L.PDS.2009 - PDS Central Australian Self Herding (CASH)

Summary

The Central Australian Self Herding (CASH) Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project demonstrated Self Herding techniques to commercial beef producers in Central Australia. Self Herding consists of various techniques to passively influence the behaviour of livestock, using food rewards and other stimuli (visual stimuli, sounds and smells) to influence where stock choose to graze and to minimise stress in situations such as yards, new water points or when trucking. Self Herding can lead to a more even spread of grazing in paddocks and so can increase resilience to droughts. It has also been suggested to result in better feed availability, improved animal production and to have animal wellbeing benefits.

Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) extension officers and Stress Free Stockmanship practitioner, Bruce Maynard, visited producers on their stations to develop tailored training and implementation, with a focus on influencing grazing patterns. Producers identified their own aims for applying Self Herding techniques. With assistance from the practitioners, the producers designed and implemented actions to change cattle behaviour.

The project was successful in transferring knowledge of the technique to multiple producers, some of whom actively trialled Self Herding techniques. One family has incorporated Self Herding into the management of their various stations and promote the benefits. 

The intended implementation of Self Herding strategies was delayed for most participants due to a run of dry years, and a subsequent shortage of forage. Travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and staffing challenges contributed significantly to the project implementation and a delayed uptake. The project finished early due to these and other unforeseen factors.

Objectives

By March 2025 across 10 properties in the Alice Spring region of the Northern Territory:
1.    Demonstrate and validate in Central Australian pastoral conditions that greater production and improved landscape impacts can be achieved through redistribution of grazing using the application of self-herding techniques. Financial (productivity, labour costs etc) and environmental (ground cover, pasture utilisation) benefits will be obtained from a combination of:
a.    Visitation to grazing areas not previously utilised by livestock
b.    A change  in the directional travel of livestock grazing patterns
c.    A reduction in habitual overused areas associated with water points
2.    80% of the core producer and 50% of the observer producers will have adopted self-herding techniques leading to demonstrated changes in grazing patterns (data collected on livestock visitation and observed effects on soil surface and vegetation).  Presence or absence of grazing effects before and after interventions (pasture utilisation, physical disturbance and deposition of nutrients) will be the observed factors collected during the project.
3.    100% of core producers and 80% of observer producers will have increased their knowledge and skills in relation to self-herding techniques
4.    A range of extension and communication products will be developed by NTDPIR staff with input from the project partners, to increase awareness across other pastoral areas including case studies, producer guides and stories for MLA publications
5.    Production of a cost/benefits analysis of all concomitant and ancillary benefits versus time, effort and variable costs incurred in the establishment of self-herding techniques

Key findings

The core producers involved in the project indicated an increase in knowledge and confidence in using Self Herding techniques. The project confirmed that pastoralists in Central Australia are interested in Self Herding techniques including low stress stock handling. Good examples of actual and potential applications were documented.

 
Results from the demonstrations will encourage producers that Self Herding strategies are practical and efficient in enterprises in Central Australia, with extensive grazing management, relatively sparse infrastructure and where staff interact with herds only a few times per year. These results are relevant to other parts of Australia’s arid and semi-arid rangelands where beef cattle are grazed.
Despite a good level of general interest, the number of core producers and return visits was less than originally planned. Various challenges limited the transition of observer producers into applying Self Herding techniques and becoming core producers in the project structure. Whilst some producers became enthusiastic about Self Herding only three producers became core participants. One of these did not progress to implementing Self Herding although they have planned activities and have a strong commitment to associated low stress stock handling practices. One of the core producers implemented initial activities in 2020-2021, but became too busy to continue and in 2022 they left to manage a station for a different employer in the district.

There were various unforeseen challenges to implementing the project as planned. Travel restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic limited opportunities for station visits in 2020 and 2021. Very dry conditions in 2019, 2020 and leading into 2021 impacted on producer interest and capacity to trial Self Herding at that time.

 Following a careful review of capacity to meet the targets set for adoption and for collecting data it was decided to finish the project sooner that originally intended.

Benefits to industry

Results from the demonstrations will encourage producers that Self Herding strategies are practical and efficient in enterprises in Central Australia, with extensive grazing management, relatively sparse infrastructure and staff interaction with herds only a few times per year. These results are relevant to other parts of Australia’s arid and semi-arid rangelands where beef cattle are grazed.  

The project promoted Self Herding as a way for Central Australian beef producers to achieve triple-bottom line improvements without costly infrastructure development. An increased awareness of low stress stock handling practices and Self Herding strategies that are suitable for implementation in the Central Australian region. The successful activities completed on Lyndavale and Mount Ebenezer stations provide a relevant and positive demonstration of Self Herding practices that have been documented in the draft case study. Long-term practice change has been achieved on several stations with regard to stock handling practices and Self Herding principles.

The owner-managers of Lyndavale and Mount Ebenezer stations have been impressed with results obtained from using Self Herding techniques resulting in a reduced workload. While there has been no formal evaluation of cost:benefit analysis in this instance, application of the technique required very little economic outlay and resulted in a reduction in mustering labour.

The owner-managers of Umbeara and Idracowra stations have been impressed with the potential of Self Herding. They have invested time in planning and in putting staff through low-stress stock handling training.

One other station trialled Self Herding in 2020-2021 but had to stop due to other demands on station staff. The managers subsequently moved to a different station with different owners.

MLA action

MLA continues to deliver the Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program, supporting livestock producers working in peer-to-peer groups to pursue new skills, knowledge and management practices applicable to their own commercial livestock production systems.

Future research

The project provides firm basis for recommending adoption of Self Herding to producers. Commercial providers exist that can service interest from producers and Department extension staff can pass on requests for information. There is no recommendation for further Northern Territory Government research and adoption projects at this stage.