Feedlot Findings Drive Gains
AUSTRALIA - Levy investment in Australia’s only cattle feedlot research facility will underpin findings that will return dividends to cattle producers across Australia.
8 April 2013
1 minute read
Tullimba Feedlot, a 1,000-head feedlot near Armidale NSW, bought by the University of New England in 1995, has made significant contributions to ensure the Australian cattle industry remains internationally competitive.
It continues to pioneer scientific advances, particularly measuring feed efficiency and methane emissions in cattle.
Research by the first Beef CRC at Tullimba between 1991 and 1998 that compared grassfed and grainfed production systems helped shape future breeding programs and on-farm management practices, and provided the first environmental guidelines for the Australian feedlot industry.
Access to quality export markets in Japan and Korea became possible due to findings at Tullimba that helped guarantee meat-eating quality – the science that underpins MSA.
Former Beef CRC Chief Executive Officer and now CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist, Dr Heather Burrow, said feedlot-based research has an impact on every part of the supply chain.
“Work at Tullimba contributed to new BREEDPLAN traits and genomic prediction equations aimed at guaranteeing feed-efficiency, meat-eating quality and upgraded animal welfare guidelines. It developed the feedlot-entry pre-boosting strategy that improves animal performance and now has almost 100 per cent compliance by feedlot suppliers,” she said.
Tullimba also played a role in developing the two Bovine Respiratory Disease vaccines administered as part of the pre-boosting strategy.
TheCattleSite News Desk
