The problems faced by farmers were categorised into five management areas: land and pasture management, grazing and feeding management for sheep and for cattle, and breeding and health management for sheep and for cattle. For each area we provided a list of recognised problems and we asked you to indicate how serious you believed these problems to be.
In figure 1 we show the fifteen problems which were rated most highly as being a serious problem.
The results suggest to us that a majority of livestock producers in the Northern Tablelands find dry seasons, fertiliser use, pasture composition and pasture persistence to be major problems. We concluded that producers would welcome research into management innovations that have the potential to improve the resilience, stability and longevity of pastures in the Northern Tablelands.
We found that a majority of producers prefer to reserve pasture to meet the extra needs of livestock rather than to rely on supplementary feeding. This reflects a concern over the high cost of feed grain and fodder. This dependence on pastures for feed highlights the fact that the quantity and quality of feed available from pastures represent serious problems for many producers.
Worm resistance and calving spread stood out as the only serious breeding or health problems for sheep and cattle respectively. On this evidence we thought producers would welcome further work in these two specific areas.
We also asked you to describe problems that were of particular concern which were not covered in our lists. The nature of problems you identified largely correspond with those in our lists (e.g. weeds), differing in that your suggestions tended to be specific to particular districts (e.g. lovegrass). For this reason it was apparent to us that, down the track, some regional workshops should be held to help the committee to establish detailed priorities for research and extension.
Some questions relating to commodity marketing were also included in the survey. The responses to these questions are presented in the table below. With respect to wool, only a small proportion of producers had tried methods other than auction or direct sale to a wool buyer. Sale by auction stands out as the method that the largest number of wool producers identified as generating good results.
With respect to livestock, a large number of respondents had tried saleyard, paddock sales and selling direct to abattoir. Both paddock sales and selling direct to abattoir were identified as generating good results. Producers appear less satisfied with saleyard selling or CALM.
In response to an open-ended question about marketing, producers raised a number of issues. With respect to cattle marketing, issues that were often suggested for investigation included the level of competition at auction and in the marketing chain, grading systems, improved market information and the formation of selling alliances with other producers. Suggestions for wool marketing centred around information on futures and direct marketing along with improved market information. On this evidence we suggested that seminars or workshops by marketing professionals might be well received by members of the Cicerone project.
Finally, we asked you to indicate your interest in the farm network concept and whether they were interested in being involved in a variety of ways. Of those who responded to the survey, 239 or 76 per cent indicated they were interested. One hundred and eighty-one respondents expressed an interest in being partner members, 100 respondents indicated they were interested in having their farm included in the network, while 139 people were interested in attending regional workshops where further details about the nature of the Cicerone project will be worked out.
An example of an exit survey is tabled below. Many other surveys and related infromation is in the "Final Extention Report".
Survey Results
Evaluation of Cicerones Field Day
Use of selection indices for sheep and cattle breeding
Where did you hear about the field day?
|
Cicerone’s Newsletter
|
65% |
|
Radio |
14% |
|
Local Newspaper
|
8% |
|
Fliers |
0% |
|
Other |
13% |
Do you take into consideration EBV’s when buying a bull or ram?
Yes 89%
No 11% because they do not account for phenotypic issues
Do you find them easy to understand?
Yes 70%
No 10%
Alright 20%
Did you find the field day was useful / interesting?
Yes 90%
No 10%
Do you think it increased your knowledge of the topic?
Yes 90%
No 10%
Would you consider using selection indices after attending the field day?
Yes 90%
No 10%
Did you find the field day was: Too long? 0%
Good? 83%
Too short? 17%
Any comments / suggestion for further events?
None 0%