THE SOUTHERN
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1986
APRIL, 2015
BEEF DEMAND UP
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RADISH PERFORMS
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PRODUCTIVE PASTURES
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'DLU\ IDUPV EHQH¿ W IURP OLYHU À XNH EUHDNWKURXJK COLLABORATION between Victoria’s Economic Development Department (DEDJTR) and La Trobe University scientists has led to breakthrough tests to identify and control liver fluke parasites in Victorian dairy cattle. The infestations cost dairy farmers an average of $28,000 per year in lost production, or about $9.3 million in the Maffra region alone – last year’s early figures from the latest research. Biosciences Research Division veterinary patho-biologist Grant Rawlin, based at the collaborative AgriBio centre in Bundoora, said one of the two tests identifies the threshold at which liver fluke is likely to cause significant production losses. The other test detects the parasite in water and potentially on pasture. “Liver flukes are flatworm parasites that most commonly live in wet grass near streams or ponds,” Dr Rawlin said. “They infect cattle grazing on contaminated grass resulting in liver damage which has subsequent effects on milk production.” Dr Rawlin said that liver fluke had been present in irrigated dairy areas of Victoria for many years S REDUCE SE OU GREENH SION IS GAS EM
and had been managed through the use of a particular drug treatment since the 1980s. “However, we have now found several cases on farms where liver fluke shows total resistance to triclabendazole and we expect to find more farms with this problem,” he said. Dr Rawlin said one of the new tests analyses cattle faecal samples to identify the relative infection intensity, allowing an estimate of the approximate number of adult fluke in the animal – something which could only previously be done during postmortem examinations. “These faecal samples can be analysed and then compared to cattle milk production which previous studies have shown that just 40 adult fluke can result in a decrease in overall milk production of up to 10 per cent,” he said. La Trobe University professor Terry Spithill said AgriBio and La Trobe scientists created a second test to detect the presence of metacercaria, the infective stage of liver fluke, in water and on pasture. This new test is to be deployed in the field this year to help to define the ecology of fluke infections in the environment near infected farms.
ALL GROW ON THE BELLARINE
Nathan Wilson and parents Anne and Darryl Wilson produce hydroponic tomatoes near Portarlington. Their major supply contracts are with demanding but volume buyers – the major supermarket chains. Read David Palmer’s story about the Wilsons’ hydroponic enterprise on pages 12-13. PHOTO: David Palmer
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