Getting the best water quality

The quality of on-farm water is of high importance, particularly during dry seasonal conditions.

Poor water quality can affect livestock health, plant growth and soil quality, and can also impact farm infrastructure.

Market report for 27th and 28th June 2018 Wednesday Fat Sale head 224. Thursday Bull and Cow Sale, 18 bulls,289 cows.

The lift in demand last week was not carried through to this week’s sale, with all but one category slipping, a larger yarding of 224 head saw the yard average slip 13 cents to 249.3. Only a handful of bullocks were yarded and did manage a slight increase. Heifer numbers slipped back to 9 head and recorded the biggest slump. Steer numbers were firm but quality and demand eased the prices. Although the vealer section had larger numbers, the secondary pens eased and demand pulled the top back 6 cents.

7 bullocks made to 278.2, back 12 and averaged 274.1, up 12. 9 heifers made to 240, back 57 and averaged 205.5. 31 steers made to 285, back 14 and averaged 263.5, back 16.

174 veal made to 346.2, back 6 and averaged 252.2, back 20.

Thursday was a different story with an improvement in demand lifting both bulls and cows. There were 18 bulls yarded and sold to a top of 269.2, up 27 cents and the average was 6 cents better at 215.4. Cow numbers were back with 289 on offer. The top this week was 253.6, back 17 cents but demand and quality lifted the average 7 cents to 178.1. The yard average improved 8 cents to 182.5.

Vealers 1 LimX 1 BazX 1 Char 1 Baz 2 Ang 1 Ang Steers 1 Ang 1 LimX 4 Baz 1 Ang Heifers 5 Char C&D Stuckey, Flynn 2 R/Ang G Henry, Flynn Bullocks 5 Ang C&J Jensen, Neerim East Export Cows and Heifers 1 Ang D Stoll, Brandy Creek 1 B/B D Oleary, Buln Buln 1 Ang L&J Rathjen, Flynn 1 Ang A&E Romanin, Wgl Sth 2 HfdX G&K Laing, Nyora 4 R/Ang G Henry, Flynn Dairy Cows 1 Frn Mrs C Elliot, Nilma 540 2 Frn C&M Young, Neerim 635 1 Frn G&B Geary, Longwarry Nth 680 1 Frn N&R Cranston, NNG 630 1 Frn G&T Gardiner, Catani 690 1 Frn Marriott & McCarthy, J/Jeerop 625 Steers 2 Frn 1 Frn Bulls 1 Lim 1 Lim 2048

C&K White, Garfield Nth M&V Boraston, Lang Lang B&D Webb, Trafalgar Linderbrook Past, Bun/Nth J&J Fowler, Darnum S&W Armour, Bona Vista

Blackwood Grazing, Traf T&K Ahearn, Warragul Linderbrook Past, Bun/Nth R Fizzani, Jindivick Saxton & Waller, Yarragon B&H Saxton, Yarragon

G&S Edwards, Bunyip A Hopkins, Yinnar

4. Landmark, 5. Gibbon.

365 350 430 350 313 360

420 520 400 485

440 420

560

540 620 520 480 663 639 510 480

675 860

346.2 312.0 300.0 300.0 288.0 270.0

293.6 285.0 282.6 280.0

283.6 273.6

278.2

226.6 226.6 226.6 224.6 222.0 217.6

219.6 215.0 200.0 198.0 198.0 185.0

234.2 234.2

269.2 238.2

1263 1092 1290 1050 900 972

1233 1482 1130 1358

1247 1176

1557

1223 1404 1178 1078 1470 1389

1185 1365 1360 1247 1366 1156

1194 1124

1817

1. SEJ, 2. Scotts, 3. Elders,

Agriculture Victoria regional manager Nick Dudley said that regardless of whether onfarm water supply is from rivers, springs, captured on farm or pumped from underground, it is important to monitor your water supplies.

“Runoff from a catchment collected in an earthen dam can be quite variable depending on the condition of the catchment

area and activities occurring within it. River or creek off-takes can also be quite variable.

“Collecting and maintaining good quality water is vital. Farm storages should be planned, managed and designed to collect good quality water,” he said.

Following recent dry conditions, it is important that on-farm catchments are protected from the potential in-flow of sediment, organic matter and manures. If these substances have entered water supplies, algal blooms may occur when the weather gets warmer.

Mr Dudley said lower quality water may contain materials which are physically suspended or chemically dissolved in the water, sediment, or living organisms and their remains.

This can often be seen in the colour of the water.

“There are many ways to use water testing to determine the quality of water.

“Water pH levels can be measured using a simple hand-held device, to measure the acidity or alkalinity (<7 is acid and >7 is alkaline), as can salinity,” he said.

He said salinity is commonly used as a guide to water suitability for various classes of livestock and there have been reports of rising salinity in a number of water sources in Gippsland.

“All-natural water contains some dissolved salts. However high levels of salt can make water unsuitable for drinking and potentially also unsuitable for irrigation.”

“There are many factors affecting the salinity tolerance levels of animals such as; climate, species, class and condition of animal, pasture composition and use of supplementary feed.

“For example, pigs and poultry have a lower tolerance to salinity than beef or ewes,” Mr Dudley said.

The level of dissolved salts can be measured by evaporation to dryness, and recording the result as weight of solids per unit of water evaporated, or alternatively an electrical conductivity meter can be used.

If farmers are concerned about water quality it may be preferable to get their water tested.

Agriculture Victoria can offer testing for salinity and pH but more complex testing for heavy metals and pathogens will need to be conducted in a laboratory.