Once, it was a big hat, a distinct twang and a definite aversion to technology that were trademarks of a Top End cowboy.
But now, a successful cattleman or woman in northern Australia is decidedly different, if Munro Hardy is anything to go by.
Mr Hardy runs a small cattle station near Katherine, a few hours south of Darwin, and while he’s still got the hat and boots, he could be called a “data cowboy”.
He moved from Victoria to the Northern Territory 15 years ago and has worked as a jackaroo, helicopter pilot and head stockman across many stations.
A modern cattleman
To know exactly what’s happening on his operation, Mr Hardy now spends equally as much time poring over spreadsheets and tapping into satellite data on his smartphone
“We have a lot of data, but managing that data has been a challenge,” he said.
Mr Hardy says many pastoralists recognise the importance of data on their animals and soil, but don’t know how to use it.
“It ends up in a little black box and year after year, no one knows what’s happening with it,” he said.
Mr Hardy thinks it’s a wasted opportunity.
With a scan of a cow’s ear tag and a few swipes on his phone, he has a complete health and background history — from the animal’s vaccination status or its daily weight gain to which paddock it’s from.
He can ensure cattle are gaining weight and land isn’t being overgrazed in a part of the world where the dry season can be brutal.
It also means greater transparency and accountability.
“We have trouble, I think, with our social licence in the north,” Mr Hardy said.
“We’ve got a lot of pressure on us from activist groups, [and are] even seeing pressure on the banks now, and we’re losing support from the banks for our operations.
“So I think if we’ve got data on our production systems, what we’re doing and how we’re sustainable, ethical producers, we should be sharing that and showing what we do in our operations.”
Unlocking potential through nutrition
Mr Hardy also thinks targeted nutrition and genetics are other tools that are not fully utilised.
It’s not how northern cattle stations have traditionally operated, focusing more on breeding big numbers and exporting rather than fattening locally.
“For decades now, we’ve been making improvements in the genetic base of these northern herds,” he said.
“I think … we’ve got an opportunity to unlock that genetic potential through nutrition.”
Mr Hardy and several partners have established a food pellet mill in Katherine to put their cattle nutrition theories into practice.
“We’re growing hay here to go into a feed mill, into pellets, into a high-nutritional blend so that we can feed to our cattle and get the most out of it,” he said.
“We want to produce locally so we can have local jobs here on the farm, you know, cattle operations as well as in the manufacturing facilities we’ve got in town.”
Mr Hardy is also very aware future cattle production will have to accommodate carbon mitigation and he wants to find not just one magical fix but a myriad of ways to reduce emissions.
“If you can set a benchmark for your business and understand where you are year on year — what your carbon footprint is — and work backwards from there,” he said.
“[You can try] to reduce those emissions or areas where you are having quite a footprint.
“Reducing that is measurable and it’s real.”
Mr Hardy is adopting a three-tiered approach:
- Reducing freight distance on feed by growing more locally
- Improving nutrition
- Sourcing materials like enzyme blockers that reduce methane emissions in the animal’s gut
The passionate cattleman has also just completed a Nuffield Agricultural Scholarship travelling the world to observe the best in farming and food production.
“You really don’t understand how connected our global food system is, and so, for me, that’s what’s been really, really powerful,” Mr Hardy said.
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