Environments - LIVESTOCK FARMER
A Taste for Magpie Geese? Really!
Seaweed,
methane emissions and cow burps:
What's the connection?
Calculating
the cost for frozen rates that snakes eat
Other Activities involving or related to the Livestock Farmer in On the Job
Primary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
1. Go to the Sheep Game and play it.
2. What did you learn from this game? Talk over with a partner.
A
Taste for Magpie Geese? Really!?
Middle
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Literacy
|
1. "Forget kale and quinoa, the next big food
fad could be an animal that is considered a pest by Top End farmers.
Magpie geese have a reputation for destroying crops in the Northern
Territory, but now some of world's best chefs are serving them up to
their customers." (Source:
ABC) Read this article about Magpie Geese [Former Port Adelaide star...] and the new industry - how to provide magpie geese on a large scale to Australian city restaurants.
2. Birdlife Australia tells us that Magpie Geese are widespread in northern Australia "where they may congregate in huge flocks often comprising thousands of birds". |
 |
 |
"The Magpie
Goose is a specialized feeder with wild rice, Oryza,
Paspalum, Panicum and spike-rush, Eleocharis, forming the
bulk of its diet". (Source:
Birdlife
Australia) NT holds the largest population with an estimated population of over 2 million individuals. These birds are large and grows up to 90cm, slightly smaller than a Black Swan. The Department of Land Resource Management limits hunting to 3 - 4 months of the year, for which a permit is required. (Source: Parks and Wildlife, NT) |
Fast Facts to consider:
- The business can process 20 birds in an hour
- The demand is for 200 - 300 birds per week or 15,600 birds per year
- The business needs to be sustainable - have little or no impact on the number of breeding pairs. It also needs to comply with the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport regulations of only harvesting 10 - 14% of the 2 million birds (200 - 280K) including the 60K hunted by Aboriginal traditional hunters and 20 - 40K by non-traditional hunters.
- Magpie Geese's eggs are 3 times the size of duck eggs (which retail for about $8/dozen) (Source: Bush Tucker Recipes)
- Chicken livers are sold for $3.98/kg (Source: Woolworths)
Magpie Goose getting plucked
Recipes for Magpie Geese:
- Magpie goose curry and pan fried damper
- Baked marinated magpie goose with asparagus mushroom stir, blachan and braised kangaroo steaks
Magpie Goose at an
Adelaide Restaurant, Orana
3. You are to work out:
a. A sustainable trap to capture the birds without hunting
b. How many sales of Magpie Geese will ensure that 9 workers will be paid $50K per year if the birds were worth - $50, $75, or $100 each.
c. What other Magpie Goose products could be added to the business?
d. The business' maximum growth
e. Devise a marketing campaign to encourage both Australians and visitors to eat Magpie Geese. Use Canva to create a poster about the delights of eating Magpie Geese
Seaweed,
methane emissions and cow burps:
What's the connection?
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Literacy
1. Read the following article from
The Conversation 13 October 2016
2. Take note of all the statistics within this article.
Discuss with a partner. What did you find the most interesting?
3. Describe the chemical process of the effect of seaweed on methane production.
4. What is the vision for the future of seaweed farming? What impact will it have on livestock farming?
Calculating
the cost for frozen rats that snakes eat!
Primary
Middle Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
Teacher
Please read the information about sizes and feed requirements contained in the Word doc
4 pagesFirstly, direct students or read as a class Cheryl Martin's story - a rat farmer.
For primary students, the following activity is a good exercise in getting information from tables.
All classes.
Divide the class into pairs and allocate two different types of snake to
each pair - look at Table 1 to see the different types of pet snakes. Each
pair of students will research their snakes and make a presentation to the
class of the facts and figures.
After all the presentations, the class will determine which snake is the
most cost efficient to have as a pet.
Students
1. Form pairs. You will be allocated two snakes to investigate. Your task is to investigate and present information re: the type, size and number of frozen rats that your "pet" snakes need.
2. Look at the following tables and work out:
a. what size rat will be required to feed your allocated snakes?
b. how often do your snakes need feeding? Did you average the frequency? What is your reasoning?
Table 1: Sizes of Rats required for Size/Type of Snake
Table 2: Guidelines for how much the average python needs to eat based on its size and age.
Exact feeding requirements vary between individuals,
but there are guidelines for how much the average python needs to eat based
on its size and age.
|
Snake Age |
Snake Weight |
Prey Size |
Frequency |
|
Hatchling |
50 – 100 g |
Hopper mouse or pinky rat (8-12 g) |
Every five days |
|
3 months |
120 – 200 g |
Small mouse or fuzzy rat (13-19 g) |
Once week |
|
6 months |
300 – 370 g |
Adult mouse or rat pup (20-30g) |
Every 7 – 10 days |
|
1 year |
500 – 900 g |
1-3 adult mice or 1 small rat (45-80 g) |
Every 10 – 14 days |
|
1.5 years |
700 – 1500 g |
3-5 adult mice, 1 medium rat, or 2 small
rats (80-150 g) |
Every 10 – 14 days |
|
3 years |
1200 – 1800 g |
4-5 adult mice, 1 medium rat, or 2 small
rats (90-150 g) |
Every 14 – 21 days |
|
5 years+ |
1800 – 2300 g |
4-5 adult mice, 1 medium rat, or 2 small
rats (90-150 g) |
Every 21 – 50 days |
(Source: Everything Reptile)
3. Look up the following websites to obtain a range of prices for frozen rats and then compare and contrast. What is the best deal?
a. Petwave
b. Rodent Farm
c. Biosupplies
d. Petbarn
Work out the cost per month. Work out the cost per year for your allocated snakes.
4. Create and give a presentation on your allocated snakes including: the type of rat required, the frequency of feeding, and the cost of the frozen rat.
5. After all student pairs have presented to the class, work out the "best" value for money snake.
6. If Cheryl Martin sells 26K rats in a year; and, for every dollar spent, she makes 3 dollars. Can you estimate what this rat farmer earns in a year? Do you need more information?
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