BEING totally reliant on a stock water supply continuously pumped along 12km to top up a 270,000-litre tank storage system, has opened up the potential for a telemetry monitoring system at Swin and Kathy Hudson’s Moura grazing holdings.
With next to no rainfall run-off to replenish surface dam storages during the past five years, Swin Hudson is now trialling the use of remote sensing technology which he hopes will eliminate the onerous ritual of driving to the tank site to check the critical tank storage level.
To delve further into the use of remote sensing telemetry and the installation of water medication systems for dry season cattle supplementation, the Hudson family hosted a July workshop at their home property, Tremere, for members of the CQ BEEF (Better Economic and Environmental Futures) Moura Group.
Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries Rockhampton-based senior beef extension officer Ken Murphy said the CQ BEEF Moura Group welcomed a presentation by McCracken’s Water Services representative Peter Hunt on the time and monetary saving benefits that could be gained by installing Observant Systems.
Mr Hunt said there were options to use an UHF radio setup or a Next G telephone system from the homestead base to operate remote camera-equipped field monitoring units powered by solar panels with battery back-up.
"Observant Systems have the capability to monitor tank and trough levels, monitor flow meters to provide a better understanding of water use; measure medicated water dosage output; and operate stop/start switches for diesel pumps or submersible electric pumps," Mr Hunt said.
QPIF Biloela-based CQ BEEF industry development officer Lindy Symes provided an overview of her five years of managerial experience overseeing the extensive Pigeon Hole Grazing Systems trial where 13 remote sensing units were installed.
The Northern Territory grazing trial involving up to 4000 cattle across 309 sq km on a portion of Victoria Downs used remote sensing technology to monitor flow rates to deliver medicated stock water during the dry season.
Ms Symes said there were plenty of trial and error adjustments needed to get the correct flow rates to deliver the urea-phosphorus supplement from the mixing tanks and system maintenance was vital.
She advised against using galvanised piping or brass fittings where urea was involved as the metal will corrode and fail.
Ms Symes said that provided the water quality was suitable and the pH was not too high, medicated watering systems could make a valuable contribution to animal performance and pasture utilisation.
"Cattle managers need to do their homework to select a commercial system that suits their individual property needs," Ms Symes said.
Mr Murphy said that to further illustrate the practical use of telemetry, the Richmond-based company Harrington Systems Electronics supplied a demonstration uSee remote monitoring camera system based on the Telstra Next G network.
Mr Hudson has setup the fully portable uSee module comprising an antenna and solar panel at their stock water storage tank.
"We have simply scheduled the unit to provide an image at a specific time interval and we access the image using a standard web browser or mobile phone to check on the water level," Mr Hudson said.
Mr Hudson their only available stockwater was in a dam at Kianga North on the southern end of their Moura aggregation.
"We are pumping around the clock through a single 12km long polypipe line to water 4500ha of grazing country and a feedlot currently holding 400 cattle," he said.
"It is this pumping scenario to the storage tanks that has prompted a serious look at the Observant System to provide a remote stop/start diesel motor pump capability."
Mr Hudson said their Moura aggregation needed to hit an annual rainfall of 700mm to promote local water run-off into their dams to resolve the issue.
"Unfortunately our annual average has been around 580mm and down to as low as 310mm with a top of 610mm in the past five years."
The family’s grazing enterprise which includes their Arcadia Valley holding, Wilga, totals 9000ha and is home to the Tremere Belmont Red cattle stud founded in 1974.
CQ BEEF Moura group visitors inspected the 250 Belmont Red stud breeders and another 250 Bonsmara stud breeders and separate smaller herds of the South African breed imports, Tuli and Boran, all of which are subjected to stringent objective appraisal. Tremere Belmont Red Annual sale at Moura saleyards on September 11 will offer 75 bulls.
Hudsons also run 600 commercial Belmont Red/Bonsmara breeders.
The feedlot operation targets a 310-320kg carcase weight turnoff for the EU market.
Steers and heifers are fed for 70 days on a wheat-sorghum soda grain wet ration with 17 per cent roughage using wheat, barley and purple pigeon grass hay with an optimum feed intake goal of 23kg/head/day.
Commercial cattle are also finished for the export market on improved pasture and 525ha of established leucaena.
Welcome in-crop rainfall or 30mm and 6mm has benefited 525ha of late April-planted Baxter wheat and May-sown Hartog wheat and a first time planting of 40ha of chickpeas.
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