Angela Lees - Postgraduate Award Thermoregulation in feedlot cattle

Summary

MLA continues to support student projects and grow the human capacity that supports a vibrant and sustainable red meat industry. Since 2012 a number of activities have been funded that provide undergraduate and postgraduate students with professional development and research opportunities.

Activities funded include grants for 3.5 years to pursue PhD candidatures, youth programs and travel grants. MLA funded student projects are part of MLA's investment in scientist training and building future research capability.

For the Phd support program each year MLA funded 5 PhD top-up ($10,000 p.a.) and assistance grants - $8,000 p.a. for sheep and goat projects or $10,000 for cattle projects. Additional students can be supported within a separate research project.

In addition, the Investing in Youth Undergraduate Studentship Program was a new initiative of RIRDC aimed at supporting school leavers entering higher education to study agriculture or related degrees. MLA has recently supported a two year pilot project for two undergraduate agricultural science students who have been judged to have potential for future contribution to the agriculture sector.

Specific activities conducted include;

Technical Assistance Grant for three years for Martin Combs (B.STU.0242) for use during his PhD candidature. Martin was employed as an academic in the School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Charles Sturt University and was granted study time to pursue his PhD candidature. The technical assistance grant was also used for some of his experimental costs. Martin's area of research was animal health with the research focused on minimization of the impact of rye grass staggers in sheep.

PhD top-up scholarships and assistance allowances have been granted to

• Cathy Dodd (B.STU.0250, University of Adelaide)
• Joanna Newton (B.STU.0256, UNE)
• Edward Parker (B.STU.0276, QUT).

The allowance allowed Cathy to complete her studies in the field of animal welfare on the effects of pre-slaughter factors on meat yield and quality in lambs. The project was developed in close consultation with Sheep-CRC researchers. The project investigated the effects of curfew management strategies on meat yield and quality.

Joanna was able to explore an understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that influence the age of puberty and the relationship with life time reproductive and production performance in sheep.

Edward investigated the role of candidate hormones such as ghrelin in the survival of newborn lambs. These hormones play roles in regulating hunger and satiety, thermoregulation, food seeking behaviour and growth hormone release.

Jessica Roberts (B.STU. 0251, UNE) received a technical assistance grant to support a scholarship-funded PhD on new approaches to grazing management using commercial systems as well as Store-on-Board GPS navigational tracking to monitor, understand and predict grazing behaviour. The aim of the work was to understand livestock biomass interactions and to assist producers making decisions about rotational grazing systems to improve pasture utilisation, reduce environmental impacts and increase efficiency of production systems.

Evan Sergent (B.STU.0285) received a MLA travel grant which allowed for an overseas professional development opportunity based on setting investment priorities and methods in the red meat industries for future Johne's disease research.

The Horizon Undergraduate Studentship Program is another recent initiative of RIRDC aimed at supporting school leavers entering higher education to study agriculture or related degrees. MLA has supported the program (B.STU.0260) over three years and sponsored two scholarships; H. Schultz and T. Redden, in the last round (2012-2015).

The Investing in Youth Undergraduate Studentship Program has been a new initiative of RIRDC aimed at supporting school leavers entering higher education to study agriculture or related degrees. Two students; Emily Buddle (Bachelor of Agricultural Science, University of Adelaide) and Matthew Rowbottom (Bachelor of Agricultural Science, UWA), have received MLA sponsorships (B.STU.0253).

Trialling of a new Diploma in Rural Production (3 year trial from 2008). This contract (B.HUC.0002) sought to trial a new Diploma in Rural Production Program towards offering young livestock producers and employees with a practical based Diploma in Agriculture, utilising industry developed content through existing and nationally aligned EDGEnetwork® workshops. For this trial of the new Diploma in Rural Production a few candidates from South West of Victoria successfully embarked on and trialled the Diploma.