Ilfracombe graziers John and Jane Hain believe the introduction of exclusion fencing to keep wild dogs out of properties has ‘energised’ communities in western Queensland and has the potential to bring people and profitability back to the region. The Hains have fenced almost 17,000 hectares of their property ‘Summer Hill’ against wild dogs. Despite it being … Read more
Measuring his Merino flock to select the most profitable sheep is the goal of St George grazier Rod Avery, and despite the drought of the past few years, he is well on his way to achieving it. Measuring lambing traits and fleece weights through electronic identification (EID) ear tags has helped Rod fine-tune the management … Read more
Accuracy and speed of record keeping were the key reasons for Traprock grazier Bim Goodrich to start using electronic identification (EID) tags in his sheep flock, and he is happy with the results. The producer from south east Queensland said EID tags have allowed him to improve control of his stud flock information and as … Read more
The Banks family are passionate sheep people and have made significant management changes to increase lambing success and to lift the overall profitability of the enterprise. Some of these changes have included scanning to determine where losses were occurring, splitting ewes into mobs of singles and twins, culling unproductive ewes, supplementary feeding and using electronic … Read more
Jeffery and Tricia Agar implemented a drought feeding program for their sheep on ‘Barbara Plains’ in south west Queensland. The ration was based on corn, hay and a dry lick. It minimised breeding ewe losses and achieved a 75 per cent lambing in extremely dry conditions. The Agar’s top tips are: be organised, start feeding … Read more
Fine wool grower Duncan Banks has an unwavering appreciation for water, so it made sense to him to invest in innovative technology that allows him to monitor stock water from his house. Four years ago, the Dirranbandi producer installed a commercial-type water meter on the main polypipe from a neighbouring artesian bore to 25 tanks … Read more
Dohne prime lamb producer Ranald Warby is quick to acknowledge the benefits of his Arrow V-Express machine after just five months of use, particularly the fact that it allows him to perform a number of tasks on his sheep in just one pass. Gone, too, are the days of fighting rams in a race when drenching … Read more
During November 2014 Leading sheep and South West NRM held an exclusion fencing bus trip which visited four properties in south west Queensland. These properties ranged from just starting to exclusion fence to being fully fenced for eight years. The trip was very successful with 43 people coming along. On the tour participants had the … Read more
In the heart of cattle finishing country in south east Queensland, graziers Jon and Marina Earl are successfully rearing prime lambs on their Legume property after installing exclusion fencing to control predatory wild dogs. According to Jon, wild dogs are such a massive problem in the local area that many cattle producers are happy if … Read more
Peter and Marie Crook-King and their daughter Julie Brown are optimistic they’ve turned a corner after three tough years of devastating wild dog attacks, thanks in part to the Maremma dogs they have guarding their flock of 2600 Merinos. It’s not before time. In the 2013-14 financial year the Crook-Kings lost 900 adult sheep and … Read more