Incentives help west grazing
Duncan and Christine Ferguson of Myrnong station near Wanaaring have shown that graziers only need a helping hand to achieve conservation outcomes on their properties.
While some Western Division graziers have used incentive payments from the pilot Enterprise Based Conservation (EBC) program to fence out areas of their property to be managed only for conservation, others like the Fergusons maintained grazing and received incentives if ground cover was improved, or held above critical thresholds.
“Being part of the pilot program has allowed us to objectively measure our management, receive financial support for infrastructure needed to improve management and put us in touch with a group of like minded people,” Christine Ferguson said.
“We are part of the ground cover model where an annual payment of up to $20,000 is paid according to our success in increasing ground cover in line with rainfall received.
“Unfortunately, over the duration of the program we have received very limited rainfall and so our efforts have been concentrated on maintaining ground cover rather than increasing it.
“To do this we have needed to sell our stock off early in dry periods.
“This has been an advantage as our sheep are generally sold in good condition before the bulk of drought-affected stock arrive in the saleyards.
“Managing our goats in a similar manner has proved more difficult as they are prolific breeders and there is a limited market for animals under 25 kilograms liveweight.
“Future plans to manage this situation include fencing a larger area for goats and marketing an organic Boer cross to the domestic market.”
The Ferguson’s approach to grazing management has included time controlled grazing of goats in some parts of the conservation area and sheep in other paddocks, with preliminary results showing that goats are less destructive to ground cover than the sheep.
“Our property has a high density of woody shrubs, and goats being primarily browsers, tend to leave the grasses until after they have eaten the edible portion of the shrubs, whereas sheep graze the grasses first, often right into the ground, before starting on the woody plants such as Mulga.
“By using goats in large mobs for short periods, we have seen an increase in the health of our perennial grasses even during such a dry time.”
A paddock that was grazed heavily by goats from 2001 through to the beginning of 2004, and then only grazed for short periods, has had a major germination of Woolly butt grass following January rain.
Christine said one of the highlights of the EBC program was the annual meeting, which includes a tour of one of the sites included in the program.
“This is a great learning opportunity as the graziers involved in this program tend to be open minded, forward thinkers.
“There is much to learn from each other.”
An initiative of the West2000 project, the Enterprise Based Conservation project won a gold award in the Environment and Natural Resources category of the 2006 Premier’s Public Sector Awards.
Contact Ron Hacker, Trangie, (02) 6880 8002.