Donkey Orchids Diuris corymbosa

Stock Health

Dr Shey Rogers from Nullaki Veterinary Services recently presented to the Wilson Inlet Growers Group (WIGG) on stock health.  Shey spoke on everything from trace elements to improving our stock yards.

Many people don’t know that Denmark’s rainfall nearly led to the ruin of our early dairy industry.  Come to be known as the Denmark Wasting Disease in the 1930’s, thousands of years of high rainfall had leached some of our essential trace elements from our soils.  Cobalt, Selenium and Copper in particular had to be replaced through a variety of means to make grazing in our coastal corridor a profitable venture. New Zealander’s solved the issue by feeding their stock finely ground iron (limonite).  It was later found that it was fine traces of Cobalt in the Iron which was resolving the issue and not the Iron itself.  

While blood testing your stock is a valuable tool in determining if your animals are taking up essential nutrients, an observant farmer can usually pick up these deficiencies earlier with careful observation.  Signs of a Cobalt deficiency are emaciation, poor appetite, anaemia and decreased milk production.  Injections last 3 months so you must have them in 4 times a year. Pasture application may also be helpful however Shey prefers rumen bullets. Signs of a Copper deficiencies are often unthriftness, diarrhoea and poor weight gain.  This is often observed following the end of summer rains when the rapidly growing plant contains less Copper.   Copper deficiencies can also be brought on by having an excess of other trace elements such as molybdenum.  

Proactive farmers will periodically carry out tissue testing of the pastures in Springtime to ensure their grass contains adequate trace elements.  Trace elements in your pasture are best determined from tissue testing rather than soil testing. 

Scouring is common this time of year caused by bacteria, viruses or the environment or a combination of the three. At first, they don’t feel well so they stop eating. Because they stop eating, they become hypoglycaemic meaning now they are not only not hungry, but they are unlikely to have the energy to drink even if they were able. The body operates on an equilibrium, when it has diarrhea, the equation is pushed to the right and unless you correct with electrolytes the diarrhea will continue and then they become dehydrated. From here the prognosis is poor. 

Shey mentioned that one of first places to start to improve their ruminant’s health is in the stock yard.  A properly located, functioning, shaded and drained yard goes a long way to easing tension amongst farmers and stock.  While many farmers have learned to tolerate a dysfunctional yard this can often lead to increased anxiety and accidents amongst farmers and stock alike. Shey said that if a farmer is concerned about the health of their stock to contact their local vet.

WIGG is supported in part by funding as part of the Western Australian Government’s State Natural Resource Management Program.

A recent study commissioned by Woolworths surveyed 1600 Australian kids between 6 and 17…  92% of them did not know bananas grew on plants.  The British weren’t much better.  1/3 of them believe pasta is made from cows and fish fingers come from chicken.  This is not surprising considering 1/3 of UK children have never heard a cow moo.

North American author, Richard Louv, calls this Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) and it is arguably the greatest threat to the survival of our species.

While this is all partly due to the fact that modern society is congregating in cities and working longer hours to make ends meet… possibly a larger contributor is the fact that kids between the ages of 8-18 are spending over 50 hours a week plugged into media of some description (Pew Internet Study, 2009).  If one were a parent of a 17 year old who believed pasta was made from cows (not only may they be embarrassed) they should also be concerned about the health of their child and the future of our planet!  Studies abound that demonstrate a correlation between the amount of time children spend in ‘nature’ and the positive effects it has on their physical and mental health.  Conversely there are similar correlations between screen time and poor physical health, anxiety, depression and ADHD.

A great way to get kids outside and involved in nature is to plant trees with them.  Another great option is to learn the Noongar names of the plants on your property together as a family.  

The more we know about nature the more we are going to care for it.

The Dept. of Water and Environmental Regulation Environmental Officer, Dr Elke Reichwaldt, said three months after the opening of the sandbar the rivers are still flowing strongly into Wilson Inlet, and the inlet’s water continues to be very brown, mainly from tannins. The continued strong outflow into the ocean, which often leads to striking colour contrasts in Ratcliffe Bay, has scoured a deep channel. This channel is now hugging the western cliff while a large sandspit has appeared on the eastern side. Stratification, where the saltier, warmer and heavier ocean water is overlayed by the colder and fresher estuary water, is still strong throughout the estuary and some areas of low oxygen near the sediment persist, mainly in the eastern basin of the Inlet.

DWER drone image taken 22 Sept 2021

The last couple of months have seen a return to some semblance of ’normal’ with rainfall.  The Bureau of Met is predicting average rainfall for the remainder of Spring.  A bit of sun on the paddocks will be a welcome change.

Sydney Golden Wattle - Acacia longifolia

Acacia longifolia, or Sydney Golden Wattle, continues to be a pest throughout the region. This time of the year it starts making a showy yellow statement in the landscape. A perfect time for locating and removing these woody weeds. 

A Sydney Golden Wattle blitz is underway this month in Denmark with the Shire of Denmark leading a weed control program targeting the invasive wattle. Shire officers have been at work mapping known and reported sightings of Sydney Golden Wattle within the bounds of the Shire with a long-term aim to eradicate the weed locally.

Because Sydney Golden Wattle fixes nitrogen in the soil, it is a pathway to weedy grasses moving into farmed and bushland areas. The ideal control time is before seed sets. Fell as close to ground level as possible to prevent resprouting and remove material from site to prevent vegetative regrowth. Small plants can be hand pulled, loosening the soil if need. An annual follow up seedling check is required. 

Chemical controls can be applied depending on the situation of the infestation. Eg a thick area of seedlings could be sprayed with a 10% glyphosate solution.

For community members eager to get involved in invasive weed management volunteer programs in Denmark, the Shire encourages people to get in touch with local environmental groups and organisations such as South Coast Bushcare Services, Greenskills and Denmark Environment Centre.

More information about the Shire of Denmark’s weed control programs is available at: https://www.denmark.wa.gov.au/residents/sustainability-and-biodiversity/invasive-species.aspx 

Your donation will go to where it is needed and could be used across these vital initiatives