1MG FlippingBooks
Livestock Pulling its Weight for Carbon
Michael Crowley
For Australia to achieve its climate goals, all sectors must pull their weight. For farmers with livestock, there are a multitude of challenges: methane emissions, lot feeding and meat processing all put pressure on the carbon budget. So how does an industry with high carbon emissions balance things out to become carbon neutral?
The Australian red meat and livestock industry has set the ambitious target of being Carbon Neutral by 2030 (CN30).
That means by 2030, Australian beef, lamb and goat production, including lot feeding and meat processing, would make no net release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere.
Red meat producers manage half of Australia’s land mass and the industry is on the front foot, proactively working to maintain or improve long-term productivity and livestock numbers while striving to deliver zero net emissions.
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), in collaboration with industry, government and research partners, is investing in research, development and adoption projects to enable industry to move toward the CN30 target.
The red meat and livestock industry currently contributes 10 per cent of all of Australia’s GHG emissions – this figure has halved since 2005.
According to data released by CSIRO in June 2019, the Australian red meat industry achieved a 57.6 per cent reduction in GHG emissions between 2005 and 2016. It was one of only two industries in Australia to reduce emissions, the other industry being manufacturing.
The significant decline in the industry’s carbon accounts largely reflects the impact of enhanced productivity in red meat production systems and land-management practices like reforestation, afforestation and reduced deforestation.
Further emissions reductions are expected as technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants – the major emissions source for the red meat sector – penetrate the market.
Under the CN30 initiative announced in November 2017, MLA is leading a collaborative research, development and adoption (RD&A) program to develop and commercialise technologies and practices that promote the role of carbon farming in building drought resilience, emissions reduction and a more profitable red meat industry.
The MLA has form when it comes to leading the globe. Only one robot in the world is doing advanced x-ray guided beef carcase cutting at the moment – and that’s here in Australia at JBS Dinmore.
NEWS
Prodoz, a Proudly Australian and family-owned agribusiness, based in Melbourne, is strengthening its positions as national/international leader in advanced crop – science solutions through a growing portfolio of global innovation partners and a distribution footprint supported by all major distributors - includes Nutrien Ag, Elders, Lindsay Rural and Independent Rural stores.
Australia’s climate is tougher than ever. Heat spikes, dry periods, salinity, waterlogging and sudden frost events are becoming an everyday part of farmers lives.
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
Find out why the first summer drench can be so important in protecting your flock’s health, plus what to look for in your summer drench of choice.
A NSW-based innovator has developed a patent-pending, front-mounted firefighting and utility system for tractors, giving farmers instant, in-cab-controlled fire suppression, water and fuel on hand, and safer solo operations.
Barko Security is bringing drone technology to agriculture while building on a decade of security and a lifetime of agricultural know-how.
