ON FARM NORTHERN CATTLE SNAPSHOT: Jane Sale Jane and Haydn Sale, Kimberley, WA SEASONAL CHALLENGES: from September. This will l The season is very dry continue right through to the ACTIVITIES OVER and light on feed, so we end of the wet, with a smaller THE NEXT TWO implemented an early sales percentage of out‑of‑season MONTHS: program to lighten our calves dropping into the load. This involves feeding dry season. > wet season our light cattle from 250kg maintenance and to a boat weight of 280kg. On the human resources maintaining and Because of the poor year, front, we’ve begun recruiting monitoring water we also brought forward our staff for our 2020 mustering sources mustering and weaning to season, and planning our inductions and some > permanent staff take Area: remove the calves from their holidays in rotation Approximately 1,619,000ha mothers and take some of procedural improvements to our workplace health and we’ll recruit staff across several stations and the pressure off. for 2020 Indigenous sub‑leases and safety systems. This WHAT’S ON OUR PLATE: is also the time of year > budgeting and Enterprise: We’ve been working on when we spend some planning. Breeding and backgrounding developing catchment dams time on budgeting and cattle before the wet season starts forward planning. and opening up some new Jane Sale Livestock: areas. We’ve also been MY GO‑TO TOOLS E: jane.sale@bigpond. 50,000 Brahman/ checking and servicing the AND RESOURCES: com Droughtmaster water points and distributing Haydn went on a Rabobank our wet season lick. Global Farmers trip to Brazil Visit: rabobank.com/en Pasture: to look at their beef cattle and search ‘Global Spinifex and annual grasses, The bulls went out with systems. Their climate and Farmers Master Class’ buffel and curly spinifex on breeders in December and cattle type are similar to river blocks, Mitchell, bundlewe’re shifting some cattle to the north of Australia, so bundle and blue grass some of the newer‑developed we’re hoping this will give areas and sub‑leases. Due us some new tools and Soil: to controlled join g, ost plans for future procedures Desert country is red sand breeders started calving and development. ■ over clay, and river country is clay loam and into white clay Rainfall: 350mm–550mm (ranges between properties) Image: Stephanie Coombes 28