ON FARM GOATS BUSINESS MANAGEMENTC Benefits beyond weed con D iversifying into goats supplement to the income of the otherappears to be minimal. This means the to help manage weeds livestock enterprises without significantlygoats are rarely competing with other has delivered significant increasing the demands on feed. livestock for feed resources,” he said. environmental and financial Weed control In fact, the weeds appear to be benefits to NSW producers Bill The Perrottets diversified into goatspreferentially grazed by the goats over and Jacqui Perrottet. in 2001 to manage woody weeds and the pasture. Bill and Jacqui manage a 1,760ha mixedthistles, including blackberries, nodding“Woody weed infestations accounted grazing business near Guyra in the Newthistle and Scotch thistle. These weedsfor up to 50% of total ground cover on England region. thrive in their high‑rainfall zone andsome areas of the farm 20 years ago. can increase at a rapid rate withoutToday, that’s down to 2% in the same Goats account for approximately suitable control. areas,” Bill said. 5% of the total livestock units (dry sheep equivalent) managed by the Bill said the goats didn’t compete Bred for resilience Perrottets, running alongside beef, excessively for the conventional One of the biggest challenges faced by wool, dual‑purpose sheep and cattle pasture base with other livestock, butthe Perrottets in introducing goats to trading enterprises. they increased the total business returntheir business was managing the impact While goats are far from the primaryin the process. of altitude and the high‑rainfall climate. income generator in the Perrottets’“The pasture is consumed by the goats To combat this, the couple developed business, they have provided a usefulbut the proportion of total intake their own rainfall‑tolerant breed of Goats aren’t commonplace in the New England region of NSW, but producer Bill Perrottet said they not only provide weed control, but also deliver economic benefits to his grazing enterprise. SNAPSHOT:Bill and Jacqui Perrottet, Guyra, NSW GSl Area: Enterprise: Livestock: Pasture: Soil: Rainfall: 1,760ha Goats, beef, wool, Goats, black Fescue white Red and black 900mm dual‑purpose sheep baldy cattle herd, clover basalt and cattle trading Merino ewes joined enterprises to Merino and Dorset rams 22