Science and Research Updates - Animal production

28 May 2009	Sheep technology awarded Researchers at NSW DPI�s Orange Agricultural Institute have received some well-deserved recognition for their work in a ground-breaking Sheep CRC project.
28 May 2009	Skip the dip They've cracked it, after many years � a reliable new sheep lice test that gets around dipping.
28 May 2009	Beef CRC II features 14 DPI researchers Understanding whether carcass and beef quality attributes can be changed by genetic selection or through management processes without unduly compromising key fitness traits like reproductive performance and adaptation to environmental stressors drove research at the Beff CRCII. The Special Edition of the latest Beef CRC Special Edition published in Animal Production Science features NSW DPI scientists, economists and biometricians on 14 of the 17 papers, and on the Foreword.
28 May 2009	Solomons' bee biosecurity warning Two of Australia�s honey bee experts are conducting research in the Solomon Islands, developing strategies to control an invasion of Asian honey bees.
28 May 2009	Tastier value-for-money lamb Differences between lambs in tenderness and predicted meat yield are apparently attributable to their genes, not just their environment.
02 Mar 2009	Most detailed longitudinal study in Australia
04 Jul 2008	"Taste enhancing" lamb research efforts Lamb chops have been getting more delicious and it’s partially due to the research results from a local scientist, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said today.
29 Nov 2007	Small changes help sheep producers recover from drought Recent analysis of sheep enterprises shows small improvements in enterprise performance can have large impacts on drought recovery.
30 Aug 2007	Live pig scans cap research career At the culmination of a 40-year career, principal research scientist Roger Giles has delivered to the pig industry the latest computer technology for assessing pig carcases.
26 Jul 2007	Pasture-based automated milking system making good progress Research into the new pasture-based automated milking system at Camden indicates the system is working well.
26 Jul 2007	Trust your eyes when selecting sheep Sheep selection has come the full circle. New research suggests that visual traits should be incorporated into modern sheep selection strategies.
31 May 2007	QPLU$ shows two traits account for most returns The QPLU$ Merino research project is showing that just two traits - fleece weight and fibre diameter - account for about 90 per cent of wool cheques.
30 May 2007	Breeding accurately for wool and meat A massive number crunching exercise has for the first time provided Australia’s Merino sheep breeders with the confidence they need to accurately breed sheep for several production traits.
28 May 2007	Recognition for beef cattle herd NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) beef cattle research herd at Trangie - internationally renowned for its role in high calibre, innovative research - has received official recognition for a remarkable milestone in its own history.
17 Apr 2007	Feed testing takes off in drought Farmers across the State are finding that NSW DPI's new stockfeed testing service has filled in a gap in the market by providing accurate data to enable farmers to make best use of available feed.
29 Mar 2007	Tailoring production to targets A computer modelling tool has been developed that aims to increase farm profitability by better matching livestock feed demands with forage resources.
29 Mar 2007	Boer bucks boost production in trial Boer goats can survive and successfully boost goatmeat production on western division pastoral properties, according to results from an on-farm trial.
05 Mar 2007	First a fleece value boost now meat gain for Merinos Genetic information from a selective breeding program to improve fleece value will find a secondary use to enhance Merino meat quality.
22 Feb 2007	West Coast heifers prove their efficiency Heifers bred in NSW for feed efficiency in NSW and then transported to Western Australia show that their genes are what is important.
22 Feb 2007	New feed efficiency experiment A much larger experiment to evaluate the performance of cows with superior genetics for feed efficiency is being carried out in a new CRC project.
22 Feb 2007	Robotic milking goes smoothly Lack of pasture has been the only limitation in assessing the capacity of the new automatic milking system at Camden. Six months after the FutureDairy high-tech robotic facility opened, researchers say the project has had a smooth start.
22 Jan 2007	Solution to summer staggers risk from cathead Research is underway to give central-western graziers a remedy for a crippling and fatal disease of sheep - Tribulus staggers.
18 Dec 2006	Sheep happy to draft themselves Remote drafting of sheep, where they are divided into groups without the need to be taken to yards or to involve human labour, is now a reality.
27 Oct 2006	Beneficial bacteria help keep pigs healthy An innovative alternative to using antibiotics in piggeries is being trialled by DPI scientists. Probiotics, which are used in humans to promote gut health, are being fed to intensively reared pigs.
27 Oct 2006	Sheep research pushes boundaries of precision production New precision production tools include software that will help producers make informed decisions about which stock to keep.
22 Sep 2006	Profits from beef research put to the test The benefits of producing beef which scores highly for traits such as marbling, tenderness and meat yield is to be assessed with the help of three large meat processing works in NSW and Queensland.
21 Sep 2006	Feed testing service to help farmers through drought A comprehensive feed testing service has been set up that will help the State’s farmers manage drought by accurately measuring livestock feed quality.
31 Jul 2006	New automated milking system up and running A state-of-the-art automated milking research facility designed to boost the profitability of Australia’s dairy industry is now in operation at Camden, in Sydney’s outskirts.
27 Jul 2006	Japan welfare comparison A study of the behaviour of Japanese cattle may shed some light on the welfare of cattle in Australian feedlots. NSW DPI researcher Bob Kilgour, normally based at Trangie, recently travelled to Japan to undertake a study which could deliver some results that may make a big difference to intensive beef production on Australian soil.
25 Jul 2006	Weeds wipe 15% off the value of livestock commodities Australia’s livestock producers are losing income of up to $2.4 billion a year because of weeds in pastures, according to researchers from the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management.
25 May 2006	Avian influenza and wild birds - a hot topic Research which highlighted the need for Australia’s preparedness for avian influenza to consider the role of wild birds in an Australian context has attracted top billing.
25 May 2006	Reducing antibiotic use in pig herds A vaccine and better housing are two options being explored by researchers looking at ways to help the Australian pork industry better manage a wasting disease in young pigs known as Ileitis. Antibiotics are currently used to treat the disease.
27 Apr 2006	Cardboard traps bee pest
27 Apr 2006	Johne's disease in goats A new test which could substantially reduce the cost of diagnosing Johne’s disease in goat herds has been developed at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI), Camden.
04 Apr 2006	E-sheep helps match up pedigrees A new low cost technique for helping sheep producers identify and improve flock genetics shows great promise, according to the results of a preliminary research trial conducted by NSW Department of Primary Industries’ sheep researchers.
30 Mar 2006	Alliance strengthens biosecurity research Leading Australian scientists in the fields of animal and plant biosecurity will work more closely and have greater access to state-of-the-art facilities as a result of a new alliance between the University of Sydney and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
22 Mar 2006	Trangie cows go west
28 Feb 2006	Beef Cattle that Feed Efficiently The NSW Department of Primary Industries is ramping up efforts to identify genes in beef cattle responsible for economically important traits such as feed efficiency and meat quality.
24 Feb 2006	Managing Sheep as Individuals Commercial sheep farmers have been urged to rethink how they manage wool and meat production in their flocks. The Sheep CRC’s ‘Wool meets Meat’ conference has been told that the future lies in managing individual animals using new electronic technologies.
24 Feb 2006	QPLU$ shows how to boost wool returns from Merino flocks A unique Merino breeding project, conducted over the last decade, has demonstrated how wool growers could significantly boost returns from existing Merino flocks.