Information and Articles

A dairy goat is one of the most useful animals you can keep, they are ideal for a small farmer as they are easy to look after and feed. They produce excellent quality milk which can easliy be made into cheese, butter and yogurt. Unwanted kids are excellent as a source of meat for the house, the skins tan well and the fat is used to make soap, as well as all that you have a marvelous source of manure for the garden. The goat is also a lovable animal to have around.

Dairy Goat Breeds

There are over 50 recognised breeds of small or miniature cattle throughout the world. To be classified as a small breed means that the breed is governed by a height regulation although every breed has different interpretations of how these restrictions are applied. The two largest breed societies, in terms of financial members, are the Australian Lowline and Dexter. 

An understanding of animal behaviour is very important as the greater your knowledge the better your ability to predict an animals response. Whilst some handlers have a natural ability for many the skills are gained from observation and practice. Over time you will also learn to be instinctive and sense when they are ill, distressed or hungry and know what their signs are. Remember that cattle are also clever and can learn to be very cunning.

Some basic infrastructure will be required if you intend to run livestock. The quality and cost will depend on the number of head, production goals and the docility of your animals.

For small or new farmers, purchasing and transporting livestock is not as simple as turning up at the saleyards, buying your animals, putting them in the back of your trailer and taking them home.

There are a number of legal requirements, which can incur hefty penalties if not observed, when it comes to owning, transporting and selling livestock. Some are state imposed and will vary depending on where you reside whilst others are mandatory national regulations.

 The prosecution of a grazier for cruelty and failing in the duty of care to transport only animals fit to travel has recently received widespread media attention, highlighting the obligations of all involved in transporting stock.

Weaning is far more than separating the calf from the cow until they both stop bellowing. Correct management and training of calves at weaning sets their pattern of behaviour for the rest of their lives.

How Pinkeye Affects You?
While the incidence and severity of pinkeye may vary year on year, one thing remains constant, it’s a frustrating and time consuming disease to treat.
When an outbreak occurs your daily routine can include the hassle of:

Introduction

Sustainability is no longer a good enough objective for Australian agriculture. We now need to improve the health of our degraded environment not just sustain it or conserve it as we have strived to do in the past.

Soil is the earth’s foundation for all land-based living organisms including - not only ourselves - but also the crops grown by farmers to generate an income. In order to feed ourselves we need to be able to feed the soil with organic matter - humus.