Woody weeds - Could Camels be the answear ?
Booubyjan graziers Dean and Tracy Rockemer have purchased 23 camels as part of
weed control program for their 650 hectare properties.
Unlike cattle, camels possess gut bacteria which allows them to easily digest
woody weeds such as Lantana and Cats Claw Creeper, and actually prefer to eat
them rather than grass.
Although camels are considered a serious pest in some parts of Australia, they
have been used with success in Western
Queensland to control Parkinsonia, Prickly acacia and Johnny apple.
The Rockemers’ are believed to be the first graziers in the Burnett Mary region
to use camels for weed control.
Mr Rockemer said he predicts the camels will be more effective and less expensive
than using chemical control.
“They seem to work very well in other areas, so we thought we would trial them,”
he said.
He said that because the camels only eat a small percentage of grass they are
not competing with the cattle for the grass.
“We see it simply as a low cost option for weed control, and at this stage have
no plans to produce camel meat or milk.”
Late last year over 70 camels were sold at the Dalrymple sale yards in North
Queensland, primarily for weed control for local landholders.
The Rockemers can be contacted on email: tracy.rockemer@bigpond.com or by phoning
07 4168 6160.
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