Developing a Farm Plan

20 Beef Breeder MANUAL production. However, they will require the development of new technical skills by producers and farm staf in order to successfully implement these modern management systems. Adoption of modern beef management systems are also likely to require substantial upgrading of animal handling facilities, farm infrastructure, fencing, and improvements in pasture and forage resources and forage conservation so that the beneits of the importation of the pure-bred beef cattle can be captured, and the animals managed safely, productively, and proitably.

2.2.1. Developing a Farm Plan

Where producers have the lexibility to plan the establishment of new facilities, suitable locations can be planned with the aid of resources such as publically available satellite images e.g. Google Earth, or aerial photographs. This will enable grazing and cropping areas boundaries and size to be allocated to the enterprise, and central locations for infrastructure such as permanent yards, machinery sheds, and other necessary facilities can be mapped out in advance Fig. 2.1. Within the total property area, areas identiied for the development of grazing and cropping activities can be informed by; • The current use of the areas; for example whether they are used for crop production or grazing • The soil type and land class; for example well drained arable soils, waterlogged low lying soils etc • Land tenure; for example freehold or leasehold • Existing vegetation; for example trees and forests areas • Water availability and quality; for example lakes, streams, bores. These areas can also be used as criteria for the placement of fences and watering points where fencing is adopted as a means to control animal movement using paddocks. Once this process is complete, the annual and seasonal forage production pasture and crop can be estimated with reference to recent yield data for each of the locations, and used to compare against the anticipated feed requirement of the herd. This feed budgeting Figure 2.1. Example of a farm infrastructure development plan. Source: International Agriculture for Development. 21 Cold Winter Climates approach will enable the producer to forecast feed demand by the cattle and to plan to have adequate feed reserves on-hand throughout the year. Importantly, feed production will vary from year to year due to the efects of climate on plant growth, pasture quality, and soil fertility. Therefore it is advisable that a reserve of feed is planned each year to accommodate for reduced plant growth caused by any of these factors. In any one year, this may amount to as much as 100 of the anticipated feed requirement being stored for emergency use. Each farm should have good road access to ensure that vehicles, including heavy trucks, can easily enter to load or unload animals or feed. Property roads may need to be upgraded or re-sited if trucks are unable to get to the cattle yards. Boggy areas can either be drained or driven around, or they may have to be illed in with rock or gravel to prevent injury to animals and damage to trucks and other vehicles.

2.2.2. Paddocks and Fencing