The Old Ram-Australia
Herd Master
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2011
- Messages
- 978
- Reaction score
- 2,066
- Points
- 303
Last week we attended one such event and it was in fact quite interesting all of the speakers were very knowledgeable and experienced in their field .They presented their subjects clearly although the focus was quite narrow. In the days following I submitted some comment to the organizers, but the experience got me to thinking”What do the people attending really need from an event like this?”
The first question was “who were the producers who attended”? .I suspect that they were small/medium livestock people .I think you could compare it to third world farmers that receive “aid programs” designed for large scale farmers and company farms in” first world situations. “It’s been my experience over the years that the “big boys” attend field days organized by large suppliers to the livestock industry’s and backed up by the local stores who stock their products.
If you think about the land and its production worth in your district the “very best” is “tightly held” and has been in one family for generations mostly, the knowledge gained over time is “passed” from one generation to the next on the performance of the land under different climate conditions, much the same as the herd/flock knowledge is passed from one generation to the next (that is if the farmer allows it).Although the change from a Winter rainfall to a Summer storm climate will require re-thinking on even the “best country” into the future.
At one stage a presenter asked “can you identify the production grasses on your farm”? I think at least half of the group could not.IMO the next question should have,” been can you identify the “weeds” on your farm”? (But it never came).
Hobby farmers as distinct from “the blockies” require information that they can base their farms decisions on going forward, most have off-farm income and are prepared to spend it if it delivers an outcome they are happy with.
The type of information which I feel would be valuable to the decision making process would be “an accurate picture of the lands “actual carrying capacity”, it’s potential to hold water in the landscape, retention of nutrient load and how to stop all the water “rushing” down the creek in a thunderstorm. Understanding the sequence of growth the grasses they have to best utilize them for example Kangaroo Grass /White Top (wallaby grass), Poa Tussock flowering, Red Leg Grass, Wild Sorghum and Microlaena. Along with the exotic sps which previous owners tried and “failed” to establish until we modified our management to allow their growth and re-seeding. Fencing is the most reliable way of protecting the different stands of the grasses and that way you can graze in the same sequence that the grasses perform.
This item caught my eye while writing this post. This new group of “young” farmers will be looking for help and education, so what are we going to teach them?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...age:d_flagship3_feed;c2LX6q7UT6CxHhN4rGdMNA==
If we present the information in a way that is of value to the large farming groups ,you may find the new farmers are placed in the same position as the way foreign air is delivered and the same problems subsistence farmers face will be replicated in our groups of “hobby farmers” and the only “winners” will be the partners whose products are recommended.
It seems to me that what the new farmers need is information which relates to the scale and knowledge of the recipients.
As always I look forward to any “feedback” you may wish to offer on the subject.
The first question was “who were the producers who attended”? .I suspect that they were small/medium livestock people .I think you could compare it to third world farmers that receive “aid programs” designed for large scale farmers and company farms in” first world situations. “It’s been my experience over the years that the “big boys” attend field days organized by large suppliers to the livestock industry’s and backed up by the local stores who stock their products.
If you think about the land and its production worth in your district the “very best” is “tightly held” and has been in one family for generations mostly, the knowledge gained over time is “passed” from one generation to the next on the performance of the land under different climate conditions, much the same as the herd/flock knowledge is passed from one generation to the next (that is if the farmer allows it).Although the change from a Winter rainfall to a Summer storm climate will require re-thinking on even the “best country” into the future.
At one stage a presenter asked “can you identify the production grasses on your farm”? I think at least half of the group could not.IMO the next question should have,” been can you identify the “weeds” on your farm”? (But it never came).
Hobby farmers as distinct from “the blockies” require information that they can base their farms decisions on going forward, most have off-farm income and are prepared to spend it if it delivers an outcome they are happy with.
The type of information which I feel would be valuable to the decision making process would be “an accurate picture of the lands “actual carrying capacity”, it’s potential to hold water in the landscape, retention of nutrient load and how to stop all the water “rushing” down the creek in a thunderstorm. Understanding the sequence of growth the grasses they have to best utilize them for example Kangaroo Grass /White Top (wallaby grass), Poa Tussock flowering, Red Leg Grass, Wild Sorghum and Microlaena. Along with the exotic sps which previous owners tried and “failed” to establish until we modified our management to allow their growth and re-seeding. Fencing is the most reliable way of protecting the different stands of the grasses and that way you can graze in the same sequence that the grasses perform.
This item caught my eye while writing this post. This new group of “young” farmers will be looking for help and education, so what are we going to teach them?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...age:d_flagship3_feed;c2LX6q7UT6CxHhN4rGdMNA==
If we present the information in a way that is of value to the large farming groups ,you may find the new farmers are placed in the same position as the way foreign air is delivered and the same problems subsistence farmers face will be replicated in our groups of “hobby farmers” and the only “winners” will be the partners whose products are recommended.
It seems to me that what the new farmers need is information which relates to the scale and knowledge of the recipients.
As always I look forward to any “feedback” you may wish to offer on the subject.