Cattle water intake behaviour subject of new Wilburra Downs research facility

In partnership with DIT AgTech, AJM Pastoral have established a private research facility on its property Wilburra Downs station, near Richmond.

The project will span over 3000 acres of the property with 120 head under evaluation, including 30 Brahman, 30 Charolais cross, 30 Angus cross and 30 Senepol cross.

The first study into cattle water intake behaviour aims to understand cattle preference for supplemented water at different dose rates, compared to plain water.

The study will then correlate measurements with animal performance and breed to determine how precision supplementing systems like DIT AgTech's uDOSE can optimise productivity.

Wilburra Downs manager Ben Tait said they had conducted previous trials on the property and establishing a private research facility was the next step.

"We have previously run trials at Wilburra Downs in conjunction with government departments that have given us some good feedback which we've used to improve our operations in certain areas," Mr Tait said.

"We're enthusiastic about adopting innovative technology. For us, it's about continuously exploring new ways to do things - that's how you stay ahead in the industry.

"We've invested significantly in water infrastructure to make water delivery across the property as efficient as possible. By integrating supplementary feeding into our water systems, we can potentially save a considerable amount of time and reduce labor costs.

"We decided to focus our research on water supplementation because you can't really see the effects of elements like urea and other nutrients on cattle with the naked eye. Being able to measure the impact will help us understand supplementation better and adjust our processes to get the best production results. It's about gaining insights and sharing valuable information that could revolutionise industry-wide management practices."

Mr Tait said he was excited to partner with the DIT AgTech team to further explore the potential of precision supplement delivery in a real-world scenario.

"Like any producer, we can see the logic and the science in the precision supplement delivery process, but it's the bottom line of weight gains, practicality, and cost, that all producers want to see. And I believe the partnership and trial with DIT AgTech can give us these outcomes," he said.

DIT AgTech will be collaborating with independent university researchers to provide comprehensive peer review support for all findings.

This collaboration with AJM Pastoral underscores DIT AgTech's commitment to solving critical agricultural problems and is a major milestone in the ongoing efforts of both DIT AgTech and AJM Pastoral to redefine farming productivity.

DIT AgTech founder Mark Peart said they wanted to take a self-reliant approach to agricultural research.

"DIT AgTech has had many successful and pivotal partnerships with government and industry bodies to study and prove the efficiency of our technology," Mr Peart said.

"However, we wanted to take a more agile and self-reliant approach to agricultural research, focusing on problems and questions with speed and immediate industry applicability.

"It was great when AJM Pastoral jumped on board and offered to collaboratively invest in commercial research. We're thrilled to have the support of such a renowned cattle operator.

"Our top priority at the Wilburra Downs Beef Research Station is to study the effects of our water medication technology within an extensive grazing system.

"This study will help us understand how water medication systems can be optimised to ensure maximum benefits for the animals and improve overall herd management in extensive grazing setups."