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Farm animals



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  1. What a good collection of farm animals. I don't know the goats at all but recognise Aberdeen Angus cattle and the ubiquitous Merino.

    I saw something on tele over the w/e about the establishment of a goat museum in Queensland commemorating its contribution to the social development of the State. As you hail from QLD, I make no further comment ...

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  2. I also saw the TV article and it made me think of this post. Don't remember many goats around where I was a kid.

    I've been coping quite a lot of stick over these particular goats however. I spotted then in the distance and needing to give the driver (hubbie) enough time to stop said "black faced sheep, I want a photo". I hadn't had time to tell what they really were. Ever since he has been saying "Look at the black faced sheep" whenever there are goats in a paddock. Though I really did see a paddock full of black faced sheep the other day and got back at him for change.

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  3. I always assoiciate Australia with sheep-farming. Does that predominate?

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  4. AB, In the past wool was very predominant in our agriculture but the balance has shifted. I just checked up a government report for 2006 numbers and our agricularal exports in order of size are
    * beef
    * wheat
    * wool
    * wine
    * dairy
    * other crops
    * sheep
    * and more

    However, the combination of wool and sheep was about the same as beef.

    Another interesting fact, extensive grazing by sheep and cattle occupies approximately 60 per cent of the rangelands, which in turn represent about 80 per cent of Australia’s land area.

    My wayfaring travels have been largely in the areas that have enough rain to include both grazing and cropping, further west it becomes mostly grazing.

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  5. "which in turn represent about 80 per cent of Australia’s land area"

    So, only 20% or less of Australia is unfarmed outback?

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  6. No the 20% that isn't farmed is mining, cities, towns and their assorted industries largely concentrated along the coastline.

    Cattle grazing still occurs in the arid inland areas ... you just can't run as many cattle per hectare. There is underground water called the "Great Artesian Basin" which provides reliable water for cattle through much of the inland.

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  7. These photos are excellent - I especially like the last one--your close-up of the sheep really shows off their personality.

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  8. I have to ask what you did to these. These are a little boring animals but the pictures are interesting and really nice! Beautiful colours... something I havent been able to get a handle on! :)

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  9. I want a black faced goat!

    Lol - at first glance I thought these were dogs, ;-)

    But I want one. A black faced goat!

    I don't think we have any of these breeds in Germany - but I might be wrong of course - might be it's only that I have never seen them

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  10. Wow! I did not know all that statisical stuff ... I would have sworn that less than half of our land mass was used for some productive return. Golly ...

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  11. Sean, cropping and doing the photos as a set made three boring shots more interesing.

    Martina, don't know anything about the goats. The cattle look like Aberdeen Angus which is a beef cattle breed that originally came from Scotland and I understand is widespread throughout the world. The sheep are merinos bred for their wool. The breed apparently comes from Spain but Australia has turned them into an art form. We don't see many black faced sheep, hence my excitement for a photo when I thought the goats were sheep.

    Julie, grazing occupies 60% of 80% of the country which when you do the maths is about 48%. So as I figure -- 20% is cities etc, 48% is grazed and 32% is sort of empty.

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  12. Joan Elizabeth, I am quite sure that Aberdeen Angus is not common in Germany (of course there are some specialists who breed all exotic kinds of cattle). This is a nice site cattle breeds - okay, perhaps another useless link - but I like cattle :-).

    And perhaps something you might like: Heidschnucke

    Moo! Baah!

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  13. Hi Martina, I had a look at the site and see that most of the animals pictures are dairy cattle. Angus are beef cattle. If you are in a diary area you are unlikely to see them.

    I followed the Ãœbersicht/weitere link at the bottom and guess what I spied in the beef cattle table (2nd one down) "Angus"! Don't you hate a smarty pants.

    I also notice it included Hereford another common beef cattle breed here.

    That sheep link was interesting. black lambs! I notice these are mostly sheep for the meat. I'm wondering if that might be why we are beginning to see black faced sheep in Australia too. I must try to get a photo if I see them again, but the problem with sheep is that they are shy and scoot off just as soon as you get near the fence. The ones I got here were in a home paddock so I guess used to human company.

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  14. "I am quite sure that Aberdeen Angus is not common in Germany"

    There are several at the end of my street ... in a zoo.

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  15. Well that's settled it AB. Martina, you might have to visit AB's zoo.

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  16. Hehe, now I had to dig deeper ... .
    Unfortunately everything I found is in German, so here is my little Angus abstract:
    Aberdeen Angus are bred in Germany since 1920, but the Germans didn't like the meat - too much fat. So they started crossbreeding with German breeds and now we have a German Angus. Aha.

    And my little sheep abstract: Until 1950 sheep were bred mostly for the wool in Germany but this has changed significantly and nowadays 90% are bred for the meat. Lambs of course.

    AB, are you sure these aren't the wellknown and famous German Angus in Saarbrücken Zoo? ;-)

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