Phosphorus supplementation for improved productivity and profitability of beef businesses – Part 2

This is the fifth and final webinar in the BeefConnect ‘Improving beef business performance across northern Australia’ series.

In this webinar, Rob Dixon (Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation) and Mick Sullivan (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) discuss the findings of a phosphorus research project involving breeder cattle and how phosphorus deficiency identification and supplementation can improve the productivity and profitability of beef businesses:

1. Managing and using body phosphorus reserves in breeders – Rob Dixon
2. How do we identify and evaluate phosphorus deficiency in grazing cattle – Mick Sullivan

Managing and using body phosphorus reserves in breeders

Phosphorus deficiency is widely recognised as a problem in the nutrition of cattle in many regions of northern Australia. Most information and recommendations have been based on information from growing cattle but it has become clear that phosphorus responses of breeders are different. Even when grazing phosphorus-deficient pastures, breeders in late pregnancy and early lactation often maintain milk production and calf growth by using body reserves. However reduced pasture intake as well as the loss of body reserves by phosphorus-deficient cows is likely to cause lower productivity in subsequent years unless managed. Phosphorus supplementation during the dry season can partly replace body reserves but is likely less effective than wet season phosphorus supplementation.

You can watch the full recording or use the playlist to jump to the start of a particular section within the presentation. 22:06 published 18 September 2018 by FutureBeefAu.Full recording (22:06)

Playlist

1. Better management of phosphorus nutrition of grazing cattle
2. Why phosphorus?
3. Classes of phosphorus deficiency on growing cattle
4. How much diet phosphorus is required by grazing cattle
5. Liveweight gain responses of young cattle to phosphorus supplements
6. Liveweight gain responses of breeder cows to phosphorus supplements
7. Expected responses to phosphorus deficiency of breeder cattle grazing the northern Australian rangelands
8. But, breeder herd responses may be much larger in very phosphorus-deficient pastures
9. Phosphorus nutrition in northern breeder herds
10. Recommendations on phosphorus nutrition in grazing cattle
11. Field evidence that phosphorus-deficient breeder cows mobilise bone phosphorus
12. More field evidence that phosphorus-deficient breeder cows mobilise bone phosphorus
13. Is there mobilisation of body phosphorus in northern breeder cows?
14. Recent project on phosphorus nutrition in breeders
15. Example: Effects of diet phosphorus during early lactation in mature breeders
16. Outcomes for understanding phosphorus nutrition
17. Next question in understanding phosphorus nutrition
18. Implications of the availability of phosphorus in body reserves of the animal for breeder management
19. Cattle management – what does this all mean?

Download a copy of Rob’s presentation slides Managing and using body phosphorus reserves in breeders (PDF, 1MB).

How do we identify and evaluate phosphorous deficiency in grazing cattle

Assessing if phosphorus deficiency is a problem and its severity is a critical management consideration in much of northern Australia. Unfortunately the complexity of phosphorus metabolism can make determining the phosphorus status of animals difficult. In this presentation, Mick Sullivan (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) discusses the principles for assessing the phosphorus status of paddocks and animals and the tests available to cattle producers. 13:45 published 18 September 2018 by FutureBeefAu.

You can watch the full recording or use the playlist to jump to the start of a particular section within the presentation. 13:45 published 18 September 2018 by FutureBeefAu.

Playlist

1. How do we identify and evaluate phosphorus deficiency?
2. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency in grazing cattle
3. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – our knowledge is limited
4. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – options of increasing complexity
5. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – bone chewing and depraved appetite
6. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – bone abnormalities
7. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – other ways of assessment
8. Diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency – cattle performance
9. Soil analysis for diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency
10. Pasture analysis for diagnosis of phosphorus deficiency
11. Faecal analysis to estimate diet phosphorus, energy and protein
12. Blood samples
13. The ‘P-screen’ test

Download a copy of Mick’s presentation slides How do we identify and evaluate phosphorus deficiency in grazing cattle (PDF, 2MB).

Additional resources

← Phosphorus supplementation of cattle in northern Australia

← Quantifying the benefits of phosphorus supplementation – Kidman Springs research results (webinar recording)

← Growth of steers in response to phosphorus in the diet (webinar recording)

← Improving the performance of beef production systems in northern Australia (webinar recording)

← Low cost strategies to build the resilience of beef production systems in northern Australia (webinar recording)

← Improving beef business performance with high quality forages (webinar recording)

← Improving productivity and profitability in grazing – managing for profitability (webinar recording)