Incorporating farmed goats into sustainable rangeland grazing systems in southern Australia: a review

Abstract

Abstract. The recent trend to farming or re-domestication of feral goats poses serious questions for the ecological sustainability of the semiarid and arid rangelands of southern Australia. This paper reviews aspects of the biology and grazing habits of goats, and aspects of the Australian goat industry, relevant to their sustainable management in livestock enterprises. Key factors identified include high fertility and fecundity even under low seasonal rainfall conditions and a generalist feeding strategy. Adverse consequences for rangeland condition can be expected if seasonal or market conditions result in an imbalance between population growth and turnoff, resulting in high grazing pressures. Given the limited control of the reproductive process at the current stage of the development of goat farming, strategies aimed at ensuring continuity of sale of goats (e.g. on-property feed lots or supply chain and market development) will be important in ensuring that imbalances are avoided. Conservative stocking rates and use of seasonal risk management tools are also particularly relevant. The major research and development needs identified by this review, from a resource management perspective, concern the appropriate dry sheep equivalent rating for goat classes based on age, sex and reproductive status, the extent and consequences of heterogeneity of grazing in space, time, and across forage species, and development of means of establishing sustainable stocking rates based on the use of all available forage sources, including browse.

Can a return to small ruminants increase profitability and drought resilience in the semiarid rangelands of northern Australia?

“…Our analysis of rangeland goat production systems was designed to estimate the performance and profitability possible when goats were managed to prevent overutilisation of the pasture resource. Such overutilisation can occur in commercial property situations due to high reproductive rates (122% weaning rate in this analysis), and also possibly greater drought resilience and survival than for other livestock species due to the more flexible diet and better ability to select for diet quality (Hacker and Alemseged 2014). The present analysis applied a sufficient rate of sale of surplus goats so as to maintain (and avoid increasing) equivalent grazing pressure on the pasture compared with other livestock enterprises.…”

A survey of the meat goat industry in Queensland and New South Wales. 1. General property information, goat and pasture management

“…Underestimation of stocking rates can be a problem, as high stocking rates can cause overgrazing, degradation of rangeland vegetation, reduced groundcover, and increased soil erosion (Bayne et al 2004;Brice et al 2012;Hacker and Alemseged 2014). High stocking rates of 7.5 goats/ha has been reported as possible in a high rainfall region of Victoria without negatively affecting the botanical composition or ground cover (McGregor 2010a).…”

“…It is recommended that in dry seasons, where palatable plant species are in short supply, a stocking rate below that considered to be appropriate for the area should be applied and plant species monitored to avoid eradicating the species and increasing soil erosion by removal of pasture litter (Harrington 1986). Setting and adjusting the stocking rate is a critical management practice that is required for maintaining sustainability (McGregor 2010a;Hacker and Alemseged 2014).…”

Degraded or just dusty?: 150 years of ecological change in inland eastern Australia

“…Goats are highly selective but adaptable herbivores, preferring grass and herbage in abundant seasons but able to survive on browse, including relatively unpalatable shrubs, bark, leaf litter, roots and fungi in dry times (Downing 1986;Hacker and Alemseged 2014). This allows them to persist much longer than sheep and kangaroos, increasing the potential for overgrazing and degradation.…”

“…Goats occur patchily across the study area (Pople and Froese 2012), and can have a severe effect on perennial vegetation where they are in 128 high densities (Parkes et al 1996). However, the nature and severity of these impacts are not well documented (Edwards et al 2004;Hacker and Alemseged 2014). Pigs are concentrated around wetlands and their foraging and rooting can have substantial local impacts (Hone 1995;Choquenot et al 1996).…”