Ranching Down Under

My mom and I just returned from visiting the Bullo River cattle station in the outback of the Northern Territory, Australia.

I should not have been surprised to learn that no matter how differently people raise cattle, we share similar challenges.

Bullo River is different from my ranch in several ways.

The ranch is in the tropical outback where it rains more than 4 feet during the wet season, with no moisture during five months of dry season.

Average rainfall on the prairie near Conrad is 14 inches a year, although moisture has been far below average for several years.

The soil at Bullo River is red sand with very little organic matter, yet eucalyptus and boab trees dominate the scenery.

My soil has an average of 3-4 percent organic matter so it holds more water, yet few trees survive the dry, harsh prairie wind.

The absentee owners have two managers and a staff of about 25 people.

I own and operate my ranch alone most of the time.

Bullo River hosts tourists.

I don’t.

The managers, Joe and Catherine, reduced the herd from 10,000 domestic plus 4000 feral cattle to raise about 2500 head on 400,000 acres.

They raise Brahman cattle because that breed can stand the heat.

I raise black Angus so the cattle absorb more sunshine when it is cold.

When we arrived, I was dismayed to learn that cattle have been excluded from about three-fourths of Bullo River as part of a conservation agreement with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Research shows that cattle can be used as a tool to improve soil while excluding grazing often actually harms the lifecycle of vegetation.

Also, my experience has been that often well-intentioned conservation groups hold narrow and limiting views of how to use grazing to improve soil.

Livestock become scapegoats instead of opportunities.

Fortunately, I listened to Joe and Catherine explain their rationale for two hours and we flew over most of the 400,000 acres so I could see the country.

No wonder they excluded cattle from 300,000 acres.

It is rough and rocky, with little access to tiny patches of forage.

Conservation strategies aside, that rugged, scenic country is great for tourists while the cattle can generate more profit when grazing better pastures.

They subdivided those pastures for better utilization at about the same cost as I subdivided mine.

Weeds worry all of us.

Joe and Catherine bushwhack the shrubby weeds and start small fires when the vegetation is still damp. The low-temperature, slow-moving fires burn small patches that sprout new forage within days.

Neither of us appreciates depending on fickle commodity markets.

In the past, Bullo River and neighboring ranches relied on exporting live cattle.

Australians don’t eat tough Brahman meat so those cattle are shipped live to Indonesia and Malaysia through the port of Darwin, 10 hours away.

Now, Joe and Catherine are building a local meat business so they can avoid exporting live cattle. They breed Waygu bulls to Brahman cows for tender, fat steaks and serve them to their guests and restaurants.

We share the challenge of finding competent labor to work in a remote location, too.

Many young adults apply to work at Bullo River during the tourist season. Only some of them can stand the quiet and the crocodiles.

We all respect wildlife while protecting the domestic lives that depend on us.

Dingos, crocs, water buffalo and feral cats cause problems at Bullo River while I chase coyotes and avoid grizzlies on the prairie.

Bullo River residents enjoy whistling kites soaring overhead while I admire redtail hawks and bald eagles.

All of us feel attached to the land.

We all manage it the best way we can.