ON FARM NORTHERN CATTLE BUSINESS MANAGEMENTC Journey towards SNAPSHOT:Geoff and Kate greater control Swanson, ‘Connemara’, Augathella, l Queensland S Queenslandouth-westproducers Geoffcoaching group run byworkshop, followed by aProfitable Grazing SystemsThe Swansons havealso introduced regulardiet-quality testing(functional near-infrared and Kate Swanson use Nutrition EDGE deliverer training and education and animal nutritionist reflectance spectroscopy, to improve how they Désirée Jackson. or dung testing) to identify nutritional deficiencies and manage the profit drivers “Nutrition EDGE nutrient balance. Area: 6,100ha in their Augathella cattle taught me the backgrounding business. “We’re not in a traditionally Enterprise: biggest limiting factor phosphorus-deficient Backgrounding cattle for “I’ve always said our business in our business was area but, maybe in a very grain finishing is very simple,” Geoff said. wet season, dung testing how much energy we will tell us if phosphorus Livestock: “Three things have an impact could supply to those supplementation might be on how well we do: the Up to 900 head a year price we buy cattle for, how steers,” Geoff said. needed,” Geoff said. Pasture: quickly they gain weight and “Once you understand the Mitchell and woodlands the price we sell them for.” “It also showed us the faster digestive system of cattle, grass downs, buffel grass, we got the steers on to good it helps you make decisions improved Brigalow scrub and Their strategy is to: nutrition, the faster they about what you feed them. • buy crossbred steers with took off when the pastures virgin Brigalow scrub. You always go back to that low Bos indicus content picked up. knowledge rather than Soil: at 250kg at the Roma “We’ve often had cattle sitting trying something just for the Dark clay saleyards during winter here at the end of winter sake of it.” • add 180kg/head by doing nothing on frosted Rainfall: utilising spring and The training also provided 525mm (summer dominant) pastures so we either have techniques for pasture summer-growing pastures to purchase them later or improvement. As buffel • sell steers from January to start supplementing them.” grass runs down, Geoff plans Geoff and Kate Swanson April at an average 430kg to lift pasture quality and E: geoffkate@bigpond. to feedlots for finishing. The Swansons replaced com urea-based supplements quantity by adding a legume Profitable interventions with a cottonseed ration component and using MLA Nutrition EDGE and which is fed out in tubs at cool-burn management Business EDGE courses Geoff and Kate have techniques. mla.com.au/edge identified two management 3kg/head, every three days. interventions which could Geoff said he found the MLA’s Profitable have the greatest impact on “It’s hard to get your head group learning component of Grazing Systems their bottom line: speeding around the expense of Nutrition EDGE very beneficial mla.com.au/pgs up the rate of growth and it, but when you examine as it held him accountable. it carefully, as we did with Below: Kate and Geoff Swanson setting climatic trigger pointsDésirée, and work out “It also allowed Désirée to get with cattle at ‘Connemara’, to adjust numbers. Augathella. Image: Katrina Lehmann. exactly how much energy to know our business and To support how they take the cattle need to perform, our goals and now we can control, they signed up it makes perfect sense,” ring her and she helps keep for MLA’s Nutrition EDGE Geoff said. us on track.” ■ 27