On our farm here in NSW, like many other farms in the region, we have a problem with Blackberry Bushes.
For anyone from the city who isn’t acquainted with them, Blackberry Bushes aren’t cute little shrubs that give you some delightful fruit. No, they are a noxious weed that grows out of control. There is virtually no limit to the size they grow, and they are covered in thorns ready to ensnare human and animal alike with even the slightest contact.
And that is just ONE patch!
We’ve got some whoppers of Blackberry Bushes on our land, some almost bigger than our house! They have been very hard to get rid of for two reasons:
A: We don’t like to use poisons on our property
B: Even if we did use poisons, most of the bushes are located in the middle of our shallow creek, meaning that any use of herbicides could result in them entering the water, causing major damage to other plants and the ecosystem in general.
So what were we to do?
Well, we kinda lucked out. Mick, who I buy nearly all my second-hand pots from in order to propagate plants for our Organic Plants & Produce business, runs a family business of his own. He and his wife Billie run Dry Creek Farm, and they specialize in bringing out herds of goats in order to decimate Blackberry Patches, leaving nothing but stems and fertilizer in their wake. After being impressed with the job they did on our farm, I couldn’t help but ask them for an interview and they kindly obliged:
Sustainable – and cute!
What first gave you the idea to use goats to clear huge blackberry patches?
Huge Blackberry patches on our own place and a strong desire not to spray. We have done a permaculture course and heard of people using goats for weed control. We were getting a fair bit of pressure from the weed inspectors to do something about our Blackberry so we decided we’d have to give it a go.
What made you decide that using goats to clear blackberry was a viable business?
Mostly the fact that it worked so well on our place. We knew other people were also looking to an alternative to spraying. Also, we had the goats and were running out of feed for them!
How much blackberry can a mob of your goats clear in a day?
We usually say a single car garage per day but we’ve recently experimented with using larger mobs and knocking them over a bit faster. We have found that it depends on the goats and what they’re used to eating, we’ve recently bought some goats and found they weren’t as keen on blackberry as our initial mob. Nothing a bit of competition and on the job training won’t fix. (after the goats moved from your place to join with the others they have started churning through the patches like there’s no tomorrow)
How is using goats to clear blackberry more sustainable and ecologically friendly than using traditional methods?
Spraying is very detrimental in the long run, it kills soil life and does not allow the weed to add fertility to the soil. The production and transportation of agricultural chemicals is a huge contributer to greenhouse gases and creates a cycle of chemical dependence on farms. Goats help to increase fertility by turning weeds into manure which makes it easier to break down. Treating weeds in this way also allows the plant to continue filling it’s niche in the ecosystem. For example, blackberry helps prevent erosion and having the goats treat a patch still leaves the canes and the roots to fulfill this function.
I understand something rather odd (and amusing) happened when your goats were at our place. Can you describe what happened?
We’ve well and truly learnt that not everything goes to plan when working with animals. We decided to swing via your place for an unscheduled check on the goats because we happened to be in the area. Lucky we did. When we arrived we noticed there were nine feral and stinky billygoats showing an interest in our girls. One was in the paddock with our goats and another had his horns completely tangled in the mobile fencing and was being humped from behind by another of the billies! It was not his lucky day. Mike had to get amongst it and wrestle him free of the fence then we had to draft them out of the paddock and chase them away to discourage them returning. It was all a bit dramatic but didn’t cause too much drama in the end and gives us something to have a laugh about. We were quite surprised as we had the goats working on our place for twelve months with feral goats always around and we have also done other jobs and seen billies about but never had this situation!
I’d like to thank both Michael and Billie for both their time doing this interview and the wonderful job their goats did getting rid of our blackberries. You can find the website for Dry Creek Farm HERE.
BeforeAfter
Got any questions for Mick and Billie? Pop it in the comments section below and I’m sure they will be happy to answer it.
Despite some successes, this week has not been a good week for Vegans in Australia.
One of the more militant factions of the Vegan community, in order to celebrate the anniversary of a documentary highlighting animal cruelty issues (Dominion), took actions many would consider extreme across numerous parts of the country. They did this in the hope it would make people aware of their cause and win people over to their way of thinking.
From a PR perspective it didn’t work. It really didn’t work.
Instead of people applauding the steps they took, there has been countrywide condemnation of their actions. The anger from the community expressed both in real life and on various social media platforms has been both palpable and prolific.
So why? Do people really hate animals that much?
In short, despite some successes with their personal goals, the execution left a lot to be desired. In some cases it actually highlighted how, this group which is so concerned about animal welfare, have little knowledge about the realities of dealing with actual animals rather than the ideal of them. Let’s take a look:
*The Melbourne Blockade
The Action
Without any prior conferring with any of the relevant departments or authorities, on Monday morning a group of 60+ Vegan Activist’s blockaded the intersection of Flinders and Swantson street in the CBD, many chaining themselves to vans.
The Purpose
In the numerous soundbites provided by the Activists to the media, the most common phrase was ‘We want everyone to go vegan’. They also wanted to stop ‘so called farmers’ as they stated it, exploiting livestock and instead growing grains.
The Result
Thousands of people were inconvenienced by the blockade. 16 tram routes were all but halted. 5 major trauma centre’s in the CBD had to reroute their ambulances. A large group of the activists were arrested.
The Public Reaction
Thousands of Melbournians were pissed off about being made late. Many Australians were horrified about the effect this had on the trauma centre’s as it could have resulted in a possible fatality. There was no mass conversion to Veganism and no ‘so called farmers’ released their herds of livestock into the wild.
*Abattoir Protests
The Action
Several abattoirs were targeted by Activists where they chained themselves to killing floors and refused to leave, stopping production.
The Purpose
To stop animals being killed for human consumption.
The Result
One abattoir actually negotiated the release of 3 lambs in return for the Activists leaving. Activists at other sites were arrested and removed by police. Production at all affected sites was shut down for several hours before resuming.
The Reaction
Actually quite light. Despite extensive media coverage, people seemed to be more interested in the other stories regarding the Vegan Activists that day. Positive reactions from the wider Vegan Community for saving the lives of 3 lambs.
*Invasion of Farms
Dairy farmer who had their farm invaded
The Action
Vegan Militants targeted and invaded numerous private farms around the country. One of the most notable incidents was where activists cut the wire to a dairy farmer’s gate, went onto private property and herded a small amount of cattle onto the road. They then blockaded the gate so that the farmer could not return his cattle to their paddock.
The Purpose
The freeing of livestock so that they could not be used to produce milk.
The Result
The cattle got scared at out at being out on a narrow bitumen road with lots of people, instead of in their huge paddock with plenty of food and water. They freaked out further at not being able to re-enter their home. One cow tried to break through the boundary fence in an effort to get back into her paddock and got tangled in the wire, even ending up upside down at one point. No livestock ended up ‘frolicking free’.
The Reaction
The public once again did not like it. Empathy was felt for the livestock that had been traumatized by the Activists actions. Empathy was felt for the farmer who had to deal with the horrible situation.
*The Closing of the Gippy Goat Café
Photo shared by Vegan Militants and the subsequent reaction (reaction post shared over 30K now)
The Action
Months of harassment of a Café that specialized in goat produce and also had a goat petting zoo. Actions included trespass, theft of livestock, online and phone harassment and threats against the café owners, their staff and their families. Also many reports of customers tyres being let down.
The Purpose
To close down a café that dealt in goat milk, goat meat and keeping goats in a pen for people to interact with.
The Result
The café after months of harassment did indeed close. A very public statement was made, citing all the harassment made against them, the legal powers of the country not protecting them or prosecuting the offenders, and apologies to the 8 staff they had to let go because of the closure.
The Reaction
Videos released by the Activists showing them kidnapping a goat. Instead of being ‘wowed’ by their noble actions, the public were appalled to hear the activists saying things like “Are we taking it to a vet?” “No we might get in trouble”, especially when the farm they were stealing the goat from had a vet on staff. People were appalled to see the goat stuffed into the back of a small van, when animal safety regulations say that such animals should be transported safely in appropriate trailers. Photos taken and released by the Activists showing 4 young women laughing that they received no conviction angered people at the lack of respect for the law and the lack of empathy for those they hurt, and was subsequently shared thousands of times on social media with taglines shaming them.
There were lots of other actions taken on that day by the Vegan Activists. There was a small march in Sydney, the Melbourne Aquariums main gate was shut down and so on. So if the intention had been to simply gain media, this militant subset of the Vegan community certainly succeeded. Add that to the rescuing of 3 lambs from a slaughterhouse, halting slaughterhouse production for several hours and the closing down of a Goat-themed café and you could say they had a decent amount of success with their goals.
So why do many think it was a failure?
One of a number of articles from news outlets
It’s quite simple, the actions were perceived countrywide as illegal, extreme and subsequently got the general public offside. The public at large has condemned their actions and it seems this Militant Vegan Subgroup have actively pushed people away from supporting their cause. Instead of highlighting the cruelty to animals they made themselves look like terrorists. Their actions showed a flagrant disrespect for the law, a disrespect for private property and a high level of bullying and intimidation tactics. People felt for the café owners and their employees that suffered for months to the point of receiving violent threats against both themselves and their families. People felt for the cow that nearly killed itself trying to return to its paddock and the goat that got stuffed in the back of a van. People didn’t like the way they were told to ‘Go Vegan’ rather than being convinced to go Vegan. People didn’t like the attacks on famer’s as a whole, lumping anyone with livestock in with that very tiny subset that actually do abuse their animals. People didn’t like how the Militant Activists didn’t seem to care what effects their actions had on others, only their own agenda. And that agenda was perceived as consisting of forcing society at large to conform to the Militants personal ideological beliefs via acts of criminality. It was perceived as using stand-over and fear tactics to make people adopt your ideology.
So to sum up – no sir, people didn’t like it.
And now here we are two days later, with condemnation of the Militant Vegans actions almost universal across the country. People’s social media feeds are full of pictures and platitudes calling for support for struggling Aussie Farmers and/or ‘Vegan Bashing’ memes. There has been no ‘mass conversion to Veganism’ but rather a strengthening of Anti-Veganism sentiment.
Example of popular meme doing the social media rounds
And in fact considering the above it would be remiss to not mention one other group which have suffered because of all this action. Your average, everyday Vegan. The Vegans who had nothing to do with and did not support the Militant Activists. Just like Muslims should not be targeted for the action of a few Islamic Extremists, Vegans in general should not be shamed and harassed for the actions of a few. I’ve had a Vegan friend for near 20 years and never once has she tried to convert me to Veganism and likewise I’ve never tried to turn her into a carnivore. We’ve respected each others lifestyle choices and it may behoove society at large to do the same.
What they SHOULD have done
If there is any advice to give the Militant Vegans that took the actions they did on Monday it would be this. CHANGE YOUR TACTICS! People don’t react well to bullying. People don’t react well to being shamed. People don’t react well to being told you ‘must’ do this instead of you ‘should’ do this. People don’t like the innocents being lumped in with the guilty (in this case farmers).
Next time, actually target specifically those few farms and companies that do have atrocious animal treatment records and work on bringing their actions to light. Don’t force closures of cafes and release animals into danger at places where the animals are treated properly. Farmers everywhere are struggling with drought and small business owners are struggling to stay afloat – by attacking these groups you come across as indiscriminate bullies and terrorists. Following on from this, it would be extremely foolish to follow through with the most current threat, which is to publish the personal names and addresses of every farmer in Australia. Would you enjoy 80 meat eaters invading your residence where you and your children live, demanding you conform to their way of thinking?
Next time, instead of holding up traffic for hours in the middle of a city, hold a BBQ in the middle of the city. Cook up some Vegan food and offer samples to everyone passing by to show them how good it is. And while there instead of telling them they ‘have’ to go Vegan, maybe try to persuade them to try having one Vegan day a week to test the lifestyle out.
Next time, leave animals the hell alone! On all the footage shown it was mainly young women from major cities who obviously didn’t know how to handle animals properly. You are doing more harm than good to these creatures. In fact it may do a lot of these young urban people good to go spend a month on a farm to actually see firsthand how the vast majority of farmer’s treat their livestock, rather than sitting in a café a hundred miles away from the nearest farm talking about how terrible the livestock have it with no personal experience. As Henry Rollins, a near-vegetarian, once said ‘Knowledge without Mileage equals Bullshit”.
Look at this weeks reactions to your actions with some genuine introspection. Don’t fall into the trap of saying ‘Well anyone that condemns us is a animal hater and an idiot”. If the vast majority of the public is condemning your actions, and even many moderate Vegans are not in support, really try to look at why. Can it truly be that everyone in society except those that agree with you are completely wrong?
Next time try conversation instead of confrontation. On a personal note, I’m a hobby farmer and confirmed meat eater, however years ago I was convinced of the merits of vegetarianism by a vegetarian friend who simply had me over for dinner, then afterwards had a discussion with me about how much more food can be produced per acre by using the land for crops rather than grazing livestock. While it didn’t convince me to become a vegetarian, it gave me a newfound respect for the lifestyle choice and made me much more open and un-judgmental of people having different dietary lifestyles to my own. So if any ‘militant vegan’ reads this blog, I heartily encourage you to pop links in the comments section below talking about the merits of the Vegan lifestyle. I’ll happily read them and read them with an open mind, whereas if all you do is post pictures of dead animals or tell me how horrible a person I am for eating meat and having a different point of view to yours, I’ll probably dismiss anything you say out of hand. Convince me rather than condemn me.
But in the end, to any Militant Vegan reading this, please realize that this weeks actions this week did not work to win the public to your side. A hefty proportion of country is demonstrably pissed off with you. It is doubtful you made a single convert but not doubtful that did create a lot of Vegan-Haters. And a friendly reminder that the ends do not justify the means. Simply because you think your cause is just, it doesn’t give you the right to do whatever the hell you like with no regard for the consequences of your actions. Learn this, take it on board, and maybe next time you have your country wide protests, you may find them far more well received and who knows, actually maybe make a difference to the national psyche regarding animal product usage and consumption.
Got anything (respectful) to add? Pop it in the comments section below!
Never in all our years together have I felt such a sense of betrayal resulting from the actions of my spouse.
No, she didn’t cheat on me. No, she didn’t spend our savings on something extravagant for herself. No she hasn’t been saying awful things about me behind my back to her friends and family. She hasn’t even stopped me ordering this months shipment of Transformers.
The near-unspeakable act she committed was…. wait for it…. telling our son we could have at least one vegetarian dinner a week!
I know – pretty shameful behaviour right?
“What did she just say?!”
We are a decision sharing household and whilst both my wife and I have autonomy to make decisions, we usually do so safe in the knowledge that the other would agree with our actions.
But the other night when we were eating dinner, my son asked what vegetarianism is, as he has encountered the concept since starting Primary School. So we explained to him what it was. He then asked if we could have a vegetarian dinner. Without batting an eyelid, without looking to me to see if I was on board, she replied “Yeah we can have a vegetarian dinner. In fact we can have one every week”.
My jaw hit the dinner table, and not simply because I was stuffing rissoles into it. Did she just say what I thought she said?! Did she just make a unilateral decision regarding our family’s dietary requirements without consulting with me?
“Um… dear…” I said is a very guarded tone.
She looked at me, subtle amusement clear on her face, then repeated herself to our son that “yes, lets have vegetarian once a week”.
I was shocked! I was flabbergasted. And I tell you one thing…. this will not stand!
Now, let me say something from the outset – I have nothing against vegetarians. My entire adult life I have had vegetarian friends and sometimes eaten at their houses. Even went to a vegetarian restaurant in Melbourne for one of their birthdays once. The tofu tasted like bloody awful warmed-up gelatin but I still ate it.
From a sustainability viewpoint I think vegetarianism has a lot going for it, given you can generate a lot more food per acre from growing crops than from grazing livestock. You are going to feed the starving masses around the world a lot easier with rice than you are with lamb.
Plus I’ve always looked at Vegetarians the same way when young I looked at Gay Guys. Every two guys that decided to get together meant that there was two more women available for me to pursue. And like that, every person that decides to become a vegetarian means one less person competing for that prime steak in the butchers shop. Homosexuality, Vegetarianism – not lifestyles I subscribe to but of which I heartily approve.
But this is my dinnertable. And by gawd in this household at dinnertime we eat MEAT!
Try getting this level of satisfaction from a bowl of alfalfa sprouts
For those of you thinking I am being draconian in my viewpoint, consider the following:
Breakfast
We technically have vegetarian for breakfast 6 days a week. My son and wife have porridge, my daughter has toast and I have fruit. It’s only on a Sunday when I cook a big breakfast for the family that meat enters the realm of breakfast in our household.
Lunch
At lunchtime my kids have hardly any meat. My daughter has one slice of shaved ham in her ham-and-cheese sandwich. My son has two slices. Besides that it’s all cheese, bread, fruit, crackers and my wife’s home-baked goods like banana bread. In fact, sometimes we make the kids organic free-range duck egg sandwiches which cuts out that bit of meat all together!
My wife packs salads for her lunch so she usually eats vegetarian, unless she puts some lean chicken in or something.
I usually take a frozen meal to work, as since I am so rushed making my kids lunches for Preschool & Primary School in the morning, I don’t have time to make any for myself. And anyone that has eaten those frozen meals know the companies are extremely frugal regarding how much meat they include.
So that is a tiny bit of meat for the family at lunchtime, vastly overshadowed by a plethora of non-meat products.
So, given that even if you combine the first two meals of the day, the meat intake of my family is miniscule, why the hell should we be eating vegetarian for our third meal as well?!
Well, I can tell ya right now – we won’t be! I never cook an all meat meal, why should I cook an all vegetarian meal? Is that fair? Is that just? Is that a balanced diet? No, no it is not!
Every meal I cook has non-meat products in it. If I cook Indian there is rice, coriander, naan bread and pappadums. If I cook Thai there are Asian vegetables and noodles. If I cook Italian there is pasta sauce, wholemeal pasta and garlic bread. If I cook your average Aussie Meat & 3 Veg, there is indeed 3 Veg. In fact I usually put in four of five!
Chef extraordinaire
And yes there is meat. And yes there is usually a lot of meat. And on my plate in particular there is admittedly a LOT of meat! But it’s not all there is. Again, as tempting as it is I never cook an all-meat meal (for a really great all-meat meal though, check out this recipe!).
So I’m putting my foot down. There will be no vegetarian meals at dinnertime in our household. None, zip, zippo, nada, naught! There will always be meat. Lamb, Pork, Venison, Chicken, Beef, Seafood – whatever. It will be there on the plate for all to enjoy. Someone doesn’t like it, they can push it to the side of their plate. Good luck with that since my daughter is a little carnivore and my son, the one who asked about having vegetarian meals in the first place, complains almost every night about having to finish his veggies. I can’t see them pushing all that meaty goodness to one side so as to have more room for broccoli.
My wife cooks about once a month. I, as the househusband(who now also works 4 days a week AND looks after the farm) am the primary chef and it will be a cold day in hades before I start cooking meals of a night that don’t have a big slab of animal flesh included! We are carnivores, our eyes are in front in order to judge the distance to our prey – eating meat is natural and healthy and it is how humanity evolved. I firmly believe we developed an opposable thumb so we could go out and club mammoths in order to have Flintstone-sized steaks back in the cave. Humanity would not have survived as a species if our ancestors had said ‘Oh I think I’ll just have a light salad’. I treat my gut like Noah’s Ark, it is my fervent hope that by the end of my life it will contain at least two of every animal. And making one 7th of my weekly dinners vegetarian may well ruin that dream. Surely my wife can’t want to destroy my dreams can she? Doesn’t she love me the way I love her?
A plate of Flying Fox in Vanuatu. It was… unique.
As far as I’m concerned my wife can cook vegetarian when it’s her turn to cook. I’ll just require adequate notice so that I can have a bunch of bacon on hand to add to mine.
Got something to add? Pop it in the comments section below!
