ON FARM SOUTHERN SHEEP & CATTLE Developing a robust increasing to 300g/head/day. They were Business planning is key drought feeding regime vaccinated and received liquid minerals, Robert Bell said the strategies employed for their sheep enterprise administered via the water supply. by the Cookes have demonstrated how has laid the foundations For the first 21 days, the emphasis was to lift an enterprise’s carrying capacity for central-west NSW producers on setting up lambs and their rumens by focusing on optimum ewe lactation, Rob and Jude Cooke to lift through a rigid induction process in early weaning and good rumen set up long-term productivity even further. small paddocks. They were being for feed efficiency. hand-fed twice a day with a mix of grain, “Rob and Jude have gone from producing Having identified they were locally-sourced canola meal pellets 97kg of meat/ha/year to 300kg/ha/year under-prepared for a drought and and ProAgni* ProTect S, a high protein in just five years,” Robert said. that one was due, the Cookes started supplement featuring probiotic extract. developing a drought management plan. Increasing productivity has been a Boosting lamb survival and key focus for Rob and Jude, who’ve The dry spring of 2017 accelerated feed conversion progress dramatically. implemented a business plan for a “The Protect S was added for three resilient and flexible enterprise which “We went through what we had in our reasons. One, to reduce the risk of meets their business, lifestyle and heads for the management plan with acidosis. Two, to ensure the sheep were environmental goals. our animal nutritionist, Robert Bell, and getting the micro and macro nutrients he said ‘well if you’re talking about they needed and three, to improve feed To build knowledge, the couple building a drought lot, you better do it efficiency,” Rob Cooke said. undertook any livestock and farming now’,” Rob said. training available, including MLA’s Once on the self feeders, the ratio Bred Well Fed Well, and sought out Setting up the drought lot evolved to wheat, canola meal pellets, advisors on agronomy, animal nutrition Completed in October 2017, the drought cereal hay and the supplement. and business. ■ lot (consisting of six pens which can The result was minimal loss of each hold 275 head) is located within lambs – less than 0.2% – and lambs Four tips for walking distance of the sheds and which had a feed conversion ratio of homestead. An initial trial of PVC average 3.2–3.5:1. The feed cost was drought lot success: troughs wasn’t successful as they were 19c/head/day. damaged by the sheep, so they were 1. Plan ahead in the good times by replaced with concrete troughs and The earliest lambs were sold in August purchasing hay and feed grain watered by a nearby bore. at 42kg (20kg carcase) for $156.80/head, at lower prices and storing it for 80 days post-weaning. The second sale later use. The feed ration is administered through was in October at an average of 48kg 2. Choose your supplements self feeders which can be filled direct (23.5kg carcase) for $202 and the last wisely. The Cookes are running from the mixer from a central laneway. lot were sold in late October at 60kg an antibiotic- and ionophore-free Preparing for the worst (29.4kg carcase) for $230/head. feeding regime in preparation A +100mm rainfall event in December Robert Bell calculated the total cost for meeting future supply chains 2017 helped with the summer feed of feeding was 60c/kg, accounting for which will seek these guarantees. situation and left the drought lot empty – labour, overheads and machinery use 3. Take a preventative and proactive but come March 2018, the Cookes were and depreciation. approach to animal health. faced with lambs on the ground and no Benefits for cull ewes 4. Set up the drought lot in feed in the months ahead. repeatable modules so it can Inspired by the results and the be replicated and expanded “2018 provided a unique set of simplicity of the drought lot operation, easily (producers can operate a circumstances where, not by choice, which is managed by employee Glenn drought lot for up to 4,000 head three groups of lambs this year have Haynes, Jude crunched the numbers before needing full planning been finished on a grain-based ration,” on improving the condition of five to permission in NSW). Rob said.seven-year-old cull ewes. Traditionally, lambs are left on the ewes The first lot were sold in the yards *ProAgni was runner up in the 2018 Beef Australia for as long as possible – even up to straight from the paddock for $12/head. MLA Producer Innovation Award and won the 30kg – but in 2018, the February drop inaugural Beef Australia Pitch in the Paddock lambs were weaned in three lots by the The remainder were moved into the competition for their development of the business drought lot and fed a lower cost ration model which utilises novel organic compounds, end of May at an average of 12kg. where the canola meal pellets were including probiotics, to improve feed efficiency and Preparation began with the ewes. They reduce induction time on to a grain based ration. replaced with urea and the straw intake were trail-fed in a pasture paddock for was increased. After 42 days, they were Rob and Jude Cooke three weeks prior to lambing. sold for $103/head. E: maradanagroup@bigpond.com Lambs were introduced to grain “To make a $65.80/head gross return Bred Well Fed Well: mla.com.au/ post-weaning with twice daily bucket after $25.20 in feed costs plus labour in bredwellfedwell feeding, with the ration gradually six weeks is not a bad return,” Rob said. 17