Spring/Summer 2011 -...

Welcome to the MMPIG’s Spring/Summer newsletter. It contains information on MMPIG things that have been happening over the past 6 months. The winter party certainly got some great reviews and was well attended, and we’re looking forward to the AGM dinner in February. Hope you enjoy the read and have a great Christmas ! Editor Rachel Walmsley

Spring/Summer 2011

PO Box 163

Moora

WA

6510

Moora Miling Pasture Improvement Group Inc

Much merriment at the winter woolshed party

Celebrating local produce and climbing mountains

were the themes for this year’s Moora-Miling

Pasture Improvement Group’s winter woolshed

party held on Friday 29th July.

Earlier in the year, the heat was on to plan and

host a party that would live up to the expectations

set at the 2010 event. The committee looked

around for a speaker who would bring a whole

different outlook on life and so decided on

booking mountaineer Patrick Hollingworth, who

came with glowing recommendations.

Above: MMPIG committee welcomes Patrick to the party. L-R Ross Adams, Rachel Walmsley, Richard

Topham, Tony White, Neil Pearse, Brendon Tierney, Patrick Hollingworth, Rob Wood, Ken Seymour,

David Peake, Richard Humphry, Kristin Lefroy & Jeremy Lefroy

Inside this issue:

Winter Party

review - bumper pictorial spread

2 to

6

September Spring

Field day review and photos

7 to 10

Sheep drench

report 11

Fox shoots 12

Upcoming AGM 13

New saltbush

funded project 15

New members

form 16

www.mmpig.org.au

Winter party cont………..

Top insert: Russell Watson addressing the

crowd on behalf of Wheatbelt men’s Health

who sponsored the event.

Above & right: our after dinner speaker

Patrick Hollingworth was an inspiration, and

gave a magnificent account of his journey to

conquer Mt Everest (one of only 4 WA people

to do so). He dazzled the crowd for over an

hour with spectacular mountain scenery pho-

tos and video including jaw dropping drop-

offs and crevasses.

Above: all the guests seated and ready for a scrumptious dinner catered for by Romola and Nikki of Coomberdale Kitchen.

On the menu was a choice of soup followed by succulent Linley Valley roasted rib eye pork accompanied by an array of delicious vegetables. The meal concluded with a choice of yummy desserts including black forest gateaux trifle and pineapple and ginger steamed pudding. All the food was washed down by (a lot of) wine generously supplied by Western Range Wines which received rave reviews from the diners.

Left: guests start to arrive at the woolshed and are greeted by plates of

dukkah donated by Wyening Mission farm and olive oil donated by Moore

Park farm accompanied by delicious rosemary focaccia bread donated by

New Norcia Bakeries (great job by the MMPIG waiters too & Kristin for

manning the door). Splendid table design with beautiful flowers and

candles which is thanks to Peta Thorniley.


Above: Marion

and Ken Sey-

mour enjoyed

getting dressed

up

Right: Peta

Thorniley & Tony

White reflect on

the evening

Above: some of Patrick’s visuals of Everest. He left the audience with a

confirmed knowledge that anyone can follow their dream.

A video of Patrick’s presentation is available from Rachel.

Above: Ross and Claire Milne really enjoyed the evening

Below: Ann & Les Crane, and Sue Johnson catch up


Above: Leanne Pearse, Lucille Piper & Neil Pearse

Right: Peta Thorniley in an MMPIG sandwich with Ken

Seymour and Kristin Lefroy

Above: Brad Millsteed and Neville Hamil-

ton looking very smart

Below: Les Crane, Richard Humphry and

Rachel Walmsley catching up Above: Annaleis and Richard Top-

ham enjoyed the entertainment

Left: Tracey Humphry chose the

black forest gateaux for dessert

Below: Keith Piper and Lyn Hamil-

ton pose for a lovely snap


Above: Simon Metcalf talking to Jim & Liz

Waddell

Left: Good friends - David & Pip Peake and

Kate & Brendon Tierney

Above: Men’s catch up - Jeremy Lefroy, Ian Sey-

mour & Kim Hamilton

Top right: Sue Lefroy, Annaleis Topham & Rachel

Walmsley enjoying the drinks

Right: A suave looking John Bullock

Below: Peta Thorniley having a joke with Ken Sey-

mour, Kristin Lefroy, Patrick Hollingworth and Neil

Pearse


What a night ! The evening concluded with a raffle of prizes donated by local producers and businesses

with Ann Teti winning the 1st prize of a night at the Tradewinds Hotel. The woolshed party was hugely enjoyable and

carried on into the wee hours before the last guests ventured home to bed with a sweet potato and a couple of

oranges in hand.

Of the evening Tony White MMPIG president said ‘It was a roaring success with huge praise all round for our guest

speaker Patrick Hollingworth. He captivated the audience for over an hour with his fascinating story of planning and

climbing Mt Everest. The visuals were spectacular and breathtaking especially those vertical ascents and crossing

gaping crevasses.’ Tony continued ‘Many thanks to all the sponsors – Rabobank for the continued sponsorship of the

group, Aglime and Regional Men’s Health for their financial contribution, Linley Valley for the pork, Western Range

for the wine, New Norcia for the fabulous dukkah bread, Don & Moira McKinley for the olive oil, Wyening Mission

for the dukkah, Landmark for several raffle prizes, Browns for the sweet potatoes and Moora Citrus for oranges.

Finally, thanks to all the committee members that helped behind the scenes putting the event together and roll on

next year !’

Above: Cheeky Rob Wood and his wife Maria

Above right: Girls catch up - Peta Thorniley, Angela

Humphry & Denise Millsteed

Above: Huge sweet potato advertised by Cathy !

Left: Tony White and Rachel Walmsley toasting to the success

of the evening

Spring field day—14th September

Worm resistance issues, the new carbon farming initiative and Round up Ready canola were

just a few of the topics covered during the Moora-Miling Pasture Improvement Spring Field

day on the 14th September.

‘Around 45 local farmers and industry reps attended the afternoon event in Miling which

started with a call out for farmers

to sign up to a new soil acidity

project by Chris Gazey DAFWA

followed by a field visit to Bruce

McLagan’s Round Up Ready

Canola plus a visit to a radish

knockdown trial at Kade Gregory’s’ said Tony White

MMPIG’s Chairman.

David Peake from Elders was our guide for these

field sites.

David McLagan sowed a line-up of new and currently available varieties of hy-

brid glyphosate resistant canolas at his property southwest of Miling. Kevin

Morthorpe and Jolene Hodges from Pioneer spoke about their varieties and

David Peake from Elders made comments relevant to the local conditions.

Varieties sown were part of a Pioneer Product Advancement Trial (PAT) to-

gether with current lines from Pacific Seeds. Weed control with the new RR

canola systems has allowed previously uncroppable paddocks to be put back

into the rotation as a profitable option. The double spray of the Roundup

Ready herbicide during the early crop stages gave exceptional control of barley

grass and ryegrass, although a poorer canola plant establishment would have

reduced the in-crop competition to the weeds. The lack of residual of the

herbicide was plain to see in the unsown areas. A pre-emergent spray of

propyzamide may have allowed some more control of the grasses.

The highest yielding varieties from 2010 were the Hyola 404RR and the 505RR

for the wetter areas. The new Pioneer Experimental 589, 535 lines look excel-

lent at the moment, particularly the shorter season one.

Yield data will be available for these trials after harvest from Elders Moora

96511308

NACC Wind Erosion Incentives - out now !

Spring field day cont………..

Kade Georgy was kind enough to allow us access to his farm for an excellent trial that highlighted the rele-

vant issue of herbicide resistance in wild radish. Bill Campbell, the local area manager from Nufarm spoke in

detail about the background of herbicide resistance and how it is becoming a major concern around the

Northern Ag region of WA and how it is increasing in severity around Miling. Over use of the common

herbicides 2,4-D and MCPA since the inception of Broadacre cropping in the /area has allowed the build up

of resistance plants throughout the paddocks. Bill showed that Group B, F, I and C were all working to vari-

ous levels in the trial.

Treatments per hectare included:

25g, 100g Monza/ Sulfosulfuron B

10g, 60g Eclipse/ Metosulam B

100mL, 200mL and 400mL Brodal/ Diflufenican F

400mL, 800mL, 1.6L, 3.2L 2,4-D Ester 680 I

250mL, 375mL 500mL Paragon

1L Bromicide 200

The visual build up of different herbicide modes of action together with varying herbicide rates was excel-

lent to see. The most effective treatments in the trial were combinations of chemistry used at the early

stages in the crop (mainly 3-5leaf stage). The 720mL/ha Flight EC (504mL Paragon plus 750mL Bromicide

200) and Velocity 670mL/.ha together with the Jaguar/ Barracuda/ Minder at 1L/ha gave the best control.

The old favourite of LVE MCPA plus a spike of group B was generally giving very little control.

The paddock that surrounded the trial was successfully controlled because of the use of an early spray of

Barracuda at 900mL/ha followed up by an application of Velocity 670mL plus Estercide 680 1L/ha at the lat-

er timing. This is a paradigm shift for many growers in the Miling area. Aiming to get complete wild radish

seed set control on whole wheat programs throughout the rotation will hopefully reduce the weed seed

banks that are in the area.

More details on the trial are available from David Peake at Elders Moora 0427096 506


Back at the pavilion for some presentations, Euan Beaumont

(CarbonDiversity) kicked things off by talking about the new Carbon

Farming Initiative (CFI) followed by Men’s Health advisor Russell

Winsor ran through symptoms that can point to the onset of

depression. Tony remarked ‘health is a poignant subject in the current

financial climate so everyone should look out for their mates and

neighbours, and meet up for a beer or two to chat about issues that

have been weighing them down.’

Dean Smith, Rabobank’s Agribusiness advisor from Sydney talked about

the crop price outlook followed by Rob Woodgate, senior DAFWA

vet, who gave an interesting presentation about worm resistance in

sheep and correct drenching times. Alan Meldrum from Pulse Australia

finished formal proceedings by speaking about new field peas and future

industry. Above: Dean Smith talked global crop prices

Below: Rob Woodgate got everyone excited about

worms

Above: Alan Meldrum finished the day with pulse

talk

Above: Russell Windsor

and his Shock Absorber

checklist

Above: Euan Beaumont talks carbon



With the presentations finished, it was time for a few

welcomed cold beers and tasty BBQ steak rolls.

Aglime generously donated three door prizes of 50t lime each

which were won by Richard Topham, Tony White and Quentin

Bricknell. Tony said of the day ‘It’s great getting out in the

district and seeing some of the crops after such a good season.

Thanks to all the participants and event sponsors including

FarmWorks, Elders and Aglime, who helped make the day a

success.’

Above: BBQ and beer time

Right: Peter Hewlett and Alan

Seymour

Below: Kristin Lefroy, and Chris

Gazey talk lime Above: Joel Andrews &

Brendon Tierney

Below: David Peake and

Derek Stewart share a beer

Above: Grand lime draw out of a kettle

Using new sheep drench groups - Rob Woodgate

Resistance to treatments by sheep worms is a major problem in WA, and the long-used summer drenching program has been strongly linked to the development of resistance. The main recommendation to minimise resistance development is to follow the “summer-autumn drenching” program which aims to maintain effective sheep worm control but also re-duce the selection pressure to worsen in drench resistance (see DAFWA Farmnote No 348, or follow the animal health and then parasites links on DAFWA‟s website - www.agric.wa.gov.au/)

The 2010 Australian release of a new sheep drench group (the “AAD” group; chemical: monepantel, trade-name, “Zolvix”) added another string to the worm control bow. Another new product (“Startect”) containing a new active ingredi-ent (derquantel) has also recently been released in New Zealand.

If used appropriately for some treatments as part of a planned worm control program, these new drench groups will help to maintain the effectiveness of older drench types, and also minimise the likelihood that resistance will develop to the new groups.

Which drenches are still likely to be effective on WA farms?

On most farms in WA, the likely fully-effective options at the moment are:

abamectin (not ivermectin): effective on most farms

moxidectin: effective on the majority of farms

the „triple combinations‟: effective on almost all farms (these products include a white, clear and ML (preferably abamectin) – e.g. “Q-drench”, “Hat-trick”, “Pyrimide” and “Triguard”)

monepantel (“Zolvix”).

A drench resistance test is recommended to confirm effectiveness of the older drench types, such as white plus clear combination products, and also evaluate organophosphate containing combinations if they are considered for treat-ments. Talk to your local sheep veterinarian for specific advice.

Where does monepantel fit?

Monepantel (“Zolvix”) should be included now with other drench types in the annual drenching program, as this will re-duce the development of resistance to all remaining effective products. It should preferably be used at times of the year when fully effective worm control is needed, but also when there is relatively low selection pressure for resistance devel-opment. The Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) of 115 days must be also considered.

SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. QUARANTINE DRENCHES: sheep introduced to the farm should be drenched with a combination of drench types: monepantel plus a „triple combination‟ is the easiest way to achieve this. This aims to ensure that no resistant worms survive, and the sheep should then be moved to the wormiest pasture on the farm so any that do are rapidly diluted by other worms.

2. LAMBS AT WEANING: options include monepantel; a „triple combination‟; abamectin; or moxidectin (remembering that if lambs are to go for export slaughter within 115 days, monepantel cannot be used.)

3. SUMMER DRENCHES (weaners and hoggets):

- If monepantel was not used at weaning: monepantel is a good option (if sheep not for slaughter within 115 days)

- If monepantel was used at weaning: a „triple combination‟ or moxidectin should be used this time instead.

4. EWES:

- If lambing before mid-June (no pre-lamb drench needed): rotate between years: monepantel one year and either a „triple combination‟ or moxidectin for the next year‟s treatment.

- If lambing after mid-June (pre-lamb drench often needed): the April treatment could be with a „triple combination‟ or moxidectin and the pre-lambing treatment with monepantel.

5. WINTER AND SPRING TREATMENTS: in addition to fully effective types, less effective drenches can be used when sheep are likely to pick up worms soon after drenching. These can include an organophosphate-containing combination or (if shown to be adequate by a drench check) a known effective BZ/levamisole combination.

6 .BARBERS POLE WORM: control of Barbers Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus) is in addition to the above recom-mendations. The long-acting, narrow-spectrum drench type closantel is recommended where there is a known annual risk, or whenever even sporadic Barbers Pole Worm cases have occurred.


Fox, rabbit and feral cat shoots

Right: Adam Martin’s

team were first in the

1st Miling shoot in Feb

2011.

Left: Stephen Turner’s

team were placed first

in the 2nd shoot in

Mar 2011

The Miling fox shoot is back on

for the 25th Feb ! Richard

Topham, shoot organiser, is

busily organising sponsors to

help finance the event which

will help make a dent in the

numbers of unwanted pests.

With a great year for pest

breeding, the 25th might be an

explosive night.

Last year the 2 shoots held

cumulated in 203 foxes, 64

rabbits and 5 feral cats with the

f irst shoot experiencing

atrocious shooting weather.

Generous local businesses and

the Moora-Miling Pasture

Improvement Group offered

some great prizes for the 1st,2nd,

3rd & 4th placed teams, and all

the weary participants enjoyed

a cooked breakfast Sunday

morning, which was sponsored

by NACC and catered for by

the ladies of the Miling

playgroup (who also raised over

$200 from the events).

We hope to better the total

this year so get your teams

together and give Richard a ring

asap.


Land care Incentives - last chance to sign up !

Elite Old man saltbush trial sites around Miling

Moore Catchment Council in partnership with MMPIG has recently received

funding through the NACC Devolved grant scheme and Caring For Our

Country Community grants to establish 3 one hectare ‘elite’ saltbush trial

sites in 2012.

This project aims to partner with CSIRO Livestock Industries to

demonstrate new elite strains of Old Man saltbush that have been breed for

improved productivity and palatability. Saltbush is an effective fodder shrub

and revegetation plant for the thousands of hectares of saline affected unproductive

land of the Moore River catchment. It has proven health benefits for stock including

Vitamin E and essential minerals, allows deferred grazing from other pasture, and encourages improved hydrological

balance and benefits to native biodiversity. These new saltbush will provide MMPIG farmers with an improved grazing

tool for future sustainable farming.

CSIRO needs wider field testing and demonstration of the new elite old man saltbush in areas where saltbush is

utilised as a fodder shrub to see how well it performs in the local environment both for production and palatability.

MMPIG/MCC have planned a number of field days to inform and demonstrate, to first time and experience saltbush

growers, the performance of new strains of oldman saltbush as a fodder shrub and environmental rehabilitation tool.

One demonstration site has already been determined but if anyone else is interested in having one on their property

then please let Rachel know 0409 296 264.

MMPIG 2012 events

MMPIG are renown for putting on great social and knowledge sharing events. Detailed below is a list of what’s

coming up in 2012. Exact dates will follow when finalised.

February

21st - MMPIG AGM. We will be dining under the stars at Cranmore Park farm once again

with fabulous food and listening to Rob Egerton-Warburton

25th - Miling Fox shoot. Get your teams sorted and phone Richard 9654 1009

March

Soil acidity and liming workshop with DAFWA and Soil tech

Saltbush workshop with CSIRO - Improved fodder shrubs and their benefits

July

Winter party - warm your cockles at the best winter social event in the area!

September

Spring Field day - your window to local trails and new information.

Application form for new members

Would you like to become a member of MMPIG? Membership

runs from Feb-Feb each year and cost $50 per business. Fill

in the form below and return with payment to:

The Secretary

Moora-Miling Pasture Improvement Group

PO Box 163

Moora WA 6510

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Company Name: ___________________________________________________

Postal Address: ____________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________ Fax: _________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________________

Others involved in your business and contact details if different from above:

1)________________________________________________________________

2)________________________________________________________________

Payment can be made by electronic transfer to:

Include remitter details. Bank: Bankwest

BSB: 306-023

Account No: 008936-5

PO Box 163 Moora WA 6510

Spring/Summer 2011 -...

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