The Central Australian Grazing Strategies Project Working Paper Series
Etiwanda Station is a 28,000-hectare property in NSW, Australia used to produce sheep, cattle and goats. The owners adopted the Holistic Management approximately 10 years ago. Results include easier animal handling because only 2 mobs (instead of 10 previously) and movement being planned to ensure animals are close to handling facilities at right time; now in top 10% of producers in terms of profitability, compared to average or below average before changing management; improvement in quality and quantity of pastures with an increase in palatable perennial grasses; and set aside of paddocks gives 3-month buffer of feed during periods of drought.
N.D. Rancher Builds Biological Capital
This 2009 article in Beef Producer magazine follows Gene Goven and his 1,500-acre ranch in South Dakota, USA. Researchers have documented that grasses penetrating only 3 to 5 inches,now send down roots four to 10 times as deep. From 1982 to 2001, water infiltration in his soils increased from 0.8 to 6.2 inches/hour. His grazing season also lengthened, increasing from 150 – 180 days of grazing a year to 230 – 270 days.
