Bride & Groom                                                                                                      The setting for a great occasion!                                       Bruces girls:   Courtney, Shar, Lyn & Pat

Lyn Hoskins (Principal of Capertee Valley Real Estate) married Bruce Richardson on December 20 2008 at the Glen Davis Boutique Hotel in the company of 100 guests at a stunning cocktail party.   The party was also Bruces' 50th Birthday Party.

Bruce is a local grazier/farmer in the Capertee Valley, operating a beef/wool/horse/cropping enterprise on 7500 acres.

The Hotel hosted accomodation for 35 guests and the venue was outstanding and the service and food excellent.

Highly recommend the venue for all manner of occasions!!   And what a setting!!!

HAVE A HOME VACANT IN THE DISTRICT???  I HAVE TENANTS WILLING TO PAY WELL....RING ME!!!  CAPERTEE VALLEY REAL ESTATE

63797288    0402 091486....LOOKING FOR LEASE FROM MID JANUARY 2009.

Lithgow City Council is seeking enthusiastic people who have a passion for Lithgow’s history and promoting the area to volunteer at Eskbank House and Museum.

Council is seeking volunteers to man the Museum on weekends and extend its hours of operation.  The Museum is currently open Wednesday to Sunday 10am – 4pm. 

Volunteering at Eskbank House and Museum is a rewarding and valuable experience based on mutual benefits, opportunities and a high level of satisfaction for all participants. 

Museum volunteers provide a public face for Eskbank House & Museum assisting in a wide range of activities including conducting guided tours, assisting with collections management, cleaning and assisting with public programs and special events.

Volunteers are provided with the necessary skills and training needed to conduct guided tours and carry out their duties as part of Council’s Volunteer Tour Guide Program. “Our volunteers range in age from 45 to 78 and all bring different skills and abilities to the team.  This provides a wealth of knowledge from which we can all learn and draw from.”  Said Deborah McGrath, Council’s Cultural Development Officer.

 “Volunteering at Eskbank is a wonderful way to meet new people” Notes Michael Bray.   “I have learnt to appreciate the past and explore new skills.  It’s a great experience.”

So, if you are seeking an opportunity to gain the necessary skills to re-enter the workforce, or you simply want to be a part of our team contact Deborah McGrath, Cultural Development Officer at Lithgow City Council on 6354 9999 and make an appointment to discuss volunteering at Eskbank.

Deborah McGrath
Cultural Development Officer
Lithgow City Council
Tel: (02) 6354 9999 Fax: (02) 6351 4259

The Billboard is now installed on the Castlereagh Highway, near Pearsons Lookout.....to promote the valley, advise of the pending turnoff and to promote my website....not allowed to advertise any businesses unless the business relates to the land on which the board stands!!...this is for any new billboards...HOWEVER....

I am securing another billboard...the next one along travelling west....which holds pre - existing rights...so I am advertising the Real Estate on this sign....finally the plan is coming together.....see some photos of my fabulous helpers....  Thanks to Neil Gorrell and Nigel Edwards who built and delivered the billboard to the site.

                                                                                                      Thanks to Bruce Richardson and Paul Desch for installing the billboard....take a look!!

Now we wait for the next stage....the sheeting to occur and then the sail will be fixed to the sign.....looking good!!!

SHEEP WORM WARNING. BEWARE BARBER'S POLE WORM AND ORGANIC DRENCHES

Last Tuesday 15-1-08 I squeezed a couple of sheep jobs in between sentinel testing for arbovirus activity and an anthrax scare. The first fellow was losing lambs before my eyes. They were pale and weak with early bottle jaw development and some had daggy breeches and hocks. As expected they were full of Barbers Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus). For some reason unbeknown to me he had drenched the ewes but not the lambs. Now ewes get peri-parturient relaxation of resistance around lambing which means they pour a heap of worm eggs out on the pasture even when they are not very wormy themselves. This ensures the survival of the sheep worm parasite into the next generation. But only if the lambs live and these poor creatures unlike their mothers start out with little immunity so they are very susceptible to worms. Much more so than their mothers. If they ewes look wormy or need a drench then rest assured their lambs are even wormier and much more likely to die. Invest in a second drench gun, draft them off and drench them when you drench the ewes. Your future depends on it.

            The second sheep job was even scarier. Adult sheep dying despite drenching on 13-11-07 , 9-12-07 & 18-12-07 . I did not get time to do a property visit, but the abomasum kindly supplied to me was also full of Barber's Pole Worms. I strongly suspect a drench resistance problem and wonder if the drench ever really worked in the first place as it was an organic product apparently sourced from an unregistered supplier. Please remember to do regular Worm Egg Counts with typing and check for drench resistance if it is suspected.        

DJG

BOVINE JOHNE'S DISEASE (BJD) PROGRAM Q & A'S FOR BEEF PRODUCERS

The 31st March 2008 will herald the launch of the new BJD market assurance program for dairy producers. Please check for public meeting dates leading up to the launch. I have selected a few Q & A's from a flier put out today relevant to local beef producers.

Q 37.   Is my property considered a dairy holding when I have dairy and dairy cross cattle on my property but I only sell cattle for meat?

            No, as you do not produce milk or cattle for milk production, you are considered a beef producer and the dairy holding conditions do not apply to your property.

38.       Can I sell cattle with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form even though I don’t have a dairy holding?

            Yes, you can provide a Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form when you sell cattle even though you don’t meet the criteria for a dairy holding (see Q 23 for definition of a dairy holding), but you are not legally required to do so*. However, as it is unlikely that you would be adopting the Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan you would not be able to add extra points for calf rearing. (*See above - Beware buying dairy cross calves.)

40.       Is there any impact on my beef operation if I agist dairy cattle on my beef property.

            There may be an impact, depending on the BJD status of the agisted cattle and whether they are run with your beef cattle.

• If the dairy cattle are from a dairy herd with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 7 or higher there will be no impact on your beef cattle (unless the dairy cattle are subsequently found to be infected).
• If the dairy cattle are adults from a known infected herd (Dairy BJD Assurance Score 1 to 6 [Non Assessed herds are Dairy BJD Assurance Score 0 or 3]) your property will be considered to have a Suspect status and the property will be placed in quarantine and a management plan put in place to prevent the spread of BJD to your beef cattle. You are advised to contact the District Veterinarian at your local Rural Lands Protection Board to see if the risk can be managed before considering agisting such cattle. If your beef herd became infected through contact with the agisted BJD-infected dairy cattle you would not be eligible for the Financial and Non-Financial Assistance Package as the dairy cattle would be of Dairy BJD Assurance Score 6 or below.
• If the dairy cattle are calves less than 2 years of age and are from a known infected herd you will need to discuss the situation with the District Veterinarian at your local Rural Lands Protection Board. You are likely to need an agreement on how the cattle are managed to prevent the risk of infection in your beef herd.

            If you do agist dairy cattle on your property you are advised to check the Dairy BJD Assurance Score before you accept them for agistment and only allow dairy cattle of Dairy BJD assurance Score 7 or higher on your property. It is also recommended that you avoid running them with your beef cattle or on the land grazed by your beef cattle.

44.       What is the impact on BJD status when cattle of different statuses are mixed eg on a Travelling Stock Route or a Flood Reserve?

            Under most circumstances all stock in the mixed mob would be reduced to the status of the cattle with the lowest status. The conditions required to meet both the Johne’s Disease Market Assurance Program for Cattle (CattleMAP) and the Beef Only categories require that the cattle cannot run with cattle of a lower status. In general CattleMAP and Beef Only cattle cannot maintain their status if they are run on land where mixed mobs are run e.g. on Travelling Stock Routes or on Flood Reserves.

            Mixing cattle increases the risk of spreading diseases, including Johne’s disease, especially under stressful conditions such as during a flood.                                                                        

MICE

Have you noticed a few more mice around than usual?

Are you seeing mice on the roads and in the paddocks?  Are they in your pasture paddocks and/or crop paddocks?  Are they moving into the sheds and house?

There are some mice around all of the time, however good rain over summer has produced a lot of feed for mice over summer and they’ve been breeding.

If you’re noticing more mice than normal then maybe you should consider some more formal monitoring of mouse numbers on your place.

There are two methods of monitoring that you can do on your farm.  The easiest is by making cards, 10cm by 10cm from normal printer paper.  You will need at least 10 cards but the more the better.  Soak the cards in canola oil for at least an hour.  Late in the afternoon put them out in the paddock, place 10 of them in a line, 10 metres apart.  To monitor the whole paddock make a grid pattern of 10m (10m is about 12 paces).  Use a wire peg through each card to hold it in position, to prevent it being taken or blowing around the paddock.  Next morning collect the cards and see how much has been eaten and where in the paddock the largest proportion of cards have been eaten.

The second method is to weigh out moderate amounts of grain.  Place them in the same grid pattern as above, late in the afternoon.  Collect them the next morning and weigh them next morning to see how much has been eaten.  A mouse eats around 4g each per day, which means that you can estimate how many mice are in a paddock by dividing the amount eaten in a night by 4.

To report increasing mouse populations in your area and/or for more information about monitoring and baiting call the Rural Lands Protection Board on 02 6372 1866.  More information can also be found on the internet at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au, then go to agriculture and type mice into the search box.  Follow the prompts.

JK

HORT CORNER

NSW DPI, in conjunction with the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association, is holding a seminar on August 6, 2008 , at the AREC Pavilion, Cassilis Rd , Mudgee, starting at 8.30am . The seminar, titled ‘Using mulches in the vineyard – the benefits and costs’ will cover recent trial work carried out by a team of researchers from NSW DPI in Richmond . While the research was conducted in grape vines, the work may have wider application in the agricultural community. Topics covered will be ‘Contemporary commercial compost – production practises and products’, as well as information from the three year composted mulch trial which looked at yield, soil health, environmental benefits and cost/benefit analyses. The trial also looked at the effect of mulch on the quality of fruit and wine. Wine from this part of the trial will be available for tasting and evaluation. Lunch will be provided after the talks. The seminar is free of charge. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to me by 31 July, for catering purposes, on 02 6372 4700, 0427 800 379 or via email on susan.marte@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Although I mentioned this in the last Farm Forum, I want to mention it again as a reminder. While you’re out pruning your vines, could you be on the look out for borer damage in the canes. You’ll be able to tell the damage quite easily by the frass that gets left behind as the borer larvae feed. The frass is a reddish brown, can be quite crumbly or spongy and pulls away from the vine easily, exposing a tunnel beneath. This pest is causing some extensive damage in other areas and we’re trying to get an idea of how wide spread the problem may be. If you’ve got damage, please give me a ring so I can collect some samples (6372 4700 or 0427 800 379). These pests are voracious eaters and nothing is currently registered for their control.                                          SM

SmartGene PROJECT

(Breedlink Pty Ltd )

The SmartGene project has completed the analysis of DNA marker results and performance and carcase records from Beef CRC -I and II plus two industry research projects, totalling more than 9,000 animals. The analysis, conducted by the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, included the beef breeds involved in Beef CRC -I and II, to determine gene frequencies and to estimate individual and combined marker effects for twelve DNA markers for Tenderness, Marbling and Feed Efficiency (four per trait) marketed as GeneSTAR tests and sold by Catapult Genetics.

A major objective of the SmartGene project is to assess the utility of these DNA markers as contributors for new marker-assisted EBVs (MA-EBVs) that could be included in the National Beef Recording Scheme's BREEDPLAN.  These could include a new trial MAEBV for Tenderness and for two traits that are already analysed in BREEDPLAN, namely EBVs for Intra Muscular Fat (IMF%) and trial EBVs for Net Feed Intake ( NFI ).

Results

Based on Shear Force (kg) on the main loin muscle;  an objective measure of tenderness, the results show that DNA markers for Tenderness will be useful contributors for the calculation of trial MA-EBVs for Tenderness. The project will work towards providing trial BREEDPLAN MA-EBVs for Tenderness by October 2008 for breeds involved in Beef CRC -I and II.

From the analysis of carcase records and based on the production systems studied, it was found that the marbling markers were not informative enough to use them in trial MA-EBVs for IMF%.

Analysis of feed efficiency markers also showed insufficient evidence for their use in trial MA-EBVs for NFI .  As is the case for the BREEDPLAN trial EBVs for NFI , the feed efficiency markers should be regarded as experimental.

Full Release of Results

Full release of results from this project will be made after a report has been peer-reviewed.

SmartGene Participants

The project partners for the SmartGene project are Catapult Genetics, AGBU, Beef CRC III

( CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies), and the Agricultural Business Research Institute.

The project is managed by Breedlink Pty Ltd and co-funded by the Queensland Government and

Meat and Livestock Australia .

BL

BULL BUYING

The bull buying season is rapidly approaching and very soon lots of important buying decisions will need to be made. Remember, any bulls you buy this year could still be having a significantgenetic effect in your herd till 2018 so it is important to choose well.

You will be bombarded with lots of information: pedigrees, raw data (eg. scans and weights), EBV's and GeneStars. It is important that you sort through all the information available and use it wisely to select the sires that are going to help you achieve the breeding objective you have developed for your herd.

Whatever you do don't buy a bull because you think he looks good (or the figures look good) on the day and then start thinking about how he might fit into the herd and breeding program after he arrives home.

Gene discovery is the research focus the current Beef CRC and we will hear lots more about it over the next few years. The release of the first commercial gene markers has experienced a few hic ups as explained above.  We have some more work to do yet before it becomes clear just how this new and exciting technology will help beef breeders make better genetic improvement decisions.

BL

PIC ’s FOR SMALL HOLDINGS

(Michael Beer, Technical Specialist NLIS, Orange )

Background

In NSW a Property Identification Code ( PIC ) is assigned by the Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB) for the purpose of identifying land used for agricultural purposes. RLPBs also maintain a PIC register which keeps information related to PICs up to date. Producers usually pay a fee for this service or it is covered by their rates.

Normally each property has its own PIC however one PIC may be used or more than one property provided they are used for a common purpose and are close to one another.

PICs are fundamental to the operation and integrity of the National Livestock identification System (NLIS). The PIC provides traceability to specific properties and every livestock producer should have a PIC . Small area farms are encouraged to obtain an individual PIC in preference to using a RLPB "district code" to identify stock location. This allows PIC holders to purchase identifiers specific to their property.

PICs for small farms

A special project has been initiated with funding provided the Australian Government to support the registration of PICs for small area farms. The aim is to encourage the identification and registration of these holdings that support agricultural production.

Owners of small farms that have not previously been assigned a PIC are being encouraged to register with their district RLPB. Under the PIC enhancement project a PIC will be provided free of charge.

An application form needs to be completed and returned to the district RLPB. It is also available on the DPI website at :- http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/nlis/policy

Further information NSW DPI Helpline 1300 720 405 or Mudgee Merriwa RLPB 0263 721866

NSW DPI website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

BL

LICE IN SHEEP & CATTLE

For some unknown reason it is a bad year for lice in both sheep and cattle. Weather & feed conditions must be right for this parasite. Also a failure of normal host immunities and chemical preventative treatments may be contributing to this problem. The NSW DPI and a number of RLPBs including Dubbo board are taking a tough stance on this problem is sheep. Fines are being issued for offences in saleyards. Make sure you check your sheep for lice before sending them into the yards.                                                                      

The photo shows a Friesian Hereford cross heifer covered in sucking lice. She became weak and anaemic and went down.  A very unusual case under further investigation.                                                      DJG

SWILL FEEDING OF SWINE AND LACK OF FEEDING

Senior Ranger Andrew Mulligan has done a couple of swill feeding audits and accompanied the students to a sow post mortem when the DV was sick with the flu. The sow was suffering from chronic ill thrift due to an imbalanced diet for breeding swine. She was also heavily parasitised with Sarcoptic mange. Sometimes selecting a ration because it is cheaper than another may prove very costly if livestock health is compromised. Proper balanced diets are needed for stock to breed and grow. Please contact your nutritional consultant, livestock officer or veterinarian for further advice if you suspect a nutritional problem.                                                                                                                                                                                        DJG

VITAMIN “F” DEFICIENCY

A number of weaner lambs and calves are not doing as well as expected this autumn. This is probably due to the ‘hay off’ of feed during the dry March-April months resulting in low protein and energy levels. i.e. Vitamin “F” for Feed deficiency. The trouble is that there are not a lot of supplement options on offer at the moment though some commenced feeding weaner lambs and other stock during the dry autumn. The western and southern parts of our board district are now drought declared. Salt mineral blocks seem to have helped stock cope with the dry standing feed of poor quality.                                                                                                             DJG

RYE GRASS & PHALARIS PLANT POISONINGS

Rye grass staggers was positively identified and diagnosed in a mob of Merino sheep in the Gulgong district during May. They were left in a paddock a week too long and started to chew rye grass stumps into the ground. Today I receive a phone call re 3 rams showing nervous signs on a predominant phalaris pasture. There is plenty of short regrowth after recent rain and this is typical for phalaris poisoning conditions. Cobalt can help prevent this problem as also growing strains of phalaris which a less toxic.                                                    DJG

Feel passionate about our valley??   Have your thoughts, poetry, sketchings....whatever....posted on your website....please treat this site as a way of communicating with each other.  Email your submissions to info@caperteevalley.com or contact Lyn Hoskins on 63797288 or 0402 091486

HOME                            Lyn Richardson ( Principal ) Ph 02 6379 7288 Fax 02 6379 7207 Email: info@caperteevalley.com