APY Pastoral
Developing and Creating the Right Foundation
Building a solid pastoral business is a challenge in the current environment and needs further time to build stakeholders support. APY needs a solid commitment from stakeholders to build this business so that APY can create an economic future for Anangu through of the sustainable management of Pastoral and APY Land. Our focus is to address the financial and structural issue that have impeded our ability to fully capitalise on our position and our natural resources. Once these legacy issues are address we would welcome our stakeholders to join us in creating a positive Pastoral business for all Anangu.
Priority Action Plan
APY Pastoral has completed and is fully committed in carrying out, an intense Action Plan moving forward. We have a huge work agenda to complete current priorities in order to maintain our current business. There are far less issues than last year to contend with and we are well on the way to setting the foundation that will build a positive industry that will be owned and run by Anangu from the PY region.
Pastoral Agistment Agreement
APY have been steadily working through legal agistment agreements in order to create an equitable, clear and workable understanding between our stakeholders and the APY Traditional Owners involved. The end result that we are aiming for is that this development will assist all parties, but more importantly create an ongoing economically sustainable pastoral business for all Anangu on APY Lands.
Pastoral Lease Agreement Anangu
APY is working toward developing a pathway that enables Anangu Traditional Owners to develop and operate their own individual Pastoral Business with the support of APY Pastoral out of Umuwa. This pathway is being developed in complete alignment with the APY Land Rights Act and uses every possible opportunity to build the industry from the ground up. Training will be tailored to suit individual strengths and allow APY Pastoral to support the Anangu businesses when and where appropriate or necessary.
Develop a Herd Monitoring and Recording System
APY Pastoral, cannot manage what we cannot measure. Streamlining and creating a common recording and monitoring system that is consistent and understood by all parties whether working in the paddock or within administration is a priority for APY. This system will also create an accurate record of current cattle numbers, which can be used as a statutory declaration, declaring that the information provided is a true and accurate account of livestock transactions carried out on the APY lands.
Resources Management
APY Pastoral continues to work toward purchase and maintain pastoral infrastructure to support the work need to build a pastoral industry. All new and old Pastoral assets and infrastructure being built or purchased is currently logged onto an asset register to enable tracking of resources. A new pastoral training centre near the Pastoral shed is currently being built to accommodate young pastoral trainees wanting to work in the industry.
attempts are being made to develop and continually upgrade resources and create a maintenance scheduled for repairs and maintenance on all Pastoral equipment. This will assist APY in making the best economic and environmental decisions moving forward. It will also assist APY to address any prospective animal welfare issues.
Feral Animal Management Program
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Feral Animal Management is an ongoing issue that is not easy to address as so many emotional ties of these unmanaged Animals. APY are still seriously committed to attaining the best possible outcomes for all parties concerned and continue to talk with Traditional Owners about the importance of Feral Animal management to both the APY Lands and Anangu culture in general. |
Develop a Nutritional/Supplement Plan
To enable the pastoral business to effectively manage landscapes and control livestock grazing, we need to be making effective feed budgeting adjustments within the designated grazing areas. To do this, we require a clear understanding of our Livestock’s Nutritional requirements. We then need to develop the necessary supplement plan that responds to the “Primary Limiting Nutrient” during the various stages of a cow’s breeding cycle and synchronise this with seasonal growth. By addressing this we can increase the productive capacity of the paddocks and effectively graze and control the spread of undesirable grasses. This creates a win/win situation by turning Buffel Grass directly into Beef through increasing the capacity of the Digestible and Metabolisable Energy Source, which in turn converts to a substantial return on investment dollars. We need to continue working with Land Management in containing the spread and the environmental threats of this grass both within and outside the designated grazing areas. Controlled grazing and Cool Fire seasonal burning are currently the most practical and economical ways to control this threat.
Pastoral Landscape and Livestock Management Centre Model
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With the added support through stakeholders and other organisations we are seriously committed to establishing and developing a Pastoral Landscape and Livestock production Model. This proven Model has the capacity to engage and show cases our Pastoral Production vision and Management Plan. By creating a working model close to Umuwa but in a highly productive and accessible area we truly believe that we can showcase our qualities and ability to implement Landscape and Animal Best practice methods under a Challenging Semi-Arid Environment. Once this is established we then have the capacity to teach, lead and develop the true potential of sound employment outcomes for all committed Anangu. We also believe that with support we will develop an economical, socially adverse and sustainable Pastoral Grazing Business and an effective land management system that then can be rolled out across the whole of the available grazing areas of APY Lands. It is important that we develop the system on a smaller scale at first so that the true potential of Productivity, Landscape management, Social benefits and Gross Margins can be fully documented, recorded and finally celebrated.
Stake holder engagement
It is paramount that APY choose every opportunity to shopfront there core business prospects and continue to rally for support and develop further trust with all forms of stakeholders and present themselves as capable and willing leaders particularly in the Pastoral and Land Management areas. APY does have the ability and a diverse wealth of knowledge within the organisation to continue creating real jobs and opportunities with real cash flow. APY Pastoral, Land Management, Rangers, Stockmen and APY Administration unitedly have the potential to be an extremely successful Core Business for many years to come. However, a lot of hard work, effort and commitment from all of us here on APY Lands along with State and Federal Government support are required to continue to make this happen.