Sustainability Loan takes bite out of wild dogs
Fourth generation grazier Scott Counsell has grown up in the wool shed. Raised on a sheep station, he spent every opportunity working the property alongside his family.
Scott Counsell
After finishing school, Scott obtained his wool classers’ stencil which landed him jobs in wool sheds across Queensland and parts of the United States. After returning home from working abroad, Scott was offered the chance to manage one of his parent’s stations, ‘Lyndon’.
“Lyndon is 45,000 acres (18,200 hectares) and I manage it with my wife (Sharon) and sister (Frances). We currently run beef, sheep and goats,” said Scott.
As dry conditions continued to grip Western Queensland, wild dogs began to enclose on Scott’s property making it unpractical to run sheep. Feral pests were causing damage not only to his livestock but also his pastures.
“We couldn’t viably run our sheep operation due to the increased presence of the pests and predators. The huge numbers put pressure on what little pasture was left,” he said.
The resulting decrease in productivity and profits caused by the feral pests led Scott and his family to consider exclusion fencing and applied for a Sustainability Loan through the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA).
The loan helped Scott fund the installation of an exclusion fence to protect his livestock and pastures from ongoing feral pest damage.
“Our business was able to purchase fencing materials and then construct the exclusion fence to enclose approximately 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) quickly,” said Scott.
“The Sustainability Loan has allowed us to fence our property under tough seasonal and financial times.”
Scott highly recommends other producers who are facing similar challenges with feral pest damage to look into how a Sustainability Loan from QRIDA could help their situation.
“Our experience working with QRIDA has been positive and it was relatively easy to complete an application in order to source the funding.”
"I would definitely recommend the service of QRIDA and I have also informed other graziers of the benefits of being a part of this project," he said.
To learn more about how this loan can help you, visit the QRIDA Sustainability Loan.
