As I’ve written previously, secure water on your small farm is one of the most important inputs no matter if you just want a small vegetable garden or to keep livestock as well. One option is dam water, but on some properties the soil doesn’t hold water, and if you don’t get regular rain, dams can dry up.
If you can find good bore water on your property, you are guaranteed a supply of water, even through a drought, however it is not always easy to find water underground.
While I like to use electric fencing for quick temporary fences, I do think its important to have a strong permanent fence for the boundary, around the house yard and, on a larger property, other fences to divide the property into paddocks.
If you are interested in growing anything on your small farm, whether its just a vegetable garden, an orchard, or you want to keep some animals, you’re going to need to organise a source of water.
A member recently contacted Farmstyle to tell us she had been visited by representatives from the Australian Communication and Media Authority in Canberra. The ACMA had received a complaint about television and radio interference and our reader’s electric fences were thought to be to blame.
Rural crime is on the increase. This is mostly due to the isolation and ease of access to farms and the portable nature and high value of its livestock and farming equipment. Hobby farms in particular are at high risk of theft as owners are often absent while such farms are usually located within close proximity to towns or cities.
Although it’s impossible to prevent all rural crime, being vigilant of farm security and implementing prevention strategies will lower the risk of it happening.
Where to start? A small farm will have existing fences in various states of repair (from new to many years old) with some of them no longer being stock proof. A great place to start when looking at fencing is to establish a budget and to work out the maximum amount you are able to spend.
Monitoring and reporting The control of pest animals on private land in New South Wales is the responsibility of the owner/occupier under the Rural Lands Protection Act. There are 3 declared species being rabbits, pigs and wild dogs that must be continuously controlled. These pests cost agriculture money in terms of lost production and infection of exotic diseases whilst also causing irreversible damage to the environment.
Farm Safety Facts On-farm injury is a major problem for the agriculture and horticulture industries in Australia.
Deaths - Non-intentional Farm Injury Deaths
Around 100 persons die from non-intentional injury on Australian farms each year. These deaths are of workers, bystanders to work and others and occur in a range of circumstances on farms of different agricultural enterprise types.
On-farm injury is a major problem for the agriculture and horticulture industries in Australia.
Deaths - Non-intentional Farm Injury Deaths
Around 100 persons die from non-intentional injury on Australian farms each year. These deaths are of workers, bystanders to work and others and occur in a range of circumstances on farms of different agricultural enterprise types.
