Getting the word out there via our school newsletter!

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What better way to inform the entire the school community about what we are learning about through our Archibull journey than to have a submission in the Northlakes High School newsletter.

8WL is having such a great time learning and creating and we need to share that with everyone!

The 10 C’s – Making sure we have it all covered!

Capture archi

On Friday, 8WL as a class had a discussion about the 10 C’s.

We did this so we know where we have to focus our attention on the last part of our Archibull journey for 2015.

There were sections of our artwork that we debated over, and have come up with some wonderful solutions and directions.

What Wendy Wants!!!!

This is a really interesting video where Wendy Taylor (Art Judge) explains what she is looking for on our Archibull.

Northlakes students got a wonderful surprise when we realised “Miss Jay Jay” our entry from 2014 got a huge wrap!

Watch and see!!!!

We are aiming higher in 2015….WATCH OUT!

So….You want to work on a farm?

Jobs in the Australian Wool Industry                                                 18/08/2015

There are many choices for employment in the Australian Wool Industry. I bet some of them you have never even thought of before. When our Young Farming Champion Bessie visited us for the day we learnt about what it’s like living on a farm and working the land. We heard all about how the farmers look after and care for their sheep and other animals; and how running a farm is a never ending job and you don’t get to have many holidays because there is always so much to get done. It certainly is a huge responsibility running an Australian Wool Farm.

Below are some more suggestions for areas of employment in the industry.

On the farm if you like working with animals there are many different jobs to choose from including;

  • Wool producer
  • Livestock managed
  • Veterinarian
  • Shearer

    Darren Munn (16) from Cunnamulla, Queensland, is pictured at the Merriman Station Shearing School, at Brewarrina in north west NSW. The school, run by Ian Bateson, provides a 15 week course for indigenous teens and young adults and has a high rate of follow through job success for the students. Pic: Dan Himbrechts

    Darren Munn (16) from Cunnamulla, Queensland, is pictured at the Merriman Station Shearing School, at Brewarrina in north west NSW. The school, run by Ian Bateson, provides a 15 week course for indigenous teens and young adults and has a high rate of follow through job success for the students. Pic: Dan Himbrechts

  • Wool handler
  • Farm consultant
  • Livestock nutritionist
  • Working dog trainer
  • Wool classer

Which is your favourite job out of the list above? Why?

We all know that Brandon B. wanted to become a shearer because when our Young Farming Champion Bessie visited us, she hold us that the shearers on her farm get five meals a day cooked for them and as a bonus they do NOT have a clean up after themselves. This would definitely be the perfect job for Brandon!

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If you like plants you might like to become a:

  • Plants breeder
  • Pasture agronomistwool sorter
  • Environment scientist
  • Pasture research

Which is your favourite job out of the list above? Why?

You would be surprised how many jobs there are in the wool industry including:

  • Bank manager
  • Accountant
  • Rural counsellor
  • Truck driver
  • Mechanic
  • Teacher
  • University lecturer
  • Rural merchandiserfashion drawing for archi
  • Fashion designer
  • Graphic designer
  • Advertising executive
  • Rural journalist

Which is your favourite job out of the list above? Why?

We had not even thought of many of these jobs relating to the Australian Wool Industry. Our YFC Bessie was a journalist when she met her husband Shannon. It seems that there is a job for everyone in farming. We originally thought farmers just worked with animals in the traditional sense on the land. Now we know there are a lot more employment opportunities than just working the land.

Many more people work in the wool industry in areas such as

  • Research and development
  • Science communication
  • Wool buying and processing
  • Marketing and retailing

Which is your favourite job out of the list above? Why?

As a class, we came up with a census; It would be great to be in research and development because we could come up with new ideas that could make life on the land for our farmers a little easier.

WP_20150716_100 WP_20150716_076

The opportunities for employment in the Australian Wool Industry are endless and maybe a good place to start is studying Agricultural and working down on our school farm. At school we have an Agriculture club that meets every Tuesday down on the Ag plot.

We need more information!

We want more information!                                                10/08/2015

As a class we are going to make up a survey to give our Young Farming Champion, Bessie and Nan Bray from the White Gum Wool farm in Tasmania.

We want to find out as much information as we can so that we can compare and contrast the different methods of Australian Wool farmers. We are going to produce a written piece as a class (complete with a venn diagram) and in groups create an electronic visual presentation to share our findings.

There are a number of things we want to know more about:

  • We want to find out how they run their farms.
  • We need to know what farming practices they mostly use.
  • What makes their farm unique and different from others?
  • How big is their farming operation and how many are employed?
  • What are the weather conditions and seasons like through the year?
  • Are there any geographical features that make your farm unique?
  • How many heads of sheep do they run?
  • What is the biggest expense on your farm? Why?
  • What do your sheep eat?
  • How does the environment and the climate impact on the growth of the fleece?
  • How do you treat sheep when maggots and flies land on their fleece? Is that a huge problem on your farm?
  • What is the message you want everybody to know about wool farming in Australia?
  • What is your biggest challenge being a wool farmer in Australia?
  • How are the sheep on your farm grouped? Why?
  • What do the sheep use for shelter?
  • Are there any natural threats to the sheep on the farm?
  • How do you control those threats?
  • At what age can the sheep first be shaun?
  • When does a sheep become too old to sheer….is there an age limit?
  • Does the quality of the fleece change as the sheep matures?
  • How many years have you worked on your farm?
  • What is the best thing about being an Australian wool grower and working on your farm?

We have emailed this set of questions to both farmers and from their answers we will formulate a response.

Below are the responses sent back to us from Bessie and Shannen. We now have a lot to discuss in class….we love learning more and more about what Bessie does on her farm. We are very grateful for being part of the Archibull Prize in 2015, because otherwise we would never have learnt all these things about wool farming in Australia!

  1. We want to find out how they run their farms.

Our farms are family owned and operated farms, run by my husband, his dad and mum, and me. The health of our animals is our main priority and for our animals to be heathy their environment has to be healthy too, which means the health of our environment is vital to our operations as well. Most of the farm and animal welfare decisions are made around the weather, food and water availability, and any environmental impacts (drought, flood, pests and weeds etc).

We farm across three properties – let’s call them Farm A, B and C. In March each year we shear at farm B and crutch (shear just around the sheep’s bottom to keep it clean) at farms A and C. In September each year we shear at farms A and C and crutch at farm B.

Shearing and crutching in March and September means the weather is more predictable in our region and it’s unlikely to be become dangerously hot or cold for the sheep when they’ve just been shorn. They also have to do a lot of walking in and out of the paddocks to get to the shearing shed at these times, so it’s important for the weather to be moderate when the sheep have to walk long distances.

Our main lambing season is April – before the weather gets too cold and to give the best opportunity for tasty grasses growing on the ground for the new mums to keep healthy – and lambs are marked in June, when the flies are usually still asleep before spring and summer!

  1. We need to know what farming practices they mostly use.

Having healthy and happy sheep is the most important part of our farm and so their welfare is at the forefront of our minds when we wake up every day. We farm in a very challenging environment with a highly variable climate, which means managing our sheep in a way which can help them cope with everything from high rainfall events to long periods of extended drought, as well as extremely hot summers.

Our aim is to give them the best whole life experience we can. Do to this, our practices currently include marking lambs, mulesing or tail docking lambs, and shearing and crutching sheep every year.

When new lambs are two months old our first job is to mark them. This means putting a farm name tag and number in one ear, taking a little snip out of the other ear (neighbouring farms have different ear mark shapes specific to each farm, so if a sheep is found on someone else’s farm the farmer knows where to return it to), castrating the male lambs so they don’t become rams (to maintain quality breeding genetics), and tail docking or mulesing the merino lambs.

Caring for sheep in our challenging environment means it is currently best practice for us to mules or tail dock or lambs. Mulesing or tail docking is just one safe and quick measure we can do to as part of our responsibility to care for a sheep’s health for its whole life. Mulesing is the removal of the lamb’s tail and a small section of skin around the lamb’s bottom and this is highly useful in preventing fly-strike. Fly-strike is when flies lay eggs (which turn into maggots) in the woolly, moist or dirty areas of a sheep. The tail and bottom region of a sheep is very susceptible to fly-strike if it is left woolly and long and once the maggots hatch in the sheep’s wool it can be very painful and even deadly. Mulesing or tail docking greatly reduces the chance of this happening by creating a bare area around the bottom instead of a woolly, wet area. Marking and mulesing a lamb takes about 30 seconds and then they go straight back to mum for a cuddle and a drink of milk. We constantly monitor the lambs and their mums after these procedures to make sure we get the best outcomes for our sheep.

Our sheep are first shorn at about six months old and then crutched and shorn once every year after that. Our geographical location and climate means our sheep are susceptible to fly-strike, worms and lice, so we treat them all with special sheep products – like preventative medicine – after every crutching and every shearing to make sure they’re well protected all year.

  1. What makes their farm unique and different from others?

The thing that makes our farm different and unique is the same thing that makes every farm different and unique – the people! More than 98 percent of Australian farm businesses are family farms and this means we get an amazing array of people, skills and personalities running Australian agriculture. I think this is fantastic because it means everyone has the opportunity to use their own skills to the best of their abilities on their farms. It means people can really connect with their farms, their animals and their environment, which makes running a farm a personal, emotional and special thing.

  1. How big is their farming operation and how many are employed?

Our farms are very average in size compared to all the other farms in our region. Altogether the three properties we farm sheep on add up to more than 180,000 acres which is about the same as one third of the urban/suburban area of Sydney. The four of us are the main workers for most of the year but we have a team of 14 people who come in to help with shearing and crutching, and during busy times such as lamb marking and mustering we do sometimes employ contract farm workers to help, as well as mustering pilots.

  1. What are the weather conditions and seasons like through the year?

Summers in far western NSW can easily be 40 degrees and hotter for many weeks at a time. In winter we do get frosts and have negative degree weather with cold winds and sleeting rain, but it doesn’t usually last for long and it doesn’t snow here. It is not usually humid, but rain at certain times of the year can cause humidity which then increases the chances of some pests and diseases. Our annual average rainfall is about 275mm (11inches), which is very marginal compared to the coastal areas of Australia, many of which receive more than 1000mm of rain a year.

  1. Are there any geographical features that make your farm unique?

Every paddock on our farms looks different from the next. On the farm where I live, one end is quite open and grassy but 30 kilometres away at the other end of the farm there are big rocky hills, deep washed out gullies, totally different soil types, trees and vegetation. There are red sandhills and spinifex in some areas, open clay pans in other areas, and thick gum trees and scrubby bush areas in others. None of our farms have any natural watercourses such as rivers or lakes. There is a seasonal creek on one farm but it only flows once every ten years, on average, when there’s exactly the right amount of rain at exactly the right location!

  1. How many heads of sheep do they run?

How many sheep we have depends greatly on the weather and seasonal conditions (food and water availability) from season to season and year to year. When conditions are at their best we can have up to 20,000 sheep. When there is drought we may only have a couple of thousand or even couple of hundred sheep – depending on how bad the drought is. On average we try to keep around 14,000 breeding ewes (female sheep who will have a lamb each year).

  1. What is the biggest expense on your farm? Why?

Tough question! The biggest ongoing expense is probably electricity and fuel. We have to run a lot of equipment and machinery and do a lot of driving to run the farms. And it takes a lot of power to run the extra bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and shearing sheds needed when we are shearing and crutching – which can be for two to three months of the year.

Shearing is another huge yearly cost, at about $6.50 per sheep overall.

  1. What do your sheep eat?

Our sheep eat the wonderful array of grasses, herbs and plants that grow naturally in this area. Some of their favourite foods are native spinach and the leaves of the rosewood tree.

  1. How does the environment and the climate impact on the growth of the fleece?

Generally when a season is drier a sheep’s wool becomes finer. Stress and food both influence the growth of wool, so when a sheep is more stressed or there is not enough grass to eat, the individual fibres in a fleece become finer (thinner). Big changes in the climate or environment causing lots of stress can cause a break in the staple of the wool – this is basically a breaking point where if you pulled the fibre from each end it would snap at that point, which is not good because we want a fibre that is strong and the right length to be processed and made into many different things.

  1. How do you treat sheep when maggots and flies land on their fleece? Is that a huge problem on your farm?

Flies can be a big problem in far-western NSW with our challenging climate and weather patterns but we always do everything we can to prevent them from becoming an issue. We do this by tail docking or mulesing our lambs when they are young, and then by spraying them with preventative fly-strike treatments twice a year (after crutching and after shearing). If sheep do get fly-strike (where flies lay maggots in the wool) then we have to catch every sheep that has it and treat them with a liquid that kills the flies and maggots by applying it onto the affected area of the sheep.

  1. What is the message you want everybody to know about wool farming in Australia?

Australian wool is a 100% natural, sustainable, renewable and bio-degradable product that is beautiful to wear and use. Australian wool farmers love and care about the health and happiness of their sheep. We care about the environment and healthy future of their farms. And we care about ensuring everyone – including you – has access to natural, safe and affordable fibres for your clothes, homewares and hundreds of other products.

  1. What is your biggest challenge being a wool farmer in Australia?

The biggest challenges are the weather and changing climate (extended drought periods), declining natural resources (including less rain), and biosecurity (various diseases and pests such as flies). All of these things can threaten a farm to the point of not being able to farm at all.

Other animals (such as kangaroos, rabbits and feral goats) competing for the same foods the sheep eat is also a big challenge, especially when the numbers of those animals builds up to unsustainable levels.

  1. How are the sheep on your farm grouped? Why?

Sheep are really social animals and you’ll often find them hanging out together in groups even when they have kilometres and kilometres of space to spread out in. On our farms lambs live with their mums until they are old enough to be weaned – which is once they’ve been taught by their mums how to eat grass and drink water from a dam or trough and no longer need to drink their mum’s milk. At about five months of age the lambs go into a paddock with all their friends from the same age group. We do this to give the mums a break and time to get fit and healthy for having another lamb next year.

  1. What do the sheep use for shelter?

All of our paddocks have lots of trees so they use these for shelter from the heat and cold. Wool is a great insulating fibre so their wool keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer and it also naturally protects against the sun’s harmful rays.

If the sheep have just been shorn and the weather forecast is predicting extreme heat or extreme cold, then we would keep the sheep in or near the shearing shed for a few extra days so they can be protected from the extreme weather.

  1. Are there any natural threats to the sheep on the farm?

Pests and diseases can be an issue on any farm, which is why we take biosecurity very seriously. Foxes, wild pigs and wild dogs can all be a threat to young lambs, as can some protected native animals such as wedge tailed eagles. Flies are the biggest ongoing threat every year.

  1. How do you control those threats?

Controlling threats is important not only for the health of the sheep but also the health of the environment. We control feral animals such as foxes, pigs and cats by participating in government run baiting/poisoning programs.

We try our best to keep the sheep disease free by making sure any new animals introduced to the farm are properly fit and healthy before they are allowed to mix with other animals. When diseases do occur we call in a vet to help treat and manage the issue.

  1. At what age can the sheep first be shaun?

Mentioned above.

  1. When does a sheep become too old to sheer….is there an age limit?

There is no age limit to shearing a sheep but sheep do grow less and lower quality wool the older they get. We sell our sheep at about 7 years old, which is when they become less physically fit to survive at their best in our environment. They start to loose teeth as they get older too – just like humans! – and this can make it difficult for them to eat and live a healthy life.

  1. Does the quality of the fleece change as the sheep matures?

Wool quality does tend to decrease as the age of a sheep increases, but bloodlines (genetics), diet, the environment (including seasonal changes) and management practices are also extremely influential factors on the quality of wool.

  1. How many years have you worked on your farm?

I have lived and worked on our farm for four and a half years, since February 2011.

  1. What is the best thing about being an Australian wool grower and working on your farm?

The best thing about working on our farm is that it’s almost impossible to get bored! We get to work in a beautiful environment with animals and people that we love, with huge, fun machinery and toys, and lots of space to be ourselves… and there’s always something different to do every day.

The best thing about being a wool grower is being a part of the amazing group of people who provide consumers around Australia and the world with a beautiful, natural, renewable fibre that can be made into SO many different things.

Here are Nan Bray’s answers to the same survey questions….

When school goes back we will be comparing and contrasting both farming styles…it will certainly be a wonderful and insightful whole discussion.

  1. Only a woolgrowing/grazing operation. No cropping. Only sheep. Wool is made into hand knitting yarn and sold by me. (I maintain ownership of the wool all the way through the “supply chain”, investing as needed to pay the processing costs, but then being able to se the price at which I sell the yarn.)
    We need to know what farming practices they mostly use.
    Ethical: no chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides used. Sheep are not mulesed or tail-docked. Lambs remain with their mothers through their lifetime (no weaning), flock stays together as a single entity (except rams, of course). Nutritional choice and diversity of forage is a priority, leading to good nutrition, which means no need to drench (for intestinal parasites), sound wool and lots of it, and generally very healthy sheep.
  2.  What makes their farm unique and different from others?
    See previous question
  3. How big is their farming operation and how many are employed?
    1000 superfine Saxon merinos (mixed age and gender). I employ 2 shearers, 2 roustabouts (casual labour for a total of 2 weeks per year) and one person, 4 hours per week, to help with the yarn business. Otherwise, I’m on my own. I’m 63, female, and this is my second career, after being a marine scientist until 12 years ago. Oh, and 7 working dogs 😉 without whom this would not be possible!
  4. What are the weather conditions and seasons like through the year?
    Rainfall is about 600 mm per year on average. Average rainfall is evenly spread through the year, but doesn’t in fact fall that way. We can get precipitation in any season, or dry conditions in any season. Winters are severe—heavy frosts (as much as -9 deg C), wind, rain, snow. Summers are not as hot as on the mainland—35 is an unusually warm day for us.
  5. Are there any geographical features that make your farm unique?
    Not really. I do have an area of dolerite soil which has a lot of native plants—helps with the nutritional diversity, and is also rather pretty bush country
  6. How many heads of sheep do they run?
    1000 at the moment. 1200 max. 3 dry years in a row have kept numbers down
  7. What is the biggest expense on your farm? Why?
    Shearing. Labour costs.
  8. What do your sheep eat?
    Grass, perennial herbs, shrubs, trees. No hand feeding.
  9. How does the environment and the climate impact on the growth of the fleece?
    Nutrition is the main determinant of wool quality. Climate has a direct influence on what grows when. How much plant diversity there is in the environment has a direct impact on nutritional quality.
  10. How do you treat sheep when maggots and flies land on their fleece? Is that a huge problem on your farm?
    Flystrike is limited by using an organically approved compound called Extinosad, which is applied with a jetting machine 2 or three times during fly season—Nov to March. Animals are checked every couple of days in summer to be sure none are struck, or to treat any that are. Treatment is clipping away affected wool, and using a concentrated application of Extinosad
  11. What is the message you want everybody to know about wool farming in Australia?
    It’s possible to do it ethically and profitably
  12. What is your biggest challenge being a wool farmer in Australia?
    Managing the interaction between landscape, weather and grazing needs of the sheep. It’s a very dynamic system!
  13. How are the sheep on your farm grouped? Why?
    All in a single mob, to keep families together. Sheep are highly social animals who learn from each other, protect each other, and like each others’ company. They are much better off in a single big mob with all generations than in “year classes”.
  14. What do the sheep use for shelter?
    Land forms, sags, shrubs, gorse, trees
  15. Are there any natural threats to the sheep on the farm?
    No
  16. How do you control those threats?
  17. At what age can the sheep first be shorn?
    1 year
  18. When does a sheep become too old to sheer….is there an age limit?
    don’t know, but I’m working on finding out. Merinos can live to 16-18 years, and their wool seems to be ok at least until they are 12-15, maybe longer, but there isn’t a lot of evidence. I’m now trying to let my sheep live out their natural lives on the property, so ask me again in a decade 🙂
  19. Does the quality of the fleece change as the sheep matures?
    Yes, younger sheep (less than 3 years) grow less wool of finer micron
  20. How many years have you worked on your farm?
  21. What is the best thing about being an Australian wool grower and working on your farm?

I love shepherding the sheep—being out in the open, on the land, and working with the animals.

What a load of rubbish!

Adding to the Problem                                                         12/08/15

Deforestation and the use of fossil fuels are not the only human activities causing climate change. Other aspects of modern life are adding to the problem. Some produce more carbon dioxide, as well as other greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These other greenhouse gases are released in much smaller quantities than carbon dioxide, but they have a serious impact because they are much more powerful. A molecule of methane, for example, has the same effect as 25 molecules of carbon dioxide. Soot and other forms of air pollution also affect the climate by reflecting or absorbing sunlight, causing cooling as well as warming.

Landfill

Developed countries generate immense quantities of rubbish. A lot of it gets burned and this releases carbon dioxide and other, more noxious gases. But alot more is buried in landfill sites, where the normal decay process is inhibited by lack of air. Instead, the food waste and other organic remains are broken down by bacteria that do not need oxygen. These return carbon to the air in the form of methane, which is an extremely potent greenhouse gas – so even when we bury rubbish, we are adding to global warming and climate change.

Plastic and metal don’t breakdown in landfill.

Food waste and organic matter releases methane gas into the atmosphere – adding to global warming.

The rubbish is compressed and compacted and covered over.

Trucks collect rubbish from towns and cities.

Warming and Cooling

This chart shows the main causes of climate change and how much they contribute to the change. Warming factors include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), artificial gases such as CFCs, and low-level ozone. Soot pollution from snow is also a warming factor. Change of land use and aerosol pollution have a cooling effect, shown in blue.

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Links we made to the Archibull Prize                                 13/08/2015

Why does it all matter?

We see every day the impact rubbish and wrappers have on our school environment. The rubbish in our school is like a small snapshot of what happens in the world.

We decided that we wanted to include this concept in our Archibull artwork. What better way to do it then to include the waste in the stuffing beneath our woven, woollen patchwork valley. The waste is presentative of landfill and gives the chicken wire structure the support it needs.

We also found a use for the metres and metres of bubble wrap our Archibull arrived with. Initially when we unwrapped our 45 kilogram, white fibre-glass cow, we all wanted to pop the bubble wrap and throw the waste in the rubbish. Mrs Dowe wouldn’t allow us; she said she wanted to save the bubble wrap and we would use it later in our artwork. At the time we didn’t know how that was going to work. As it turns out; we have used the plastic bubble wrap to line the top of our chicken wire structure of our valley. This will provide a surface to attach our 105, 10x10cm crotched woollen patchwork to. It is reasonably easy to mould to the shapes we need to form the valley on the platform.

We are so happy our bubble wrap and plastic are not going to landfill and have been put to a wonderful use in our Archibull artwork in 2015!!!!

We have determined that there are a number of benefits in doing this including; cleaning up our school environment; recycling (reducing our carbon footprint); saving money and time, because we didn’t need to source other materials like newspaper; more people added their contribution to our artwork entry (every little piece counts) and lastly, our eyes were opened to how what we do impacts on our environment. It definitely has made us think about what we do on a daily basis to preserve our environment for the future.

Great thinking team Northlakes!!!!!

Milk Road to China is the big winner in 2014 Archibull Prize

We are Champions for Change

One very tried Archibull Prize events team is sending a big shout out to Katie McRobert Editor of Farmonlne this morning for helping us meet our commitment to share the news from the 2014 Archibull Prize Awards with the world as soon as possible

Katie has done some a great job showcasing the event in the media and I have cheekily ‘appropriated’ ( love that word) her story for The Land found here

Bull, baas take out Art4Ag prizes

14 Nov, 2014 04:55 PM

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Increase Text SizeThe crew from Hurlstone Agricultural College - Jahanui Khatkar, James Blight, Darrelyn Nguyen and Jessica Chau - with their winning entry,

It is an inspiring event to be able to support and promote’ Hon Katrina Hodgkinson . The crew from Hurlstone Agricultural College – Jahanui Khatkar, James Blight, Darrelyn Nguyen and Jessica Chau – with their winning entry, “Ni Cow”.

WINNERS of the 4th annual Archibull Prize were announced in Sydney today at the national awards ceremony for the world famous agriculture themed art and multimedia…

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The White Gum Wool Way

The Concept Behind White Gum Wool                05/08/15

This week, we got the great news that White Gum Wool in Tasmania is donating some 100% Merino wool for our Archibull artwork. This prompted us to look into the farming methods of Nan Bray.

Grazing animals, and the plants they eat, have co-evolved over a long time. They’ve struck a balance, where the plant chemistry prevents the animals from eating the plants to death, while the animals have developed the ability to balance their diets and self-medicate using a wide diversity of plants. That ability is a combination of autonomic responses to the food eaten, and knowledge of where to find those forages in the landscape. This combination of ability has come to be called “nutritional wisdom”. The knowledge part is passed on from mothers to babies, in a process requiring 1-2 years.   Keeping babies with their mothers, rather than weaning them and putting them in year-classes, is critical to maintaining the group knowledge of nutrition in the landscape.

A diverse and abundant landscape means more wild animals and birds, which in turn means greater health for the plants and the grazers (wild or domestic).

Production Gains and trade-offs

Nan Bray has created a production landscape on her sheep farm which was designed to maximise nutritional choice and has resulted in a number of production benefits:

  • 40% gain in wool production per sheep
  • 30% fertility gain
  • vastly reduced treatment for intestinal parasites
  • much easier lambing
  • improved general health—better immune systems?
  • reduced stress and stronger social structure in the flock

The trade-off is that to maintain a high level of diversity, a lower than standard level of grazing pressure is required—Mrs. Bray observed a drop of about 30% in sheep numbers from my pre-nutritional choice days. The drop in numbers has been more than compensated by the production gains in the flock. Nan Bray states;

“Most woolgrowers are reluctant to take what seems a retrograde step considering the pressure of generally low profitability in agriculture. The knee-jerk reaction is to try to find ways to carry MORE sheep, not less.”

Nan Bray’s unconventional farming method works for White Gum Wool for a number a reasons including geographical location and features of the environment in Tasmania, as well as climate.

It is important to note that there is no right or wrong way to farm in Australia, as long as the animal’s well-being and welfare is at the forefront of the operation. In future posts we will be comparing and contrasting the different farming methods of Nan Bray and our Young Farming Champion, Bessie Thomas. We will be studying the variables that come into play on the sheep stations.

It was very worthwhile for our class (8WL) to research the environmentally sustainable practices on the White Gum Wool farm in Tasmania. We are also grateful that we get to incorporate some of the wonderful product into our Archibull artwork for this year.

 

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Stop the Press! Here are 25 simple things we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint.

“Carbon Footprint” the term seems to be everywhere at moment. In our ever changing, fast-paced world of technology and movement, we are all concerned with the carbon footprint we leave on the environment.

So what is our Carbon Footprint?

Our carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by a person or population over a certain period of time. To make a long story short, the more of these gasses that we let into the atmosphere, the worse it is for the environment. No matter what your stance on global warming and climate there are more than one benefit to reducing your carbon footprint including saving money. Most of the following ideas don’t take a whole lot of effort; however the gains are massive, both in terms of saving money and for our environment.

The list below details some simple ways we can all reduce our carbon footprint, leading to a reduction in greenhouse gases and slowing climate change. Climate change is the responsibility of everybody as global citizens.

25 – Taking a shower

Taking a shower uses about 1/5 of the energy as taking a bath, and as long as you don’t fall asleep it should use less water too. If not, you can always install a “low flow” shower head to limit the amount of water being used.

24 – Unplug your phone charger

When you’re not using it that is, appliances consume a significant amount of electricity even when they are switched off. Ever notice how your phone charger can get hot with no phone on it?

23 – Use the top shelf of the oven

Of course, this depends on how technical you want to get with your food but generally speaking hot air rises. The heating mechanism is usually on the bottom of the oven but because it emits bursts of heat the top of the oven tends to be consistently hotter. While this will cook your food faster you may have to sacrifice some crispiness.

22 – Wash with cold water

This is especially true if you are washing or rinsing clothes. About 90% of the energy used in the process goes towards heating the water. So unless you are trying to kill all the germs on your clothes with boiling H2O, this could save you some cash and win you some green points.

21 – Buy a laptop instead of a desk top computer

Laptops can use up to 80% less energy than a desktop, and unless you are a die-hard tech junkie that needs to have the fastest processor on the planet, a modern laptop will suit your needs just fine.

20 – Avoid using black garbage bags

Because of the black pigmentation these trash bags cannot be recycled. A better option is to use white trash bags and the best option is of course…none. You could also recycle your grey plastic shopping bags to hold household waste.

19 – Filter your own water

This one is huge. Most tap water (in western countries) is safe to drink and by filtering it you can do a lot of saving. First of all, the water is usually flown in from far away which requires fuel and then the packaging itself uses a lot of energy. Besides, buying bottled water only feels good until you check your bank account.

18 – Buy Local

Once again, if you keep things local it will reduce the amount of fuel that is required to get the food from the farm to your fridge and onto your plate. The same concept goes for other goods and services as well.

17 – Replace your light bulbs with CFL Bulbs

CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs can last up to 15 times longer and use up to 8o% less energy than regular lightbulbs. Again, this could certainly have the added benefit of streamlining your electric bill.

16 – Shift gears sooner

If you drive a manual, shift into a higher gear as soon as you can. On most cars this would mean before 2,500 rpm but on diesel it would be before 2,000 rpm. If you do this right you will find yourself saving some gas because your engine is maintaining a higher speed without working as hard.

15 – Take a train or bus

Sure, it takes longer than flying and as of yet there are no trans-oceanic railways but if you can stand a bit of patience and your destination is on the same continent as your point of departure you will save a bit of gas and money with this option.

14 – Switch to clean, renewable energy

There are several ways to go about this. Although one way would be to research your energy providers and find one that uses green energy, there are also some DIY options available such as installing your own solar panels.

13 – Create a worm farm

Yes, we know, this one sounds weird. The truth is though, that worms love your trash, and they can help you turn it into fertilizer for number 11.

12 – Carpool

As you may have noticed by now, a lot of these ideas pertain to your vehicle. So, beyond keeping your tires inflated and not carrying unnecessarily heavy loads, one of the best things you can do is not use your car at all. If you really need it though, there are websites out there that will help you find a ride. Besides, who wouldn’t want their own lane?

11- Plant an organic garden

Not only does growing your own food make you a more conscientious global citizen, it brings you a sense of satisfaction and if done right, monetary savings.

10 – Buy wood from a certified forest

Certified wood comes from responsibly managed forests. This means that the logging in those forests is being monitored to prevent deforestation and maintain biodiversity. One of the largest certification programs is the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

9 – Close your curtains

In winter you can help your heater out by opening your curtains during the day and closing them at night while in summer you should leave them open at night and close them during the day. By remembering to do this you can save up to 75% on your bill.

8 – Use rechargeable batteries

Using rechargeable batteries can shave almost 1,000 pounds off of your carbon footprint by the time the batteries die for good.

7 – Drive a hybrid car

Although they run a little pricier, over the lifetime of the vehicle you will find yourself more than covering the difference in fuel savings.

6 – Microwave your food

There are several variable at play here, but generally speaking your microwave is more energy efficient than your stove. Of course, using a microwave is not nearly as classy and for large meals an electric stove would probably be a better option, but on average this modern marvel can save you a lot of energy.

5 – Buy energy efficient appliances

On the topic of stove and microwaves, there are several ways you can tell whether an appliance is energy efficient or not. One of these ways is to look for the “energy star” logo. This was a program started by the US government in 1990 to help consumers identify energy efficient appliances.

4 – Eat in-season produce

Out of season produce increases the costs of refrigeration significantly. Not surprisingly it also comes with a hefty fuel related price tag in order to get it from where it is in-season to where it is being consumed.

3 – Read the newspaper online

This one is a no-brainer. By getting your daily fix of news online rather than in print you are saving a lot on paper printing costs.

2 – Install ceiling fans

Using ceiling fans instead of air conditioning is sure fire way to rack up your savings. If you live in a climate where you rely heavily on your A/C this could save you up to a ton in CO2 emissions.

1 – Plant a tree

The age old classic, we all did it in primary school, but it is still the most efficient way to help the environment. Not only do they provide shade and oxygen but they consume CO2 at the same time. Doesn’t get much better than that.

See, reducing your carbon footprint is not difficult. It just takes a few modifications here and there.

It is the responsibility of all of us as global citizens to look after our environment.