Livestock Tech Talks Season 1
These talks are part of the Red Meat and Wool Growth Program, an initiative of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions and supported by Meat & Livestock Australia, SA Sheep and Cattle Industry Funds, and AWI/SheepConnect SA.
Episode 1: Saving time and money with remote water monitoring
Recommended for: Producers
Every producer wants to save on fundamental farm resources such as labour, water and travel. In this episode, we talk with Mike Hayes from In2It Information Technologies who has been installing remote water monitoring systems, an economically savvy tool which does just that, across South Australia for many years.
Mike explains how the use of a range of different technologies help to increase communication coverage and save producers much needed time and money.
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Episode 2: Learning from Carwoola: Digital Technologies for different rural environments
Recommended for: Producers, Agribusiness participants, Agriculture technology providers.
In this episode, we talk with Darren Price from Price Rural Management and former General Manager of Carwoola Pastoral Company. Darren has been involved with the Meat & Livestock Australia Digital Farm at Carwoola, NSW where over 200 digital devices have been deployed to compare different technology products. Darren discusses:
- what livestock technologies have been implemented on Carwoola
- the results of his economic investigation into implementing these different technologies in a commercial livestock enterprise
- which products best suit which rural environments.
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Episode 3: Getting it right: Cattle and Sheep Yard design
Who should listen: Producers, service providers
It is important to maximise livestock handling efficiency, safety and ease of operation. A well designed yard system can save time, labour and reduce frustration for the operator, making livestock handling easier.
In this episode, we talk with Ben White a Research Engineer from Kondinin Group about:
- his findings from a recent independent review of different yard designs
- an overview of what yard systems are currently available
- how to get your yard designs right to maximise livestock handling efficiency, safety and ease of operation.
Supporting Resources
- Research Report Excerpt: Sheep Infrastructure Report, Farming Ahead, September 2019
- Cattle Yard Design Case Studies, Farming Ahead November 2019 ()
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Episode 4: Benefits of adopting Electronic Identification (eID) for sheep and cattle
Who should listen: Producers
Spending less time in the yard and reducing animal stress are a constant goal for Producers. In this episode, Nathan Scott from Achieve Ag Solutions who has been working with producers for many years to help them get the best out of their eID equipment, discusses how you can improve livestock productivity and profitability. Nathan discusses:
- what eID is and how to best use it
- the benefits of adopting eID in sheep and cattle enterprises
- how capturing data via eID improves your farm management decisions.
Supporting resources
Benefits of eID for cattle factsheet ()
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Episode 5: Enhancing Farming Capability through the Red Meat and Wool Growth Program
In this episode, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Hon David Basham discusses the South Australian Governments $7.5 million commitment over three years to grow the red meat and wool sector. He explains how the program will:
- contribute to South Australia’s production of premium products
- improve sheep and cattle quality and productivity while sustainably increasing the size of the herd and flock
- enhance biosecurity and help to grow more prosperous regions.