Early data from the Girl Power Project investigating improved management of rangeland heifers will be presented to producers at two upcoming field days in central west Queensland.
Eighteen months worth of information has been collated from more than 600 heifers including periodic weighing and pregnancy testing, blood phosphorous levels, dung sampling and NIRS (Near Infrared Spectrometry) for quality of pasture intake.
The project is exploring the management of pastures and young replacement heifers in rangelands.
The links between pastures, post-weaning growth rates and weights of heifers, and how they improve enterprise production and profitability will be discussed and demonstrated.
As April nears, graziers are encouraged to do End-Of-Wet pasture assessments to determine quality and quantity of the standing haystack to get their heifers and all of their breeders, through winter to the next summer rains.
Dionne Walsh of Range IQ will travel from Darwin and present on land condition assessment, forage budgeting and other options available to rangeland beef producers.
MLA's consultant Geoff Niethe will talk maiden heifer weights, challenges of re-conceiving with a first-born at foot, and options such as early weaning and others to optimise all-of-enterprise productivity and profitability.
Young females to four years of age are the trickiest to manage in the rangelands, yet make up more than 40 per cent of the breeder herd.
Throughout the two field days, attending beef producers will have opportunities to understand refined aspects of pasture and heifer management, and to ask directly questions of the presenters so that the data, demonstrations and field observations can best be adapted to their own enterprise.
Monklands, between Jericho and Alpha, will host the first field day on March 22 before moving to Bede, north of Aramac on March 24.
Both properties are involved with the Girl Power Project.
The collaborative four-year program is between MLA and its PDS (Producer Demonstration Site) Program, CHRRUP (Central Highlands Regional Resource Use Planning organisation) with Ed Wood as project officer, and the Desert Uplands Committee.
RSVP by March 16 to Ed Wood on 0428 874 240 or email ed@chrrup.org.au
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