A stock containment area provides many benefits to farm management, including during drought, seasonal extremes (dry and wet), after fire and for general farm management.
SCAs can help support a range of daily farming activities, including:
- stock feeding, watering and monitoring
- pasture management
- minimising erosion risks by avoiding over grazing
- an area to manage potential weed introduction from introduced feeds
When siting an SCA, landholders should consider the following:
- adequate setbacks to minimise risk of run-off to waterways
- location on moderately sloping, well drained, stable soil (eg clay or clay-loam), avoiding pen-to-pen drainage
- shade and shelter for stock
- distance to neighbours and local and state planning requirements
When planning for and setting up an SCA, consider the following:
- avoid feeding directly from the ground
- use fencing suited to the type of animal to be managed
- locate feed points well away from water troughs to minimise contaminating the water source
- consider laneways and vehicle access
- depending on liveweights, allow five to 10 square metres per sheep and 10 to 15 square metres per head of cattle
Animal health and welfare should be a top consideration and priority when siting and creating SCAs:
- animals in SCA need to be supplied with a suitable diet (energy, minerals and roughage) and water
- introduce the grain or concentrate rations gradually
- vaccinate (five or six in one) at entry
- daily monitoring of animals, feed and water
The Navigating Farm Developments web-based platform can help work through considerations for appropriate siting of the development of SCAs.
More information on SCAs and feeding can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website.
To find more information about available drought support, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/drought or call 136 186.
– Livestock extension officer Greg Ferrier
28°C