efficiency and effluent workshops held last year for Queensland dairy farmers will be repeated in "; S2[46]=" April and May.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries dairy extension officer Greg Stanley said the positive response to the workshops held "; S3[46]=" over the last twelve months had resulted in excellent numbers at most events.
      He said a survey conducted last year to determine "; S4[46]=" producer views on the workshops, the Rural Water Use Efficiency (RWUE) project and issues of importance to the dairy industry found that most believed the "; S5[46]=" availability of water, its cost and water trading changes were issues which would continue to confront the dairy industry into the foreseeable future.
    "; S6[46]="   Mr Stanley said while the availability of water is still being debated across Queensland and Australia because of drought and consumer usage, the RWUE "; S7[46]=" team is committed to assisting producers to obtain the most profitable result from their available water for irrigation and farm use.
      'Four "; S8[46]=" new field days are being held in April and May at no cost to producers and will address the operation of irrigation systems and the "; S9[46]=" management of farm water for profitable results.' 'The days will feature Pat Daley, who has a vast practical knowledge of irrigation systems, their operation and "; S10[46]=" on farm irrigation assessment and Aaron Stasi from the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water who will deliver a presentation on the latest water "; S11[46]=" trading changes.' 'There will also be a session on effluent management by Alan Skerman, from DPI&F and an overview of crop water use and management, "; S12[46]=" especially of ryegrass, by DPI&F officers Mark Callow and Ross Warren,' Mr Stanley said.
      The field day dates and venues include: Conondale, "; S13[46]=" 3 April 2006 - Lucus & Amada Kennedy Mutdapilly, 4 April 2006 - Mutdapilly Research Station Allora, 5 April 2006 - Don & Betty Brown "; S14[46]=" Malanda, 3 May 2006 - Geoff & Katina Riesen For further information and to register contact: Greg Stanley, Bundaberg: 4131 5800(w) or 0409633087(m) John Miller, "; S15[46]=" Murgon: 4169 9800(w) or 0428773706(m) Ross Warren, Gympie: 5480 4418(w) or 0418749340(m) Alan Skerman, Toowoomba: 4688 1247(w) or 0407462529(m).. "; R[47]="617"; T[47]="Boosting dairy farm profits by producing improved Summer milk"; A[47]="By ... Editor"; Dn[47]="20060310"; Dt[47]="Friday 10 March 2006"; Acats[47]="a07a08a26"; B1[47]="      A Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries project is studying ways to reduce variations in milk composition brought about by high summer "; B2[47]="temperatures or nutritional changes in livestock feeds... "; B3[47]=" "; B4[47]=" "; B5[47]=" "; S1[47]="      A Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries project is studying ways to reduce variations in milk composition brought about by high summer "; S2[47]=" temperatures or nutritional changes in livestock feeds.
      DPI&F research scientist David Barber said the project supported by Dairy Australia, is studying the "; S3[47]=" impact of summer heat on dairy cattle and through reductions in feed or changes in feed quality 'The seasonal decline in milk protein during summer "; S4[47]=" in northern Australia shows that milk composition and its suitability for further processing are the result of not only heat, but changes in feed quality, "; S5[47]=" a reduction in dry matter intake by cattle and the physiological changes to livestock brought about by both heat and high humidity.
      "; S6[47]=" 'What we are investigating is what variations in milk composition and processing qualities can be minimised on-farm through manipulating the nutritional management of dairy cows "; S7[47]=" and introducing new farm management practices,' Mr Barber said.
      Australia's dairy industry is the third most important rural industry with a farmgate "; S8[47]=" value of $2.8 billion in 2002-03.
      The processed output of milk products is worth an estimated $8.5 billion while the dairy industry "; S9[47]=" employs some 200,000 people, mostly in rural areas.
      Mr Barber said ensuring a consistent supply of milk to processors and manufacturers would "; S10[47]=" mean that products could be manufactured more efficiently throughout the whole year, reducing the costs and the need for processors to add protein to milk "; S11[47]=" to meet the required composition and processing standards.
      Researchers at DPI&F's Mutdapilly research station are conducting a series of trials on dairy "; S12[47]=" cattle to investigate the effect of heat and changing nutrition on milk protein concentration and composition.
      Project worker and Phd student Frances "; S13[47]=" Cowley said the affect of heat and humidity stress on the levels of milk protein and the impact of a nutritional management on cattle performance "; S14[47]=" is being evaluated.
      'As well the study will look at the changes in the milk casein, which is the main milk protein "; S15[47]=" that can affect processing properties of a range of dairy products being made.
      The level and composition of casein can affect products "; S16[47]=" such as Mozzarella cheese with changes to texture, colour, melt and stretch,' Mrs Cowley said.
      Mr Barber said it is expected project "; S17[47]=" results will assist Queensland dairy industries to identify management options that minimise variations in milk composition, milk processing properties and the range of dairy products.
"; S18[47]="       He said outcomes from the project could assist dairyfarmers to adjust their farm management nutrition practices and to produce milk of consistent "; S19[47]=" composition and quality.
      They could also allow processors to manufacture more products with greater efficiency over an extended manufacturing season,boosting their business "; S20[47]=" returns... "; R[48]="554"; T[48]="World dairy prices set to ease"; A[48]="By ... Editor"; Dn[48]="20060302"; Dt[48]="Thursday 2 March 2006"; Acats[48]="a07a08a26a57"; B1[48]="      Australian dairy farmers and exporters should expect progressively lower returns over the next five years, according to John Hogan, Manager, Agriculture Forecasting "; B2[48]="program, ABARE... "; B3[48]=" "; B4[48]=" "; B5[48]=" "; S1[48]="      Australian dairy farmers and exporters should expect progressively lower returns over the next five years, according to John Hogan, Manager, Agriculture Forecasting "; S2[48]=" program, ABARE.
      Speaking at the OUTLOOK 2006 conference, Mr Hogan noted Australian dairy export earnings are forecast to be higher in 2005-06 "; S3[48]=" but will ease over the medium term.
      Macquarie Street Barton ACT 2600 'Global supplies are projected to outstrip demand in the major "; S4[48]=" international dairy markets such as south east Asia, the Russian Federation, the Middle East and north Africa,' Mr Hogan said.
      ABARE forecasts "; S5[48]=" indicate an easing in both farm gate prices and the value of Australian dairy exports over the next five years.
      Mr Hogan "; S6[48]=" concluded that farm consolidation and enhanced productivity will be key factors shaping the longer term export competitiveness of the Australian dairy industry.
      "; S7[48]=" Mr Chris Phillips, Manager Trade and Strategy, Dairy Australia, discussed the emerging importance of south American dairy producers with competition from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay "; S8[48]=" likely to increase over the next five years.
      For example, dairy exports from Argentina doubled between 2001 and 2005, while Uruguay's dairy "; S9[48]=" exports have grown by 7 per cent in recent years.
      'As cost effective, pasture based producers they are well placed to compete "; S10[48]=" in international markets.
      They also stand to benefit from improvements in world markets and prices due to international trade reform,' he said "; S11[48]=" Mr Barry Irvin, a dairy farmer from Bega, noted that profitable dairy farming required farmers to improve their farm business, marketing and operational skills.
  "; S12[48]="     'I am optimistic about the future of the Australian dairy industry because of the advances we have made in pasture productivity, natural resource "; S13[48]=" management and the adoption of technology, such as on-farm automation.
      We have to work hard to develop and maintain a competitive market "; S14[48]=" advantage and the key to that will be increasing the skills of our farmers,' Mr Irvin said.
      Speaking on the challenge faced "; S15[48]=" by exporters, Mr John Williams, General Manager Sales and Marketing, Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory, said the biggest problem faced by Australian exporters was restricted "; S16[48]=" access to high value markets.
      'Due to trade barriers and regulations, only 8 per cent of world milk production can be traded "; S17[48]=" openly in the global market and just a little more access would make all the difference.
      The Doha round of WTO trade "; S18[48]=" negotiations is a real last ditch effort to make a change,' Mr Williams said... "; R[49]="518"; T[49]="Frog research could jumpstart livestock"; A[49]="By ... Editor"; Dn[49]="20060224"; Dt[49]="Friday 24 February 2006"; Acats[49]="a26a27a55a93"; B1[49]="      Scientific efforts to reveal how an Australian frog maintains its muscle mass despite spending months or years hibernating underground could eventually lead "; B2[49]="to a dramatic reduction in the amount of feed livestock require in times of drought... "; B3[49]=" "; B4[49]=" "; B5[49]=" "; S1[49]="      Scientific efforts to reveal how an Australian frog maintains its muscle mass despite spending months or years hibernating underground could eventually lead "; S2[49]=" to a dramatic reduction in the amount of feed livestock require in times of drought.
      Common to Queensland's dry interior, the green "; S3[49]=" striped burrowing frog's vital survival trait is the subject of a new joint research project involving CSIRO Livestock Industries' scientists, Dr Nick Hudson and Dr "; S4[49]=" Sigrid Lehnert, and a team of researchers from the University of Queensland led by zoologist Professor Craig Franklin.
      After completing a PhD "; S5[49]=" on the unique characteristics of the frog's muscle metabolism two years ago, Dr Hudson continued researching its muscle physiology at CSIRO.
      He "; S6[49]=" says that as the frog's muscle structure is very similar to a range of animals, the research has the potential to bring significant benefits to "; S7[49]=" the livestock industry.
      'The fact that frogs can make a super-fast recovery after hibernating through a drought - in extreme cases "; S8[49]=" for years - has clear implications for animal husbandry,' Dr Hudson says.
      'If farm animals were able to survive a drought with "; S9[49]=" minimal feed input and then quickly gain condition when more feed was available, this would be extremely valuable.' He says the frog's ability to use "; S10[49]=" feed more economically also has the potential to help scientists find ways to improve feed conversion efficiency in livestock.
      'The amount of "; S11[49]=" weight gained for each kilo of food consumed is a major economic issue, particularly in the intensive animal feeding area.' Detailed studies of the green "; S12[49]=" striped burrowing frog show it suffers only minor muscle wastage during extremely long periods of inactivity.
      'Now that we know how the "; S13[49]=" frog muscle works we can take the research a step further,' Dr Hudson says.
      Recent findings suggest that high levels of antioxidants "; S14[49]=" within the frog muscle inhibit the kind of muscle breakdown normally associated with long periods of inactivity.
      The new line of research "; S15[49]=" will involve identifying key genes responsible for slowing muscle wastage in frogs and searching for related genes in livestock in a bid to optimise animal "; S16[49]=" production.
      The project recently received an $844,000, five-year, grant from the Australian Research Council... ";