What should I consider before restocking after the drought or the fire

The last few weeks have seen a dramatic turn around in many parts of NSW and Qld.  It’s been very exciting to get phone calls from clients telling me they have full dams, and green paddocks again.  Of course the drought isn’t over for many people in the western and southern areas yet. And its also important to remember a lot of the recent rain has been storm rain and so its been a bit patchy.

Nonetheless there are quite a few people now starting to talk about restocking and getting business going again.  If you are thinking along these lines, I thought it would be worth taking the time to cover some key points before you become too committed.

1.     Pastures  

No doubt the green paddocks do look impressive.  I have even seen some offers of agistment already.  However, you need to make some objective assessments of what is really growing.  What species have recovered from the drought (or fire).  How well established are they?  

At the very least you need to do some monitoring or herbage mass and growth rates.  How much do you really have now in kilograms of dry matter / ha (kg / DM / Ha)

How much pasture do you really have in Kg / DM /Ha?

I’d also encourage you to think how fast is it growing?  Sub soil moisture takes some time to replenish and its possible the plants you have don’t have roots that go deep or are using the topsoil layer and the moisture from falls recently.  For your pastures to do well they need moisture and nutrition.  These could still be lacking in some areas.

Lastly, do a fodder budget.  How much feed is growing now?  How much do you have?  How long will it last?  

Source: Evergraze

Consider your pasture growth curve and manage stock numbers to pasture growth

Remember some areas will soon enter the traditional winter feed gap.  Plants will slow their growth and this really means that what you grow in the next four weeks is likely to have to last until Spring.  So that needs t be assessed and entered into your calculations for stock numbers.

2.     Weeds  

I wrote previously about the impact of weeds and the risks with poisoning and animal health.  You need to check that not all the green you see are due to weeds or less desirable species.  Weeds need to be controlled and removed not only for your animals, but to give your pastures the opportunity to grow. 

“Weeds need to be controlled for both your animal health and for your pasture to thrive”

It’s important not to be complacent with weeds.  Don’t assume that weeds will be restricted to areas you fed in.  The dust storms will have spread weeds, as will birds and feral animals that snuck in to eat rations you provided.  Weed seeds will have spread further than you think, so keep looking for their emergence.

 3.     Purchasing Livestock – Do the numbers!!  

The last few weeks have seen the market rapidly spike with the demand for stock as people try to get animals into programs.  Before you start to purchase stock I cannot stress enough the importance of doing some correct economic calculations!  The best way to do this is to use an enterprise gross margin.  

Gross margins are great in allowing you to do comparisons between enterprises.  The gross margin looks only at the variable costs associated with an enterprise.  For livestock you can compare on a per hectare or per DSE to see which enterprise gives the best return.

Use a Gross Margin to determine a realistic budget

I recommend using a simple template.  One of the best is available from the NSW DPI and is an excel based template that covers livestock (and cropping) enterprises.  The value in such a template is it allows you to check on a series of different assumptions, including various price increases to purchase and to sell stock.

It also includes costs such as health costs; fodder costs transport and sale costs.  The calculation will help you work out a break even price!

4.     Be realistic about growth of trading stock

Making money in trading stock depends on growth of animals in the period of time they are in your ownership.  Its important to do the sums based on realistic levels of growth.  This will depend on what pasture you have; how long your growing season is and ow much weight you need to put on.  

How much weight do you want to gain in the time period you have nominated?

For example if your budget is calculated at putting on 150kg from purchase to sale, then what daily growth rate does that require?  Not every pasture, particularly those entering a winter feed gap will sustain high growth rates.  Does that mean additional costs in fodder?  If it does what do those things do to your gross margin?

5.     Genetics

Restocking is a chance to start with genetics that are better than you previously had.  Good genetics need to be researched.  Think about the type of cattle that suit your environment and your markets.  You don’t necessarily have to go back and do the same thing.

Do the research and look for genetics that suit your environment and your market

 6.     Introducing new animals

When you do purchase new stock, you need to consider the risks (as well as the opportunities)!  New stock can bring issues associated with disease; weeds or the fact they are unfamiliar with your environment and need time to adjust. 

Firstly you need to request an animal health statement so that you can have some reassurance about the new animals health status as well as any treatments they may have had.  This should be kept, along with the appropriate NVD or waybill in your programs LPA records.

Your new animals need some time in quarantine or isolation from your existing stock.  This allows them to exhibit any health issues that may be of concern as well as voiding any weeds or pests they have bought with them.  

I generally recommend that this period is at least three weeks (21 days).  I’d use this time to treat all new arrivals with a broad spectrum drench and a 5 in 1 booster.  Its also a good chance for them to settle and get to know you and tour team.  Spend some time educating them by walking or driving around them.  If you use bikes or horses, these may be things new stock have never seen, so its better to educate them now in a confined paddock than later when they make really spook!

Get your new animals used to your methods

Its also a good chance to educate them to your yards and to your other methods such as feeding from feeders or racks.  

When you d let them int the main program I suggest letting them mingle with a coacher group to show them where the water sources and other paddock features are. 

7.     Update & maintain your records

Don’t forget that as a purchaser of livestock if will be your responsibility to update the NLIS database of the stock you are transferring onto your property. 

There are plenty of producers who forget to do this as they have really only sold stock and purchased bulls from sales where the transfers were done for them. Remember the obligation is on you as the purchaser to make sure the transfer is done.

Your LPA records need to reflect these movements as well. It’s handy to quickly be able to refer to where the new stock have come from and when.

Restocking is an exciting part of getting back into business.  It’s something I’m enjoying advising my friends and clients on.  However when you do, take the time to consider these points.  I think a good plan saves a lot of mistakes and avoids some unexpected costs.  Don’t forget if you want a hand, please get in touch. 

Watch out for these weeds

The potential for stock to consume poisonous plants is always much higher following droughts a break in the season or when moving into a new location.  The capacity of weds to quickly respond to moisture often means they are the only green and growing vegetation in the first period after rain.  And for hungry stock, the desire to nibble or chew these plants can be too great to ignore.  

There are literally hundreds of poisonous plants growing across Australia.  Some are endemic to locations, while others are much more common.  In the last few weeks there have been a few issues emerging with weeds across many areas and its worth taking a moment to look at a few common species.

Pig Weed (Portulacaceae) is one of the more common weeds to emerge after rain, particularly on bare and disturbed areas.  It’s a succulent lush feed that stock will readily eat if they have the opportunity.  However-Pig Weed is often high in nitrates and oxalates, which in high concentrations can prove fatal for stock.   

Pigweed is a common weed in disturb or bare areas

Caltrop (Tribulous) is another weed that is associated with nitrate poisoning.  Again, this plant rapidly responds to rain fall and spreads out across disturbed and bare soil.   The Yellow Vine Caltrop (Tribulus micrococcus) is an Australian species confined very much to NSW and the north west areas in particular.  Besides the risk of nitrate poisoning Caltrop is associated with staggers in sheep. Often this occurs when sheep have grazed paddocks that are dominated by caltrop over many months.  

Caltrop is associated with nitrate and staggers in sheep

According to NSW DPI this can lead to a progressive and irreversible weakness in a sheep’s hind limbs.  This gradually will progress to the forelimbs and eventually the weakness will prevent the animal from standing or accessing feed or water. The disease is only recorded in central NSW, and may take some moths to develop, so it’s one to consider if caltrop is dominating a pasture. 

While this disease has been recorded in NSW among sheep flocks, it doesn’t appear to impact cattle. 

Several other common weed species that pose risks for nitrate poisoning include Fat Hen; Variegated thistle and Blackberry.

Preventing Poisoning:  The biggest risk is often associated with hungry stock accessing these weeds.  This rapid consumption of the plant means the rumen microbes cannot quickly convert the high levels of nitrate to ammonia.  Animals that are in week or low body condition are also less effective in converting nitrates and are more susceptible to poisoning.

The simplest message for producers is to avoid allowing hungry stock to access these weeds.  This may mean fencing off areas that are dominated by these plants until other species have recovered.  It also means continuing to maintain drought rations a little longer while pastures re grow.  There is an added bonus with these rations.  NSW DPI research highlights animals receiving carbohydrate-rich feeds can tolerate high nitrate and nitrite levels better than stock who are not fed. This is because energy from carbohydrates (grain) helps rumen microbes convert nitrite to ammonia. 

Kikuyu Poisoning:  While an uncommon issue, the last few years have seen a number of coastal and northern NSW producers lose cattle to Kikuyu poisoning.  The reasons are not fully understood; however, some research suggests a fungus is associated with the plant and this may be a contributing factor.  

Kikuyu poisoning damages the stomachs of cattle, resulting in a situation where fluid accumulates in the rumen, but can't be absorbed into the blood stream.  When this occurs cattle physically can’t drink as their rumen is at capacity.  Cattle may try to drink however they are physically unable to take in any water.  This leads to dehydration and eventual death.  

The challenge with this disease is it’s almost impossible to determine if kikuyu is a risk as affected kikuyu does not look any different to safe kikuyu.  However, experience on the north coast of NSW suggests affected kikuyu is likely to be less palatable to cattle and they will avoid it if alternative feed is available.  

Kikuyu poisoning on the NSW mid north coast (Image: The Land)

Most of the recorded deaths in recent years have occurred in paddocks when the cattle have no alternative feed available and the losses seem to end when cattle are removed from the affected pasture, or at least when they are offered alternative feed (silage or hay).

The risk seems greatest in periods of rapid growth following the season break.  Again, having alternative feeds and not introducing hungry stock are major steps producers can take to prevent losses.

Lantana: Lantana poisoning is a major concern across many parts of Australia. Most poisoning comes when stock are introduced to areas where the plant is growing and start to eat it out of curiosity.  Yong stock are the most susceptible.  Cattle bred in areas where lantana is common have learnt to avoid the plants unless starving.

The risk from Lantana comes from triterpene acids, lantadene A (rehmannic acid), lantadene B. Research into lantana has shown a toxic dose for a 500 kg cow varies from about 5 to 20 kg of fresh leaf (one per cent or more of an animal's body weight), depending on the toxin content of the lantana eaten. 

Young cattle and stock new to an area are most at risk from lantana poisoning

Lantana poisoning can result in photosensitisation (which is extreme sensitivity to sunlight); liver damage and jaundice.  In extreme cases one feed of lantana can result in signs appearing within 24 hours and death may occur in 2 – 4 days.  Although if untreated death may take a week to a fortnight.

Treatment needs to occur quickly if animals are to recover.  Without raid veterinary treatment severely affected cattle almost invariably die within 10 days of eating the plant. However, cattle that are responded to quickly have a good chance of recovery. 

The key message is to avoid grazing new stock or young stock in areas where lantana grows.  No matter how aware cattle may be of lantana, hungry stock will always be at risk, so try and avoid grazing hungry stock in those paddocks.

“If you see something unusual, don’t hesitate, call your vet and get help!”

Ultimately most weed poisonings are likely when stock are hungry and tempted to have a feed.  As we come out of drought for the first few weeks the only green pants will be weeds. In those instances, try and restrict access and keep your rations in front of your stock.  Most importantly if you see animals showing any unusual signs or symptoms, don’t wait, call your vet and get help!