Breeder fertility workshop at Pinnacle Station

Under the shade of a tree at Pinnacle Station, graziers sat down for a conversation with Dr Geoffry Fordyce.

Geoffry comes to the Cape from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, with four decades of knowledge and experience in cow fertility and managing cow and calf losses.

Graziers from seven properties attended the event, armed with questions ranging from nutrition and monitoring cattle weight gain, measuring productivity of breeders, calf mortality issues, and cow lactation. (Castration, lactation, and rumination)

Emerging technologies for managing herd genetics were a particular point of interest. Animal genotypes can be used to identify which bulls will produce female progeny with higher fertility and are better at converting grass into liveweight.

“We understand the many and varied challenges experienced by graziers in the north.

“Issues such as cow fertility and calf losses can sound basic, yet are underpinned and influenced by a multitude of intertwining factors that require an in-depth understanding of land condition, pasture science, animal nutrition, genetics, and the list goes on,” said John McLaughlin from Northern Gulf Resource Management Group.

“Our hope for these workshops is to delve into these issues and provide graziers with sound scientific data and reasoning to inform on-property decision-making.”

This event was funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program