The biggest field day ever hosted by the SA Arid Lands Board will be held in Port Augusta on December 3 and 4, at Central Oval. It will include two days of a wide variety of stalls and guest speakers, with activities and entertainment for children.

Topics covered at the field day will include adaptation, innovation and diversification for pastoral businesses, along with a focus on technology.

Registration
Please indicate which sessions you are interested in attending during the registration process. Please note this is a preference only as rooms have capacity limits. Each attendee will need to register individually, but children can be added to your ticket.

Individual Session Information

Day 1 (Thursday 3 December)

Opening: 10:30am

Session 1, 10:55am - 11:55am

Boosting Bottom Lines by Behaviour - Bruce Maynard
- Bruce will discuss how to profit from Self Herding techniques, expanding livestock diets and raising conception rates

Business Planning Recovering From Drought - Ian McLean
- Ian will discuss the drought recovery juggle including: cashflow, livestock and land condition. He will touch on what can be done before and after the season breaks

Session 2, 12:15pm - 1:00pm

The Essence of Livestock (sheep) Survival in the SA Arid Lands - Colin Trengove
- Colin will cover sheep nutrition and benchmarks for pregnancy, lactation and growth. Animal husbandry, health and welfare will also be included. He will discuss grazing management strategies in arid environments and monitoring tools for sustainable livestock production.

Driving Change in Cattle Health - Mandi Carr
- Mandi will present on animal welfare perceptions, pain relief and how post mortems can inform management
Women in Leadership in the Pastoral Industry - Nat Sommerville
- Nat will focus on how to go about find a mentor, the role leadership plays on boards and committees and where to seek training for leadership

Session 3, 2:15pm - 3:00pm

Future Proofing Through Landscape Hydration - Mark Halleen
- Mark will talk about why landscape hydration is important in an arid environment, and refer to case studies to discuss what to do and what not to do
Climate Outlook and Modelling - Roger Stone
- Professor Stone will discuss different climate systems that affect the SA Arid Lands and explain how to do your own seasonal forecasting
Livestock Biosecurity Lessons from COVID-19 - Pene Keynes & Emily Buddle
- COVID 19 has taught society how to minimise disease spread across the community, learn from Pene and Emily how similar principles should be applied in the Australian livestock industry to minimise your own pest, weed and disease risks.

Day 2 (Friday 4 December)

Session 4, 9:15am - 10:00am

Telemetry, What's the Right Choice? - Mike Hayes
- Mike will describe the various communication infrastructures available and discuss which telemetry options will suit your landscape and land size
Innovations in Sheep & Cattle Yards - Tom Austin
- Tom will discuss how Atlex stockyards make stock work quicker, easier and safer through on property design. He will also explain how to incorporate animal psychology when designing yards to improve stock movement and welfare
Carbon Farming in the Rangelands - Dean Revell
- Dean will discuss the types of landscape and vegetation needed to produce carbon. He will cover what you have to do to start the process, where to get help and what it could be worth to you as a business

Session 5, 10:40am - 11:25am

New Technologies for the Pastoral Zone - Michelle Cousins
- Michelle will present on using new and innovative technology to improve productivity and efficiency in the pastoral zone
Homestead Solar & Battery Systems - Morgan Heggie
- Morgan will talk about setting up homestead solar systems including costs, rebates & benefits.
Carbon Farming Regulations and Opportunities - Emily Gerrard
- Emily will explain what the role of a carbon broker is, what happens in the event of a carbon deficit at the end of a contract and legalities around brokers- what to watch out for.

Session 6, 11:30 - 12:15pm

Containment Feeding Ewes: How to Make it a Success - Deb Scammell
- Deb will explain all things containment feeding including:
  -Set up and design (small and large scale)
  -Which sheep to feed and
  -Nutrient requirements and health considerations during the containment
Dark Cutting Beef: What is it and Why Should I Care? - Wayne Pitchford
- Professor Pitchford will address answers to the questions of what dark cutting beef is and why you should care, helping to prevent dark cutting, and the broader implications for your cattle management.
Carbon Farming: Ask the Experts (Panel)
- The panel of carbon experts from Government and industry will provide landholders with an opportunity to ask questions about all things carbon. The session with be facilitated by John Fargher from Agriwebb.

Field day close at 2:00pm with School of Air Wool Show to run immediately after.