FROM THE VET'S DESK WHAT IS GREEN CESTRUM? A MAJOR ...

BOARD DIRECTORY
Office : 61 John Street Camden
PO Box 141 Camden NSW 2570
Office Ph: 4655 9165
Office Fax: 4655 3054
Email: admin@mvrlpb.org.au
Website: www.mvrlpb.org.au
DIRECTORS
Division A
Peter Williams Ian McDougall
Division B
Rowan Moore Rod Chevis
(Deputy Chairman)
Division C
Tim Scott Margaret Hughes
Division D
Ann Turner Stuart Yeatman
(Chairman)
District Veterinarian
Keith Hart Office: 4655 5736
Mob: 0408 409 391
Managing Ranger
Andrew Glover Office: 4655 6273
Mob: 0408 274 980
Rangers
A Div:Steve Parker Mob: 0408 168 809
B Div:Geoff Mills Mob: 0418 210 681
C Div:Charles Signorelli Mob: 0418 241 251
D Div:Daniel Shaw Mob: 0418 963 808
Field Offr:Lee Parker Mob: 0408 213 588
Manager
Graham South Office: 4655 9166
Mob: 0418 424 591
Customer Service Officers
Pauline Downing Gail McCall
Melissa Blaffert Deb Hunt
Sandra Davidson
Working for Rural NSW
November 2006 Vol 6 issue 3
FROM THE VET’S DESK
WHAT IS GREEN CESTRUM?
A MAJOR
CAUSE OF
SUDDEN
DEATH IN
CATTLE
A
DECLARED
NOXIOUS
WEED
Highly poisonous to livestock, a couple of mouthfuls can kill.
All parts of the plant are toxic.
A perennial shrub, Cestrum parqui can grow to a height of 3 metres.
Yellow­green tubular­shaped flowers in bunches. Flowers most of the year.
Produces egg­shaped berries in clusters. Stems and branches are brittle and
snap off easily.
WHERE IS GREEN CESTRUM FOUND? Green Cestrum is
mainly spread by birds eating its fruit and excreting the seeds. Plants are
often found growing under perching trees and along fence lines. Also
spread by water, it grows along river flats, creeks, wetland areas and in
bushland pockets where thickets predominate.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR STOCK? SUDDEN DEATH!
Green cestrum is a major cause of cattle death in the Sydney basin.
Cattle may be depressed, off feed and have abdominal pain prior to
death. Death usually occurs within a few hours of ingestion. The
main danger period is when plants have broken off, are treated with
herbicides or during drought. As the plant dries off, it becomes
more attractive to livestock. New animals put in an unfamiliar
paddock may be disorientated or stressed so may graze plants they
wouldn’t ordinarily touch.
These yearlings died grazing on green cestrum growing on the river at Wallacia

… continued HOW DO YOU GET RID OF
GREEN CESTRUM?
DIG IT OUT­ Cestrum can regrow from root fragments, so
follow­up control may be required.
HERBICIDES ­Chemical control involves spot­spray
application for heavy infestations, or scraping and
painting stems with a dropper bottle.
Contact your local council or DPI Richmond
(phone:02 4588 2100) for further information regarding
herbicides. Remove cattle from the treated area as dried out
and chemically treated plants are more palatable. Select
pasture species to compete with cestrum, including
vigorously growing grasses such as Kikuyu.
Growing native plant species along river banks and steep
slopes is recommended after removal of Cestrum to reduce
erosion and assist in long term control of Cestrum parqui.
Working for Rural NSW
~~~~~~~~~~~
Exceptional Circumstances
Announcement
Board staff were very pleased to hear the announcement
by Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGowan on 24th
October 2006 of the reintroduction of an Exceptional
Circumstances (EC) Declaration for the whole of the
Moss Vale Rural Lands Protection Board District. EC
Relief will be available to eligible farmers from that date,
and will expire on 1st March 2008.
The Board requested the assistance of the NSW
Minister for Primary Industries in applying for the re­
instatement of EC assistance in July 2006. Helpful
support was provided by staff from Goulburn office of
the NSW DPI. A number of ratepayers helped the cause
through active lobbying of their local Federal MPs.
Farmers are encouraged to apply for EC support that is
now available. There are two main contact points to
access EC benefits.
Centrelink—The Centrelink Drought
Assistance Hotline is 132 316. Farmers can
access the following services via this number ­
a) Free Personal Counselling Services
b) Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment (for farm­
ers, equivalent to the Newstart Allowance and subject to
some income and asset tests. These have been relaxed for
the latest EC relief payments)
c) Other drought support measures
EC Interest Rate Subsidies— These are not
obtained through Centrelink, but through the NSW
RURAL ASSISTANCE AUTHORITY, based in Orange.
Contact details are via the
NSW Department of Primary Industries
phone — 63 913 000 or
FREECALL 1800 678 593
...continued
More information is available on the
Centrelink website
www.centrelink.gov.au
Interest rate subsidies have been increased to a
maximum of $500,000, subject to the applicant
establishing their viability through an independ­
ent business assessment.
Farmers are strongly advised to seek the
assistance of a Rural Financial Counsellor
if they wish to
apply for an EC Interest Rate Subsidy
~ ~ ~
Drought Rebate Claims:
Drought Status for three divisions has been
extended to November 2006 by the Depart­
ment of Primary Industries.
Please telephone the office to ensure you are
informed of your ability to claim and to
obtain claim forms. Rebates for
the transport of fodder, stock and
water may apply, if the agricul­
tural enterprise comprises a
significant portion of income to
the livestock owner.
Ph 46 559 165 for further information.
STOP
PRESS!!!
The first case of Hendra virus (the virus that
killed the Queensland trainer Vic Rail) has
recently been confirmed in a horse from the
NSW North Coast.
The disease is transmitted by flying foxes and is
potentially fatal to both horses and humans.
Hendra virus produces symptoms of high
temperature and respiratory disease in horses.
Horses showing these symptoms should be
notified immediately to your local Veterinarian—
or to the disease hotline 1800 675 888.
It is essential to prevent contamination of horse
feed by flying fox body fluids.

CATTLE TICK ALERT!
Why is the Moss Vale Board Worrying About Cattle Ticks?
• Cattle ticks are currently restricted to Northern Australia, Queensland and the north-eastern
corner of NSW. They are prevented from spreading south by the regulatory activities of the NSW
Board of Tick Control (DPI), assisted by Board staff in Casino, Tweed-Lismore and Grafton.
However, we know from CSIRO data that cattle ticks could survive and over-winter in most of
the Board district—and that’s before we factor in the effects of global warming!
• A particular problem we have here is the widespread distribution of deer throughout this Board
district wherever there is suitable habitat for them. The Board has discovered that cattle ticks can
survive on deer, which could then carry the ticks into tick free areas where they may be trans-
ferred to tick free cattle. Because of the concern about deer being a ‘reservoir herd’ for cattle tick,
the NSW Government has banned the keeping of deer in the north-east portion of NSW.
• This means that a careless or illegal movement of cattle, horses or even dogs from Queensland to
this area has the potential to introduce cattle tick, unless your animals are properly treated against
cattle tick before they cross the NSW border.
We already have Bush Ticks, Why Should we Worry about Cattle Ticks?
There are two reasons why cattle ticks are a much bigger concern then than the local bush ticks.
• 1. Tick Worry: Cattle are much more susceptible to the effects of cattle ticks, which cause anae-
mia, unthriftiness, poor milk production and even death in cases of severe infestation.
• 2. Tick Fever: Cattle tick can carry disease organisms which cause the disease Babesiosis or tick
fever. This can be a very severe disease—mortalities of 60-80% have been recorded when tick
fever has been introduced to susceptible cattle populations like ours. Symptoms include fever,
anaemia, jaundice, blood-stained urine , nervous symptoms and death.
• Under the Stock Diseases Act, suspicion of cattle tick or tick fever must be reported to the
District Veterinarian or your local Ranger. The diagrams below show the main features which dis-
tinguish the local bush tick from the foreign cattle tick (they were originally introduced by accident
from Indonesia). If you are unsure, put the ticks in a small container with some methylated spirits,
and drop it in at the Board office or give it to your local Ranger at the saleyards. We will need your
contact details and the property location and type of animal on which the tick was found.
• We are happy to provide this free tick identification service and you will be complying with your
legal obligations.
Actual size
Working for Rural NSW

50% of
AUSTRALIAN
FARMERS SUFFER
FROM HEARING
LOSS
Even mild hearing loss can
affect your communication and
relationships. You can reduce your susceptibility by:
1. Always using earmuffs or plugs when
working with noisy machinery or tools
2. Wearing earplugs in both ears when
shooting
3. Visit your GP if you think you have a
hearing problem
4. Contact your local Australian Hearing
Centre (an Australian Government Agency)
on 13 1797 or www.hearing.com.au
Ref: Rural News Spring 2006
PROfarm
NSW DPI has courses to assist producers to boost
productivity—Courses in Off Road 4WD Training—
Identification and Management of Native Grass pastures—
Safe Tractor Operation and Management– Weeds and their
Control– All Terrain Vehicle Training—Prograze–
Smarttrain AQF4 Chemical Risk Management
Contact Camden 4640 6333
Agriculture Today November 2006
Telecommunications Industry
Ombudsman
If you have an ongoing and unresolved complaint about telephone or
internet services and have attempted to
resolve the problem with the provider approach the
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) to
investigate such complaints as:
• Fault repair
• Privacy
• Land access
• Breaches of the Customer Service Guarantee
• Industry codes of practice
• Delays in connections
• Payphones
• Internet access
• Printed and electronic White Pages
• Standard telephone service
Freecall: 1800 062 058
Post: PO Box 276 Collins St West Vic 8007
Fax: Freefax 1800 630 614
Email: tio@tio.com.au
www.tio.com.au Rural News Spring 2006
LANDSCAN:
a series of work­
shops for those
who manage
pastures
LANDSCAN is a course developed by
NSW Dept Primary Industries : (DPI) that
teaches skills including how to
interpret landscapes and prioritise inputs, such as
fertiliser. LANDSCAN is held over one full day
and five half days around a month apart on the
farms of participants.
This course will cost only $100 per farm
enterprise (either one or two people).
A LANDSCAN course will begin in the
Windsor/Hawkesbury area very soon.
The first two sessions will be held on Mon 6th
November and Mon 27th November
12.30­4.30pm at a venue to be advised.
To register your interest please contact:
Ashley Senn, District Agronomist NSW DPI
Richmond Phone: 4588 2100
~~~~
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Working for Rural NSW