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Our Lansdown Research Station, near Townsville, QLD

At our Lansdown Research Station, near Townsville in Qld, we conduct research to optimise productivity and environmental aspects of northern cattle systems.

Our work at Lansdown ranges from methane mitigation research to precision livestock management and improving cattle efficiency on pasture.

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CSIRO’s Lansdown Research Station, Woodstock, near Townsville QLD

Animal welfare

Managing pain relief

Our research is helping the sheep sector manage the health and welfare of lambs at tail docking and castration time, known as 'marking', as well as other livestock management practices.

Rearing enrichment for laying hens

Our animal welfare team has shown that enriching the rearing environment of chicks makes for the improved behaviour, health and welfare of adult free-range laying hens.

How farm animals 'feel'

We are researching ways to improve the welfare of livestock by developing scientific methods for assessing how animals 'feel' in response to common management practices.

Managing flystrike and mulesing in sheep

Our research is helping the sheep sector manage the health and welfare issues associated with flystrike and phase out the controversial practice of mulesing.

Benchmarking cattle welfare

Consumers are increasingly demanding higher standards of welfare in animal production systems. We're developing a science-based tool to assess and benchmark the welfare of beef cattle on-farm.

Hornless cattle

A discovery by CSIRO scientists is central to the Australian Poll Gene Marker test, which is helping Australian cattle breeders select the best breeding cattle. It may also help the industry end the painful practice of dehorning beef cattle.

Livestock tracking and management

Wagyu feeder check

Now there’s a way of predicting how well Wagyu cattle will turn into the perfect marbled steak.

Farming Forecaster

Co-developed with livestock producers, Farming Forecaster brings soil moisture, local weather, livestock performance and future pasture production information together into one place.

CSIRO sets beef benchmark for protein production

New research by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has for the first time quantified the contribution Australian beef makes to the protein supply for human nutrition, paving the way to better understand efficiencies across production of other proteins.

EweWatch

We're working to reduce difficult lambing, or dystocia, to help give lambs the best start in life.

Tropical legume crops

We're researching tropical legume forage crops to reduce methane emissions from cattle.

Ceres Tag

We're working with agtech company, Ceres Tag, to develop next-generation ear tags to track and monitor livestock, unlocking invaluable data for the livestock industry.

eGrazor cattle measurement

The livestock sector is under mounting pressure to produce more from a smaller environmental footprint. Accurate measurement of pasture intake using the eGrazor technology could hold the key to more efficient cattle production.

FutureFeed livestock feed

A livestock seaweed feed supplement could help global food security and fight climate change by reducing powerful greenhouse gas emissions.

Global Rangelands Monitoring

Monitoring the world’s rangelands and pastures.

LiveGAPS

Together with global partners, we're providing the data needed to improve the livelihoods of livestock farmers in developing countries.

Livestock logistics

Northern Australia’s beef herd comprises 12.5 million cattle and makes up 90 per cent of Australia’s live cattle exports. We have helped improve the efficiency of the transport that keeps this industry moving.

Merino ewe productivity

We've been part of the Merino Lifetime Productivity project looking at the performance of Merino ewes over their lifetime. The project will help the Australian Merino industry understand what makes the best Merinos in different environments.

Livestock health and disease

Global Burden of Animal Diseases

We're part of a global consortium that aims to quantify the societal impacts of livestock diseases to better inform future investments in animal health.

African swine fever

Our Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) was built to help protect Australia's livestock industries from disease threats such as African swine fever (ASF), and our scientists are well prepared to help and respond.

Dung beetles control buffalo and bush flies.

While Australia has several hundred species of native dung beetles that make use of the fibrous pelleted dung produced by kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and other native mammals, most are unable to cope with the large quantities of dung produced by introduced livestock, particularly cattle.

Foot and mouth disease

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly infectious viral disease affecting cloven hoofed animals. While FMD is not transmissible to people, the disease has major economic consequences. We're working with industry and government to ensure Australia is prepared should FMD reach our shores.

Prepared for foot-and-mouth disease

While Australia has been free of foot-and-mouth disease since 1872, the disease is still considered the most serious biosecurity threat to our livestock industries today.

Hendra vaccine

In 1994, a deadly new virus threatened to stop Australia's premier horse race – the Melbourne Cup. Over the next 16 years, 18 outbreaks of the now infamous Hendra virus were recorded through Queensland and NSW.

Immune competent cattle

We have shown that 'immune competent' Angus cattle have reduced mortalities and health-associated costs, particularly in feedlots. Selecting for immune competence has the potential to improve animal welfare outcomes and reduce the use of antibiotics and chemicals in production animals.

Infectious disease

Working with government and industry, we're protecting our agricultural industries from emerging infectious animal diseases entering and establishing in our waters and on our land.

Sustainable weed, pest and disease control

Building economic and environmentally sustainable and durable pest, weed and disease control throughout food and fibre production systems.

Our livestock research locations

Chiswick

Our Chiswick Research Station near Armidale in NSW undertakes research on solutions for the sheep, cattle and poultry industries.

Lansdown

Our Lansdown Research Station in north Queensland supports a team of researchers using novel technologies to deliver science-based solutions for the tropical beef industry.

Boorowa

BARS is a state-of-the-art agricultural research facility near the town of Boorowa in southern New South Wales.

St Lucia

The Queensland Bioscience Precinct is a state-of-the-art research facility based at the University of Queensland, housing more than 130 CSIRO Agriculture and Food staff.

Our livestock research

We work with livestock farmers and allied industries to improve their productivity, profitability and sustainability through better livestock breeding and management practices.

Livestock blog articles

Contact us

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