Meat and Livestock Australia

Rangeland goat production inWestern NSW: Where are they now? 25 Property and business development Undergoing an additional expansion in 2012, the Gates purchased Slamanon, which neighbours Burndoo and doubles their total operating area. During this time their son Ross has returned home and begun working in the business. Additional staff have also been put on in response to the dramatically increased capacity, with a total of three full time and four part time staff now working within the business. With increased staff and trading being reduced as a portion of the overall business, Rick feels he has more personal time than five years ago, when he recalls it being difficult to take any time away from the property. Rick does however concede that this was a necessary change as he has been the President of the Goat Industry Council Australia since 2013, a role that he has found both challenging and rewarding. The requirement for goat depots to be registered with NSW DPI from 2016 is a change Rick has welcomed despite the increased requirement for record keeping and associated audits. This has resulted in increased professionalism of goat depots and the associated improvements in perception across the industry. Development of appropriate infrastructure was crucial for the Gates to go into goats, particularly considering the high throughput of animals involved in running a depot. Fencing was upgraded across all properties to a 10 wire (eight plain, two barb) design with four metre post spacings. Rick believes this is just as effective at containing goats as hinge-joint, but with reduced maintenance. He also points out that this design does not have the welfare concerns associated with hinge-joint, where goats have been known to get their heads stuck between wires. When considering factors above control of goat movement, Rick has begun to contemplate the option of multi-species exclusion fencing. This is due to the impending movement of wild dogs into the area. Additional control over total grazing pressure (TGP) would be a secondary benefit to this. Well designed steel yards are critical in allowing the safe and efficient handling of goats and have been established on all properties since entering into goats. Yards also have a roof over the core working area, providing shade for both stock and staff to increase comfort and reduce stresses involved with handling. A custom designed race allows width to be altered to accommodate a range of sizes of goat. An auto-draft has also been purchased in the last five years. While Rick primarily drafts by eye as it is quicker, he does value the auto-draft when needing to identify animals that are approaching the lower end of saleable weights. The large capacity infrastructure required to cater for the high numbers associated with a depot operation also extends to water points. Tank and trough water points are used in depot paddocks, however larger troughs are used with a higher flow rate. Over the past five years, the Gates have also invested in solar pumps and solar panels for electricity generation. This has resulted in complete offset of their previously substantial annual electricity bill and generated some income with surplus electricity. Incoming goats are transported with the Gates’ own trucks while they use external transporters to truck goats to other markets. Fence design used on Burndoo is used

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