Central Tablelands current advice

We've come through a patchy Winter, but Spring's giving us something to work with.
Soil moisture's up.
Temps are rising and pastures are ready to kick off.
Moisture probes across the region show mostly full soil profiles.
Compared to this time last year.
O'Connell and Toogong are slightly drier, but all the other sites are
pretty similar to the previous year.
Soil temperatures are on the increase and sunlight is no longer limiting.
These conditions should support strong pasture growth.
Now is a great time for producers to complete feed budgets to identify
potential spring pasture surpluses.
Keeping pasture in the vegetative stage with fast grazing rotations
during spring supports pasture quality and optimal livestock growth.
After a fast graze, you can always come back and clean up a paddock
with the class of stock that doesn't need the best quality feed,
such as your dry cows and news.
If you're contemplating agisting, purchasing stock or making hay in
silage, these decisions are best made with objectivity rather than just a
gut feel before cutting hay or silage.
Ensure that you have at least 20% more feed than your stock requirements.
Also match your fodder quality to livestock needs.
You are far better off producing good quality fodder where you can.
Some producers are still feeling the effects of the late autumn break.
Cows in poor conditions, say a fat score one or two may not cycle early in joining
or at all while the bulls are out.
This delays conception, lowers joining, percentage increases variation
in calf size and reduces heifers, meeting suitable joining weights, and
ultimately just cuts into your income.
The goal should be to lift condition during early lactation and joining,
and if that's not achievable, early weaning can help cows recover
and improve conception rates.
The same applies to use, but make sure those lambs have access to
top quality, pasture or crop.
If you'd like more detail, don't hesitate to get in touch with the ag team.
Spring's a great time for growth, but it also brings a few animal health risk.
This year, the vets are warning about bloat, red gut grass tetnany,
barbers pole worm, and pulpy kidney.
Here's what you can do to stay on top of the risks.
First, check your paddocks before moving stock high.
Proportions of lush, fast growing legumes is a bloat risk.
Look at using bloat control agents.
One option is salt based loose lick containing rumisan.
But it is important to remember that these products take up
to two weeks to take effect.
Red Gut in lambs grazing lucerne is also a risk.
As we come into spring, make sure you're balancing the rapidly growing
low fiber leaf on lucerne by offering roughage in the form of hay straw.
Limited legume, on the other hand, is a grass tentany risk.
These conditions can change quickly, so keep an eye on them week to week.
And remember the saying the grass tetany risk stops when we start seeing bloat.
Older cows with calves at foot are most at risk at grass tenany, but it
can occur in all classes of stock on grass-based pastures and cereal crops.
They're low in salt, calcium, magnesium, and these minerals
need to be supplemented.
A salt based loose lick is a great way to do this.
Hungry stock should never be let into a new paddock and
given the opportunity to gorge.
Fill them up with hay first, or shift them in the afternoon.
When moving stock into those lush paddock, or just changing their diet suddenly,
consider the risk of pulpy kidney.
Make sure clostridial vaccinations are up to date and consider a booster if needed.
Protection only really lasts about three months in those highest risk situations.
Pulpy kidney often hits your best performing animals,
so keep them protected.
With good planning and a close eye on pasture and stock stock, we can make
the most of what Spring has to offer.
If you have any questions about any of these topics, you can definitely
give the ag team or the vet team a call or visit your local LLS office.