Veterinary Nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood to appear at Beef Australia 2018
Announcement posted by PGG Wrightson Seeds (Australia) Pty Ltd 02 May 2018
Proprietary pasture seed company PGG Wrightson Seeds Australia will be attending next month’s national beef expo, Beef Australia 2018. One of the world’s great beef cattle events, Beef Australia is held in Rockhampton, Queensland – and this year, Veterinary Nutritionist Dr Charlotte Westwood will be at the PGG Wrightson Seeds site to share her wealth of experience and knowledge in cattle health and nutrition, with a particular focus on the importance of pastures.
Charlotte has been a PGG Wrightson Seeds Veterinary nutritionist for the last 9 years, providing consultancy and veterinary work, as well as research and development input in Australia and New Zealand – and she specialises in providing expert advice on cattle health and nutrition. Charlotte will be available at the expo for cattle producers who want to discuss aspects of their livestock health and nutrition, in particular how crop and pasture quality, feed budgeting and mineral nutrition affect animal productivity.
As Charlotte explains, high quality pastures are essential for beef productivity: “High quality pastures are more digestible and more easily consumed, which means cattle retain more energy per bite. If producers can include a legume component in the pasture that can be really beneficial. It means breeding cattle will produce better with higher fertility rates, and it also improves weight gain for weaner cattle, so they can be turned off sooner, increasing productivity on farm.”
Research shows that beef for both domestic and overseas markets can be produced at low cost on tropical pastures, making them particularly important for beef farming. Charlotte explains that “improving the legume content of any pasture can really boost their efficiency.” For tropical pastures this can be with crops like Centro and Stylo and the inclusion of perennials like Guinea Grass can also help pastures to survive long periods of drought.
Tropical pastures often grow quickly and are more digestible, delivering high-value feed and improved performance, particularly for young cattle. When it comes to maximising tropical pasture efficiency for beef farmers in Australia’s northern regions, Charlotte explains that “the principles of pasture feeding beef cattle apply and it’s all about looking for a feed system that delivers more energy, protein and phosphorous. Each situation depends a lot on the individual demands of the cattle – so it’s worth talking to an expert about which type of pasture will fit their environment.”
During this year’s expo, PGG Wrightson Seeds will also be showcasing a popular treatment process called Envirogro® which operates out of Mareeba, QLD. This area of improving seed quality and pasture and crop establishment is one that PGG Wrightson Seeds are investing heavily into – and Envirogro® is a big part of that. Essentially, Envirogro® delivers improved seed quality and flow during sowing. Many tropical and subtropical pastures fail to establish, or have poor establishment – and several subtropical seeds can include weed species and other matter. Envirogro® is a special treatment process that removes the husk from the bare seed, leaving the caryopses. The caryopses is then cleaned and pelleted, to provide the seedling with improved success rates and a more consistent and rapid establishment.
Put simply, Envirogro® reduces the time and cost and makes the process easier, leading to a better result.
Charlotte and the PGG Wrightson Seeds agronomists will be on hand to talk in detail about PGG Wrightson Seeds’s products. This along with Charlotte’s expert knowledge of animal nutrition is sure to prove invaluable to producers:
“I’m really excited about attending Beef Australia. It’s a great opportunity to welcome cattle producers and talk through their requirements, as we discuss everything from production constraints to the interactions between nutrition and animal health, as well as reproductive health and breeder performance issues.
“Between myself and the agronomists on site, we’ll be able to cover the main issues most farmers will have. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know, and we’re looking forward to sharing our collective experience in veterinary science, effective animal nutrition and optimal farm systems, for the benefit of Australia’s beef producers.
Beef Australia 2018 will be held at Rockhampton’s Showgrounds from May 6 to 12, and PGG Wrightson Seeds can be found at Site C209 in the Ruralco Tent.
- Ends -
Media Enquiries: C7EVEN Communications
Kate Munsie Adam Arndell
(02) 6766 4513 / 0421 935 843 (02) 6766 4513 / 0403 372 889
kate.munsie@c7even.com.au adam.arndell@c7even.com.au
Photo Captions:
Charlotte has been a PGG Wrightson Seeds Veterinary nutritionist for the last 9 years, providing consultancy and veterinary work, as well as research and development input in Australia and New Zealand – and she specialises in providing expert advice on cattle health and nutrition. Charlotte will be available at the expo for cattle producers who want to discuss aspects of their livestock health and nutrition, in particular how crop and pasture quality, feed budgeting and mineral nutrition affect animal productivity.
As Charlotte explains, high quality pastures are essential for beef productivity: “High quality pastures are more digestible and more easily consumed, which means cattle retain more energy per bite. If producers can include a legume component in the pasture that can be really beneficial. It means breeding cattle will produce better with higher fertility rates, and it also improves weight gain for weaner cattle, so they can be turned off sooner, increasing productivity on farm.”
Research shows that beef for both domestic and overseas markets can be produced at low cost on tropical pastures, making them particularly important for beef farming. Charlotte explains that “improving the legume content of any pasture can really boost their efficiency.” For tropical pastures this can be with crops like Centro and Stylo and the inclusion of perennials like Guinea Grass can also help pastures to survive long periods of drought.
Tropical pastures often grow quickly and are more digestible, delivering high-value feed and improved performance, particularly for young cattle. When it comes to maximising tropical pasture efficiency for beef farmers in Australia’s northern regions, Charlotte explains that “the principles of pasture feeding beef cattle apply and it’s all about looking for a feed system that delivers more energy, protein and phosphorous. Each situation depends a lot on the individual demands of the cattle – so it’s worth talking to an expert about which type of pasture will fit their environment.”
During this year’s expo, PGG Wrightson Seeds will also be showcasing a popular treatment process called Envirogro® which operates out of Mareeba, QLD. This area of improving seed quality and pasture and crop establishment is one that PGG Wrightson Seeds are investing heavily into – and Envirogro® is a big part of that. Essentially, Envirogro® delivers improved seed quality and flow during sowing. Many tropical and subtropical pastures fail to establish, or have poor establishment – and several subtropical seeds can include weed species and other matter. Envirogro® is a special treatment process that removes the husk from the bare seed, leaving the caryopses. The caryopses is then cleaned and pelleted, to provide the seedling with improved success rates and a more consistent and rapid establishment.
Put simply, Envirogro® reduces the time and cost and makes the process easier, leading to a better result.
Charlotte and the PGG Wrightson Seeds agronomists will be on hand to talk in detail about PGG Wrightson Seeds’s products. This along with Charlotte’s expert knowledge of animal nutrition is sure to prove invaluable to producers:
“I’m really excited about attending Beef Australia. It’s a great opportunity to welcome cattle producers and talk through their requirements, as we discuss everything from production constraints to the interactions between nutrition and animal health, as well as reproductive health and breeder performance issues.
“Between myself and the agronomists on site, we’ll be able to cover the main issues most farmers will have. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know, and we’re looking forward to sharing our collective experience in veterinary science, effective animal nutrition and optimal farm systems, for the benefit of Australia’s beef producers.
Beef Australia 2018 will be held at Rockhampton’s Showgrounds from May 6 to 12, and PGG Wrightson Seeds can be found at Site C209 in the Ruralco Tent.
- Ends -
Media Enquiries: C7EVEN Communications
Kate Munsie Adam Arndell
(02) 6766 4513 / 0421 935 843 (02) 6766 4513 / 0403 372 889
kate.munsie@c7even.com.au adam.arndell@c7even.com.au
Photo Captions:
- Dr Charlotte Westwood, Veterinary Nutritionist at PGG Wrightson Seeds
- Cattle grazing on pasture