In the New England region of NSW, merino sheep generally run on granite soils containing lower nutrient levels, in particular, phosphorus and sulphur can be limiting. Recent trials by AgSolutions and Miramoona Merinos producer, Kim Barnet, sought to determine the extra growth potential for merino...
Interesting Facts Copper is a shiny, reddish-brown metal and was named from the Greek word kyprios. The only other non-silvery metal on the periodic table is gold, which has a yellowish colour. The addition of copper to gold is how rose gold is made (Helmenstine, 2021). ...
Introduction Magnesium (Mg) is an essential macro mineral closely associated with calcium and phosphorus and constitutes approximately 0.05 percent of the body mass. The skeleton stores sixty percent of body magnesium and about 30 percent can be found in muscle. Magnesium is also an important ion...
As we approach the upcoming lambing season, it is important to carefully manage each factor contributing to your ewes’ nutrition and overall health to help improve conception rates at joining, increase the lambing percentage and maximise your breeding profitability. Simply put, ewes in a good...
One strategy to improve farm profitability within a sheep breeding enterprise is to improve conception rates at joining to increase the lambing percentage. Providing the key nutritional requirements for ewes and rams prior to and during joining, whilst undertaking simple management strategies can ensure better...
Is Pregnancy Toxaemia Affecting Your Flock? Pregnancy Toxaemia is a metabolic disorder in ruminants that is a result of a high carbohydrate or energy demand by the foetus exceeding what the mother can supply from her diet during the last trimester of pregnancy. Pregnancy Toxaemia is...
Interesting Facts Magnesium (Mg) is a silvery white and very light metallic element found abundantly in nature; it occurs naturally, but only in combination with other elements, such as carbon, calcium, and oxygen, and is a crucial macro mineral. Magnesium was discovered in 1808 by...
Interesting Facts Zinc is a bluish-silvery metal that is mined in about 40 countries. Zinc is found everywhere in daily life; in every cell of the animal body (it’s the second most abundant trace mineral after iron), it is estimated to comprise 0.004% of the Earth’s...
The Importance of calcium for the breeding cow There have been a number of reports this season of breeders in good condition, experiencing calving losses. In most cases, these animals are up to date with vaccinations and veterinary investigation has ruled out any underlying diseases. In...
Interesting Facts Calcium is a necessary component of all living things and is also abundant in non-living things, particularly those that help support life, such as soil and water (Pedersen, 2020). Calcium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808 in London and the name...
Introduction Vitamins are nutrients that animals require in very small quantities for normal growth and maintenance of life, and the requirements for each differ considerably. Vitamins are involved in metabolic processes as co-factors in energy, protein and fat utilisation as antioxidants, assisting in the uptake of...
Interesting Facts Phosphorus (P) was discovered in 1669 by Hennig Brand when he extracted it from buckets of urine and because the substance glowed in the dark, he initially called it “cold fire”. Due to its reactive nature, and its use in poisons and nerve agents,...
