Case study Animal science

Improving reproductive performance to increase productivity and profitability of goats on-farm will be the focus of a $3.7 million research project funded through the MLA Donor Company (MDC) in partnership with the University of Queensland (UQ).

They may be small, but ticks are a huge expense for the cattle industry. The parasite causes loss of condition to the animal, illness and sometimes death. A Queensland scientist has spent 15 years trying to crack the code for a vaccine and early results are promising.

UQ beef researchers are taking on the ambitious task of DNA sampling 30,000 cows and heifers in their quest to boost the fertility of northern herds.

A new QAAFI research project aimed at producing a preventative probiotic for cattle to mitigate poisoning from the potentially fatal pasture plant, pimelea, received funding from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) in 2017.

Queensland possesses a world-class research and development capability. UQ is rated the number one agricultural research institution in Australia, and is among the world’s top five institutions in the 2017 NTU rankings. UQ and the Queensland government’s investment in QAAFI builds upon the capabilities of both organisations, to deliver substantial returns on investment across Queensland’s agricultural industries.

An MLA-funded Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) has proved the three crucial management decisions impacting the productivity of replacement heifers are joining weight, bull selection and disease prevention.

A new vaccine offering season-long protection could play an important role in the battle against cattle ticks by reducing reliance on acaricides – pesticides which target ticks and mites – and allowing producers to move cattle from tick free to tick endemic areas. Researchers are also trialling a new single-dose tick vaccine delivery system.