P workshops well received in Queensland

Did you catch one of the Phosphorus workshops held by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in October and November? The beef extension staff took to the road across the state to spread the word about profitable phosphorus supplementation. That’s right, we said profitable.

Phosphorus (P) nutrition is critical to the performance of all aspects of your herd – fertility, growth and mortality. Many areas of northern Australia have soils with very low P concentration and in these areas, new research shows that supplementing with P can be one of the best business decisions you can make.

More than 150 producers attended the recent P workshops where the key steps to managing P nutrition were covered. This is what you can do on your property:

  1. Identify low P land types in your paddocks
  2. Assess signs of P deficiency
  3. Test cattle if you are not sure of their status
  4. Identify the most cost effective wet and dry season supplements
  5. Record supplement intakes and costs
  6. Manage grazing to account for changes in grass consumption.

If you want to know more about the workshop content, it can all be found here: Phosphorus supplementation of cattle in northern Australia.

Attendees in an interesting looking conference room look towards the presenter at the Phosphorus Management workshop.
Attendees of the Phosphorus Management workshop.