Northern Beef Development Podcast

This is part 2 in a 2-part series on waterponding. In this episode we discuss the West Kimberley LCDC Smart Farms grant project ‘Brining soil back to life through waterponding’, funded by the National Landcare Program.  To learn about waterponding, we are joined by Jardine Macdonald, the Program Manager for Rangelands Natural Resource Management. Jards is a hydrogeologist who comes from an environmental consulting and mining background, and did research on groundwater recharge and catchment water balance dynamics in the Pilbara. The West Kimberley LCDC setup this project with collaborative support of Mel McDonald (previously Rangelands NRM) and Matt Fletcher (DPIRD), building on both Mel and Matt’s waterponding work with guru Ray Thompson and Kimberley stations since 2009. With DPIRDs continued support, the West Kimberley LCDC, Rangelands NRM and DPIRD collaborated to complete a month of waterponding with the NSW pros Ray Thompson and Ben McKillop, across West Kimberley LCDC stations at the end of 2019.  As part of this project, the West Kimberley LCDC also produced a video on how to build waterponds which was uploaded to Youtube April this year on the Rangelands NRM channel. Subsequently, FutureBeef hosted a webinar with Ray, Matt and Jards later in April. Links to both are below. Link to Video: https://youtu.be/UJSrC8uuM98 Link to Webinar recording and presentation slides: https://futurebeef.com.au/knowledge-centre/building-waterponds-with-a-road-grader/ Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

This is part 1 in a 2-part series on waterponding. To learn about waterponding, we are joined by Jardine Macdonald, the Program Manager for Rangelands Natural Resource Management. Jards is a hydrogeologist who comes from an environmental consulting and mining background, and did research on groundwater recharge and catchment water balance dynamics in the Pilbara. Starting with Rangelands early 2019, he took up the project management role for the West Kimberley LCDC Smart Farms grant project ‘Brining soil back to life through waterponding’,  funded by the National Landcare Program.  The West Kimberley LCDC setup this project with collaborative support of Mel McDonald (previously Rangelands NRM) and Matt Fletcher (DPIRD), building on both Mel and Matt’s waterponding work with guru Ray Thompson and Kimberley stations since 2009. With DPIRDs continued support, the West Kimberley LCDC, Rangelands NRM and DPIRD collaborated to complete a month of waterponding with the NSW pros Ray Thompson and Ben McKillop, across West Kimberley LCDC stations at the end of 2019.  As part of this project, the West Kimberley LCDC also produced a video on how to build waterponds which was uploaded to Youtube April this year on the Rangelands NRM channel. Subsequently, FutureBeef hosted a webinar with Ray, Matt and Jards later in April. Links to both are below. Link to Video: https://youtu.be/UJSrC8uuM98 Link to Webinar recording and presentation slides: https://futurebeef.com.au/knowledge-centre/building-waterponds-with-a-road-grader/ Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

In this episode we discuss how geo-referenced pastoral maps can be used to improve labour efficiency and avoid search and rescue operations. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

The Kidman Springs Phosphorus Research was launched in 2014 followed by industry with significant interest. In this episode we speak with the Principal Research Scientist involved, Tim Schatz, to learn more about how the trial was designed, what was learnt, and where future research may be headed. If you’ve haven’t already listened to the previous 3 episodes on phosphorus, we suggest you press pause and go listen to them first before continuing on with the episode. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

In this episode we are going to be talking about about the latest research in phosphorus and how it ties in with past observations. Now, just a quick note – we will only be referring to the Kidman Springs research study briefly, as we have an indepth episode dedicate to that coming up. Now, if you’ve haven’t already listened to the previous episodes “The fundamentals of phosphorus in cattle”, and “Measuring phosphorus in beef cattle”, we suggest you press pause and go listen to them first before continuing on with the episode. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

Phosphorus (P) deficiencies vary across Northern Australia. It is important to determine the P status of your mob before planning a supplementation strategy, to ensure supplementation is both effective and providing a return on investment. To learn more about how to determine the P status of a mob, we will be joined by Dr Geoff Neithe. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au    Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

Phosphorus, often referred to as “P”, it’s symbol on the periodic table, is a macro-mineral. A macro-mineral is one that is required in the diet in relatively larger quantities, compared to a micro-mineral. Cattle need phosphorus for almost every vital function of the body. It is used for building bones and teeth, metabolising fat, carbohydrates and protein, producing milk and for efficient feed utilisation. The problem of phosphorus deficiency arises because most soils in northern Australia are deficient in phosphorus and cattle cannot get sufficient P from the pasture. In planning this episode, we referred to the Phosphorus management of beef cattle in northern Australia booklet. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au  Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020

In this episode, we explore the effect of breeder mortality on productivity, calculating mortality and strategies to reduce breeder mortality. Calculating and monitoring breeder mortality rates is essential for maintaining the health of your herd and your business. Breeder mortality is accepted by industry as one of the greatest challenges to individual property profitability and how the wider community perceives the industry’s ability to maintain high animal welfare standards. A number of factors can lead to breeders dying in the paddock, or being in poor condition and requiring euthanasia. With forward planning and good management, breeder cattle should exit the herd as strong and healthy cull cows – converting an opportunity cost into an animal welfare and financial gain. For more information, contact the Northern Beef Development team at northernbeefdevelopment@dpird.wa.gov.au or visit the FutureBeef website. FutureBeef is a collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources and Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with the aim of providing a central location of relevant information for north Australian beef producers and service providers. FutureBeef provides monthly e-newsletters, regularly holds topical webinars, hosts more than 1000 pages of relevant information on its website, engages with followers on social media. Learn more at www.futurebeef.com.au Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) 2020