Lambex Pre Conference Tours The Lambex conference along with our sponsors are offering three fabulous pre conference tours for delegates to choose from. There is a limited number of seat available on each tour, so please nominate at your time of registration which tour you would like to participate in to avoid disappointment of missing out. The cost of the each tour is $30 per person. Lunch will be provided on each tour Tour 1 Cobram Delegate travel to Cobram to tour the JBS processing plant, s well as enjoying a visit to the Corowa Chocolate and whiskey factory. The day will end with a visit to Cofield Wines. JBS Cobram Processing facility The Cobram processing facility is located on the world famous Murray River and processes up to 3,600 head grass and grain fed lambs as well as hogget and mutton and as well as goats per day. Come and see up-close all stages of processing from start to finish at this export standard facility in action with the opportunity to ask question the way. http://www.jbssa.com.au/ourfacilities/processingfacilities/cobram/default.aspx Corowa Chocolate & Whisky Factory This is a great story of how the Druce family went from owing a mixed farming operation in the country town of Ardlethan, NSW since 1918, to his son Dean now running the Corowa chocolate and Whisky factory. In 1962, Alan Druce took the outlandish step of going organic. In 1998, they bought a rundown and abandoned flour mill in Junee, NSW where they started milling their grain to produce organic licorice. The next step was coating their licorice and other products with organic fair trade Belgian style couveture chocolate, which become the very popular, Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. The story continued in Corowa, NSW where, closing in 1970, the Corowa Flour Mill lay abandoned for almost 40 years becoming a haven for vandals and vermin. It was the Corowa Shire Council's keen desire that something be done to prevent the declining state of the magnificent, heritage building. Since September 2009, the new company known as Corowa Whisky and Chocolate has been busily restoring the brick portion of the flour mill and outbuildings back to their 1920's glory. The mill has been renovated and restored to be a lively cafe, function center for weddings and chocolate production facility. Renovation work still continues and you can gaze at the 20 meter high roof within walls that are solid brick and half a meter thick. In March 2016, Corowa Distilling Company began to distill spirit from locally sourced Barley which will eventually mature into whisky. Come along to see the transformation of the historic old building into something very unique including the two copper stills (might be in action on the day), American oak, French barrels made specifically for the factory, and hear this remarkable story through the current manager, Dean Druce, grandson of Alan Druce. Taste test the chocolates, or even have a go at making your own chocolate freckle or coconut rough or just watch the production team as they make the chocolate that you can take home with you. http://www.corowa.nsw.gov.au/visitors/attractions/2010519436498.asp
Cofield Wines The Cofield family have been treading the vineyards of Rutherglen for generations. Frank Cofield, the Great Grandfather of the current owner, Damien Cofield, started working at St Leonards vineyard in 1909. Cofields specialise in sparkling and offer a sparkling red which has its own fan club but also offer local reds, whites, fortified and sparkling varieties. Hear the story that saw Damien Cofield (great grandson of Frank) now managing Cofield s wines and enjoy the optional personalised short tour or hang back and continue to enjoy the free tasting. http://www.cofieldwines.com.au/ Bus One Bus Two 8:30 10:00 Travel Albury to Cobram (nibbles / morning tea) on bus prior to arrival 8:30 9:15 Travel Albury to Corowa (nibbles / morning tea) on bus prior to arrival 10:00 12:00 JBS Tour 9:15-10:05 Corowa Chocolate and whisky factory 12:00 13:00 Travel Cobram to Corowa + Lunch on Bus 10:05 10:15 Back on bus and travel to Cofield s (5 mins) (Local guest speaker on Bus?) 13:00 14:00 Corowa Chocolate and whisky factory 10:15 11:00 Cofield Wines inc optional tour (20 mins) 14:00 Back on bus and travel to Cofield s (5 11:00 Travel Corowa to Cobram + lunch on bus 14:15 mins) 12:00 14:15 15:00 Cofield Wines inc optional tour (20 mins) 12:00 14:00 JBS Tour 15:00 15:45 Corowa to Albury 14:00 15:30 Travel Cobram to Albury (Local guest speaker on bus? 15:45 Finish 15:30 Finish Tour 2 Northern Bus Tour Host: Ashley Paech, Holbrook Landcare Network 0408 562 983 This tour will take a look at some new and innovative ways two local sheep producers have addressed their issues with labour and sheep handling. Both have upgraded their infrastructure to enable them to stay in the sheep industry, without it they simply wouldn t be able to cope with the labour requirements of sheep. Tim Trescowthick has invested in a sheep handler which enables him to complete all his animal husbandry tasks without the stress of manual handling, whilst Phil has built a new 4 stand raised board shearing shed to make shearing his 8000 ewes more efficient. Both Tim and Phil will walk us through why they have made these investments, how they did it, and the benefits of it. Throughout the day there will also be some guest presenters on local projects including Ed Clayton, a researcher looking at the ability to influence the sex ratio of lambs by changing diets at joining, and Jenni Turner, a local wool buyer from Fox and Lillie talking about wool handling and marketing. The day will be full of practical tips and tricks for people to take home including shed and yard design ideas, vaccination and drenching technique and tips for the novice shearer or crutching. On the way back to Albury the bus will visit a local Poll Dorset breeder who also runs a captive breeding program for Bush Stone-Curlews, an endangered native bird which were once commonly found in woodland areas across southeast Australia, before a refreshment stop at the iconic Kinross Woolshed Hotel.
Time 8.30 am Leave Albury 9.30 am Arrive Tim Trescowthick s 10.30 am Leave Tim s Tim Trescowthick - Showing new sheep handler, yards and shearing shed set up. Crutching demonstration Crutching in a sheep handler. Vet Using the sheep handler, short demonstration and talk on drenching and vaccination techniques. 10.45 am Arrive Phillip Locke s Phillip Locke Tour of brand new shearing shed talking about labour efficiencies and design. Ed Clayton (NSW DPI) Influencing sex ratio of lambs through feeding regimes at joining. A joint MLA PDS project between NSW DPI and Holbrook Landcare. Jenni Turner (Fox and Lillie) Wool handling and marketing, a local perspective. 12.00 pm Lunch in the woolshed. 1.00 pm Leave Phil s Crutching demonstration by local shearer Tips and tricks for producers doing their own crutching. 1.30 pm Arrive Neville and Jan Lubke s Neville and Jan have a small Poll Dorset Stud in the local area but also run a captive breeding program for the Bush Stone-Curlew where they release birds into the local area. 2.15 pm Leave Neville s 2.30 pm Arrive Kinross Woolshed Hotel Afternoon tea 3.45 pm Leave Kinross 4.00 pm Arrive Albury
Tour 3 - Greta East Delegates can choose to either join the bus departing Albury at 8.30am or those who are travelling to Albury on the Wednesday by car can join the Jason Trompf for an afternoon tour of his property from 12.30pm. Southern Bus Tour- Northgate Park Host: Jason Trompf 0408 211 864 and Hannah Marriott 0429 625557 Location: Northgate Park is located 10 south, south-east of Glenrowan, in northeast Victoria. This tour will be full of practical tips on how to manage a high productivity sheep system that aims to drive pasture production and utilisation, whilst targeting feed resources and genetics to optimise animal production. Northgate park has self-replacing prime lamb enterprise (3000 ewes mated, comprising of about 2200 adult ewes mated to lamb in June and about 800 ewe lambs joined to lamb in August/September) producing trade and export weight lambs and beef cattle enterprise (about 200 Angus cows joined to calve in August) producing feeder steers. Since the 06/07 season we have adjusted enterprise mix from 90% cattle and 10% sheep, to 35% cattle and 65% sheep, which has enabled the enterprise to flex with varying seasonal conditions, particularly shorter springs where we have worked on lamb growth rates to be in excess of 350 grams/day mob average from birth to sale, to drive the speed to turn-off. Our pasture system is predominantly annual based, with a high sub-clover content and strategic use of annual ryegrass. Northgate Park is currently undertaking a detailed evaluation on different maternal genetics using 5 different sire lines. The process undertaken and the results achieve to date will be outlined and displayed during the tour. All ewes and their progeny have EID tags, which is being used to drive improvements in reproductive efficiency, ewe selection and data collection to inform decisions relating to genetics, pasture varieties, meeting market specifications and monitoring animal performance. In 2015 1500 lambs were hook tracked through JBS Cobram, in collaboration with Vic DPI, and their processing performance was able to be linked back to on-farm information, particularly genetic evaluation (outcomes will be outlined in farm tour). Farm Manager Hannah Marriott undertook a Nuffield Scholarship in the use of EID to drive efficiency on-farm.
Over the last 2 years Northgate Park have been collaborating with Latrobe and MURDOCH Universities evaluating the use of SMART Sensors and drones to; (i) develop a more efficient/effective technique for linking lamb to dam than pedigree match maker, (ii) remotely monitor the well-being of ewes and lambs, (iii) investigate the impact of lambing density on lamb survival and maternal behaviour Northgate Park has improved lamb survival significantly so that now almost 90% of all lambs born survive birth and has lifted lamb growth rates by 20% from birth to weaning. It currently produces 12 lambs per hectare that grow at least at 350 grams/day to weaning and aims to produce 14 lambs/ha that grow at 400 grams/day for their first 100 days. The challenge is to have the strategic settings and tactical decisions to run a high pasture utilisation grazing system in a variable climate. For those visiting Northgate Park for the morning tour, you will then progress onto the famous Brown Brothers vineyard and cellar door at Millawa for lunch and refreshments. You may even see some of Northgate Park s ewes gazing under the vines on route that are part of an integrated grazing strategy with Brown Brothers to manage inter-row and under-vine feed covers and weed control. Time 8.30 am Leave Albury 9.30 am Arrive Northgate Park Introduction Genetic Evaluation Technology infusion Lambing density trials Efficiency gains 12.30 pm Leave Northgate Park and travel to lunch at Brown Brother Cellar Door Milawa (*second group will arrive between 12.30-1pm for afternoon tour of Northgate Park) 1.00 pm Brown Brother Cellar Door Milawa http://www.brownbrothers.com.au/visitus/victoria/ 1.30 pm Wine tasting 2.30 pm Leave Brown Brothers 3.45 pm Arrive Albury