GiG Guide - rangelands

Summary

The Australian goatmeat industry has experienced strong growth over the past 20 years and this growth has been largely supported by the sale of goats derived from rangeland or extensive production systems. Of the 1.5 million goats now slaughtered annually, approximately 90% are rangeland goats. Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), as the research and development (R&D) organisation associated with the goatmeat industry, has supported this growth through targeted research, development and extension activities. 
Since 2006, these activities have focussed on improving the capacity of the industry to reliably supply goatmeat of a consistent quality to meet increasing global demand. These activities have been coordinated under the Going into goats program. Central to the Going into goats program is the Going into goats: Profitable producers best practice guide (GiG Guide). Developed by producers for producers, the GiG Guide was developed to encourage economically and environmentally sustainable production through the promotion of best practice management techniques and this guide has been augmented since release through the addition of several complementary modules. 
To further assist goat producers in achieving sustainable increases in productivity and profitability, MLA provided funding for development of another module for the GiG Guide to address specific production issues encountered by prospective and established rangeland goat producers. Improving the productivity and profitability of the rangeland goat production sector promises to deliver the most significant benefit to the broader industry and flow on benefits for other non-rangeland goat producers through the creation of a more robust and resilient industry. There is a wealth of production knowledge and understanding among goat producers operating within the rangelands of Australia. Producers within the rangelands operate at varying degrees in relation to economic and environmental sustainability. 
The primary objectives of this project were to: 
1. Identify the key elements that define economic and environmentally sustainable rangeland goat production systems; 
2. Identify the decision making processes that are employed within these enterprises; 
3. Use this information to develop a best practice production guide which is in essence developed by producers for producers. This is to be developed as an addition to the GiG Guide 
4. Develop an extension program plan that will support the extension of the module once completed. 
Outcomes: A Rangeland Management module has been developed copies can be downloaded from the MLA website or hard copies ordered. It is intended to assist established and potential goat producers make the most out of their operation by drawing on the experiences of some of Australia's best rangeland producers. Several regional launch events were held across the country to promote the new manual to producers.