Plea to find answer to bearings

Independent Wanganui agricultural fertiliser broker Robin Casey has taken Beef + Lamb NZ to task over a lack of focus on bearings this season.

In November last year, Mr Casey revealed anecdotal evidence that high rates of bearings in ewes can be lowered substantially, but called for more research into a problem with potential to substantially affect farm returns.

During a NZ Beef + Lamb monitor farm workshop he attended last year, concern was raised about the increasing number of bearings occurring in the region with many farmers reporting up to 5 per cent of their flocks affected.

The incident rate surprised Mr Casey. After canvassing his own clients using his blend of Stock Boost he discovered incident rates ranged between 0.05 per cent and 2 per cent.

"Five per cent or more appeared to be common among farmers at the monitor farm workshop, but there appeared to be no rhyme or reason. Bearings have all the professional consultants defeated and I think it's time for questions to be asked and perhaps studies to be launched to find out why they occur more on some farms and less on others," Mr Casey said.

"After discussions with farmers at the workshop one said his incident rate was 5 per cent, while his neighbour's was just 1.8 per cent - why the difference? Is it farm management? Is it the breed of ewes? Grass types? Fertiliser? Who knows?"

Since his comments appeared last year, Mr Casey said he had been to eight B+LNZ workshops and not one had touched on the bearing problem.

"Last year it was talked about often, but this year there has been no mention of it, yet is a major factor impacting on financial returns. Has the problem disappeared? I don't think so, although given the lack of interest from B+LNZ you would think it may have. Levy payers deserve more and I think B+LNZ is remiss for not helping to find a way to reduce bearing percentages.

"I recall one of my clients two seasons back was having facial eczema (FE) problems, so I mixed up a seaweed formula for him to drench his flock. He asked that I include zinc and at that particular time his pastures were deficient in iodine, selenium, cobalt, copper and nickel, so they were also added to the mix," Mr Casey said.

"He also had a major problem with bearings. From a mob of 400 grazing on his front country, 100 had bearings. We found that not only did we reduce the rate of FE, but lamb survival was dramatically increased and bearings were substantially reduced. This year only 20 or so of his ewes fell to bearings and 19 were before he drenched, vaccinated and set stocked the ewes. Since then he'd discovered only four, although conceded there were probably a couple more under a tree somewhere."

Mr Casey said that same client's highest scanning rate was 149 per cent, but after using Stock Boost he scanned 163 per cent this season - a 14 per cent lift and he docked more than before.

"He drenched ewes and rams with the formula at pre-tup and again pre-lamb and we found we had reduced bearings significantly compared to neighbouring farms not using this formula. Most of my other clients were also recording far less bearings and increased lamb survival.

"I can't say categorically it's down to the formula, but looking back over the last eight years I've been advising clients to use it, there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest it should be looked into by the scientific fraternity," Mr Casey said.

This season he is continuing to use his Stock Boost formula with success, both as a drench and as part of a fertiliser application regime.