There was a buzz in the air as we pulled up at Garallan’s shearing shed just outside of Cowra earlier this month. It had been a while since the last grazing group meet up and with dry times biting, it definitely felt like the right time to re-ignite the conversation.

Mid Lachlan Landcare’s ‘Growing the Grazing Revolution’ program has been actively supporting graziers wishing to maintain & grow healthy landscapes, stock and business enterprises since 2010. This long-standing project was built on the philosophy that there’s power in getting people together and there’s inherent value within community.

With that in mind we settled in for a morning of conversations on the topic of “confident decision making”. Addressing this were a panel of local graziers, each with their own diverse enterprises, personalities, priorities & business structures. We were also joined by Mel Kiel from KRL marketing, a company with tools & courses that help graziers understand when to buy, sell and hold stock.

After seven lively, heartfelt & insight-rich reflections we broke for morning tea and a chance to discuss the key points raised:

Of key Importance is that landscape health is maintained & damage to ground cover is minimised.
Maintaining the health of stock is a priority for all graziers
Clear planning leads to better decision making
Have a plan for making decisions and stick to it. The plan is typically informed by an individuals vision, values & goals
Know your trigger points for making decisions before you have to make them!

Next we headed out to the paddock where Andrew’s Optiweigh scales were waiting for us. Wendy & Scott demonstrating two ways of undertaking a grass budget & we learned a little about how soil health is evaluated.

All in all the event felt like a great re-start to our grazing program and a timely reminder that the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask and with that in mind, we’ve got another event being scheduled for August so watch this space.

Re-activating our Growing the Grazing revolution network has also reminded us just how many amazing mentors we have in our midst. If you’re looking for a mentor, mateship or just a little timely support to help you reach your livestock management goals, this is the group for you.

As Scotty says ‘We’re just here supporting people to be out there doing what they do best’

The future looks bright!