North West beef producers got a first hand look of an innovative new cattle management system could transform their business at a Dalgonally Station field day last week.
Producers from across the region came to the historic Australian Agricultural Company station near Julia Creek on Thursday to get the lowdown on the Precision Pastoral Management System (PPMS).
The Precision Pastoral Management Tools is a research project run by the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation that aims to improve the productivity and profitability of beef production by using advanced technologies to monitor and analyse the performance of individual cattle and pastures remotely without labour input.
The AACo team at Dalgonally has been involved as an active research site of the technologies over a three year period and they hosted the event with the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation’s (CRC-REP) Precision Pastoral Management Tools team.
Dalgonally Station Manager Ray Thieme gave local cattle producers the opportunity to hear first-hand how the system has been specifically developed for north-western Queensland conditions.
Sally Leigo, Principle Research Leader, Precision Pastoral Management Tools with the CRC-REP said the tool collected data remotely on both cattle and pastures.
“We collect the cattle liveweight data through a system that can automatically weigh draft cattle and we collect our pasture data through satellite data provided to us as well,” Ms Leigo said.
“The field day at Dalgonally was about the experience and the findings, that data can be of benefit to producers’ business whether they’re making decisions to sell the cattle or supplement.”
Dr Leigo said the technology was a game-changer for rangelands grazing.
“For the first time, it puts hard data on cattle live weights and feed availability in the hands of the manager, while reducing costs, lifting earnings and sustaining the pastoral landscape,” she said.
“It was common for pastoral property managers to use their eye to make these decisions, which was subjective.”
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
