Top Country Seasonal Update – March 2024
Welcome to the March 2024 seasonal update. Following a wetter than originally anticipated summer, Autumn is forecast to see the rain ease, and temperatures begin to fall. The prolonged rainfall over summer and warm conditions have allowed for plentiful pasture growth throughout most areas, providing producers with the opportunity to build a solid forage base heading into the winter months.
Long-range forecasts show that for most of the state, temperatures are expected to be above average heading into winter. This means that the first frosts may be prolonged, allowing livestock access to better-quality pasture for longer. Some rainfall is still predicated across the state, however, the chance of it exceeding the median is below 50%. A combination of these factors may lead to favourable conditions for weed growth, such as Pimelea and Parthenium, presenting additional challenges for producers.
Seasonal conditions may also continue to support both internal and external parasite burdens. Future Beef advised of a 3 Day Sickness alert, which remains relevant whilst mosquitoes and midges are flourishing. Also known as Bovine Ephemeral Fever, clinical symptoms are categorized into three stages;
- Sudden onset of fever, accompanied with shivering, drooling, nasal and eye discharge, abnormal pasture, a reduction in feed intake and milk production, and depressed appearance.
- Muscle stiffness, swelling of joints, lameness, and the potential for bloat.
- Development of secondary complications, which may include things like respiratory diseases, nerve or muscle damage and/pr prolonged periods of infertility.
(information from 3 day sickness alert – FutureBeef)
Ensuring that parasite control measures are taken will help mitigate these challenges.
As the pasture growing season comes to an end, engaging in pasture management practices such as forage budgeting is advised. Future Beef defines forage budgeting as the process of calculating forage supply and livestock demand over a set period of time, allowing producers to make more informed management decisions. Future Beef Australia has an extensive video library, accessible here, to help producers learn about the importance of forage budgets, and how to conduct them.
With the good season set to continue for a little while longer, it provides producers with time to start considering the upcoming pasture changes we may see. Providing livestock with a transition supplement from their current green season feed allows the rumen microbes to adjust accordingly with the change in pastures, in turn avoiding a slip in body condition or a mineral imbalance. At Top Country, we are happy to work with our customer base to provide an accurate transition supplement to suit their current pasture stage and production goals, address any issues seen in previous years, and increase the profitability of their enterprise.
Pasture sampling is a great tool to learn about what is going on in the pasture, and with a 2-4 week turnaround from the time of sampling, Autumn is a perfect opportunity to conduct them. The sales and nutrition team at Top Country are able to conduct pasture, water, dung and soil samples as part of routine property visits, or can send best technique sampling procedures through to be completed by the producer. For more information on the benefits of pasture sampling, please refer to our ‘Why You Should Be Testing Your Pasture: An Essential Guide for Livestock Producers’.
Please contact our friendly team on (07) 4622 8330 or enquire here to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the nutritional management of your livestock headed into Autumn.
Disclaimer: All animal stockfeed should be fed as part of a nutritious, balanced diet to match the livestock’s specific requirements. Ensure that animals always have plenty of fresh, clean water available for drinking. Top Country makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the suitability of any of the products supplied to the specific requirements of your livestock. It is recommended that you consult your ruminant nutritionist before making any major dietary changes.