Extension tools for the Burdekin
A suite of extension tools have been identified by the Burdekin rangelands extension team:
Pasture photo standards
Practical tool for good grazing land management (at this stage only available for Queensland regions), that can help you develop pasture budgets and dry season business management plans. There are photo-standards and corresponding pasture yields for many of Queensland’s common pasture communities (based on region or pasture species). Available on the main Futurebeef website.
Grader grass management guide
A guide to management of this pest species (Themeda quadrivalvis). Available to download from the NQ Dry Tropics website (PDF 1.5 MB).
Land Condition Photo Standards for the Burdekin Dry Tropics Rangelands
This guide was developed to provide examples of ABCD land condition for property scale monitoring by graziers. Available to download from the NQ Dry Tropics website (PDF 3.9 MB).
Breedcow and Dynama model
This free software is designed to plan, evaluate and improve the profitability and financial management of extensive beef cattle enterprises. Software and instructions available from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website.
FORAGE
An online system used to generate and distribute property-scale reports of climate, pasture, land condition indicators, and imagery for requested locations. More information is available on the LongPaddock website.
MLA tools and calculators
MLA provides a range of tools and calculators for download or online use to assist red meat producers in making decisions in their businesses. Available on the MLA website.
Head Check
A paper-based recording system for stock numbers. It has a pocket notebook and an office recording carbon copy. They’re meant for basic herd recording to start people off that don’t have any system yet. Copies are available from Heather and Eugene Matthews, Blue Range station (Charters Towers, Qld 4820, or phone 07 4788 5505). See an example page (PDF, 212KB).
Testing Management Options (TMO)
The TMO spreadsheet is a static herd model assuming the system is up and running in a stabilised, ‘year in-year out’ situation. It combines the land and animal system with the economics down to return on assets and equity. For more information contact Roger Sneath.
Ration Calc V4
The Ration Calc V4 spreadsheet enables rations to be formulated and compared with beef and sheep nutrient requirements. A table attached to each of the four feeding comparisons tables enables quick tallying of feeding program quantities and costs. For more information contact Roger Sneath.