Low stress stock handling made simple
- 27-29 September.
- Bowen River rodeo grounds.
- Contact Senior Field Officer Brendan Smith 0417 408 587.
The aim of the workshop is to help graziers to handle stock in a calm and confident manner in all situations.
Topics covered include:
- Increase productivity and make money.
- Improve meat quality from your livestock.
- Be more effective with your time and money.
- Improve management and profitability.
- Reduce cost of production.
- Have quiet, stress free stock and people.
- Learn to work through all situations confidently.
Even though the emphasis is to revisit graziers’ ability to read cattle and work with them in a low-stress way, there will also be lots of discussion on the following:
- holistic business principles ranging from the importance of keeping good ground cover;
- appropriate yard design;
- sound and consistent communication;
- financial analysis;
- how to get the best bang for your buck with infrastructure development; and
- how to approach family succession.
Sustainability is not a destination – it’s a continuous journey being carried out by each generation of graziers responsible for raising and supplying beef across the world.
That’s the view of the founder and principal trainer of Low Stress Stockhandling, Jim Lindsay, who believes knowing how to work with animals without stress is a key component in setting the standard in ethical beef production.
“It comes down to knowledge and communication,” he said.
“We can use pace and pressure to direct cattle where we want them to go, but we need to recognise and work with their fight and flight zones to get the result we want and that they’re comfortable with.
“We also need to communicate well with the people who are handling the cattle.
“Everyone needs to be on the same page to ensure cattle are being handled without stress.
“Get this right, along with using a holistic approach to running your grazing business, and the beef industry will be sustainable for generations to come.”
Jim Lindsay (left) with Bristow and Ureisha Hughes and children Archie and Braille
Attitude is the key
BORN in 1957 and raised on a 2 million acre cattle property in far south-west Queensland, Jim Lindsay’s association with stock has been since ‘before he could remember’.
Leaving school at an early age, he worked as a stockman and horse-tailer (responsible for the care of the working horses) on North Queensland Gulf properties, before returning to the south-west country to run a stock camp and contract mustering operation.
He has been involved with large herd management in extensive areas as well as droving cattle.
In 1980, he purchased his own cattle property in north-west Queensland near Hughenden, and has been conducting working dog and stock handling schools since the early 90s.
Jim believes one’s attitude is the key to obtaining benefits to people and livestock and promotes harmony between man, and dog, and animal, in the working environment.
Jim Lindsay in action