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PrimaryProducer
N o5
Smart producers managing animal health
Spring / Summer 2013
www.virbac.com.au
Ovastim boosts
pregnancy rates
Cydectin performs
best under pressure
Why brand matters
Primary Producer.indd 1
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OPEN THE WINDOW OF PRODUCTIVITY
BEFORE JOINING.
Deliver essential trace minerals quickly when they have the most impact.
MULTIMIN® is a multi-mineral injection designed to be used at critical times in the production cycle.
One such window of productivity is the 30 days before joining. Given during this time, the minerals
in Multimin can assist conception and embryo survival, leading to a tighter calving pattern.
• Contains selenium, copper, zinc and manganese, trace minerals that are
essential for conception and maintenance of pregnancy.
• Improve fertility and improve your return.
Contact your local area sales manager today.
MULTIMIN is a registered trademark of Virbac (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Customer Support: 1800 009 847
VBC10955MultiminCattlePrimaryProducers.indd
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:52 PM
Welcome
Virbac proudly presents
Primary Producer
Contents
Welcome
3
Customer Profile
4
Floods destroy farm but not spirit
Product Profile
7
Ovastim boosts pregnancy rates
Industry Issues
8
Study proves Cydectin performs
best under pressure
Customer Story
10
The changing face of Australian dairy
Tips and Strategies
Injectable minerals boost
results, bypass challenges
13
W
elcome to the Spring
edition of Primary
Producer.
I hope you enjoy this latest issue
of the magazine. We have some
interesting stories from producers
who’ve found success forging in-roads
into new markets, and some who’ve
been dealt some pretty cruel blows
thanks to flooding in Queensland.
As we all know, it’s the nature of
farming that it can be unpredictable,
and every producer knows there’ll be
good times and hard ones.
Through it all, our industry keeps
progressing and evolving, and the
Virbac team is proud to stand beside
producers and support them with
products, advice and service.
Business Tips
14
Choosing animal health products
– why brand matters
Our commitment includes continuing
to expand our local manufacturing and
R&D capabilities.
In the Community
16
iHerd
CSU prize winners announced
Career Harvest
I’m very pleased to announce that the
latest element of our ongoing, multimillion dollar investment program has
now come to fruition, with the launch
in June of the VIVID Centre.
Feedback
New technology
The Virbac VIVID Centre is a
new animal health innovation and
development facility at our site in
Penrith, New South Wales. It was
officially opened by Senator Dr Chris
Back, the only veterinarian in Federal
Parliament.
18
This magazine is published by
Virbac Australia
www.virbac.com.au
Editor
Anthony Preshaw
[email protected]
Written and Produced by
Hardman Communications
The centre includes a pharmaceutical
laboratory, a vaccine development
lab, a fermentation lab and an in-
vitro test development lab.VIVID
brings together our research and
manufacturing teams to help ensure
the best new products are developed
and brought to market as quickly as
possible.
A key feature of the centre will be
the work we’re doing on livestock
vaccines, which I believe offer
enormous potential to improve
production across our industry.
The VIVID Centre will also increase
manufacturing capacity so Virbac can
continue to meet increasing demand
for world class livestock vaccines and
other products.
VIVID is a really exciting development
for us and I’m looking forward to
bringing you more news in the future
about what we’re working on at the
centre and across the country.
In the meantime, our people are
focused on helping you increase
your productivity through actively
supporting your animal health
strategies. If there’s something Virbac
can do for you, don’t hesitate to
contact your local representative by
calling 1800 242 100.
Wishing you great farming success,
Bruce Bell
General Manager
Virbac Australia
Design and artwork by
Orion Creative Solutions
Cover
The changing face of Australian dairy
– Julian (right) and Luke Benson from
Apostle Whey Cheese Company
in Victoria’s Western District.
Bruce Bell
General Manager
[email protected]
® Cydectin, Eweguard, Flukazole, Multimin, Nitromec, SingVac,Virbamec and Websters are
registered trademarks of Virbac (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Floods destroy farm
but not spirit
Prudence Barwick,Virbac Territory Sales Manager (Central Qld) with Gary Ward whose Loakglen Dairy was wiped out by the rising waters
of the Burnett River in January 2013.
I
t’s hard to be positive when your
livelihood has been washed away
in a one-in-one-thousand-year
flood, but dairy farmers Gary and
Bev Ward, whose Loakglen Dairy
was wiped out by the rising waters
of the Burnett River in January, say
the kindness they’ve encountered
since has kept them going.
Loakglen is located at Mundubbera
in Central Queensland, and before
the floods hit, Bev and Gary were
milking 400 cows and had another
100 cows and heifers in a separate
river paddock. By the time the floods
reached their peak – 2.5 metres
higher than the 2011 flood levels –
the entire property was underwater.
In the end, the Wards lost 80 cows
and another 80 heifers and calves.
4
“It hurts like heck to think
they drowned,” Bev said.
“We loved our cows.”
“In the end, the
Wards lost 80 cows
and another 80
heifers and calves.”
When Bev and Gary were eventually
able to get back to the property
they were confronted with a level
of destruction they could never
have imagined. Every house and
building on the property was
damaged; every motor and bore
was waterlogged; everything they
had worked for in their eight years
at Loakglen was all but gone.
“We had a market into China before
this happened. We had 11,000
litres of milk in the vat when we
had to leave,” Bev said. “The dairy
is now completely unusable. The
damage would cost $100,000 to
repair but the dairy insurance didn’t
cover flooding. Things are a lot
better now than when it happened,
but we still have no income.”
In the early days after the floods
subsided, Gary spent six hours a day
milking by hand. They had no power
or refrigeration and mastitis made
the milk they could get unsaleable
but there was no alternative.
Most of the cows have now been
moved on to other properties,
though Gary is still hand feeding
and milking about 30 head. “It takes
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Customer Profile
him about three hours a day now,
using a portable milker,” Bev said.
Getting back on their feet
With their home destroyed, Gary
and Bev moved in with their daughter
Sally, whose house across the road
from their property survived the
flood. Bev says they’ve been fortunate
to find wide ranging support.
“Quite a few people took cows to
milk, just to help look after us. We
got about $20,000 worth of financial
assistance from Vinnies, the Salvos,
other families – just a lot of good
people.Virbac gave us Cydectin to
help us get over the tick line and a
fencing kit including wire strainers,
gloves and pliers. The bank has been
decent to us and our local councillor
Faye Wheelan has done great work,
organising milking plants, getting
pickers in to help with the clean
up, arranging help for everyone.”
Although the dairy insurance didn’t
cover flood, their home insurance
did, and they’re looking forward
to their house being ready to
move back into soon. Meanwhile,
they’re counting their blessings.
“It hasn’t been easy and we’re looking
forward to having our house back
but living with Sally has given me lots
of time with my granddaughter, Layla,
and really I’ve loved it,” Bev said.
Where to from here?
After 40 years in farming and eight
years at Loakglen, Bev and Gary have
decided against trying to rebuild
the dairy business. Instead, they’re
looking ahead to retirement.
“We’re not going to go back to
dairying. Gary is over 70, I’m 67 this
year, the milk isn’t worth enough
and our costs have risen too
much,” Bev said, in what could be
mistaken as a declaration of defeat.
“We got about
$20,000 worth of
financial assistance
from Vinnies, the
Salvos, other
families – just a lot
of good people...”
In fact, although she and Gary won’t
continue in the dairy business, she
sees a good future for their property.
“The soil’s beautiful,” she said, adding
wryly, “there’s plenty of water.”
What retirement looks like for Bev
and Gary is yet to be determined
but they plan to make the best of it.
“We’re not exactly sure what
we’ll do but we’ll be okay. We’re
fighters. We won’t give up.”
Queensland floods, 2013
I
n January 2013, ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald passed
over parts of Queensland and New South Wales
causing severe storms and flooding. Coastal regions
were worst hit, with Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah and
Bundaberg in the Wide Bay-Burnett area bearing the brunt.
Fast Facts
•
Damages at least AU$2.4 billion
•
7,500 residents of Bundaberg and patients at the
Bundaberg Hospital evacuated
•
An estimated 41,000 people were temporarily
isolated by flooding in New South Wales
•
In Mundubbera the Burnett River peaked at 22.9 m
at 1 a.m. on 28 January
•
100 homes and businesses were inundated in the
town with about the same number flooded in the
surrounding area
•
A landslide severed the Burnett Highway between
Gayndah and Mundubbera
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Customer Profile
Prudence Barwick with Gary Ward after Virbac supplied Cydectin to allow the Wards’ cows to cross the Qld tick line.
Crossing the tick line
Q
ueensland’s tick line
marks the boundary
between tick-affected and
tick-free regions. Maintaining the
tick line is especially challenging
following flooding events where
fencing is washed away and stock
can wander from one area to
the other, potentially transferring
ticks and tick-borne disease.
For the Wards, getting cows across
the tick line was an essential part
of moving them out of Loakglen
and onto other properties where
they could be milked. Treatment
with approved tickicides is one of
the requirements for cattle moving
from one tick region to another
6
– but there’s usually a waiting
period following administration.
Because the Wards were simply
unable to milk, they were granted
special dispensation to allow their
stock to cross the line immediately,
with a Cydectin Pour-On and
plunge dip ahead of the crossing,
followed by another Cydectin
Pour-On administered at 30 days
post-transport.Virbac was able to
assist with the supply of Cydectin.
There are three declared tick zones in
Queensland: free, control and infected.
Controlling the movement of stock
from the infected zone or from
restricted properties in either of the
other zones helps prevent the spread
of cattle ticks. Thirty-one clearing dips
and livestock inspection centres are
situated along or near the tick line.
Stock requiring clearance must
be presented at one of these dips
or inspection centres where a
Biosecurity Queensland inspector
or an approved person will inspect
the stock, supervise required
treatments and issue a certificate for
movement out of the infected zone.
Stock that have received a clean
inspection and treatment are
permitted to be moved from a
clearing facility into the free or
control zones.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Product Profile
Ovastim boosts pregnancy rates
A
ustralian producers are well
known for achieving high
levels of productivity in
difficult conditions.Virbac’s Ovastim
helps you do exactly that by allowing
you to produce more lambs from your
existing flock (or the same number
of lambs from a reduced flock).
Producers who have lost livestock
as a result of recent harsh weather
conditions are well placed to reap
significant benefits by using Ovastim
to increase the likelihood of ewes
becoming pregnant with twins.
Ovastim works by tricking the ewe’s
hormones into allowing more than
one ovarian follicle to ovulate at the
same time. This significantly increases
the chances of twins and slightly
increases the chances of triplets.
Ovastim delivers best results when
your lambing percentage is already
greater than 70 per cent but less
than 120 per cent. It doesn’t affect
the ewes’ fertility (ability to conceive)
but rather it increases their fecundity
(the number of twins). Therefore
Ovastim is best used when the
ewes are cycling and when the rams
are fertile and fit for serving.
When deciding whether Ovastim is
right for your ewes, it is important
to first consider how many ewes
are normally empty. If the number of
non-pregnant ewes is less than five
per cent, then you should expect
to see good results with Ovastim.
The breed of sheep can also
make a difference, with Ovastim
delivering best results with British
and British cross Merino flocks.
The importance of having ewes in
good condition when using Ovastim
has been demonstrated by a study
Ewe Fecundity of Merino x Border Leicester
treated with Ovastim - Kojonup WA 2009
700
600
500
Untreated
Treated
400
300
200
100
0
Singles
Twins
ewes treated with Ovastim showed
which showed ewes treated with
Ovastim deliver an additional 10
per cent more lambs for every
10 kg increase in body weight.
strong economic benefits and the
overall return on grass eaten was
244 per cent for twins compared
Once the ewes have been treated
with Ovastim and joined, they
should be pregnancy-tested and
separated according to how many
lambs they are carrying. This allows
them to be prioritised for maximum
survival rates and benefit.
For ideal results the ewes should
already be in season, but it is
possible to induce cycling in
ewes through the use of a
melatonin-based product.
In Merino cross sheep bred
on the edges of the normal
breeding season, studies
have shown that Ovastim
is the best choice.
Lambs
with 183 per cent for singles,
clearly demonstrating the significant
value of twins versus single lambs.
Importantly, the ewes that were
treated with Ovastim delivered more
than three times as many twins and
30 per cent more lambs overall
than their untreated counterparts.
Clancy Rose
Product Manager –
Vaccines and Cattle Flukicides
[email protected]
A 2009 study of Merino
x Border Leicester
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Study proves Cydectin
performs best under pressure
A
recent study presented at
the international conference
of the World Association
for the Advancement of Veterinary
Parasitology compared the
performance of a number of different
drenches when used against both
susceptible and resistant strains of
Haemonchus contortus and H. placei, two
different species of barber’s pole worm.
The research proved that
moxidectin (Cydectin®) is the
most effective drench when
resistance starts to appear.
Drench resistance can be a major issue
for producers, particularly in areas
prone to certain types of parasites.
Usually slow to fully develop, resistance
can be slowed or managed in several
ways, especially through careful use of
chemical controls including: combining
or rotating the type of drench used;
and/or choosing the most potent
drench available. These approaches
ensure that the highest number of
worms are killed at every drenching,
providing fewer opportunities
for resistant worms to breed.
“Drench resistance
can be a major issue
for producers...”
Resistance to the macrocyclic lactone
(ML) drench family is a growing
problem for both sheep and cattle
producers.Yet the ML family of
drenches is known to be extremely
effective against a range of deadly
parasites, making them a popular
choice for producers. Ensuring
8
these products remain a viable
option requires an understanding
of exactly how each drench within
the ML family behaves with regard
to resistance. Producers who
understand this can delay the onset
of resistance on their properties or
manage existing resistance issues
more effectively by choosing the
most potent drench available.
Choosing the
right drench
It makes sense that most producers
want a drench that is both potent and
persistent (long acting). This ensures
parasites have been removed from
the animal (potency) and ongoing
protection is provided against
reinfestation from those parasites
for some time (persistency), thereby
reducing the number and frequency of
treatments, and increasing productivity.
While this approach delivers time and
cost savings, it can also potentially
increase resistance if adult worms
survive the treatment. This may
allow resistant worms to increase
in the environment relative to
susceptible worms. A long acting
drench doesn’t automatically mean
resistance will develop, though, and
a long acting drench can actually
slow down the development of
resistance if it is highly potent.
The study, conducted at the CSIRO,
supports the notion that moxidectin
is the most appropriate drench to
use to prevent the development of
ML resistance due to its continued
higher level of potency when ML
resistance appears. This potency
is also critical in protecting the
persistency of moxidectin and
to ensure ongoing efficacy.
In other words, the study proved that
producers who are concerned about
drench resistance developing in their
area should consider using Cydectin.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Industry Issues
Study methodology
T
he study was undertaken
in laboratory conditions
using larval development
assays (LDAs). LDAs are an accurate
tool to measure both the drench’s
activity against free living stages of
gastrointestinal worms as well as to
measure the level of resistance.
These tests work by placing worm
eggs into wells on agar plates with a
known concentration of anthelmintic,
a drug that expels parasite worms
from the body by stunning or killing
them. After a week, fully grown
infective larvae are counted. Using a
range of anthelmintic concentrations,
researchers are able to calculate the
level of drug required to prevent 50
per cent of the eggs from developing
to infective larvae. This is known as
the IC50, and the lower this value,
the more potent the drench is
against larval development stages.
When the IC50 value is higher,
this indicates that the drench is
less effective and could therefore
mean that resistance is present.
Cydectin and potency
R
esistance to the MLs has developed in a range
of worm species and is increasing. While there
is some degree of shared resistance between
the avermectins (ivermectin, bamectin, doramectin,
eprinomectin) and Cydectin, many scientific studies show
that Cydectin is more effective than the avermectins when
resistance is present. In this environment, using Cydectin
will often ensure the greatest potency on established adult
parasites, and against infective larvae compared with using
a less potent avermectin-based drench.
Cydectin is the most potent ML
against resistant barber’s pole worm1
16
Relative potency of MLs
compared to Eprinomectin
14
12
10
Reference: 1. Potency against H. contortus
(Wallangra) assessed using a larval development
essay. Relative potency of macrocyclic lactones
in in vitro assays with larvae of Australian
susceptible and drug-resistant isolates of
Haemonchus contortus and H. placei. Proceedings
of the 24th International Conference of the
World Association for the Advancement of
Veterinary Parasitology (Perth, 2013).
8
6
Gareth Kelly
4
2
0
Cydectin
Abamectin
Ivermectin
Doramectin
Eprinomectin
Technical Services
Manager Livestock
[email protected]
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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The changing face of
Australian dairy
Dianne and Julian Benson (left) and their son, Luke, now make 11 different varieties of cheese at their Apostle Whey Cheese Company in Victoria.
W
ith almost two million
tourists driving past
their farm gate to
visit the Twelve Apostles each year,
dairy farmers Dianne and Julian
Benson could not help but see the
huge potential in selling products
direct to the hungry hordes.
Almost eight years ago, with hay
and grain prices skyrocketing and
milk prices half what they were 20
years ago, the Bensons decided to
give cheese making a try. Today, their
Apostle Whey Cheese Company uses
their own milk to make 11 different
varieties, including some award
winners, and sells to tourists driving
to the Twelve Apostles 18 km away.
10
“We make a lot more money out
of our milk by making cheese
than what we do selling it to the
factories, that’s for sure,” says Julian.
By dropping back from 350 to 250
cows and calving twice per year, the
Benson farm is able to produce a
continuous supply of good quality milk.
They currently use five per cent of
the milk produced on their dairy farm
for cheese making, with development
underway to increase production and
add new products in the coming years.
Not long after launching into cheese
making, they won the 2007 Weekly
Times Farm Business Awards RAS
Alternative Farming Producer of the
Year and have also been recognised
for their environmental credentials.
“We make a lot
more money out of
our milk by making
cheese than what
we do selling it...”
Environmental management is a
key part of the Bensons’ business
strategy and they have carried out
a significant amount of work since
1981 to transform their property’s
vegetation from a few cypress trees
to a healthy cover of native plants.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Customer Story
“About 10 per cent of our property
now is in trees; blackwoods,
manna gums, different wattles, and
understorey like prickly moses. It’s
attracted a lot of birdlife and now
we’ve got koalas going through the
place on a regular basis,” says Julian.
Another platform in their
environmental management
strategy involves encouraging
dung beetles on the farm.
“We find them very busy little
creatures. They do a great job
because they bury all the dung into
the soil and that’s beneficial because
it means that the fertiliser is getting
put in the ground. Not only that,
they also aerate the soil at the same
time so it’s all positive,” says Julian.
“If you have good little workers like
the dung beetles are who bury the
dung and reduce fly populations, they
do an excellent job of getting rid of
a lot of it. We certainly don’t want
to destroy them, so it’s important
we use the correct type of drench,”
says Julian, who drenches with
Cydectin Pour-On, which has no
known impact on dung beetles.
Queensland
producer begins
processing on-farm
Queensland farmer Greg Dennis,
of Scenic Rim robotic dairy near
Beaudesert, has also changed his
business model in response to the
low prices offered by milk processors.
He’s investing in new facilities to
bottle milk on the dairy farm his
grandfather and great-uncle bought
some 80 years ago, to earn more for
the milk they work hard to produce.
“It’s been a dairy farm since the
1930s and obviously a lot of things
have changed since then,” says Greg.
“We’re starting
to process and
bottle milk on the
farm ourselves.”
through the robot shed and they’ll
be milked on their way,” says Greg.
“We’re seeing improvements in
our cow health and our efficiency
of milk production because of the
fact that they are milking more
often and they’re also able to move
around at their own pace,” he says.
Greg has made several changes on
the farm in recent years to streamline
the milking and maintain cow health.
“Ticks have certainly always been
one of the main problem areas in
our region. Buffalo flies seem to be
getting worse, so we’ve set up a
back-scratcher, or a brush, that the
cows get as a treat after they’ve
been milked and come out of the
robot. We’ve rigged up the scratcher
with a fly spray so that during the
summer months we can just turn a
switch on and the cows will get some
buffalo fly spray on them as well as
getting the back scratch,” he says.
As of May this year, their milk is no
longer being sold to a processor
but is all going into Scenic Rim
4Real Milk, their own brand that
is only available on shelves in the
Brisbane and Gold Coast area.
“We’re starting to process and
bottle milk on the farm ourselves,”
Greg explains, outlining how he and
his family are responsible for the
entire production process, from
looking after the cows to making
the milk, putting it in bottles and
transporting it to the shops.
Let the people come
In 2010 the Dennis family
installed Queensland’s first Lely
‘Astronaut’ robots to milk their
230 cows automatically.
Like the Bensons in Victoria’s Western
District, Greg and his family regularly
welcome tourists onto their farm.
“Our farm is split into three
sections and there are automatic
gate changes every eight hours that
send the cows to a different section
of the farm. So each time the cows
get diverted, at noon, 8 p.m. and 4
a.m., there is an allocation of feed
waiting for them where they’re going.
The only way to the next feed is
I’m very comfortable talking about
what we do and spreading the
message. It’s not just about us and
our farm; it’s actually about the
wider farming community and the
broader picture of food production.
So we’re kind of helping with the
big picture, rather than the little
aspect of our own farm,” says Greg.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
Primary Producer.indd 11
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15/08/2013 12:40:09 PM
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Flukazole is a registered trademark of Virbac (Australia) Pty. Limited.
Customer Support 1800 242 100
Customer Support 1800 242 100
Primary Producer.indd 12
www.virbac.com.au
www.virbac.com.au
15/08/2013 12:40:10 PM
Tips and Strategies
Injectable minerals boost
results, bypass challenges
Supplementation with injectable trace minerals after a stressful event can deliver positive results in cattle according to Dr Stephanie Hansen US beef nutrition specialist who recently visited Australia.
E
very producer knows that
getting their cattle into the
best possible condition prior
to stressful events like trucking can
help improve production outcomes,
but for some this is just not possible
due to their production schedules.
The good news is that recent
research indicates supplementation
with injectable trace minerals
soon after a stressful event can
also deliver positive results.
US beef nutrition specialist Dr
Stephanie Hansen was recently
invited to Australia to talk about her
research, which included a study using
the injectable trace mineral product
Multimin®1. In the study, feedlot
cattle given a Multimin injection
24 hours after trucking showed
better results than cattle that did
not receive the supplementation.
“The research showed that improved
trace mineral status allowed the
animals to get back on feed more
quickly and improved their weight
gain and marbling results,” she said.
Dr Hansen, who completed her PhD
at North Carolina State University,
is currently an Assistant Professor
in Beef Feedlot Nutrition in the
Department of Animal Science at
Iowa State University in the United
States. She was in Australia at the
invitation of Virbac, to present at the
Australian Veterinary Association
conference held in Cairns in May.
“Good levels of trace minerals
in the diet are important at all
times to promote growth, immune
function and reproductive health,
but there are certain periods when
‘topping off’ with a supplement
can be useful,” she said.
“Ideally you want the animal to be
in the best possible condition prior
to a stressful period like weaning
or transportation, but sometimes
production schedules mean this is
not possible. The good news from
this study is that where it’s not
possible to supplement ahead of
time, an injectable like Multimin can
still deliver good value if delivered
shortly after the stressful situation.”
Dr Hansen has also researched
the interactions between trace
elements in ruminant animals,
and has found that an injectable
supplement can deliver better results
than feed based supplements.
“Ruminants including cattle
present particular challenges
when supplementing to address
deficiencies in minerals such as
copper and selenium. Dietary
antagonists in the rumen, including
high levels of sulphur, can interfere
with the absorption of dietary
supplements, limiting their effect.
An injectable supplement bypasses
the rumen, allowing producers to
essentially go around the problem
and ensure the animal is getting the
full benefit of the supplement.”
As part of her visit, Dr Hansen
presented two sessions at the
Australian Veterinary Association
conference. She also visited a number
of feedlots throughout northern
New South Wales and southern
Queensland, and met with Australian
cattle nutrition experts. She said she
was pleased to have the opportunity
to visit rural areas, meet producers
and see firsthand some of the
differences between Australian and
American production practices.
1. Multimin used in this study contained 20 mg/ml more zinc than Multimin available in Australia.
m.au
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Choosing animal health
products – why brand matters
with because the original developer
has already invested in all the trials and
marketing, so they can get products to
market at a lower cost.
Robert Dempster,Virbac’s Research and
Development Laboratories Manager.
B
ringing new products to
market, whether they’re
animal vaccines, drenches, crop
protection chemicals or even human
pharmaceuticals, is an intensive process
that requires time, money, commitment
and expertise. Farmers who choose
branded products instead of generic
versions help to support the research
and development process that keeps
new products coming.
Virbac’s Research and Development
Laboratories Manager Robert
Dempster explains that developing
a brand new product is a ‘long, risky
and expensive’ process – so industry
support is essential.
“Generic product manufacturers
have much shorter development and
regulatory approval timeframes to deal
An agronomist’s view
Creating new products
– what’s involved?
The process of developing a new
product, from light bulb moment to
market, can take up to eight years and
cost millions of dollars – if it actually
gets that far.
“Some companies say they’re lucky if
five per cent of the projects they’re
investing in come to fruition,”
Robert says.
Robert explains that there are
generally four types of product
development, each with its own
level of risk.
Innovative products are brand new
products that rely on a novel
New products are those which are
based on existing active ingredients but
bring something new to the market, for
example, a new combination of actives.
Product improvements include new label
claims for existing products or new
packaging that might alter the product
usage.
Generics are direct copies of existing
products that have either never been
protected by patent or that have
expired patent protection.
“The more innovative a product is, the
more risk there is. If you are developing
something no one has seen before,
you might have to create the market
from scratch. Conversely, there may
be a market when you start out, but
it’s hard to know if it will still be there
six years down the track when your
product is ready to launch,” Robert
says.
“Generic product manufacturers enter
into an established market where the
company that developed the original
product has already done all the work,
from developing the science to gaining
regulatory approvals to building the
market – so their risk is much lower.”
he downward price pressures
that generic products bring to
the market might look great for
farmers in the short-term, but they may
well prove to be counterproductive
in the industry over the long-term,
according to agronomist Neil Durning.
specialist advisors in agronomy and
animal health. He splits his time between
advising clients through his company’s
proactive Betta Crop service, and working
with the agronomists on his team on
training and development. He always
recommends the right product for the
job even if that means branded products
cost more than generic competitors.
looking at the whole farm big picture and
providing proactive in-paddock advice to
clients to achieve the goals of the business.”
Neil is a Field Services Manager with
AGnVET Services, an independent
agribusiness with a large group of
“Branded product manufacturers support
good agronomy services in small locations.
A good advisor will drive profitability by
“When our clients can see that they
get good results and solid profits using
the branded products we recommend,
T
14
“But the more prices are undercut,
the less incentive there is for those
original manufacturers to work on new
product development. The kinds of
products that have revolutionised the
ag industry have only been developed
because companies took the risk of
investing their time and money.”
development, like the discovery of a
new molecule.
Neil urges his clients to think
about farm profit, and not being
driven solely by product price.
“It’s not about saving five dollars a drum.
It’s about making $1,000 a hectare,” he says.
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Business Tips
From idea to product
Many product innovators, including
Virbac, use a stage-gate approach to
product development.The project is
evaluated after each stage and if it does
not measure up, it is aborted.
REGISTRATION
Once all the registration dossiers are complete,
they’re submitted to the relevant authorities
like the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary
Medicines Authority (APVMA) for approval.
THE DETAILED
HOMEWORK PHASE
GATE 5
A project plan is developed, a timeline is
established and a budget is set. Then the
real work starts: the first round of lab trials
and product stability tests are done and the
formulation is locked in. A manufacturing
pilot may be conducted at this point.
REGISTRATION
GATE 2
SECOND
SCREEN
GATE 3
DEVELOPMENT
05
GATE 4
04
TESTING
SOMEONE
COMES UP
WITH AN
IDEA
LAUNCH
03
CLINICAL TRIALS
At a minimun companies must demonstrate
efficacy, safety and stability of their products and
confirm dosing levels. To do this, they conduct
more lab and field trials and run controlled
research projects.
02
GATE 1
IDEA
SCREEN
01
the price consciousness tends not to be
the major driver in product choice.”
In Neil’s experience, the agronomy support
offered by generic manufacturers is very
limited, which means farmers don’t always
get good guidance. “If you’re not getting
good advice you can end up putting the
wrong product in the wrong place. Some
growers also use much more product than
they need because it is cheap and end up
spending the same amount per hectare.”
THE INITIAL
HOMEWORK PHASE
During this phase, the project team scours technical,
scientific and patent literature to be sure the idea really
is new. Then they talk to experts and try to identify the
biggest risks to the project. At this stage, the team will
also do some market homework to determine if anyone
is likely to buy the product if they go ahead.
“The challenge is for agronomists
advisors to service our clients in a
way that delivers them real value
through improved profitability.”
Neil says supporting branded products
is also vital because of the role they play
in supporting future development.
“We’re in an era where resistance is
becoming the major issue in agriculture.
New product development is vital to
managing resistance as old pesticide
groups are rendered ineffective but
generic companies generally don’t release
new products. They don’t ever come out
with anything new and rarely offer new
technology. Choosing branded products
supports the companies that work on
new developments the industry needs.
Farmers support us because we are
a local provider of quality service and
products and we stand by what we
recommend. We value our R&D suppliers
of branded products in the same way.”
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iHerd
iHerd gives producers immediate
access to all the critical data they
need and the power to make critical
business decisions on the spot. It was
launched less than a year ago and
already it has more than 10,000 users.
V
irbac Australia has entered
into an agreement with
MandraIT to sponsor iHerd,
a livestock management application
available for mobile devices including
smart phones and tablets.
treatments. The farmer can set up
a virtual farm, including paddocks
and distribution of cattle on each
paddock, then link to their ID
cards, record treatments, and then
transfer off if they sell them.
iHerd allows producers to track
important information like stock
movements and sales data, as well
as capturing data on animal health
MandraIT is an Australian company,
founded in 2012 by Will Wilson, a
fourth generation Central Queensland
cattle producer. According to Will,
Virbac’s sponsorship will be used
to optimise the ‘Animal Health
Shed’ element of the application,
which tracks animal health products,
including their use and effectiveness
on individual properties.
Virbac’s Marketing Manager, Anthony
Preshaw, says iHerd will make it easier
for producers to manage their business
and their animal health treatments.
iHerd is available for free download
from www.iherd.com.au or through
mobile application stores.
CSU prize winners announced
W
inners of Virbac’s two
annual awards for
promising agriculture
students at Charles Sturt University
were recently announced.
The Virbac Livestock Nutrition
Sciences Prize went to Lucy Potter,
while the Virbac Prize for Excellence in
Nutritional Management of Livestock
was awarded to Nicholas Lyttle.
The Livestock Nutrition Sciences
Prize is awarded to the student who
achieves the best overall assessment
during the first year of their degree.
Lucy, aged 20, is currently in her
second year of CSU’s Agricultural
Business Management program. She
grew up on a family farm between
16
“At this stage I am not completely
sure what I want to do when I finish
the course, but growing up on a
property where I got to help Dad
with the cattle and sheep work has
definitely influenced my preference
for livestock. I believe I will more than
likely continue down the livestock
path and eventually maybe head
home to the family business.”
Lucy Potter (left) with her Virbac award.
Hillston and Lake Cargelligo, farming
cattle, sheep, cotton and some
cereal crops. While she’s not
quite sure what she’ll do once
she’s finished her studies, Lucy
says she may be drawn back
to the family business.
Anthony Preshaw
Marketing Manager – Retail
[email protected]
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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In the Community
Career Harvest
Careers in agriculture don’t always mean working on a farm.
C
hoosing a career can be
difficult, whether you are a
recent high school graduate
or an experienced worker looking for
a change. While some people grow
up knowing they will take over the
family business, others aren’t certain
where their passions lie and are
even less certain about where their
best career opportunities may be.
Career Harvest, with the support
of more than 20 industry sponsors
including Virbac Australia, aims
to make it easier for people to
find pathways to employment in
the vital agriculture industry.
Australia is poised to become a major
provider of food and fibre as the
world’s population continues to grow.
In order to successfully compete in
the global marketplace, the Australian
agriculture industry must first
overcome the ongoing skills shortage.
“Career Harvest is an online
information source that helps
match people with career options
that align with their passions,
skills and experience – and then
shows them how to get there,”
said Virbac Australia’s Product
Manager – Cattle, Will Keen.
“Sometimes people think a career
in agriculture means working on a
farm, but actually that’s only one of
hundreds of possible careers. There
are opportunities in agriculture for
people with all kinds of different skills
and interests, from vets, agronomists
and chemists to marketers,
journalists and accountants, not
to mention mechanics, engineers,
entrepreneurs and lots more.
“We need to make sure that
Australians clearly understand
the significant opportunities
that are available in the ag
industry, from city-based roles
to regional and rural roles.”
Career Harvest is an initiative
of the Australian Council of
Deans of Agriculture (ACDA),
Redhanded Communications
Group and Rimfire Resources.
Independent Chair of the Career
Harvest Board, David Anthony,
said this approach should break
down any misconceptions people
had about the agriculture industry
by providing direct contact with
those already working in various
roles within the industry.
“Australia aims to contribute to
global food security and to compete
at the highest level with other
food and fibre producing nations
but we are held back right now
by the skills shortage,” he said.
“Career Harvest was set up to help
address this by not only providing
information on what careers are
available, but by giving people genuine
advice on how to achieve the career
of their choice as well as providing
case studies on people who have
done it successfully. Hopefully it
will help encourage people to
consider careers in agriculture
regardless of whether they have
a farming background or not.”
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Feedback
New technology
L
ike every part of life, farming is
becoming increasingly reliant
on technology. From the iHerd
app featured on page 16 to ‘cow GPS’
programs that let farmers see where
their cows are at every minute of
the day, smart technology and mobile
programs are changing the way
producers manage their operations.
and grazing behaviour of dairy cattle.
The project has allowed researchers
to see how far the cows travel, how
fast they move, how long they lie
down for and how long they feed for.
In New South Wales, high tech ear
tags let a farmer see exactly where
their cows are at the University of
New England Kirby SMART Farm.
In South Australia, Dairy SA and
Dairy Australia have been running
the GPS Cows project, using GPS
technology to track the movement
These innovations are among
the vanguard of new ideas that
are changing the way producers
work. The UNE farm and a range
of other initiatives were showcased at
the Digital Rural Futures Conference
in June.
In a white paper released at the
conference, CSIRO said broadband
and sensor networks would transform
farming and see such new tools
adopted widely over the next
three years.
The results are in…
In the last issue of Primary Producer, we asked what methods you used to determine when to drench. Of those who
responded to the poll, 60 per cent relied on the visual condition of their animals to guide their decision. Twenty per cent
based their decisions on professional advice from a vet or other adviser, while the remaining 20 per cent chose to drench
on the same timetable each year.
20%
Seeked professional
advice
60%
Visual condition
20%
Drench on the
same timetable
each year.
iPad winner
Congratulations to
Mrs Glenys Flint of
Kingston, SA, who won
an iPad for subscribing
to Primary Producer!
Poll question
Q
18
What are you
looking for in
mobile farm
productivity
apps?
A
Reduction of manual and double
entry of information
B
Security of data
C
Multi-purposing – being able to
do many things with one app
D
Something else
Go to:
www.primaryproducer.com.au
to register your vote.
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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Don’t forget critical treatments
for the upcoming season
Cattle
Cydectin® Long Acting
Injection for Cattle
Give your weaners the best
chance to maximise growth
Cydectin® Pour-On
Kills worms for longer, nil withholding, rainfast
and no known impact on dung beetles
Virbamec® LV Pour-On
Broad-spectrum internal and
external parasite control
Multimin® Injection for Cattle
Trace mineral supplement to improve
conception and embryo survival
leading to a tighter calving pattern
Hy B12™
Maximise vitamin B12 status and prevent
deficiency in breeders and calves
Vaccines
Websters® 5 in 1 Vaccine
with Vitamin B12
Weaner vaccination - the only 5 in
1 vaccine with vitamin B12
Fly Control
Arrest® Easy-Dose
Nuisance fly control for dairies and feedlots
Tick Control
Taktic EC and WP
Cattle tick and paralysis tick control
Cydectin Pour-On or
Cydectin Injection
Prevents the development of
viable cattle tick for 28 days
Cydectin Long Acting
Injection for Cattle
Prevents the development of
viable cattle tick for 51 days
Cydectin® Long Acting
Injection for Sheep
Excellent summer drench or
barber's pole worm treatment
Cydectin® Oral +/- Se
Kills worms for longer - 14 days against
Ostertagia and barber's pole worm
Cydectin Weanerguard®
+/- Se B12
Combination long-acting drench and 6 in
1 vaccine, also with Se and Vitamin B12
Cydectin® Plus Tape
Lamb treatment with tapeworm control
Firstmectin® +/- Se
Lamb treatment with tapeworm control
Virbamec Oral +/- Se
Broad-spectrum short-acting drench
Combat™
Mix with a range of oral drenches
to help combat resistance
Multimin® Copper Free
Injection for Sheep
Trace mineral supplement to
improve conception in ewes
Hy B12™
Maximise vitamin B12 status and prevent
deficiency in ewes and lambs
Vaccines
Websters® LV 6 in 1
Vaccine +/- Se
Ideal vaccine for lambs and ewes
Reproduction
Ovastim®
Increase your lambing percentage
in prime lamb-producing ewes
Fly Control
Virbazine® Liquid
14 weeks’ protection against blowfly strike
Drench
Nutrition
®
Sheep
Summer Drench
®
Nutrition
PrimaryProducer No 5 – Spring / Summer 2013
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www.cydectin.com.au
The longest lasting
protection going around.
For long term protection against Haemonchus, Ostertagia and
Trichostrongylus choose Cydectin® Long Acting (LA) Injection for
Cattle. Just one small dose of Cydectin LA is enough to give long
term protection against Haemonchus for 120 days, Ostertagia for
112 days and Trichostrongylus for 72 days.
That puts it in a world of protection all on its own.
Insist on Cydectin Long Acting Injection and really protect
your most important assets.
Contact your local territory sales manager today
No known
impact on
dung beetlesˆ
Cydectin is a registered trademark of Virbac Australia Pty Limited.
^While every species has not been tested, four major species have. See label for details.
Customer Support 1800 242 100
Primary Producer.indd 20
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