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Times are changing. Until fairly recently many farmers were simply producers. Their energies were focused on growing crops and producing livestock. Selling was often just a matter of sending produce to the local saleyards or silo or contacting their stock and station agent. Producers were price takers rather than price managers. Now many farmers have become marketers rather than just producers, and in the near future many more will make the fundamental shift from an on-farm focus as price-takers to a wider approach that includes price risk management and marketing. Official marketing authorities are playing less of a role in marketing Australian agricultural produce. As part of this deregula...
For many new entrants to the alpaca industry a major allure is the thought of breeding these beautiful, intelligent and easily-handled animals. The challenging question that new breeders must ask themselves is “Why do I want to breed alpacas?” This leads to other vital questions – “Huacaya, suri, or both?”; “White, coloured, or a bit of everything?”; “How much do I need to spend?”; “How many should I buy?” For some people purchasing alpacas, the initial reason is as a small-scale hobby farm. However for many of these people, as they begin to breed and learn more about their alpacas, their focus changes and they use their knowledge to improve the quality of their stock �...
Principles of Ecology is an outline of environmental and landcare themes. It aims to give you some basic tools of understanding before you get into more detailed studies of an area of land. In this book you will be introduced to some environmental terms and start to look carefully at a landscape you are working with. This book was produced for the online Diploma of Conservation & Land Management offered by Tocal College. It supports the Australian national competencies AHCILM501A Conduct field research into natural and cultural resources and AHCPCM502A Collect and classify plants.
The magnificent Tocal property in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales stands as a testament to Australian agriculture and Australian farmers. This book is a pictorial guide to Tocal Homestead, the property, the history, the people and the land.
This guide describes the benefits, guides the use of commercially produced compost and provides instruction for farmers who have the time and equipment to produce compost from organic wastes on their own farm.
Free range poultry sounds simple - and it can be given the right skills and reasonable expectations. This book has been written to provide easily consumed technical information and real-life examples from growers who range from large scale production to mixed farming of meat and egg production to help you get started in free range poultry. Topics covered include: - Sourcing stock - Pastures for poultry - Health management - Biosecurity - Regulations Plus nine case studies. Each case study is unique—just as your enterprise will be. The examples we use range from large-scale, highly sophisticated production and marketing units to a farm with an eclectic mixture of meat and egg organic production, and all points in between. AgGuides are compiled by highly regarded industry experts to provide easy to follow advice on agriculture and support the Tocal College external study program for agriculture. AgGuides are compiled by highly regarded industry experts to provide easy to follow advice on agriculture and support the Tocal College external study program for agriculture.
This book traces the history of Tocal College, and explores the reasons why Tocal has thrived since it was established 50 years ago, while many other agricultural training institutions have declined. In the early years, Tocal was in many ways a smaller brother. But to survive, Tocal had to adapt. This required flexibility, a willingness to innovate, a pioneering spirit, the support of stakeholders and above all, political savvy. It is a credit to the leadership of its Principals over the past 50 years that Tocal has not only adapted, but seized the initiative. It has transformed from a regional, residential-based institution to an industry-based, national training hub. It is embedded as an i...
Pig AgSkills provides a basic guide to some of the skills and practices of keeping pigs. The book contains step-by-step instructions, diagrams, printable checklists and full-colour pictures. Some of the skills included are: · Trimming boar tusks · Condition scoring · Restraining pigs · Caring for compromised pigs · Recognising oestrus · Risk management · Legal considerations
Even when the weather is fine and seas are calm, good sailors don’t relax completely. They make sure their boat is on course and in good shape, and they constantly watch for any changes in the weather. It’s the same in farming. A successful farm business plans its direction, keeps its eye on the farm’s performance and watches for any changes that might be ahead. When the going gets tough, and even when it’s not, successful farm managers review their business plans, watch their production, marketing and finances closely and make any adjustments needed to keep the business on track. That’s what this book is about. It shows how to write a business plan step by step, how to monitor the performance of the farm business and how to decide if changes are needed to keep the business on track. A business plan is a great tool for any farm. It helps owners, managers and other stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the future and adopt a strategic approach to achieving that vision. A well prepared plan can help to keep the farm business viable, profitable and satisfying for those involved.
Confused by agricultural terms? The glossary gives you a simple and clear explanation of the common terms used in the main rural industries. Terms provided by Nicholas Annand, Glenda Briggs, David Brouwer, Noeleen Clarke, Elizabeth Frost, Mary Kovac, Jennifer Laffan, Matthew Notley, Amanda Paul, Darren Price, Douglas Somerville, Angela Thompson, Fiona Vanderbeek.