How do you view the needs and wants of land & livestock?

Most people have good knowledge of the needs and wants of themselves or their families, even their communities, how many of you understand the needs and wants of the land and livestock.  With both the land and livestock unable to talk, some may see this as being very difficult, it is certainly open to different interpretations, so this is my interpretation of the need and wants of land and livestock and how we can cater for the needs.  To define the difference between needs & wants, I see the wants as just “white noise”, the needs are not negotiable, same as with people.

So the way I see the needs of each group:

Land:  The land needs a broad diversity of plant species and ages so that is has resilience to deal with diseases, natural disasters etc.  With lots of different plant species the right plants can fulfil their role in the landscape, i.e. plants that can colonise bare areas, naturally ripping the soil so other grasses can follow in succession. E.g. thistles and other plants normally referred to as “weeds”.

The plants also need to be in the right “order”, by that I mean plenty of coarse vegetation (trees & shrubs) on the ridges and predominately grasses down the slopes, this allows for infiltration of water and nutrients that gravity takes down the slope.  The land also requires disturbance, the drier the land (brittle) the more dependant it is on disturbance in order for reseeding and natural succession.  The plants too require pruning if they are to have longevity in the landscape, the same as in any garden.  This is an area we have to try and balance as sometimes the plants are saying “eat me”, when the best thing might be to leave them and wait for the next succession of better plants.  By encouraging many different plant species and lots of “untidy” litter on the ground you create a wonderful harbour for many species of insects, birds and animals, all which can help you manage the landscape.

Livestock:  The basic needs of animals is access to a “full pantry” of foods and medicines naturally available in a diversity of plants, also good quality water, not too far away.  The livestock have many wants, like wanting to be safe and settled in one area through lambing/calving, or even wanting to stay in that one area as their “territory” for their whole life.  While delivering on these wants results in higher production it also can impinge on the needs of the land, which as I said are not negotiable.

Identifying the needs can be very easy,  managing and balancing those needs with the needs of your family & business can be much more difficult, so again this is how we see it:

Management of these needs:  This is the area that can be difficult because it certainly can be hard as we only get paid for our produce (meat or wool) so by looking after the livestock better our income increases, or does it?  By placing a nominal value on the needs of the landscape, we use $8/ha/yr (based on our increasing carrying capacity) you can very quickly establish that by fulfilling the wants of the livestock at the cost of the needs of the landscape, any extra income is more than eaten up in reduced land capability.

If society valued the landscape as well as the produce, rather than us having to use nominal figures the answer would be much easier.  That is just one of the many complexities farmers have to come to terms with learning the “art of farming”.

Site 2 Looking south

Why feral goats can never be just a resource

Goats are a major component of the total grazing pressure (TGP) in most of southern rangelands of Australia.  For that reason they are also a valuable resource that has helped many pastoralists through some very tough low rainfall years, turning the numerous goats into a very lucrative business.  The goats are fantastic at looking after themselves in dry periods, they breed like, well goats, the only costs are mustering, handling and freight to abattoirs, they are “pennies from heaven”,….or are they?  When it comes to returns from feral goats, they are fantastic for cashflow, long term they will always take out more than you receive. 

This feral rangeland goat business comes at a very significant cost to the environment, due to the lack of management of them, by this I mean not treating them as livestock or pests.  There are pastoralists our there that manage their goats as livestock and they have really great businesses going due to how well adapted to our harsh landscape that goats are.  So when I’m talking about feral rangeland goats I’m clearly talking about unmarked/untagged goats that roam around making their own arrangements as to where they will graze regardless of paddock or boundary fences. 

Goats are so well adapted to harsh environments, they can survive and even thrive when other livestock like sheep, cattle and even our wildlife can not.  They can do this due to their ability to graze down to a low level and stand on their hind legs to browse, so their food zone is significant.  They even enjoy climbing trees, playing on the limbs as well as eating their way along the branches.

Understanding the way animals graze helps us to manage them, now goats love short fresh growth, so you tend to find they stay in areas (sedentary grazing) where they can keep the growth short, this is when they cause landscape degradation.  They just go back to the same tasty plants day after day until they die, then moving on to the next tastiest plants.  Mind you sheep, cattle, rabbits and even kangaroos can do the same, this is the result of herbivores being very comfortable in their environment   While sedentary grazing is best for the livestock, the land suffers through loss of biodiversity, balancing this is where management comes in.  Usually the smaller the grazing animal the less plant diversity they encourage, that is one of the main reasons that goats [along with rabbits!] need to be managed. 

The productive capacity of the landscape is constantly being reduced by feral goats, this happens insidiously over time so is difficult to cost, therefore acknowledge.  Without doubt the biggest threat to the southern rangelands of Australia is unmanaged TGP, also not something that is easily addressed.  Some of those options to manage the TGP in the southern rangelands of Australia are: Wild dogs (though not that livestock friendly!).  Some landholders are putting in fences to keep goats (as well as other livestock & wildlife) out or in whatever is their choice, either way they have control.  Strategic shooting of goats can send a very strong message to them to keep moving and stopping sedentary grazing. 

I know that goats are only part of the TGP issue and all components need acknowledgement and respective management.  I’m seeing at the moment society’s acceptance of the resource of “feral goats” due to its ability to provide cash to pastoralists, especially in tough times.  The whole community needs to take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of a very large part of Australia, we need to value our precious rangelands. With the western division of NSW losing carrying capacity after every significant drought since it was settled, I worry that we will lose many more people, flora & fauna before change happens.

Diversity in Farming values

Sometimes when individuals or groups offer some food/fibre that has “special” qualities, other producers feel as though they are saying “everyone else does a poor job”,  that isn’t what I hear at all.  When I hear a beef producer selling (for example) “ethically produced beef”, I don’t feel they are saying that I don’t produce beef ethically.  They are simply saying that “we feel very strongly that beef should be produced ethically, we are good at it and we are proud of it”.

I think it is fantastic that farmers are prepared to market their strengths and receive rewards for their skills by connecting them with consumers that have similar values.  At the same time they are setting benchmarks that the rest of us can aspire to and aim for in order to improve the way we produce our wonderful products.

At Wyndham we have very strong values around the land, we look to manage our animals in harmony with the landscape.  As we are managing our farm respecting our values, we are happy as well, making for a happy healthy farm.  As most farms have different values it is important that each sets their own benchmarks, we try not to compare ourselves to our neighbours, setting our own standards or goals.

There are plenty of “dream crushers” out there saying that our goals are unachievable or totally unrealistic for our region, most of the time they are just placing their standards or paradigms on us, instead of respecting ours. 

It is so important that we encourage many farmers to build on their strengths and where possible market them, then they promote the skills they have raising the bar for all the rest of us in the industry.  This is R&D at ground root level, the best type as it is so transferable from farmer to farmer.

So next time you hear someone in your industry marketing their area of expertise, encourage them and learn from them as they may hold the key to your farm improving.