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Farming for the next generation
Jessica Guttridge
Regenerative Farming conference at Western Australia will give farmers the opportunity to hear from the State’s best on conservational farming
Regenerative experts are gathering at Western Australia to encourage and support farmers changing their methods to keep more carbon in the soil so that it can still be viable for future generations.
Regenerative agriculture practices are conservation and rehabilitation approaches to farming that are becoming increasingly popular, with benefits such as enriching the soil, increasing biodiversity and reducing the carbon footprint.
The inaugural Regenerative Agriculture Conference will bring together a cross section of food industry stakeholders, including regenerative agriculture practitioners, researchers, government agencies and the investment sector with the specific goal of progressing a food secure future for all West Australians.
RegenWA and Perth NRM are presenting the conference, with a goal to ‘examine and further the business case for investment in regenerative agricultural practices as a strategic means of meeting the demand for safe, healthy, locally produced food as the State’s population doubles by 2050.’
Dianne Haggerty, Co-chair of The RegenWA Steering Committee, manages approximately 18,000 hectares of mixed farming operations using regenerative farming principles with her husband, which they share with other food producers globally.
“Farmers around the world are sharing their successes with regenerative agriculture, and the benefits to the land, in terms of increased carbon sequestration and a reduced need for artificial inputs, are compelling arguments in their own right,” says Haggerty.
“This conference is not so much about promoting regenerative farming as it is building a business case to support everyone throughout the food supply chain to transition to resilient food systems and ensuring healthy food outcomes for the people of Western Australia and the globe.”
The conference will be opened by the Hon Alannah MacTiernan MLC and include esteemed speakers such as Dr Charles Massy BSc PhD OAM (farmer, author) and Terry McCosker (Resource Consulting Services. A list of all the speakers is on the website.
A workshop at the conference will allow the assembly to share their ideas for the future of food system, the role of regenerative agriculture and strategic investment toward meeting the State’s future challenges.
Through Regional Landcare Program (RLP), a Government agency, Perth NRM has funding to develop a food security plan for Western Australia.
Perth NRM has also helped identify leading regenerative farmers in Western Australia who are driving the direction of RegenWA.
Perth NRM CEO Paul Bodlovich says that the conference, and initiatives like it, will be essential in meeting the many future challenges faced by West Australians by finite, and sometimes degraded, landscapes and the increased population growth anticipated by all levels of Government.
The inaugural Regenerative Agriculture Conference will take place at Optus Stadium, Burswood on September 11. Prices start from $195.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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