Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries CQ BEEF industry development officer, Lindy Symes, has overseen the establishment of a Meat and Livestock Australia-funded Producer Demonstration Site to enable graziers to gain an understanding of how to incorporate the NLIS technology into day to day operations.

Ms Symes said the two-year project to be finalised by May 2010 has contracted the technical guidance and operational support services of Don Menzies, principal of Outcross Performance Pty Ltd.

CQ BEEF Biloela members Gavin and Megan Muller have offered to host the PDS to demonstrate how this technology using AgInfoLink software could be used to record all data on individual animals identified by their electronic ear tag.

"The first objective was to record all the available herd fertility data from the breeding herd based on the Ubobo district property, Cooinda," Ms Symes said.

"By recording and collating this information, we can demonstrate to our group members how to make timely and effective breeder management decisions based on an animal’s lifetime fertility record.

"The weaners produced at Cooinda are relocated to the Mullers’ Biloela district property, Gavyna, to be grown out and finished for targeted premium markets."

A field day was held at Gavyna on November 12 where Don Menzies was on hand to read and log the Cooinda-bred weaner ear tags to comply with NLIS database requirements while also recording the liveweight of each animal.

"Collection of liveweight information on these growing animals will enable the Mullers to determine the good performers and identify the under performers," Ms Symes said.

"This information can then be used to make timely management decisions that will ultimately lead to greater production efficiency and profitability."

Ms Symes said that as the PDS project progressed, small field days would be held to demonstrate how the NLIS equipment and the AgInfoLink software could be used to collect valuable herd data.