NCVC Sheep & Beef

05/11/2024

It's tomorrow - two different times available - see you there!

03/11/2024

When the decision is unclear, gather info and get clarity on all your options ...

31/10/2024

Have you marked your calendar?

31/10/2024

See you at Amberley Show this Saturday!!

30/10/2024

NCVC Top Tip for Working Dogs!
Meat in NZ has been found to be deficient in several minerals including iodine, B, A and E vitamins.
Unless whole bones are being fed to working dogs, the diet is too low in calcium.
So, is a meat only diet actually giving the dogs everything they need?

29/10/2024

Great opportunity to gather info and get your questions answered ...

29/10/2024

To store or not to store

Whether you are early weaning or not, selling lambs as stores may be a worthwhile option to consider. Here's why:
The quicker you can get lambs off the farm in the season, the more you can take advantage of the slightly higher prices. As more and more lambs start to enter the market, prices drop. So, by weaning early and selling those lambs (as prime or as stores), you are more likely to hit the prices before they come back down.

Many of you may be thinking about how to restock your feed stores and silage pits. To do this, we need to reduce how much is eaten, and this can be achieved by getting rid of lambs.

Less lambs = more feed for ewes to put condition on. A 50kg ewe needing to put condition on, needs to eat 1.25kgDM/day - that’s an extra 0.35kgDM/day above maintenance.

For lambs to put on 130-150g/day in the summer, they will need to eat about 1.0kgDM/day. So one less lamb will help nearly 3 ewes put on condition.

28/10/2024

November RR is just around the corner, in case you missed Octobers edition click the link below ...

We seem to be an island of two halves. The south is struggling with too much rain, and here in North Canterbury, we are the opposite with not enough. And with the closure of the meat works in Timaru, what impact will this have on lamb prices and demand?

25/10/2024

“You beauty”- let’s celebrate the rain - what are your totals?
Area, time, measurements - GO!☔️🌧️💥

25/10/2024

24/10/2024

A crystal ball is always helpful but start thinking about your mating numbers ready for toxo/campy ordering. Toxo is made to order and the order MUST be placed 4 weeks before you need it, so sadly cannot be left till the last minute to decide if you will be mating hoggets this year. We appreciate this is not always easy to do!

22/10/2024

With calf marking just around the corner, it pays to start thinking about logistics!

- Do you have enough vaccine on hand?
- Now is the time to give their first shot of clostridial vaccine - 5in1, 6in1 or covexin10.
- You can kill two birds with one stone by vaccinating calves with 7in1 to start their leptospirosis vaccine program to protect you and your workers.
- Hygiene - remember to frequently change needles as these can become bent or burred every 20 animals.
- Vaccine can be inactivated if given through a methanol-soaked needle.
- Soak ear taggers in methanol between use.
- Castration - it may sound silly but ensure you have isolated both testicles when you ring a calf!
- Don't be tempted to use the wrong size rings for the size of the calf - if the blood supply isn't completely cut off, the te**es won't drop off and will lead to infection and possible death.

16/10/2024

What is lice really costing you?
If this question is unanswered, or you are curious to know more, register now for our final information event for the year - it's all about lice and a little bit about fly.
We've brought in the animal health industry's expert on these subjects, Colin McKay. Colin is a master at imparting relevant information that enables farmers to make good decisions and has even recently co-authored the second edition of the NZVA publication “Ectoparasites of sheep in New Zealand and their control”.
Come along and give Colin a nice warm welcome to the Hurunui. See our poster below for all the info and click this link to secure your seat -https://forms.gle/AYfbmdXbLM6sfS5U9

15/10/2024

Working Dog Top Tips

De-sexing can help keep bi***es in the team and working. Common things we see in entire bi***es are:
Mis-mating requiring termination.
Mammary tumours which can be metastatic or just local and require removal.
Pyometra – Infected uterus which is an emergency that requires surgery and can be fatal if left unmanaged.
These conditions are eliminated by spaying before the first or second heat.
Being thoughtful about which dogs are worth breeding from and de-sexing those with lower breeding value can mean far less chance of the above conditions. Desexing is offered as a discounted service and is a good value procedure for disease prevention.
Our Amberley Clinic is open 7 days a week for your working dog and animal health requirements.

14/10/2024

Rural Support Trust - Lunch on Us

Step away from the daily grind - mark your calendar for 'Lunch on Us" brought to your area by Rural Support Trust.
Designed to bring our awesome rural community together. Whether you're in dairy, beef, sheep, horses, horticulture, pigs, these gatherings are for you.
Enjoy a free lunch with a cuppa from a local coffee cart, and network and connect with other locals in the industry, share stories, and strengthen community ties.
Bring your workers, family, and even the farm dog along for some time out. Spread the word and let's have a great turnout.

11/10/2024

Happy Vet Nurse Awareness Week! To celebrate we’re introducing you to some of our amazing nursing team. Stay tuned to meet some 🐾

10/10/2024

How did your cattle fare over the winter months? Most of you may have given some sort of selenium and copper supplementation before winter to reduce them dropping into deficiency levels. If not, do they need a top-up to restore depleted reserves that were used up over winter?
If you are sending cattle off to the works, doing an optigrow test on the livers of some cattle or alternatively doing liver biopsies on those cattle that can’t go to the works, might help to see if supplementation is needed.
Call your local vet if you would like to look into the cattle’s trace element status and see if anything extra is needed to get those cows up to weight and gone, or in good condition for mating.

09/10/2024

Happy Vet Nurse Awareness Week! To celebrate we’re introducing you to some of our amazing nursing team. Stay tuned to meet some🐾