Ennerdale Highland Cattle is a local business in the Binalong region, raising and selling traditional Scottish Highland Cattle. The business is run by Clive, Kay & Tara Shepherd, who are passionate advocates of the breed for paddock, plate or showing.
“We chose these animals because they are croft animals,” owner Clive said.
“They are a niche breed which are very environmentally sustainable, as they have low feed requirements.”
The Highland Cattle are often used in the UK for productive remediation of land, as they are easily managed to browse pasture rather than pushing it too hard.
The Shepherds have spent 20 years improving their land by adding organic matter to the ground and managing their pasture and stock numbers.
“Our land has improved year after year, maintaining groundcover even through drought,” Clive said.
Thousands of dung beetles were added to the paddocks 4-5 years ago, which has been a big success in aerating the soil and reducing flies on the property, as the dung beetles incorporate manure into the soil. This also required a change in chemicals used for drenching.
The Shepherds are active in controlling both plant and animal pests, removing weeds (using a careful mix of chemical and mechanical control), and implementing rabbit and fox control as a priority.
“We are lucky to have great tree coverage on the property already,” Clive said. “There are a lot of different bird species in our woodland”.
One of the projects they are very proud of being involved in is the restoration of the Boorowa River, done with Greening Australia several years ago.
This project involved removing an infestation of willows, fencing the river off from stock access, and replanting with native trees and shrubs. The tree planting has been a mixed result but is still a focus for the owners.
Clive speaks of a “minimum input, minimum impact” approach to managing their property and the cattle. “It’s a matter of educating people in how they need to diversify – environmental sustainability needs to be a part of every business.”
