Holistic Methods 'undo The Damage'

Newcastle Herald

Friday April 15, 2005

Frances Thompson

RUNNING cattle in a wetland calls for some good planning if the farmer wants healthy stock and water, and to protect flora and fauna from hard hooves and high-nutrient excrement.

At the Kooragang City Farm on Ash Island manager Rob Henderson has implemented what he describes as a radical way of dealing with livestock.

Mr Henderson uses holistic management, a method of strategic thinking developed by Zimbabwean Allan Savory, which he believes can help reverse the damage done by bad farming.

Mr Savory was at the city farm recently to see Mr Henderson's work.

For him, the system had assisted the city farm to manage the very different environments that make up the Kooragang area: wetlands, forests and salt estuaries.

"In the past five years we have produced superior cattle, Mr Henderson said.

"They look good and fetch high prices.

"We run cattle to maintain healthy pasture," he said, putting an unconventional slant on beef production.

Mr Savory said farming worldwide was in trouble and he wanted to change the way everybody on the land, including farmers, made decisions.

For example, using chemicals to kill weeds might be OK as long as the end result was not poisoning your neighbour's children or the water, he said.

Frances Thompson