Maggi Barnard

Worm larvae are a common issue in the cooler weather for grazing animals and can often be hard to detect.

Once the larvae eggs are passed through the faeces and conditions are suitable for development, the eggs hatch to larvae and undergo two stages of growth before developing into the third stage becoming infective.

If the conditions are suitable the larvae can develop in a very short period of time. A donor sheep infected with H. contortus cultured and incubated for 7 days at 25-27 degrees produced approximately 800,000 infective larvae that could potentially infect other sheep.

Larvae are very resilient and can survive in low temperatures, even a frost. The larvae become a major issue as it can remain in the pastures for up to 3-7 months.

Warmer and humid conditions are when the larvae are most active due to a greater demand for limited food reserves, where as in cooler temperatures the larvae is less active, consume fewer reserves and will survive longer.

Unfortunately larvae can’t be seen with the naked eye on pastures hence the importance to understand the conditions at which worm eggs develop.

Highly contaminated pastures are particu- larly unsuitable for young sheep which are at most risk of infection. Pasture contamination can also be managed with rotational crops and worm tests conducted on farm.

Sourced from AgriWest Rural

Ask most people what a Jujube is and they will tell you a Jujube is a character from a Nintendo game. On a more serious note, jujube could be a big business enterprise for Currajong Disability Services as de- mand continues to grow for the exotic fruit, especially in the Far East and the Australian-Asian grocery industry.

Over the past 12 months a dedicated team of Currajong Disability Services staff, the Currajong Autism Support Group, and numerous local volunteers have ripped, planted, irrigated and treated soil at the Akuna Road farm – all to ensure a bumper jujube crop.

Despite challenges from pests such as hares, everything is on course for a good haul that will help, in part, meet the demands of the burgeoning Asian market but also, potentially, create employment for Currajong Disability Service clients and an additional income stream.

Neil Unger, CDS chairman, said the jujube fruit fetches up to $15/kg fresh. “Some like it fresh but it is also popular dry, taking on a similar consistency and taste as sticky dates,” he said.

“It is another potential arm to the CDS business model that now includes paper shredding, Carob Trees and much more,” said Neil. “We are continuing to go from strength to strength.”

The Jujube need grafting and cannot just be grown. They are tolerant of salt, cold and heat being able to withstand temps as low as -50 degrees Celsius through to +50 degrees Celsius. They are extremely resil- ient and can be profitable.

“We are hoping to expand but as you know these things take time,” said Neil. “Once this is up and running we hope and anticipate it may provide more opportuni- ties and employment.

“Again, thanks everyone for their time, effort and support,” said Neil.

By Dane Millerd