WEBVTT - Harvesting kangaroos: A partnership between farmers and roo shooters 0:00:06.300 --> 0:00:09.410 This is Seeds for Success, a show where we have 0:00:09.410 --> 0:00:12.410 a good yarn about ag life, with producers who are 0:00:12.410 --> 0:00:15.130 having a go. On the show you'll hear from farmers 0:00:15.130 --> 0:00:18.810 in New South Wales, who are out there battling the elements, making 0:00:18.900 --> 0:00:22.329 tough calls and getting the job done. You'll get a 0:00:22.329 --> 0:00:24.849 laugh out of some of their stories, and also pick 0:00:24.850 --> 0:00:27.870 up some know- how along the way. I'm your host, 0:00:27.950 --> 0:00:33.100 Neroli Brennan. Today we're having a yarn with Logan Tighe. 0:00:33.409 --> 0:00:38.170 Logan owns and runs LJT Harvesting, a professional kangaroo harvesting 0:00:38.170 --> 0:00:42.280 business, with two chillers based in Coonabarabran. Logan is an 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:45.490 avid listener to the Seeds for Success Podcast, and was 0:00:45.490 --> 0:00:49.300 keen to educate more people about the kangaroo industry. In 0:00:49.300 --> 0:00:52.900 this episode Logan talks to us about the industry, including 0:00:52.900 --> 0:00:55.990 what's involved in harvesting kangaroos and what the meat is 0:00:55.990 --> 0:00:59.470 used for. Logan is passionate about what he does, and 0:00:59.470 --> 0:01:02.720 he believes in the sustainability of the industry, the quality 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.700 of the product, and the welfare of the roos. You'll 0:01:05.700 --> 0:01:09.390 also hear how Logan aims to build a trusted relationship 0:01:09.459 --> 0:01:13.020 that provides a valuable service through helping farmers reduce their 0:01:13.020 --> 0:01:17.200 grazing pressure and control their invasive pests. For him, it's 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:21.750 a partnership between farmers and harvesters. Local Land Services Mixed 0:01:21.750 --> 0:01:24.970 Farmers Advisor, Callen Thompson, sat down for this chat with 0:01:24.970 --> 0:01:27.479 Logan just before he headed out to work for the night. 0:01:31.010 --> 0:01:35.259 Well, today I'm with Logan Tighe. Logan's probably the first 0:01:35.360 --> 0:01:37.270 roo harvester that we've spoken to, I think, in our 0:01:37.270 --> 0:01:41.039 podcast. And I got the idea for doing this podcast 0:01:41.370 --> 0:01:45.520 while Logan and I were driving around, and I was showing him around my place, 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:49.440 and started asking him some questions about the industry and 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.140 where the product went. And I thought there's a lot 0:01:52.140 --> 0:01:54.930 of farmers that will probably be pretty interested in how 0:01:55.290 --> 0:01:58.430 roos are harvested and what the end product is. So 0:01:58.430 --> 0:02:00.760 Logan, can you tell me a bit about what a 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:02.040 night looks like for a roo shooter? 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:06.770 Mate, nights can look very different. Depends on the place you go, depends on the weather, depends on all that 0:02:06.770 --> 0:02:10.290 sort of stuff. You can go out and you can go to a good place where you know you're going to shoot 0:02:10.290 --> 0:02:12.679 your 10, your 20, or you can go out to some little 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:15.190 blocks where you could surprise yourself and you could shoot 0:02:15.190 --> 0:02:17.139 your one or your two, or you could shoot your 10. It just 0:02:17.139 --> 0:02:19.380 depends on the night and depends on the roos, and it's 0:02:19.380 --> 0:02:21.470 all that sort of stuff. Obviously your bigger places with 0:02:21.470 --> 0:02:23.880 a bit more scrub, hold a fair few more roos, 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.320 so you're going to get better nights on that. But, depends. 0:02:26.820 --> 0:02:29.660 I imagine weather still plays a fairly big part in it. 0:02:29.660 --> 0:02:32.530 Yeah. The rain at the moment, it plays a very big part. And with 0:02:32.530 --> 0:02:34.679 the feed around at the moment, it spreads the roos out a 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:38.680 bit. They're not mobbed up like they normally are, so it makes them a bit harder to find. Around here they're 0:02:38.910 --> 0:02:42.489 just coming back. Coming into spring, bit of clover, they're chasing that, and 0:02:43.190 --> 0:02:45.250 the crops they're coming off that a little bit now, 0:02:45.250 --> 0:02:47.389 they're a little bit higher, but they're still there. Still 0:02:47.389 --> 0:02:48.090 poking around. 0:02:48.470 --> 0:02:50.231 Bit of wet weather, you'd be at risk of getting bogged. I know there's a few times you've had a few hairy situations on my place. 0:02:50.231 --> 0:02:57.820 Yeah, definitely. There's a couple of wet spots around, but you got to know 0:02:57.820 --> 0:03:00.329 your country sort, and you just get around it. No one wants to go 0:03:00.660 --> 0:03:02.750 and cut up tracks for a farmer. It doesn't look 0:03:02.750 --> 0:03:05.090 real good, and no one wants to spend half a night bogged either. 0:03:05.530 --> 0:03:07.810 No, for sure. Wind did play a bit of an 0:03:07.810 --> 0:03:08.620 issue as well, would it? 0:03:08.620 --> 0:03:11.660 Yeah, wind. Depends on your rifle, what rifle set up you got, but 0:03:11.660 --> 0:03:14.889 it makes them a bit flighty. Obviously, it's hard to shoot in 0:03:14.889 --> 0:03:17.330 wind, but you can overcome it, just depends how much 0:03:17.330 --> 0:03:17.900 wind you've got. 0:03:18.410 --> 0:03:21.980 I've known you since you were a little kid. I used to work with 0:03:21.980 --> 0:03:24.260 your mom and you'd come in after school and color 0:03:24.490 --> 0:03:26.110 in and do your homework and stuff like that. 0:03:26.370 --> 0:03:27.380 Play with the trucks out in the front garden there. 0:03:27.380 --> 0:03:27.890 Yeah. Yeah. 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:29.002 (Crosstalk) , it was great. 0:03:29.002 --> 0:03:31.760 How'd you get into roo shooting? 0:03:31.970 --> 0:03:34.690 I got a cousin who you know. He's pretty big. He 0:03:34.690 --> 0:03:37.150 really got me into it, and he really got the passion for it. Obviously as 0:03:37.150 --> 0:03:39.330 a child, as a young kid, I was shooting with 0:03:39.330 --> 0:03:40.990 my father and that sort of stuff. He's not a 0:03:40.990 --> 0:03:44.450 roo harvester, but my cousin, he set me up pretty well. That's where 0:03:44.450 --> 0:03:45.290 I got my passion from. 0:03:45.530 --> 0:03:49.880 Yeah. No, I know who you're talking about. Him and I are good mates from early age, I 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:54.002 think. And he's always been very passionate about kick, chasing (crosstalk) . 0:03:53.620 --> 0:03:55.670 He's still very passionate about his roos, he loves it. 0:03:56.030 --> 0:03:58.540 Eat, sleeps, breathes it. He's really put my foot in 0:03:58.540 --> 0:03:59.820 the door and I can't thank him enough. 0:03:59.820 --> 0:04:02.740 Yeah. Okay. And you mentioned you used to go shooting a 0:04:02.740 --> 0:04:04.560 lot with your dad, and I think your dad was actually the 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.440 first person to ring me. Is he still involved with 0:04:07.510 --> 0:04:09.150 the roo shooting, or just comes out as a bit 0:04:09.150 --> 0:04:09.180 of a hobby? 0:04:10.210 --> 0:04:12.740 The old boy comes out and opens some gates. And 0:04:13.330 --> 0:04:15.080 he doesn't tell me what I'm doing wrong, because I 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:21.510 know I'm a bit of a better shot than him. And he knows that as well, but yeah, he keeps you awake and a bit of conversation in 0:04:21.510 --> 0:04:23.520 the paddock is always good. Always makes the night go 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:26.220 a bit quicker, and yeah, I'd be lost without him too. 0:04:26.540 --> 0:04:28.490 I remember talking to your mom once, she was doing 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:30.180 a bit of paperwork for you in the early days? 0:04:30.210 --> 0:04:32.310 Yeah. She did a fair bit of paperwork. She's pretty 0:04:32.460 --> 0:04:34.280 handy with that. She'd do my numbers and that sort of stuff. And 0:04:34.770 --> 0:04:35.910 I was going off to work, and she had a 0:04:35.910 --> 0:04:37.940 couple more hours than me. My parents really helped me 0:04:37.940 --> 0:04:39.489 out a lot with running the (crosstalk) . It's a 0:04:39.490 --> 0:04:42.529 bit of God sent really. I love it. Yeah. It's awesome. It's 0:04:42.529 --> 0:04:43.680 a passion. Definitely. 0:04:44.510 --> 0:04:47.500 So once you've shot a roo, what does field harvesting 0:04:47.500 --> 0:04:47.750 look like? 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:51.120 So you shoot your roo, you go pick it up, drag it or 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:52.890 drive to it. If you're lucky enough you can drive 0:04:52.890 --> 0:04:55.409 to it. Then you put it on the back of your rack. Depends 0:04:55.410 --> 0:04:57.700 on which company, you might take the tail off, or 0:04:57.700 --> 0:04:59.550 you might leave the tail on and then just swing 0:04:59.550 --> 0:05:00.919 him up on the back of (inaudible) . And they 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.660 sit through the pelvis, and they don't touch the floor. So 0:05:03.660 --> 0:05:06.000 they don't get contaminated in that way. 0:05:06.310 --> 0:05:07.940 Do you leave in like livers- 0:05:08.370 --> 0:05:11.020 Liver, heart, lung, that all stays in. 0:05:11.150 --> 0:05:12.121 Yeah. And that's so they can tell if they're healthy? 0:05:12.121 --> 0:05:15.830 Then they can run tests on those and tell if they're healthy. 0:05:15.830 --> 0:05:18.580 And obviously tell if they've got any conditions, worms, that 0:05:18.580 --> 0:05:19.150 sort of stuff. 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:22.001 Oh cool. Once you've got them on the back of the (inaudible) 0:05:22.001 --> 0:05:22.520 , where do they go from there? 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.690 I own a chiller in Coonabarabran, I have my own two chillers. They 0:05:25.690 --> 0:05:29.049 go to there and then I sell to a company called Macro Meats. So they 0:05:29.050 --> 0:05:31.520 go to Adelaide essentially, in a truck. Take them to 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:34.530 Adelaide and they export. And that's also on your shelf at Woollies. 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.610 What size roos are you looking for? 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.120 Well, anything really. We've got a minimum weight of 15 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.700 kilos for the national parks. So anything over that is 0:05:44.930 --> 0:05:47.260 fair game, good to take really, add up to your 0:05:47.260 --> 0:05:50.909 bigger stuff. Obviously there's a general consensus that most roo 0:05:50.910 --> 0:05:54.210 shooters want to take the big ones, which is handy, more money, 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:57.660 but if you're doing it properly, you take whatever you can 0:05:57.850 --> 0:05:58.339 get really. 0:05:58.650 --> 0:06:01.330 And so what's the market for those smaller guys, I guess? 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:06.001 Well, it's all the same. You just get paid per kilo. So whatever (inaudible) 0:06:06.001 --> 0:06:08.230 , it's all per kilo. So it just depends on how heavy 0:06:08.230 --> 0:06:10.820 it is really. You're obviously looking to get rid of 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:12.849 as many as you can for the farmer and for 0:06:12.850 --> 0:06:15.050 yourself, because it's the more you get, the more money 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:17.539 you generate obviously, and you keep your farmer happy. 0:06:17.900 --> 0:06:21.150 And once they're at the processor, where does that meat 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:21.870 then go to? 0:06:21.870 --> 0:06:24.330 Like I said, it goes to Woollies or it gets 0:06:24.330 --> 0:06:27.320 exported overseas. I'm not quite too sure where they export 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:30.430 to, but I know generally it's about 60 countries- 0:06:30.529 --> 0:06:30.530 Okay. 0:06:30.531 --> 0:06:32.560 That you can buy roo meat in. 0:06:33.290 --> 0:06:35.460 And is the majority of it pet food or is 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:37.001 some human consumption (crosstalk) ? 0:06:36.610 --> 0:06:40.121 No, so all your bucks are human consumption, that keep the consistency in the meat. 0:06:40.121 --> 0:06:40.121 Yep. 0:06:40.121 --> 0:06:42.560 And your does are in your pet food. 0:06:43.110 --> 0:06:46.690 Okay. So I imagine there's a level of accreditation and 0:06:46.690 --> 0:06:47.839 training that you have to go through? 0:06:47.850 --> 0:06:50.860 Yeah. So it's pretty tough. Well, it's not really tough, 0:06:50.860 --> 0:06:52.330 but it's a bit to get into. You got to 0:06:52.330 --> 0:06:54.700 be pretty passionate. So you got to do a shooting course, which 0:06:54.700 --> 0:06:57.450 is a paper test and a shooting accuracy test. You 0:06:57.450 --> 0:06:59.260 have to have your rack set up, and it's all got to 0:06:59.260 --> 0:07:01.360 be accredited by Safe Food. And then you have to 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:03.610 be approved for a national parks license to harvest your 0:07:03.610 --> 0:07:06.850 roos. And also when you get on a farmer's place, 0:07:06.850 --> 0:07:08.510 they have to fill out a consent form for the 0:07:08.510 --> 0:07:11.400 national parks, so they know where all your roos are harvested. That's about it. And you got 0:07:12.110 --> 0:07:13.760 to order tags for each roo, and all that sort 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:14.310 of stuff. 0:07:14.530 --> 0:07:16.991 So what sort of training do you go through for the- 0:07:16.991 --> 0:07:17.131 The dressings side of it? 0:07:17.131 --> 0:07:18.090 Yeah, the dressing side? 0:07:18.090 --> 0:07:21.630 So the dressing side of it is a TAFE course 0:07:21.630 --> 0:07:23.470 that you do online, and you have to go out 0:07:23.470 --> 0:07:26.930 with a harvester and they have to show you how to do it. And you get photos or 0:07:26.930 --> 0:07:28.619 a video taken of you. And then you send that into the 0:07:29.370 --> 0:07:30.710 TAFE course and they approve you on that. 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:32.760 And how often do you do accuracy? 0:07:32.980 --> 0:07:35.500 The accuracy is every five years. And your rack inspection 0:07:35.590 --> 0:07:37.989 is every year, and your national parks license is every year. 0:07:39.020 --> 0:07:40.760 How do you ensure quality? 0:07:41.110 --> 0:07:45.020 So you use sanitizer, you wash in between everything with 0:07:45.020 --> 0:07:48.100 sanitized water, my knives are dipped in sanitizer every time, 0:07:48.180 --> 0:07:50.680 which they're meant to be. Obviously keep them out of the dirt as 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:52.910 much as you can keep them out of the grass, as much as you can, you 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:55.130 don't want any foreign contaminants in there. But you got 0:07:55.130 --> 0:07:57.030 to be clean. It's not hard to be clean. 0:07:57.310 --> 0:07:59.739 Yeah. I noticed (inaudible) is always pretty spotless. 0:07:59.780 --> 0:08:02.340 Yeah. The stainless steel it's really good to clean. It 0:08:02.340 --> 0:08:02.710 makes your life a whole lot easier. 0:08:04.230 --> 0:08:06.570 It's not like the old days of pig chasers driving 0:08:06.570 --> 0:08:09.910 through town with (crosstalk) all sticky and horrible looking. 0:08:09.910 --> 0:08:13.880 Yeah, that's back in the old pet food days. They changed a lot since then. Definitely. 0:08:14.550 --> 0:08:16.530 And I guess if you are having to do that 0:08:16.670 --> 0:08:21.050 shooting accuracy regularly, the animal welfare respect from the roos is 0:08:21.110 --> 0:08:23.570 pretty good. There's pretty much a roo standing in a 0:08:23.570 --> 0:08:27.040 paddock, next minute it's dead and it's getting dressed. 0:08:27.130 --> 0:08:29.470 Yeah. The roo doesn't know what's happening. It doesn't feel 0:08:29.470 --> 0:08:29.830 a thing. 0:08:30.270 --> 0:08:30.570 Yeah. 0:08:30.930 --> 0:08:32.780 Doing the accuracy test. And I'm out in a paddock 0:08:32.780 --> 0:08:35.189 five to seven nights a week, a minimum five nights 0:08:35.190 --> 0:08:37.830 a week. You keep your practice up pretty well. You 0:08:37.830 --> 0:08:38.710 get pretty good at it. 0:08:38.900 --> 0:08:41.360 Yeah. And I imagine you guys would be a lot 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:43.569 better shots than a lot of farmers, who are going 0:08:43.570 --> 0:08:46.500 out into the paddy once or twice every couple of weeks. 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:48.439 Yeah. Well, we obviously need to shoot in the head. 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:49.760 If we don't shoot in the head, we can be 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:52.980 fined, because that's not a humane kill. Our accuracy is pretty 0:08:52.980 --> 0:08:55.870 good, in my own words, from what I see from 0:08:55.870 --> 0:08:57.699 the blokes I've got shooting for me. We take a 0:08:57.700 --> 0:09:01.150 fair few roos out of the area all week. It also 0:09:01.510 --> 0:09:03.370 saves a farmer a night, who's been working all day, 0:09:03.700 --> 0:09:06.120 going out shooting all night. He might like it. It might be a bit of a 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.590 passion for him, but at the end of the day, he doesn't have to 0:09:08.660 --> 0:09:09.679 get out and do it every night. 0:09:10.950 --> 0:09:13.400 Yeah. I guess from my point of view, you coming 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.250 out here, save me a lot of time. I can now spend with 0:09:16.250 --> 0:09:18.460 my family at night and not have to be out 0:09:18.460 --> 0:09:18.501 in the paddock in the cold. 0:09:18.501 --> 0:09:21.800 Yeah. It's no cost to have a roo shoot at 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.870 all. There's no cost to it. It's all basically free. 0:09:25.090 --> 0:09:27.089 We're helping each other out. In a sense I'm helping 0:09:27.090 --> 0:09:29.460 you with your crop and you pasture, keeping the roos 0:09:29.460 --> 0:09:31.670 off it. And you're helping me by, I obviously make money out 0:09:31.670 --> 0:09:32.960 of it. And I love it. It's a passion for 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:33.710 me. It's not a job. 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:37.140 Yeah. And I noticed in the drought, even paddocks that 0:09:37.140 --> 0:09:40.210 we completely de- stocked of sheep or cattle, were still 0:09:40.210 --> 0:09:44.640 getting heavily grazed by roos. And it was causing some 0:09:44.929 --> 0:09:46.610 pretty bad ground cover issues. 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.469 In the drought it was easier to shoot roos than 0:09:49.470 --> 0:09:51.530 when it's wet, obviously, because there's not as much feed. 0:09:51.690 --> 0:09:53.630 So you could really clean out the roos. But there 0:09:53.630 --> 0:09:55.370 was a big problem with roos in the drought. It 0:09:55.370 --> 0:09:57.890 was very noticeable. And now you can notice they're still 0:09:57.890 --> 0:10:00.699 there, they haven't died off like people said, they have, they're 0:10:00.700 --> 0:10:02.740 just more spread out. They're all covered in the scrub. 0:10:02.740 --> 0:10:04.550 They've got plenty of food, plenty of water. They don't 0:10:04.550 --> 0:10:05.880 have to come out if they don't want to. But 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:08.319 now they're chasing the clover and that's a bit richer, they'll end 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:10.780 up poking out a bit more coming in the spring. In summer, 0:10:11.140 --> 0:10:12.010 they'll definitely be out. 0:10:12.290 --> 0:10:15.319 Is it hard to find farms to actually harvest? 0:10:15.550 --> 0:10:18.489 It is and it isn't. Some farms are a bit different about it. 0:10:18.620 --> 0:10:20.709 Some are like, you are really approachable. I've known you since I was 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.160 a kid, basically. Been around the area, I've known a 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:26.950 lot of people. And then you get on some people's properties and 0:10:26.950 --> 0:10:29.070 word of mouth gets around and yeah, it works out 0:10:29.070 --> 0:10:33.209 pretty well. Word of mouth around about me now. And I don't really have to chase country and door 0:10:33.210 --> 0:10:35.020 knock like I used to, but also, I don't have 0:10:35.100 --> 0:10:38.010 country coming in every week. You just got to be presentable. 0:10:38.220 --> 0:10:41.090 Know what you're talking about basically. And just be yourself. 0:10:41.340 --> 0:10:44.420 Word of mouth in small rural towns does travel. If 0:10:44.420 --> 0:10:46.590 you weren't doing a good job for a farmer, people 0:10:46.590 --> 0:10:48.002 would say (crosstalk) . 0:10:48.002 --> 0:10:51.160 It's in my completely best interest to do everything right by 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.550 the farmer. Not leave gates open, not leave trash through 0:10:53.550 --> 0:10:56.070 paddocks, not do the wrong thing, essentially. Not shoot top 0:10:56.070 --> 0:10:59.030 wise or fences. Roo shoot is pretty respectable. We know 0:10:59.030 --> 0:11:00.670 if we do the wrong thing, it comes back to 0:11:00.670 --> 0:11:02.079 bite us at the end of the day. And it's not 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:02.680 good for anyone. 0:11:03.100 --> 0:11:05.030 Even though you do love it, it is a job. 0:11:05.130 --> 0:11:05.420 Yeah. 0:11:05.420 --> 0:11:07.002 And you've got to be professional (crosstalk) . 0:11:06.780 --> 0:11:09.170 100%. You've got to be very professional. It is a job. But 0:11:09.230 --> 0:11:11.929 they say, if you like your job, you never work a day in your life. 0:11:12.020 --> 0:11:13.199 And that's exactly what it's like, for me anyway. 0:11:15.100 --> 0:11:17.640 You work full time during the day as well. How 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:20.609 do you manage working all day and then not sleeping 0:11:20.610 --> 0:11:20.701 at night? 0:11:20.701 --> 0:11:24.110 You get in a routine. You definitely get in a routine. Some days 0:11:24.110 --> 0:11:26.520 you're a bit doughy, but you push through. Like I 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:28.559 said, it's a passion for me. So you got to know your 0:11:28.559 --> 0:11:33.010 limits as well. You obviously don't want to drive tired. You're endangering yourself and other people. That's not a 0:11:33.010 --> 0:11:35.280 great thing, but you got to know your limits basically. 0:11:35.820 --> 0:11:38.760 Logan, I've noticed when I drive into my paddocks, I 0:11:39.050 --> 0:11:42.150 often see the dead fox and dead pig. And you 0:11:42.150 --> 0:11:45.350 always give me a rundown on what pigs you've seen 0:11:45.350 --> 0:11:46.280 and things like that. 0:11:46.490 --> 0:11:48.940 Love knocking over pigs. They're very destructive. You know yourself, 0:11:48.940 --> 0:11:51.210 seeing it in your own crops. They just get in 0:11:51.420 --> 0:11:54.210 there and they dig and dig and dig. And foxes the same, around 0:11:54.210 --> 0:11:58.410 lambing time, foxes are terrible. I always knock down foxes, especially. 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:00.809 And I think that's a part of the industry that 0:12:00.809 --> 0:12:03.890 people don't know or don't understand, is that you guys are actually 0:12:03.890 --> 0:12:06.350 taking a lot of those feral animals that we are 0:12:06.350 --> 0:12:08.929 working really hard to control, out of the system as well. 0:12:08.980 --> 0:12:11.630 Yeah. And that's it. And obviously with harvesting kangaroos, if a 0:12:11.630 --> 0:12:13.270 farmer's going out and shooting him himself, he's leaving him 0:12:13.460 --> 0:12:15.010 in a paddock, and they're going to sit there and they're going to 0:12:15.010 --> 0:12:18.001 stink. He doesn't have to deal with that. He doesn't have to drive past a paddock of (inaudible) 0:12:18.001 --> 0:12:19.489 he wants to have a look at, and go, " 0:12:19.490 --> 0:12:23.540 I don't like driving here because it stinks." He doesn't have to worry about that. It's a 0:12:23.540 --> 0:12:25.860 bit different, but if you've got gut piles there, you're going to have foxes 0:12:25.860 --> 0:12:28.160 coming in as well. So you know you can go there and you 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:30.610 can clean up a couple foxes as well. And pigs, 0:12:30.780 --> 0:12:31.710 same goes for pigs. 0:12:31.980 --> 0:12:35.559 Yeah. And I guess you've removing that meat, that high protein meat that 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:39.640 allows pig numbers to really build up and fox numbers 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:40.170 to build up too? 0:12:40.420 --> 0:12:43.480 Yeah, can't get them all, but you can do your best. You can 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.520 clean a fair few up in a night. And the foxes are pretty 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:47.829 tricky to shoot, I'm not going to lie, but nine times out of 0:12:47.900 --> 0:12:48.490 10, you'll get them. 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:51.500 Yep. So Logan, one of the first things I think 0:12:51.500 --> 0:12:54.360 you and I had a yarn about was biosecurity. So 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.710 for me on my own farm, biosecurity's really important. And 0:12:57.710 --> 0:13:00.420 it's a message from LS that we're always streaking, is 0:13:00.420 --> 0:13:02.600 that clean on and off. How do you manage that side 0:13:03.179 --> 0:13:03.240 of things? 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.620 Basically blow the (jute) out every afternoon and wash 0:13:06.620 --> 0:13:09.359 it out. You can't get 100% out, but you can do your best 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.001 to limit it. You can take all the mud out. (inaudible) 0:13:12.001 --> 0:13:14.329 are bad. They get everywhere in your radiator, grass, 0:13:14.330 --> 0:13:15.820 seeds, all that sort of stuff. You got to do 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.110 your best to get it out, basically. If you're turning 0:13:18.110 --> 0:13:20.079 up on farm and, and your jute is messy, that's 0:13:20.460 --> 0:13:22.440 not a great look, it's not a desirable look. Like I said, it's 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:24.309 not hard to be clean. It might take you an 0:13:24.309 --> 0:13:26.179 hour to wash your jute, or you might just do it when you 0:13:26.179 --> 0:13:28.150 get home while you're still awake and clean it out. 0:13:28.150 --> 0:13:30.339 So then you're ready to go the next day. But yeah, 0:13:30.380 --> 0:13:32.170 biosecurity is a big thing. And a lot of farmers 0:13:32.170 --> 0:13:33.990 always talk about biosecurity as well. 0:13:34.429 --> 0:13:36.809 That's good to know. Often I'm wondering whether our message 0:13:36.809 --> 0:13:37.439 is getting through. 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:39.800 No, (crosstalk) especially, you see all the signs on 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.760 the gate and everything now, the biosecurity signs. So there's a 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:44.559 lot of farmers around here that are really into it. 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:45.319 Yeah. Awesome. 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:45.950 Which is good to see. 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:50.340 Yeah. Is there any new technology that you guys are 0:13:50.340 --> 0:13:52.620 starting to use, or that you can see being used 0:13:52.620 --> 0:13:53.189 in the future? 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:54.699 I've seen a lot of shooters, I don't have it 0:13:54.700 --> 0:13:57.090 myself, but they're using thermal. So it cuts down on 0:13:57.090 --> 0:14:00.050 the light, which then spooks to roos. It's a very easy 0:14:00.050 --> 0:14:01.760 way to spot something in a paddock. You obviously see 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:04.050 the bright red glow, and you can make it out, 0:14:04.050 --> 0:14:07.110 what it is perfectly. You can see the size of the animal. 0:14:07.170 --> 0:14:11.059 Same with foxes, pigs, roos, anything. That's one thing I've 0:14:11.059 --> 0:14:13.670 seen that's a really big advancement. But like I said, 0:14:13.670 --> 0:14:15.610 I haven't got it myself or used it. But I 0:14:15.610 --> 0:14:17.700 know a bloke that has got it, and he loves it. 0:14:17.780 --> 0:14:20.750 And I imagine that's fairly expensive technology now, but hopefully 0:14:20.750 --> 0:14:21.480 it'll come down a bit in the future. 0:14:22.220 --> 0:14:24.670 Hopefully it'll come down. It is pretty expensive. You can get 0:14:24.670 --> 0:14:27.880 cheaper versions, but if you're doing it full time, you want the 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:30.320 best one you can get, or a mid one. But yeah, 0:14:30.770 --> 0:14:34.190 it's pretty handy from what I've seen. And I'm still a old spotlight and scope 0:14:34.190 --> 0:14:37.490 sort of bloke, like old fateful. That's what roo shooters have been doing for 0:14:37.490 --> 0:14:42.300 years. It works efficiently, it's easy, it's fail safe as 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:45.210 well. But yeah, that's about it, really. Yep. 0:14:45.820 --> 0:14:48.210 What's the plans for the future? Is roo shooting a 0:14:48.210 --> 0:14:49.810 long term job for you? 0:14:50.010 --> 0:14:52.390 I'm about to start another apprenticeship. Yep. But I'll still 0:14:52.390 --> 0:14:54.270 be doing mt roos. So I'll be able to make 0:14:54.270 --> 0:14:56.850 that work again. So that'll be my second apprenticeship, but 0:14:56.850 --> 0:14:58.740 it's definitely a long term goal for me. I've got 0:14:58.740 --> 0:15:00.840 my two boxes here. I've got a fair few blokes 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.420 shooting for me. They pretty well run themselves. There's a bit 0:15:03.420 --> 0:15:04.970 in running the chiller. You got to do your daily 0:15:04.970 --> 0:15:07.210 temps every day, and you've got to check your box, 0:15:07.210 --> 0:15:09.330 make sure it's running all right. You've got parameters in 0:15:09.330 --> 0:15:11.640 times, roos have got to be cooled down and all that sort 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.180 of stuff. But yeah, it's definitely a long term plan 0:15:14.180 --> 0:15:16.970 for me. I'd love to retire early and keep doing 0:15:16.970 --> 0:15:19.350 it, but just depends on what happens I guess. 0:15:19.540 --> 0:15:23.240 And in managing all those brew shooters that are delivering 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:26.770 to your boxes, do they deliver only to you, or 0:15:26.770 --> 0:15:28.140 do they deliver to other boxes? 0:15:28.230 --> 0:15:30.640 No. Well, they only deliver to me as far as 0:15:30.820 --> 0:15:33.760 I know, obviously. We've got an invoice system, so I supply 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.370 book, they write down their roos, their weights, where they 0:15:36.370 --> 0:15:38.430 were shot. So you need a pit number as well, 0:15:38.570 --> 0:15:40.780 where that was shot. And you got tag advice numbers that 0:15:40.780 --> 0:15:42.640 helps both of us, because with them, we both have 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:44.760 to log them in a system for the national parks 0:15:44.940 --> 0:15:46.960 monthly, and the box has got to be done weekly. 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.960 That just shows the national parks where they're at with their numbers and all that 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:50.570 sort of stuff. 0:15:50.860 --> 0:15:51.281 So it sounds like a fair bit of paperwork involved? 0:15:51.281 --> 0:15:55.830 There's definitely a lot of paperwork in it. It's a very regulated game. 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:58.630 And I guess it needs to be, to make sure 0:15:58.630 --> 0:16:02.790 you're not taking too many roos, and also keeping that quality. 0:16:03.050 --> 0:16:05.710 That's it. Your pit numbers trace it as well. So 0:16:05.710 --> 0:16:07.920 it trace it to the place they come off. The quality 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:10.410 is a big thing, but it's pretty well regulated. 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:13.210 Yeah. (inaudible) mate. Well, thanks so much for your time. 0:16:13.390 --> 0:16:14.870 No worries. Thank you for the opportunity. 0:16:15.130 --> 0:16:17.770 It's been good for us all to get a better 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.051 understanding of where the roos go. 0:16:19.051 --> 0:16:21.710 Yeah, it's good to shed some light on it. We're 0:16:21.710 --> 0:16:22.870 here to help, basically. 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:23.720 Cool. Thanks mate. 0:16:26.460 --> 0:16:29.520 Thanks for listening. This podcast was brought to you by 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:33.740 Central West Local Land Services. Local Land Services delivers advice 0:16:33.740 --> 0:16:37.080 and support to farmers, landholders, and the community across New 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.520 South Wales. To learn more, you can find us online 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:44.580 by searching for Central West Local Land Services. If you'd 0:16:44.580 --> 0:16:47.680 like more information about the topics we discussed today, as 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:50.800 well as links to relevant articles, fact sheets, events, and 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:54.170 other helpful resources, we've added those into the show notes 0:16:54.170 --> 0:16:57.580 for this episode. You can find them by tapping or 0:16:57.580 --> 0:17:00.440 swiping over the cover art in your podcast player now. 0:17:01.030 --> 0:17:03.520