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Charles Darwin University grows with success after success
Cameron Magusic
Cameron Magusic profiles the Northern Territory tertiary institution’s recent achievements
It is fair to say the Northern Territory is of the most successful Australian states or territories to suppress the novel coronavirus pandemic, and that success is being reflected at Charles Darwin University (CDU).
Last December, 63 international students were able to return to CDU after two weeks of quarantine at the old Howard Springs mining facility; the first group of students to return to Australia from overseas, Kate Ashton for the ABC reports.
As one student from Hong Kong told Ashton, CDU is ideal because it is ‘relatively close’ to her home country and the rest of Asia, once again enabling the mix of cultures to the benefit of Territorians.
While the Asian staple food of rice has become mainstream in modern Australian cuisine, a new research project at CDU aims to turn native Australian rice into commercial products.
The project, which is being funded by CDU and partners to the tune of $1.4 million dollars, involves researchers growing three native rice species and studying ‘growth, yield and grain quality’, according to Sean Bellairs at CDU’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods.
One species is unique to Australia and grows mainly near Katherine, Dr Bellairs said, and the other two can be seen around the Top End.
Aboriginal communities have been growing the species for tens of thousands of years and are adding their expertise to the project, according to Dr Bellairs.
The Northern Territory government through its Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) is interested in the project as well, providing the use of its researchers and facilities.
DITT executive director of agriculture Phil Hausler said, ‘This research will assist in attracting and facilitating (agribusiness) investment.’
Separately, a CDU student is making great strides in her own agriculture education journey.
Rural Operations student Kristy Gamble, based at CDU’s Katherine campus, made the most of last year’s turmoil and disturbances.
Scheduled to exhibit her equine and cattle mastery at the Katherine and Darwin Shows before both were cancelled, Gamble is set to grab her studies by the horns with the aim of competing at both events this year.
CDU Katherine team leader Alison Haines said the campus’ students have ‘made the most of a difficult year and we have enjoyed having them on campus’.
Please contact me on LinkedIn here if you would like to share your CDU experience.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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