All indications are the first six months of 2017 is the driest January to June ever recorded in many parts of Eastern Australia.
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Tasmania has kept official records for 110 years for most parts of that state and this is its driest start to the year in that time. Many of our local winter fodder crops have “hit the wall” suffering from moisture deficiency and regular frost-like mornings.
Some agronomists pessimistic about the weather outlook have advised clients to eat off their oats, barley etc. to salvage something from the crop wreckage.
I have a good mate in the industry who often suggests on certain occasions “weight will beat rate” when bottom-line figures are taken into consideration. A case in point is John Dent from “Neeworra” at Gulargambone who at Dubbo last Thursday offered an outstanding B-Double of Hereford steers and bullocks which sold in the range of 290 plus cents /kg. All the consignment sold around the $2000 mark with the best bullocks returning $2592.
Rod Mildner from Nevertire, with a deteriorating season, opted to sell his Angus steer weaners now while they still possess freshness and bloom. The decision was well rewarded with this outstanding line of calves receiving 360.2c/kg weighing 318kg and returning $1147.
Tom and Louise Woods of Narromine sold a line of attractive young steers for 293.2c/kg, weighing 676kg to return a tidy $1984 per head.
The fall-out surrounding the JBS Brazilian beef operation continues unabated with startling revelations on an almost daily basis.
Originally it was stated there would be absolutely no collateral damage whatsoever to the United States operation – in turn linked to our industry. Soon after a statement announced the sale of JBS’s entire US feedlot complex which on any given day supposedly has some 980,000 head on feed.
US authorities recently announced they would no longer accept imports of fresh or frozen beef from Brazil.
The suspension will last until Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action satisfactory to the US Department of Agriculture. US officials have been testing 100 per cent of Brazilian beef since March and have rejected almost 1000 tonnes on the grounds of animal health issues, sanitary concerns or the risk to human well-being.
How are we all progressing with our new biosecurity rules and regulations?
All seminars suggest these are industry driven. From what I can glean the changes are not being pursued by the rank and file graziers, most of whom knew nothing about changes to be thrust on them. Most graziers to my knowledge are dedicated to running an efficient, clean and green enterprise sometimes in difficult circumstances considering droughts, fires, low commodity prices and unsympathetic politicians.
The best we can do is complete the questionnaire, file as authorities suggest and hope the increased paperwork does not become too onerous in the future.