Will sheep return to the Kalgoorlie area in the near future?
A recent article by Sheep Central looks at the progress of the Kalgoorlie Vermin Cell, one of the nation’s biggest vermin exclusion areas. The cell will be enclosed by a 980-kilometre fence and once completed will encircle nine pastoral leases covering 2.4 million hectares along with the mining areas of Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and Kambalda. It is believed that once the fencing of the Kalgoorlie Vermin Cell is completed and wild dogs are eradicated from within the fenced area, re-establishment of a viable small stock (sheep and goats) industry will be possible. Read more here.
Study links how much we eat to protein levels
Beef Central reports on a recent study which explores why the preference for highly-processed and refined foods over protein-rich foods is contributing to higher obesity rates in the Western World. The University of Sydney study suggests that our bodies eat to satisfy a protein target – which means people who eat a highly-processed, low-protein diet tend to eat more trying to achieve this target. Read more about this study here.
Why has there been so much rain?
ABC Weather has released a story entitled ‘Why is it raining so much and when is it going to stop?’ Using everyday language, this article explains what has been driving recent weather events and what may happen in the next few months.
No such thing as an ‘average year’
ABC Rural also recently published a short article discussing extreme weather events and ‘the myth of the normal year’ for farming enterprises, suggesting that farmers will need to rethink how they consider weather patterns. Catch up on the whole story here.
Highlights from the latest Northern Territory Rural Review
The November issue of the Northern Territory Rural Review includes several articles which may be of interest to ARS members.
- A cattleman’s view of the management of grazing lands. Bryan Gill has been involved in the Central Australian pastoral industry for 40 years and is the current manager of Old Man Springs Research Station near Alice Springs and the day-to-day manager of the Quality Graze Project.
- Latest research findings from the Kidman Springs fire experiment
- Understanding and planning for long term variability in pasture production
What’s in the latest FutureBeef Update
The latest issue of the FutureBeef Update contains some interesting articles looking at:
- Factors to be considered when wet season spelling
- Drone technology and why the ‘line of sight’ requirement can limit drone use on pastoral properties
- WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Northern Beef Development team’s ‘Twilight Forums” which have been providing research and extension updates across the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
What’s happening in the South Australian arid lands?
Find out what is happening in the SA arid lands by reading the latest Across the Outback Magazine. This publication provides updates from a large and diverse range of projects carried out by the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board including looking at satellite-monitored cattle ear tags, feral pig disease surveillance, property management planning, feral deer eradication and goat management.