Managing Climate Variability

Looking at the Ground Not at the Sheep

James and Libby Gardiner
Cobar, New South Wales

  • 300mm average rainfall
  • 20,000 hectares
  • Producing goats and white dorper sheep for meat

Managing their property holistically allows the Gardiners to constantly adapt their enterprises and management to capitalise on what's making money in and out of drought years.

In 1999 after three years of holistic management, including rotational grazing, dry matter on their property shot up from a few kilograms to 25 tonnes per hectare, a production increase of 400 per cent. Their lambing percentage doubled.

The Gardiners learnt how to feed budget eight weeks in advance. As the drought deepened in 2002 they ran out of feed. The sheep looked good but pasture and soil water were declining. They decided to agist nearly all stock including 1,500 lambing ewes.

Fortunately for the Gardiners stock prices remained high in the drought and they had more than 3,000 sheep return to the property.

Gardiners-230-pixels.jpg

Climate Management Tools Used

  • Holistic management which provides tools for decision making and improves ability of the enterprise to withstand drought.
  • Rotational grazing rather than set stocking rates.
  • Feed budgeting eight weeks in advance - decision to move stock to agistment made on the basis of measuring pasture growth not condition of stock.
  • Constant state of adaptation to conditions - diversifying if profitable, changing enterprise to work with what's making money.
  • Regular 'eco-check' systematic monitoring of pasture growth, soil, insect activity, biodiversity for property health and sustainability.

Complete 2004 Story (pdf 114 Kb)

Complete 1999 Story