South Coast NSW, Riverina, Goulburn & MIA

Territory Manager:
Phil Williams

I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a safe and merry Christmas, plus a very prosperous new year. Let’s hope that the next season has more favourable weather conditions, good prices and record yields.  Well we might as well as ask for them all in the hope that we might something better in this coming year.

Due to the season a lot of people have been buying and or bailing this canola.  Be aware that all brassica’s have the potential to cause iodine deficiency in animals that have been grazing them for a long time without any other feed source.  The problem compound is generally a form of thiocyanate which interferes with the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland.

All animals grazing on a brassica crop for a long time without supplements may therefore develop goitre to some extent.

They can also cause a form of anaemia that can create red urine, caused by the parts of the red blood being absorbed and then expelled through the urine.  This then creates other problems linked with anaemia.

Again, this is generally only a problem when animals are fed or grazing brassica crops to the exclusion of everything else for a very long period of time.

The best way to avoid problems is to ensure that canola crops, or silage, are fed as part of the ration rather than the sole diet, or to rotate paddocks.

But remember, in a drought year, an animal with iodine deficiency or anaemia is better than an animal with no feed at all!!  However, consult your local vet if your animals are showing health problems to get a qualified appraisal.

Due to the recent storms a lot of people are planting both forage and grain sorghum on the dry.  Due to prussic acid remember to allow the forage sorghum to get to 80-100cm tall before grazing, where ever possible put out sulphur and salt blocks out and always only graze actively growing crops. Remember when grazing forage sorghum never put hungry stock into stressed paddocks. 

Remember canola will be in tight supply this season, so talk to your local agronomist ASAP to secure seed.  If you do have retained seed from your seed paddock make sure that you have it graded, germ tested and vigour tested.

Anyway,  keep safe over the Christmas break and have a Merry Christmas.

Kind regards,

Phil Williams

Last Updated: April 22, 2008