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Schools Property Planning Competition 2016

Field Day Workbook

‘Ellerslie’

Guyra

9 March 2016

Name:

School:

Group:

2

Published by Northern Tablelands Local Land Services

Schools Property Planning Competition 2016

This document has been compiled by Michelle McKemey of Melaleuca Enterprises Environmental Consultancy

Services with support from James and Jenni Jackson of ‘Ellerslie’ and Kim Deans, Iestyn Taylor and a number of

other staff members of Northern Tablelands Local Land Services.

The organisers would like to gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and

support of Costa Group, Bindaree Beef and Chesterfield Australia.

www.lls.nsw.gov.au

© State of New South Wales through Local Land Services, 2016.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing

February 2016. Information included in this manual may be fictitious to be used only as part of the competition. However,

because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to

date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Local Land Services or the user’s independent

adviser.

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1. ‘ELLERSLIE’ FARM CASE STUDY Each student or group of students has been hypothetically contracted by the owners of ‘Ellerslie’ to make

an assessment of their current farm production system and to recommend improvements for future farm

planning. Each student/group of students will need to write a report which:

- describes the complex, dynamic and interactive nature of the agricultural production systems

- describes the factors that influence agricultural systems

- describes the farm as a basic unit of production

- explains the role of decision-making in the management and marketing of agricultural products

in response to consumer and market requirements

- investigates the role of associated technologies and technological innovation in producing and

marketing agricultural products.

To do this, students will:

- visit ‘Ellerslie’ and be given a presentation on the current farm production system

- complete six activities, including theory and practical technological exercises related to:

o soil

o pastures

o water quality

o biodiversity

o biosecurity

o livestock

- have a follow-up tutorial at school

- be asked to write up their property plan and submit it to the Northern Tablelands Local Land

Services for judging

The property plan report must address all of the following issues:

- describe the current farm production system, including enterprises, physical and biological

resources and management. Discuss the interdependence of natural resources and a farm

production system

- describe the soils and pasture of ‘Ellerslie’, describe the methods and technology used to

measure soils and pasture, identify targets for ground cover and pasture and recommend

improvements

- describe the water resources, quality and watering system for stock, identify technology used to

measure water quality and recommend improvements

- describe the biodiversity of ‘Ellerslie’, identify technology used to measure biodiversity, develop

a biodiversity plan for the property and provide recommendations for sustainable agriculture

- describe the current enterprises run on ‘Ellerslie’, which practices should be implemented to

optimise production and recommend improvements. Consider an alternative enterprise and

provide recommendations on whether to invest in this enterprise. Describe the role of the

farmer in decision making

- identify biosecurity issues for ‘Ellerslie’, discuss the general principles of biosecurity and provide

an example of how to manage a relevant biosecurity risk for ‘Ellerslie’

- prepare a map of the property showing any recommended changes or improvements

- consider the implications of relevant legislation for any recommended changes or improvements

and the importance of work place health and safety

- consider funding sources that may be available to fund recommended changes

- provide a summary/conclusion of the overall benefits that any recommendations will have for

the farm, the community and the environment and how these outcomes align with the

landowners’ vision for ‘Ellerslie’.

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2. FIELD DAY AGENDA The field day will be held at ‘Ellerslie’ Guyra on Wednesday March 9, 2016. Workstations include:

A. Soil & B. Pasture, C. Water Quality & D. Biodiversity, E. + F. Biosecurity (pest animals + livestock

diseases) & G. Livestock.

Each work session runs for 90 minutes and includes two of the workstations listed above. The 90

minutes includes time to move between work stations so this will need to be done quickly.

Time Description

8:30 – 9:00 am Buses arrive and schools register - Students receive name badges with group

colours. Student groups will be issued with colours that will correspond to an

instructor at each workstation.

9:00 am Overview of the competition and housekeeping

9:10 am Landholder’s address / Introduction to property

9:25 Students make their way to their first workstation and find their instructor

9:30 Work Session 1 (90 min)

11:00am Morning tea (at workstation)

11:15 Work Session 2 (90 min)

12:45 Lunch (near shearing shed)

1:15pm Work Session 3 (90 min)

2:45pm Afternoon tea (near shearing shed)

3:00pm Presentation to landholder / Wind Up / Q&A

3.30pm Buses depart

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3. WORKSTATION A: SOIL Overview: The soils team will present information at the soil pit on landscape and soil formation, how to read the landscape and soil characteristics.

Soil is probably the most important natural resource to any land manager as it is the foundation upon which plant and animal production depends. It is important to know the type and condition of the soils present on the property so you can decide the most suitable land-use.

We are going to describe the soil through observation and interpretation of soil results. This will help you to get an understanding of how good or poor the soil is and how to manage it. You should use this information together with other information such as land class and your own observation of the surrounding landscape. There may seem like a lot of information in this section so to help keep it simple: Concentrate on looking for any problems that will affect how you may manage this farm.

Test Result or comments Interpretation

Depth of: Do we have enough soil?

A Horizon: cm Yes / No B Horizon: cm Yes / No C Horizon: cm Yes / No:

-A horizon: the topsoil -B horizon: the subsoil -C Horizon: Parent soil material/ weathered rock

Soil colour: Is this a good soil colour?

A Horizon Colour: Yes / No B Horizon Colour: Yes / No

Dark colours: near surface indicates high organic matter (OM) therefore more fertile. Reds & oranges: good drainage and low leaching. Generally fertile. Dull yellow & mottles: Seasonal water logging. Pale colours and whites: Low OM & poor fertility. Water logging.

Texture - Ribbon test Is this soil texture good or poor?

A Horizon Texture class: B Horizon Texture class:

The proportions of sand, silt and clay particles in the soil determine soil texture. For example: medium clay or sandy loam. Generally, the more clay the soil has the more fertile it is.

Field aggregate test - slaking How much does this soil slake: Nil, moderate or complete?

A Horizon B Horizon

Slaking is a measure of the amount of organic matter (OM) in a soil. The more the soil slakes, or falls apart, in water the less OM is in the soil. If the soil stays together when wet then it contains more OM. OM is a very important part of soil fertility. It affects the physical, chemical and biological fertility of soils.

Other observations: -Soil structure Does this soil have good soil structure?

Yes / No

Soil structure describes how the basic soil materials (sand, silt and clay) are arranged into soil aggregates and the pore spaces between them. Poor soil structure reduces water infiltration and root growth and therefore affects plant growth.

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Rooting depth Can the plant roots get into the soil? Are there many roots visible?

Root depth: cm Yes / No Yes / No

This is a measure of how far down roots can penetrate into the soil. The deeper the roots can penetrate into the soil the more water and nutrients the plants can have access to.

Water holding capacity (WHC) Can this soil hold much water?

Yes / No

WHC: One of the main functions of soil is to store moisture and supply it to plants between rainfalls or irrigation. As WHC increases so does the water available for plant growth and therefore production increases as well.

pH Is this soil acid or neutral or alkaline?

A Horizon: B Horizon:

Soil pH is a measure of soil acidity or alkalinity. The pH of a soil can affect plant growth significantly.

Electrical conductivity Are salts in this soil affecting plant growth?

A Horizon: B Horizon:

Electrical conductivity measures the electrical current conducted by water and soil. The reading depends on the concentration and composition of dissolved salts. The level of salts in the soil can impact on plant growth.

Soil sodicity - dispersion How much does this soil Disperse: Nil, moderate or complete?

A Horizon: B Horizon:

This is a measure of how many sodium ions are in a soil relative to the calcium, potassium, magnesium, aluminium and hydrogen ions. Excessive sodium in the soil can lead to the soil structure collapsing and the clays dispersing. This can result in hard layers in the soil, crusting and hard setting surfaces on the soil.

1. These are the characteristics of the soils here. Can you see any variation in soil type across the property?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. What would be the limitations and opportunities for land use on these other soil types?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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4. WORKSTATION B: PASTURE ACTIVITY 1. Pasture composition Overview: Pasture team members will undertake a practical exercise in the paddock. Regardless of

the farming enterprises employed from paddock to paddock, knowing what is happening in the

paddock is very important to the landscape health which is the main driver for pasture and livestock

production.

1. List 5 factors landholders can change to manage pastures:

a) ___________________________________________________________________________

b) ___________________________________________________________________________

c) ___________________________________________________________________________

d) ___________________________________________________________________________

e) ___________________________________________________________________________

This pasture is composed of a range of different plant species. Some plant species can be difficult to

identify in their vegetative growth stage. Plants in the reproductive stage (flowering or seed head)

make positive identification much easier. Today (late summer/autumn) it will be the summer

growing species in the reproductive growth stage while winter species will be in the vegetative stage

(perennials) or about to germinate/seedling stage (annuals). With the help of your instructor and

materials provided, identify each of the marked points into a group such as an exotic (introduced)

grass, naturalised grass, native grass, legume or weed. Describe each of the plants and why you put

them in each category.

Point 1 2 3 4 5 6

Group

2. Which plant would you expect to dominate the pasture at this time of year (late summer)?

__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Is it summer dominant or winter dominant? Is it mostly annual or perennial?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is it important to know the difference between native and introduced pastures?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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5. List two roles that legumes play in the paddock:

a) ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

b) ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

6. Besides quantity, the quality of a pasture is also very important. Why is quality important?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

7. What are the indicators of a good pasture? What could be improved?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

8. Looking at this pasture are there any improvements that can be made?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

9. What strategies might we use to manage pasture when there is a drought? What are the risks and benefits of each strategy?

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 2. Ground Cover Assessment

10. Name some benefits of maintaining high levels of pasture and ground cover.

a. ___________________________________________________________________________

b. ___________________________________________________________________________

c. ___________________________________________________________________________

d. ___________________________________________________________________________

e. ___________________________________________________________________________

f. ___________________________________________________________________________

g. ___________________________________________________________________________

h. ___________________________________________________________________________

Assess the ground cover of the pasture by performing 4 random quadrat assessments.

Quadrat Ground cover (%)

1

2

3

4

Average

It is recommended that a minimum of 80 - 100% ground cover is achieved for most or all of the time

to prevent degradation such as erosion. How desirable do you think the current level of ground

cover is?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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5. WORKSTATION C: WATER QUALITY

ACTIVITY 1: Water Quality

1. Name the River/Creek __________________________________________________________

2. Name the Catchment ___________________________________________________________

3. Name the Basin________________________________________________________________

4. List some of the reasons why rivers and creeks are important to us.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why is water quality important?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There are many ways to evaluate riverine condition. Today we will evaluate two measures: Water

Quality and the Structural Condition of the river zone.

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Exercise 1 - Water Quality Test:

Follow the directions on the instruction sheets provided to fill in the following table for water

collected from the creek.

Test Result Meaning

Turbidity

Electrical

Conductivity

pH

Temperature

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6. In your own words, describe the water in the creek:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What reasons can you suggest for this result?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 2 - Riparian Condition

Look at the creek and the vegetation growing alongside it.

8. Is the creek fenced to control stock access? What impact might stock have on a creek or dam?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Is there much ground cover (vegetation) alongside the creek? Can you observe any erosion?

Describe the role that ground cover plays in preventing erosion.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Is the vegetation mostly native or exotic? Can you suggest any improvements that could be

made to the vegetation?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Stream Habitat Survey Field Guide

EXCELLENT

GOOD

FAIR

POOR

VERY POOR

BANK VEGETATION

10

Mainly undisturbed native

vegetation

8

6

4

2

Introduced ground cover or bare ground. Occasional trees. Also

includes sites with concrete lined canals.

VERGE VEGETATION

10

Mainly undisturbed native

vegetation on both sides of the stream. Verge more than 30m

wide.

8

6

4

2

Bare cover or introduced grass

cover such as pasture land.

IN-STREAM

10

Abundant cover, frequent snags, logs or

boulders with extensive areas of in-

stream aquatic vegetation and

overhanging bank.

8

6

4

2

No cover. No snags, boulders

submerged or overhanging vegetation. No undercut banks. Site may have rock or concrete

lining.

BANK EROSION AND STABILITY

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Stable: No erosion/sedimentation on evidence. No undercutting of banks,

usually gentle bank slopes, lower banks covered with root mat grasses,

reeds or shrubs.

4

3

2

1

Extensive or almost

continuous erosion. Over 50% of banks have some form of erosion. Very unstable with little

vegetation cover.

RIFFLES, POOLS AND BENDS

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Wide variety of habitats. Riffles and

pools present of varying depths. Bends

present.

4

3

2

1

Uniform habitat. Straight

stream, minimal riffle or pools,

uniform depth. E.g. channelled

stream or irrigation canal.

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RECORDING YOUR RESULT

11. Circle your stream’s rating on the Stream Habitat Record Sheet as you assess each factor (bank

vegetation, verge vegetation etc.) of your stream’s habitat and add up the score from each

factor to obtain a total score.

Score: _____________________________________________

INTERPRETING YOUR RESULT

Assess your stream’s habitat rating using the following scores in the table:

Score

Rating

Stream Habitat Assessment

Excellent

36-40

Site in natural or virtually natural condition:

Excellent habitat condition.

Good

29-35

Some alteration from natural state:

Good habitat conditions.

Fair

20-28

Significant alterations from the natural state but still offering moderate habitat.

Poor

12-19

Significant alterations from the natural state, often reduced habitat value. May have erosion or sedimentation problems.

Very Poor

8-11

Very degraded, often with severe erosion or sedimentation problems.

12. What condition is your riparian area in?

_________________________________________________________________________________

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These questions are designed to get you thinking about your property plan.

13. Why would we be interested in water quality?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Look at the property map and identify the watering points throughout the property. What type

of watering system is used?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. From looking at the infrastructure map, are all of the waterways fenced off from stock?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What improvements can you suggest to the watering system?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. What difference would these improvements make to water quality?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Are there any other improvements that you can suggest to improve water quality overall?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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19. How could the riparian area be improved?

Issue

Recommendation

Be sure to describe the current watering system and include any recommendations on improvements

to water quality in your Farm Case Study report.

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6. WORKSTATION D: BIODIVERSITY

Overview: The biodiversity team will start with a 10 minute presentation on biodiversity and then students will work through the questions and exercises on this sheet. During the field day at ‘Ellerslie’, be sure to look around and think about your biodiversity plan and where you might undertake any native revegetation.

Questions

1. What is biodiversity?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why is biodiversity important to consider when doing a property plan?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 1: Planning Revegetation

Existing remnants may be too small to maintain wildlife populations of sufficient size to be self-

sustaining in the long term. Revegetation, with plants native to your local area, can be used to

enlarge individual remnants and increase the total amount of habitat in the landscape.

3. What is remnant vegetation?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What are some things to think about when protecting remnant vegetation to improve on-farm biodiversity?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rank the below shapes for designing a vegetation patch: 1 (best) to 4 (worst)

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5. When doing your property plan, where on the property should you consider to undertake revegetation?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 2: Bushland Health Check

The only way we have of knowing whether our management actions are improving habitat is by doing habitat assessments and then monitoring changes. Below is a quick and easy check which helps you determine how healthy the vegetation is.

Answer each question with a tick in the Yes or No column Yes No

Part 1 – Trees and shrubs

1. Trees are mainly healthy with little or no signs of dieback

2. Native grassland or and bushes are present in the understorey (i.e. under the trees)

3. Young trees are present

4. Old trees with hollows are present

Part 2 – Grasses and ground cover

5. There are more than 10 different types of native grasses and herbs present

6. Between the grass tussocks the ground is covered with a litter of dry grass, bark, leaves, and twigs

7. Logs, rocks and fallen timber have been left

Part 3 – Weeds, pests and grazing regime

8. There are very few weeds (non-native species) present on the area

9. The area is free of feral animals like rabbits, foxes and cats

10. The bushland is never or only rarely grazed by domestic stock (sheep and cattle)

Part 4 – Landscape setting

11. The patch of bushland is connected along the riparian zone

12. The area is connected to other areas of native vegetation by one or more bush corridors e.g. roadside or creek vegetation

Add up the ticks in the yes column to see how this patch of bushland is rated

TOTAL

RATING: 8-12 HEALTHY 6-8 FAIR 0-5 POOR

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6. What can be done to make this area healthier?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY 3: Invasive Species

Weeds and feral animals are one of the most prevalent threats to agriculture and the environment.

A recent survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics states that invasive species (both weeds and

feral animals) are the most common and costly natural resource management issue that farmers are

dealing with. More than 78% of all expenditure by land holders on natural resource issues is being

directed to managing invasive species. The annual cost of weeds to Australian agriculture is over

$3.4 billion. Invasive species are also considered second only to habitat loss in terms of impacts on

biodiversity.

7. What evidence can be found on the site of feral animals, and what impact can they have on the property?

FERAL

ANIMAL TYPE OF EVIDENCE IMPACT

Scat Track

Den/Warren Other

8. There are a variety of weeds that can be identified on the property. Name 3 that you can see on the property, determine their impact and how they can be controlled.

WEED IMPACT CONTROL

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SITE SUMMARY

9. _ Are there other indicators of a healthy ecosystem that can be identified when walking around the site? If so, what are they?

a ___________________________________________________________________________

b ___________________________________________________________________________

c ___________________________________________________________________________

10. Name 3 benefits you think the property owner would get from improving their biodiversity?

a ___________________________________________________________________________

b ___________________________________________________________________________

c ___________________________________________________________________________

d ___________________________________________________________________________

e ___________________________________________________________________________

11. How could biodiversity on your study property be maintained or improved?

a ___________________________________________________________________________

b ___________________________________________________________________________

c ___________________________________________________________________________

d ___________________________________________________________________________

e ___________________________________________________________________________

f ___________________________________________________________________________

g ___________________________________________________________________________

h ___________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

In your Farm Case Study report, use the ‘Ellerslie’ map to assist you to develop a biodiversity

plan for the property.

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7. WORKSTATION E: LIVESTOCK DISEASES

The biosecurity team will undertake a practical demonstration at the sheep yards.

Overview presentation on biosecurity

1. Identify 5 ways a biosecurity hazard might enter ‘Ellerslie’:

a._______________________________________________________________________________

b._______________________________________________________________________________

c._______________________________________________________________________________

d._______________________________________________________________________________

e._______________________________________________________________________________

2. Name three diseases for cattle and three for sheep which could be a problem on ‘Ellerslie’:

a._______________________________________________________________________________

b._______________________________________________________________________________

c._______________________________________________________________________________

d._______________________________________________________________________________

e._______________________________________________________________________________

f._______________________________________________________________________________

3. For each disease identify the major ways of excluding the disease or minimising the risk:

a._______________________________________________________________________________

b._______________________________________________________________________________

c._______________________________________________________________________________

d._______________________________________________________________________________

e._______________________________________________________________________________

f._______________________________________________________________________________

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4. Parasite control - estimate the average weight of the pen of sheep, then select an empty

drench canister and answer questions reading from the drench canister label.

a) How do you determine if your sheep need drenching?

_______________________________________________________________________________

b) Which product did you use?

_______________________________________________________________________________

c) What are the active constituents?

_______________________________________________________________________________

d) What is the dose rate?

_______________________________________________________________________________

e) What is the dose?

_______________________________________________________________________________

f) What is the withholding period / ESI?

_______________________________________________________________________________

5. Vaccinating against Clostridial disease with 5-in-1

Students will be provided with a laminated vaccine data sheet and will answer the following

questions.

a) What diseases does this protect against?

_______________________________________________________________________________

b) What is the dose?

_______________________________________________________________________________

c) How is it administered?

_______________________________________________________________________________

d) What is the recommended vaccination protocol for sheep?

_______________________________________________________________________________

e) What is the withholding period / ESI?

_______________________________________________________________________________

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8. WORKSTATION F: PEST ANIMALS Overview: The pest animal team will conduct a practical demonstration of injecting food dye into

livers (simulating 1080 being injected into a liver for fox bait). They will demonstrate how to identify fox

habitation across the Northern Tablelands, how to identify fox predation and best methods for control,

including mound bait stations and group control networks to maximise impact on the pest species.

The Northern Tablelands Local Land Services Armidale area and surrounds have 28 integrated fox

groups. Northern Tablelands Local Land Services stress the importance of fox group control because

foxes can be territorial to a 5km radius; therefore it is likely another fox will move into the area, if

surrounding properties don’t participate in control measures. They will also mention restrictions in the

Pesticide Control Order of 1080 use. Please also refer to: Pesticide Act 1999 - Pesticide Control

Order under Section 38 for information on 1080.

Questions:

1. Why is it important to undertake group fox control?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. Other than lamb predation, which species are greatly affected by foxes?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. What are the benefits of mound baiting fox baits?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. How will fox baiting benefit farm profitability?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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9. WORKSTATION G: LIVESTOCK

Overview: The livestock team will provide a powerpoint presentation in the shearing shed.

Questions:

1. What is the ideal fat score at joining for:

a) Ewes? _________________________

b) Rams? _________________________

2. What two things cause the greatest loss in newborn lambs?

a._______________________________________________________________________________

b._______________________________________________________________________________

3. Is pasture that is 68% digestible of a high enough quality (for body maintenance – i.e. to

prevent weight loss) for twin bearing ewes?

Yes or No

4. What is the minimum green herbage mass (for body maintenance – i.e. to prevent weight

loss) required for single bearing ewes on pasture that is 75% digestible?

__________________________________________________________________________________

5. How many megajoules of energy per day does a twin bearing ewe require (for body

maintenance) approx. 1 month after lambing?

_________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is the maximum recommended number of single bearing ewes that should be in a

single mob at lambing?

_________________________________________________________________________________

7. What other enterprises might be run on ‘Ellerslie’? Consider some of the following ideas.

Students are encouraged to use current market prices and Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE)

ratings for enterprises to determine if the Jackson family should consider other livestock

opportunities:

a) Backgrounding steers for entry into feedlots at 480-500kg live

b) Finishing cattle for the trade i.e. producing 230-280 kg hot standard carcase weight

(HSCW)

c) Specialist lamb finishing – turning store lambs into 18-28 kg HSCW

d) 1st X lamb operation – join all Merino ewes to meat rams (terminal and/or maternals),

this would involve buying in Merino ewes and selling all lambs to various markets.