04 September 2015
Managing a grazing business through drought is tough – and building it back up once the drought breaks also takes preparation and skill.
The recently launched Pastoral Profit program is presenting a series of ‘Focusing on the Future’ workshops in western Queensland during September and October to help producers prepare for recovery when the season breaks.
Presenter, agricultural consultant Ian McLean from Bush AgriBusiness, will lead participants in discussing and analysing a range of restocking options.
Ian will provide tools and information to assist with assessing the herd or flock profile and work through the process of weighing up the best options for rebuilding capacity, such as buying in stock or breeding up numbers.
"We also need to assess present carrying capacity, whether we need to lighten off numbers to hasten pasture recovery, how to make those decisions and measure their impacts,” he said.
The capital improvement session will tackle the difficult issue of which investments to make first.
Identifying those projects that deliver the best productivity and cash returns will also be considered in detail. For example, while exclusion fencing might be a game changer for one business, investing in water infrastructure and telemetry might offer the big yields in another.
Pastoral Profit's Queensland co-ordinator Heather Smith said developing restocking strategies, planning capital improvement projects and sourcing funds to get the job done all takes time.
“If the summer season does give producers an opportunity, then it’s important they are in a position to run with it pretty quickly, so laying those foundations now could make all the difference,” she said.
Producers attending these first workshops will be in the box seat to set the agenda for Pastoral Profit events in Queensland in 2016. Discussions during the day will offer an opportunity for participants to set the priorities and locations for future activities.
The workshops run from 9am to 4pm, cost $25 per business with morning tea and lunch provided and will be held at: Jundah – 21 September; Longreach – 22 September; Blackall – 23 September; Bollon – 15 October; and Eulo – 16 October .
Places are still available for workshops at Quilpie and Charleville on 8 and 9 September.
To RSVP contact Heather: T: 0428 712 985 E: pastoralprofitqld@gmail.com
