September 4, 2006

 

Australian cattle take to the road to look for feed

 

 

Australian farmers are being forced to choose between two equally unpalatable alternatives as persistent drought dried up supplies of green pastures: take to the road to look for feed, or adopt the more expensive option of hand-feeding.

 

With limited funds, most cattlemen are choosing to scrap the bottom of the barrel and adopt the first route.

 

Traditionally, cattlemen have relied on stock routes that follow country roads where rainfall run-off produce strips of green feed, but now, even that lifeline is threatening to dry up.

 

Meanwhile, Australia's drovers are busy herding stock across country roads, looking for feed.

 

In what was seen as an ominous development, farmers began sending cattle out to graze the roadsides around three months ago.

 

In New South Wales, around 100,000 head of cattle had been sent out with drovers, said rangers from Rural Lands Protection Boards, which regulate grazing.

 

Since feed supplies along such stock routes are unreliable and quite low in most places, the Board has discouraged the practice. 

 

Compounding the problem is the fact that cattle would be calving this month and survival rates would plummet if the feed is in short supply.

 

Ranchers are increasingly worried as the fifth year of drought drags on, New South Wales Farmers Association President Jock Laurie said.

 

Saleyard prices have already begun to fall, shedding around 5 percent last week. Cattlemen are selling cattle in droves, especially in the southern states of Victoria and South Australia. Owners in Victoria were urged to keep their cattle as saleyards were already packed.

 

Farm water supplies are also running out due to sparse rainfall.

 

Australia's weather bureau is now predicting a drier and hotter than average spring for September-November, with a possible drought-inducing El Nino.

 

With the slew of problems facing them, cattlemen can only pray for rain to turn things around.