Cattle Farming
Cattle farming is probably the most popular animal husbandry practices in Australia – divided into the beef and dairy sectors, cattle are responsible for a significant amount of the country’s wealth. Here at My Learning Online we have an extensive range of cattle-led husbandry courses to choose from, equipping you with all the necessary tools and skills you will need to correctly care for cattle.
Farming and Agriculture are extremely affluent industries in Australia, with cattle farming making up a considerable percentage of this. This is an excellent sector for any budding farmer looking to break into a thriving industry sector.
Sheep farming
Sheep are farmed for their wool, milk and meat and are an extremely high demand animal within the farming industry.
Those in the business of sheep farming will need a firm knowledge and skill set in sheep environment maintenance (e.g. terrain and climate), appropriate holding and herding procedures, how to mate their male and female sheep, lamb care, as well as knowing the various processes for shaving wool, producing milk and readying the herds for meat processing.
Pig farming
Known for their intelligence and sociable nature, pigs are a delightful animal to rear and care for. Pig farmers must be knowledgeable about the pig breeding process, including mating, farrowing and piglet weaning, all the way to preparing the animals for meat processing.
Like any animal farming sector, there are always multiple steps to consider – animals must receive the correct and appropriate care from birth through to adulthood to ensure their health and best farming results.
Any aspiring pig farmer will need to get to grips with correct pig feeding and nutrition procedures, enclosure options (indoor and outdoor), how to mate their boars and sows correctly, farrowing processes to ensure easy and stress-free births, appropriate piglets weaning and care, all the way to preparing the fully grown pigs for meat processing.
Poultry Farming
Farming poultry involves the caring for and keeping of birds, such as chickens, geese and turkeys, rearing them for either meat or egg production. The keeping and farming of poultry contains many elements that must be expertly implemented to ensure a healthy flock.
Those undertaking poultry farming will need to get to grips with correct feeding and nutrition measures for the different birds, creating a sustainable environment in which the birds can thrive, preferably taking a free-range approach to keep the birds in their natural environments, and therefore in the best form for meat and egg production.
Poultry farming also comes with risks of diseases like bird flu and infections that may spread quickly throughout a flock. Poultry farmers will need to be equipped with the knowledge of how to apprehend and manage outbreaks such as this.
Fish Farming
Aquaculture is an increasingly popular farming industry in Australia; involving the farming of fish such as Australian sardines, Atlantic salmon, bluefin tuna, barramundi and assorted shellfish among some of the most predominant in the region.
With the mass farming and demand of fish becoming greater than ever, there has been more focus on ensuring biosecurity within this farming sector, with strict environmental management, aquatic animal health and food safety measures being implemented to ensure a more sustainable and healthy way of farming sea life. These practices are vital in maintaining a healthy and undisturbed natural environment for aquatic life, making for a better outcome for both wildlife and the consumer.
Apiculture
Apiculture is the practice of keeping bees for honey and beeswax production, as well as for pollination purposes. Apis mellifera – more widely known as the European honey bee – are the most commonly kept bees in Australian regions, and their hives run like a well-oiled machine, with worker bees out earning the bread to maintain the queen and colony.
Using chemicals and signalling movements, the bees work as one to communicate with one another and get the job done. The result is sweet spreadable nectar, natural wax that can be used in a variety of useful and sustainable ways, and a thriving, well-pollinated environment,
We often hear the term ‘save the bees’ – but how important is this really? Well put it this way: without bees, there is no pollination, without pollination plants don’t grow, and without plants that provide food and oxygen for the planet, we will not survive. And with the looming environmental damage being done worldwide, it is more important than ever to ensure the health and wellbeing of our stripy little friends.