The Mckemey Family
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Wool production & biodiversity Testimonialworking together for The McKemey Family Above—from left, Dan, David, Helen, program ran out of steam – we Sophie, Hannah and John McKemey. Introduction weren’t getting the response we used to. You have to try something John and Helen McKemey and their children, Daniel, Hannah and David, different when the wheels fall off.” ‘Willow Park’ own ‘Willow Park’ and nearby “After doing the ‘Grazing for Profit’ Location ‘Karingal’ and run the two farms as a course with Resource Consulting 25 km east of Guyra, New England family partnership. John’s father Services in 1990, we decided to try Tablelands NSW, Macleay catchment purchased and developed ‘Willow cell grazing.” Property size Park’ in the 1940s. ‘Willow Park’ 1500 ha (3707 acres) The McKemeys run a Merino wool and Pastures, paddocks ‘Karingal’ 434 ha (1072 acres) beef cattle trading operation as well Paddocks as back-grounding cattle. They source & water 130 (‘Willow Park’) and 16-19 micron Merino sheep which cut The McKemeys use 2-wire, steel-post 51 (‘Karingal’) around 3.6 kg wool/head. They buy electric fencing to subdivide their Average annual rainfall cattle in spring, fatten them across country for cell grazing. On ‘Willow the summer and sell prior to winter. 813 mm (32 inches) Park’, paddocks range in size from 7- They changed to a trade operation in Main enterprise 15 ha, while at ‘Karingal’, paddocks 1999 from a prime lamb enterprise for Fine wool (16-19 micron) and beef are smaller (7-8 ha). The country is cattle (both trading operations) the preceding 40 years. subdivided according to land type Stock numbers The McKemeys have progressively (similar aspect and soil type). 15 600 Merino sheep (18 600 DSE), up adopted high-intensity, short-duration John has become disenchanted with to 250 cattle (2500 DSE) in summer (‘cell’) grazing since 1991. This cultivating country. “Where pasture testimonial describes their Stocking rate was sown after potatoes, I still see management and experience with cell 10.9 DSE/ha (4.4 DSE/acre, combined individual tussocks, not complete grazing over the past 15 years, and sheep and cattle) groundcover years later. I know we the many positive changes they have Main soil types did it for decades, but the effects of witnessed for both farm profits and ‘Karingal’ – red and black basalt soils cultivation are detrimental and long ‘Willow Park’ – red and black basalt the environment. lasting – I think it might do the soil soils, grey ironstone-basalt soils more harm than good.” Vegetation types Land use history “We prefer to go with fertiliser than a Formerly grassy white gum, mountain Most of ‘Willow Park’ and all of re-sowing program. We have enough gum and black sally woodland, now ‘Karingal’ have been heavily modified of the good grasses, sown and native. mainly cleared. 140 ha of silvertop stringybark and white gum old-growth over the years. “Clearing began on If a pasture is not performing, we do open-forest on steep eastern fall of ‘Willow Park’ in 1948 and continued a soil test, and if the test suggests we ‘Willow Park’. at the rate of 50-100 acres per year need to fertilise, we do. Daniel until 1960,” says John. “By 1963, the trialed five tonnes to the acre of cow Elevation property was virtually all cleared and manure with fantastic results. At 1110-1350 m a.s.l. (‘Willow Park’) sown to pasture apart from small ‘Karingal’, we had good responses to 1305-1355 m a.s.l. (‘Karingal’) patches of trees.” chemical fertiliser and rock phosphate.” Contents Other modifications include drainage Introduction ......................... 1 works, dam construction, potato Land use history .................... 1 growing, pasture fertilisation and the Below—High intensity, short duration or cell grazing is practised at Willow Park. Pastures, paddocks & water ...... 1 planting of introduced trees and Succession planning ................ 2 shrubs. Stock management ................. 2 “The sown pastures and fertiliser Pests & weeds....................... 2 went pretty well for a while, but we Monitoring ........................... 2 learnt you can’t stop still in land Benefits of cell grazing ............ 3 management if you want to stay in business,” says John. “We applied a Reforestation........................ 3 hundredweight of superphosphate to Heritage values ..................... 4 the acre for many years, but by the Positive outcomes .................. 4 end of the 1980s, nothing was responding. Our regular fertiliser Page 1 growth periods, the grazing period Succession gets out to 1.0-1.5 days in, followed planning by up to 90 days rest. The McKemeys feed bypass protein The McKemeys believe in making the (e.g. cotton seed meal, urea or grain) most of their human resources. Once in winter. the children were educated and ready to get involved in the family business, John and Helen included them in Pests & weeds decision making, and encouraged them Invasive perennial grasses are John’s to take on different roles in the biggest concern—in particular, African management team. Above—A circular ‘wagon wheel’ water point under construction. The high posts lovegrass and Chilean needle grass. Today, Daniel and Hannah run the allow hot wires to pass over the top of Infested areas are being subdivided operation and make most of the day- ten gateways that will open on to a and watered during 2006, and the to-day management decisions. David central trough. McKemeys intend to monitor the has been traveling and working in effects on these species. Australia and overseas for a few years, Troughs are preferred for watering and will also return permanently. stock, as the sticky basalt dams were Because cell grazing favours perennial dangerous for the sheep when there grasses, John worries that it could Helen and John plan to stay on around was a lot of bare soil around them. promote these species and even the fringes to help mainly in a spread them as a result of stock Water is pumped from Boundary directorial capacity. They are keen movements. “Obviously, we try to Creek and reticulated across much of that everyone gets to experience each miss badly infested paddocks when the role in the business. “We intend to the property to large concrete round grasses are in seed, but there may be move people around in the troughs watering several paddocks, one or two plants in paddocks that you management structure so that often in a ‘wagon wheel’ design. everyone gets to try stock management One or two reliable, spring-fed dams are not aware of.” or human resources or marketing, and were cleaned out, fenced and are “A patch of Chilean needle grass I has knowledge of the whole show,” also reticulated to troughs. have been watching since 1994 hasn’t says John. “It is very, very important become any worse since we began cell that they’re taking on a business they John was worried that timid sheep in grazing it in 1996. This is heartening. are thoroughly familiar with”. the large mobs were not getting a drink because the circular concrete “Rabbits are the most feral thing we troughs are a bit high and some have. We’ve been working on them in sheep were not approaching the a couple of areas, and I have been central hub. Plastic troughs are now astounded by the difference in the put along the line for the sheep in pastures after we’ve cleared them up. addition to the central troughs. In I thought it might have been the soil newly subdivided country, 5-m long or maybe the fertility in these areas, troughs are being installed. “The but it was probably the rabbits all the stock don’t look as stressed in hot time.” weather with this system.” Boundary Creek and Wollomombi Monitoring River have been fenced into small The McKemeys believe in monitoring creek paddocks to provide water as their business and resource base to part of the rotations. fine-tune their management. They do Stock management this in several ways. Pastures and soils have been Above—A diverse cell-grazed pasture of 'Willow Park' runs about 17 000 dry valuable summer (redgrass) and winter monitored annually on ‘Willow Park’ (cocksfoot) active grasses. sheep equivalents (DSE) in good and ‘Karingal’ since 2001 by Dr Judi years but stock are sold down to Earl from Agricultural Information and Below—100% groundcover in a weeping rice 11 000 DSE in droughts (e.g. 2002). grass (Microlaena)-white clover pasture in Monitoring Services. stringybark open-forest. 'Karingal' normally runs 3000 DSE in a mob. Dan says, "We're trying to “We get to know what direction our change our focus from DSEs per acre pastures are heading in,” says John. to groundcover and livestock “Some respond very quickly to changes in grazing management, condition." others show no response. It’s hard to "The goal is to maintain 100 per cent predict or know why, but it’s groundcover, so mob size, number important to be sure of any changes. and the speed of the rotation are Memory is not very reliable in these adjusted to ensure pastures have circumstances.” sufficient rest.” In terms of farm business recording In periods of active pasture growth, and mapping systems, Hannah has the grazing period on ‘Willow Park’ been using the Practical Systems’ is as short as 0.50-0.75 days, software, Farmbook, FarmMap and followed by 60 days rest. In slower Cashbook. Page 2 “The programs are a great way to The reduction of bare soil and record the day-to-day farm erosion along Boundary Creek has information, from finances to been one of the most telling impacts production,” says Hannah. “The of cell grazing for John. “We always reports and ease of use make for had spring-fed, clear-flowing creeks, efficient, valuable feedback on farm but they were eroding in places.