Seasonal Livestock Nutrition workshop with Dr Jillian Kelly
Capacity building - LEP23_037_LLC
The issue
Increasingly variable seasonal conditions and more frequent extreme weather events are making effective livestock nutrition a critical component of resilient and profitable grazing enterprises. While recent widespread rainfall has produced an abundance of pasture growth across the region, these pastures often contain high moisture levels and can be deficient in the energy and minerals required to support optimal livestock performance.
Local producers have reported slower than expected weight gains in livestock grazing cereal crops despite the apparent abundance of high-protein feed. This highlights the importance of understanding livestock nutritional requirements to maximise feed utilisation and production outcomes.
Producers have identified a need for practical, science-based advice from a livestock nutritionist with a veterinary background to better understand how to utilise available feed resources, optimise livestock performance and maintain animal health. Improving producer knowledge of livestock nutrition will support better management decisions, reduce unnecessary feed input costs, improve animal welfare, and strengthen the resilience and profitability of grazing enterprises in the face of increasingly unpredictable seasonal conditions.
The solution
To address this issue, Little River Landcare delivered a Seasonal Livestock Nutrition Workshop facilitated by Dr Jillian Kelly, an experienced veterinarian and livestock nutritionist. Dr Kelly has more than 20 years of industry experience, including six years in private veterinary practice and 11 years with North West Local Land Services. Based in Coonamble, she operates Animal Health and Nutrition Consulting while also managing her own steer trading enterprise, bringing both technical expertise and practical producer experience.
The workshop equipped local land managers with practical, evidence-based knowledge to better understand the nutritional limitations of lush, high-moisture pastures and grazing cereal crops. Participants gained a clearer understanding of why livestock weight gains can decline despite abundant feed availability and learnt practical strategies to improve feed utilisation and livestock performance. Discussions included the importance of providing effective fibre ("gut scratch") through straw-based hay and the role of salt in stimulating salivation and rumen function, with these simple management practices having the potential to improve weight gains by up to 20% under suitable conditions.
A practical livestock condition-scoring session allowed participants to assess a mob of sheep and develop confidence in accurately identifying a Condition Score 3. Understanding body condition scoring enables producers to make timely management decisions leading into joining, improving reproductive performance, conception rates and overall flock productivity.
The workshop also provided producers with direct access to specialist advice on livestock health challenges they were experiencing on their own properties. Topics included identifying internal parasite burdens, selecting appropriate drench combinations, understanding drench resistance, and determining the optimum timing of treatments to maximise animal health and production outcomes.
By combining scientific knowledge with practical, hands-on demonstrations, the workshop increased producer confidence and capability to make informed nutrition and animal health decisions. These skills will help improve livestock welfare, increase production efficiency, reduce unnecessary input costs and build the resilience of grazing enterprises under increasingly variable seasonal conditions.
The impact
The workshop increased producer knowledge and confidence in managing livestock nutrition under challenging and highly variable seasonal conditions. Participants developed a better understanding of rumen physiology, metabolic requirements, nutritional deficiencies and livestock body condition scoring, enabling them to make more informed, evidence-based management decisions.
By understanding the nutritional limitations of lush, high-moisture grazing cereals, producers are better equipped to identify and address nutritional gaps before they impact animal health and productivity. Practical management strategies, including the provision of straw-based hay to improve rumen function and salt to stimulate salivation and feed utilisation, were identified as simple, cost-effective interventions that can significantly improve livestock performance.
Participants also gained a greater awareness of the factors contributing to metabolic disorders, including pregnancy toxaemia (pregnancy toxaemia) in ewes grazing high-moisture cereal crops. Early recognition of risk factors and timely nutritional management will help reduce production losses, improve animal welfare and increase lamb survival and reproductive success.
By adopting these practical nutrition and animal health strategies, local land managers are better positioned to improve feed conversion efficiency, reduce unnecessary supplementary feeding costs, maintain livestock condition and enhance the profitability and resilience of their grazing enterprises despite increasingly unpredictable seasonal conditions.