Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...
Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the
"punishment"
whenever it comes?

--

There have been many magic cures proposed to water the dead heart. Send
the water from the east coast back over the mountains to the
Murray-Darling, dig a channel from the ocean up to Lake Eyre.......
nothing that is really feasible. Even if such schemes could be built
are we sure that in the long run the change would be beneficial? Look
at the side effects of parts of the Snowy scheme or of irrigation from
the major rivers - these were all hailed as the best thing since sliced
bread when they were shiny and new.

As for the fires have a look at an aerial map of Sydney, it looks like
an octopus with roads, rail and houses radiating out in a series of arms
along the ridges and bush in the valleys between. The Blue Mountains
are the same in a fish-bone pattern. Short of Agent Orange followed by
concrete how will you stop the fires running through the valleys?

The posturing about more hazard reduction burning is just that. If you
were to perform the level of clearing required to really stop the fires
the outcry would be huge, probably lead by those who suggested the burn
in the first place. Of course the people who choose to build in those
leafy green suburbs, the blocks backing on to the bush are the most
prized, will tell you that when the fires come through it's just really
bad luck. The fact that you cannot get flood insurance if you build on
a flood plain but you can get fire insurance anywhere tells us something
about how well risk has been identified historically.

I think there is more future in learning to live with the land that we
have than trying to transform it to something else. Until we have a
political system that rewards those who take the long view it will be
convenient to blame 'nature' rather than accept that too often we have
made poor decisions about our use of the land. I should live so long.

David

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Shoot the bloody greenies and burn the bush like it is suposed to be.
Remember may Oz plants can't release seed without fire.

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...
Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

--
__________________________________
I worship a God who justifies the ungodly.
The Bible, Romans 4:5

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"SG1" wrote in message
...
Shoot the bloody greenies and burn the bush like it is suposed to be.
Remember may Oz plants can't release seed without fire.


Personally I thought of flying them to the West Bank and tying them with
signs that say "Suicide Bombers are Murderers" and leaving them in the path
of a Hamas Protest March.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Shoot the bloody greenies and burn the bush like it is suposed (sic) to
be.

??? Where the hell did that come from? How do the "greenies" cause a lack
of bushfires?

Remember may (sic) Oz (sic) plants can't release seed without fire.

True, but they do not need fire every year.

Personally I thought of flying them to the West Bank and tying them with
signs that say "Suicide Bombers are Murderers" and leaving them in the
path
of a Hamas Protest March.

Good to see we're getting some sensible solutions at last. When we have no
idea, label a group of people as "greenies" or "lefties" or something and
try to portray them as the problem.

Sut beriously, there are solutions, but we're never going to get a
government to implement them while we keep electing the usual politicians.
Oh, and while we label people that care as "greenies", as though it is a
negative.*

* Sigh...yes, I *know* some of them are useless people with no clue, but the
same applies to all groups of people.

--
Stephen Oakes

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Maybe we should shoot the bloody people who want to live in areas such
as the blue mountains where there is and always will be a fire problem,
because as you rightly point out many australian natives need fire, and
seeing the majority of plants in the blue mountains are eucalypts...
gee its no wonder why theres bushfires in that area

D


"SG1" wrote in
:

Shoot the bloody greenies and burn the bush like it is suposed to be.
Remember may Oz plants can't release seed without fire.

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...
Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

--
__________________________________
I worship a God who justifies the ungodly.
The Bible, Romans 4:5

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

--
__________________________________
I worship a God who justifies the ungodly.
The Bible, Romans 4:5

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message

There have been many magic cures proposed to water the dead heart. Send
the water from the east coast back over the mountains to the
Murray-Darling, dig a channel from the ocean up to Lake Eyre.......
nothing that is really feasible. Even if such schemes could be built.....

What about a simple water conservation scheme to start off with? Increase
the tax on water to get people to think twice before they waste water.
(Doesn't it irk you that Transurban uses 1,000,000 litres of fresh water a
day as ballast for their tunnel?)

And encourage people through tax breaks if they install water saving devices
like water tanks or water purification systems.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message

There have been many magic cures proposed to water the dead heart.
Send
the water from the east coast back over the mountains to the
Murray-Darling, dig a channel from the ocean up to Lake Eyre.......
nothing that is really feasible. Even if such schemes could be
built.....

What about a simple water conservation scheme to start off with?
Increase
the tax on water to get people to think twice before they waste water.
(Doesn't it irk you that Transurban uses 1,000,000 litres of fresh
water a
day as ballast for their tunnel?)

And encourage people through tax breaks if they install water saving
devices
like water tanks or water purification systems.




I am all for such simple schemes. Water rates that have a sliding scale
so that the profligate pay more per kilolitre would be a good start.
There would have to be a special hardship clause or shower timers for
those with daughters though :-)

If not tax breaks then at least local gov encouragement and free
information on grey water re-use and owning watertanks would be useful.

My guess was that the original poster had something more of a cure-all
in mind.

David

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Well I dunno about "solving bushfires" but i think the water usage
problem would be dramatically improved if all new (and replacement)
plumbing systems were compost toilets, worm-farm waste systems and the
like.. imagine those lush green lawns, gardens and vegie patches..
imagine the water saved from non-water using toilets and recycling
shower water into the washing machine etc.

cheers,
aprill

d wrote:
Maybe we should shoot the bloody people who want to live in areas such
as the blue mountains where there is and always will be a fire problem,
because as you rightly point out many australian natives need fire, and
seeing the majority of plants in the blue mountains are eucalypts...
gee its no wonder why theres bushfires in that area

D


"SG1" wrote in
:


Shoot the bloody greenies and burn the bush like it is suposed to be.
Remember may Oz plants can't release seed without fire.

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...

Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

--
__________________________________
I worship a God who justifies the ungodly.
The Bible, Romans 4:5

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

We have three rainwater tanks. Use it for drinking & cooking and one tank
for the garden & the dogs. Just had water restrictions for 2 weeks now the
local weir is full, 5-8 inches upstream got the waterholes filled and the
Moonie river is now flowing. Giving our good Qld water to the Pinkos (Carr)
in NSW. We have had 30mm so far this month. Regarding usage of water our
allocation is one (1) megalitre (4 1/4 blocks) and we use just over 30% of
that.
Jim
In the middle of a Qld drought

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
u...

"S. McLaren" wrote in message
...
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message

There have been many magic cures proposed to water the dead heart.
Send
the water from the east coast back over the mountains to the
Murray-Darling, dig a channel from the ocean up to Lake Eyre.......
nothing that is really feasible. Even if such schemes could be
built.....

What about a simple water conservation scheme to start off with?
Increase
the tax on water to get people to think twice before they waste water.
(Doesn't it irk you that Transurban uses 1,000,000 litres of fresh
water a
day as ballast for their tunnel?)

And encourage people through tax breaks if they install water saving
devices
like water tanks or water purification systems.




I am all for such simple schemes. Water rates that have a sliding scale
so that the profligate pay more per kilolitre would be a good start.
There would have to be a special hardship clause or shower timers for
those with daughters though :-)

If not tax breaks then at least local gov encouragement and free
information on grey water re-use and owning watertanks would be useful.

My guess was that the original poster had something more of a cure-all
in mind.

David

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"muser" wrote in message
...
Well I dunno about "solving bushfires" but i think the water usage
problem would be dramatically improved if all new (and replacement)
plumbing systems were compost toilets, worm-farm waste systems and the
like.. imagine those lush green lawns, gardens and vegie patches..
imagine the water saved from non-water using toilets and recycling
shower water into the washing machine etc.

Hmmm.. that would be really good. I'm all for such "green" measures!

Do any of the farmers here practise the horticultural methods used by the
farmers in Israel? I've read pretty impressive accounts of how they are
surviving in an arid land using very radical water saving measures.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Do any of the farmers here practise the horticultural methods used by the
farmers in Israel? I've read pretty impressive accounts of how they are
surviving in an arid land using very radical water saving measures.

No, the farmers here use quite primitive measures (clearing the land,
working it until its topsoil blows away, spraying crops at mid-day, etc.)
but as soon as you start saying such things you are bombarded with diatribes
("Australia needs farmers", "going bankrupt", etc).

Every time we have a drought the politicians and farmers and other
"interested" groups start talking about more progressive methods, but it
soon dies away when profits return.

The sad fact is that farmers can rely on handouts when times are tough.

(I hope this doesn't sound like an attack just on farmers - it should really
be an attack on everyone.)

--
Stephen Oakes

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"Stephen Oakes" wrote in message
news:RABL9.12187$y17.38565@news-

No, the farmers here use quite primitive measures (clearing the land,
working it until its topsoil blows away, spraying crops at mid-day, etc.)
but as soon as you start saying such things you are bombarded with
diatribes
("Australia needs farmers", "going bankrupt", etc).

I remember watching documentaries criticizing Australian farming practises
back in 1984 when I was in high school. Why haven't they changed or, at
least, the government has tried to encourage them to turn to more efficient
farming methods?

I went for a trip out to the country side recently and was aghast to see
some farmers using their industrial water spraying systems at 1 in the
afternoon.

I fought the temptation to ask them whether they realized that 80% of their
watering is lost due to evaporation.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

S. McLaren wrote:

Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the
"punishment" whenever it comes?


Get the "cowboy" element out of the Bushfire Brigade. Never have I
seen such a large number of social misfits gathered in one place.
I'm getting a little tired of how the media portay these people as
"hero's"...Did anyone see the melted bushfire truck that Channel 9
constantly used as a backdrop for all their shots? I think it was at
Glenorie. The volunteers in the truck were constantly referred to as
"hero's"....Hero's? How the hell can you call them hero's? They
nearly killed themselves through stupidity and wrote off a perfectly
good fire truck that could have been used to save someone else,s
property!

It's true that a small minority of these people are the bravest men
and women you could ever come acrooss. But the majority just love all
the media attention, the riding in trucks with elbows resting out the
window, the wipe of a sweaty brow when the SKY camera's are on....
etc, etc. Living in Heathcote I've seen it first hand. I've seen one
group laughing, joking, eating sandwiches and drinking coca cola and
then when the cameras show up they all lay on the ground and look
dejected...LOL...It would be the funniest thing I've ever seen if
these people werent playing with peoples lives|homes...


My suggestion is to remove the volunteer element from the bushfire
brigade. Make it a full time paid job where u have to sit an entrance
exam similar to the NSWFB, then a demanding physical, etc. It's the
only way. Think about it. If a scrawny, pimply faced girl runs up to
your front door in a blind panic screaming at you to evacuate are you
really going to do it? I know that I wouldn't......yet that was their
evacuation proceedure last xmas....Pathetic.



--
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission, hypocrisy, brutality,
the elite.... All of which are American dreams......

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

In article ,
"S. McLaren" wrote:

Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

Learn to live with it is the phrase that occurs to me. We know our outback
swings from drought to flooding rains (to coin a phrase) and we need to stock
up on fodder in good seasons, rather than overstocking the land. I have come
across reports of farmers who are only now running out of fodder because this
is a far longer drought than normal, and I think they should be rewarded
somehow for coping so well. We also need to reward the ones who reduce their
water consumption and put in erosion-proofing measures (fencing and
reafforesting streams and so on. Some of the ideas from permaculture would
probably be very helpful.

Given that most of the fires around Sydney seem to be started by arsonists, we
need to work out some way to catch them. I have no idea how we'd do this.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

I am all for such simple schemes. Water rates that have a sliding scale
so that the profligate pay more per kilolitre would be a good start.
There would have to be a special hardship clause or shower timers for
those with daughters though :-)

My Dad told me that in Sydney, years ago, there was a basic amount of water
that you got at a flat rate. This was apparently so that people didn't save
water by refraining from washing their bodies and clothes!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

In article ,
"ian .at.bendigo" wrote:

No one is interested in water saving measures , I learnt this when I went to
the pump shop to set up my grey water system

If you think they weren't interested there, just wait for your Council's
reaction!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

In article ,
"SG1" wrote:

We have three rainwater tanks. Use it for drinking & cooking and one tank
for the garden & the dogs. Just had water restrictions for 2 weeks now the
local weir is full, 5-8 inches upstream got the waterholes filled and the
Moonie river is now flowing. Giving our good Qld water to the Pinkos (Carr)
in NSW. We have had 30mm so far this month. Regarding usage of water our
allocation is one (1) megalitre (4 1/4 blocks) and we use just over 30% of
that.

Carr's a pinko? I suppose he might look like one to a banana bender.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

He IS in the (HARD) Labor party eh?????

"Chookie" wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-AF6874.15545721122002@news...
In article ,
"SG1" wrote:

We have three rainwater tanks. Use it for drinking & cooking and one
tank
for the garden & the dogs. Just had water restrictions for 2 weeks now
the
local weir is full, 5-8 inches upstream got the waterholes filled and
the
Moonie river is now flowing. Giving our good Qld water to the Pinkos
(Carr)
in NSW. We have had 30mm so far this month. Regarding usage of water our
allocation is one (1) megalitre (4 1/4 blocks) and we use just over 30%
of
that.

Carr's a pinko? I suppose he might look like one to a banana bender.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"S. McLaren" writes:
Is there a credible solution to the drought and bushfire problems we
experience regularly?

Bushfires are an inevitable part of the Australian scene. Homes bordering
bushland need to be built to withstand the approach of a fierce fire. In
most cases where homes are lost, there has been ample time to implement
a complete lockdown: putting galvanised iron shutters over windows, over
roof gutters, over fences, etc., if only these were an integral part of
the design right from the start. I'm sure it can be done.

The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land.
Hoofed animals pound grassless trails, the start of soil erosion, along
ridgelines and in gullies, foul waterholes, and trample as much grass as
they eat. Only soft-footed animals should be allowed to graze on native
grasses and uncultivated soil--animals such as camels, kangaroos, emus,
etc. These are what should be farmed in marginal grazing areas. You never
see a mob of roos ploughing up the mud to get to the middle of a water
hole to drink--they drink delicately from the water's edge and stir up no
sediment. They are a lot more efficient in their use of water and food,
too. We cannot sustain the hidden costs associated with the insistence of
applying European agricultural husbandry to our non-European land (tree
clearing, soil degradation and erosion, water waste, salinity in some
places and lowering of the aquifer in others, chemical- and fuel-hungry
practices, native plant and animal extinction, acute vulnerability to
foreign pests and diseases, etc.)

Or is it a situation of simply sucking it in and taking the "punishment"
whenever it comes?

The land suffers in silence.
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"John Savage" wrote in message

The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land.

Sounds great in theory but unfortunately it is not necessarily true on the
ground. At least with hoofed animals there is some hope of managing
stocking density: not so with the so-called soft footed natives which, in
current numbers, do a LOT of damage.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

Camels!!! Supply MILK & MEAT

"Fran Higham" wrote in message
...
"John Savage" wrote in message

The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of
zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing
land.

Sounds great in theory but unfortunately it is not necessarily true on the
ground. At least with hoofed animals there is some hope of managing
stocking density: not so with the so-called soft footed natives which, in
current numbers, do a LOT of damage.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"Fran Higham" writes:
"John Savage" wrote in message
The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land.

Sounds great in theory but unfortunately it is not necessarily true on the
ground. At least with hoofed animals there is some hope of managing
stocking density: not so with the so-called soft footed natives which, in
current numbers, do a LOT of damage.

When land is carrying more mouths than it can support, regardless of
species, some damage is inevitable. But, just as was done with the pig
and the ox, selective breeding over generations could give us a heavy-set
less-athletic 'roo---more tractable and less flighty---and ultimately more
manageable. One advantage about farming in a low-rainfall climate, if you
erect good fencing and yards around your few watering holes you could pen
the animals (by remote control, closing the gate via a webcam link?) when
the mob comes to drink. In drier times, anyway.

They do tail-docking of lambs and some dogs, and I am wondering about
the result on its speed of tail-docking a roo as a joey. Anyone ever
seen a 'roo without a tail, perhaps as the result of an accident, and
can say how this affected its ability to leap?

Anyway, GM experimentation should soon be able to create the ideal farm
animal for any region!
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"John Savage" wrote in message
"Fran Higham" writes:
"John Savage" wrote in message
The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of
zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing
land.

Sounds great in theory but unfortunately it is not necessarily true on
the
ground. At least with hoofed animals there is some hope of managing
stocking density: not so with the so-called soft footed natives which, in
current numbers, do a LOT of damage.

When land is carrying more mouths than it can support, regardless of
species, some damage is inevitable. But, just as was done with the pig
and the ox, selective breeding over generations could give us a heavy-set
less-athletic 'roo---more tractable and less flighty---and ultimately more
manageable.

But why would one want to? They taste like shite (unless you get an
extremely young one) and only small sections of them are worth eating IMHO.
They do make good dog food though.

One advantage about farming in a low-rainfall climate, if you
erect good fencing and yards around your few watering holes you could pen
the animals (by remote control, closing the gate via a webcam link?) when
the mob comes to drink. In drier times, anyway.

True, but then again I don't know why anyone would want to do so unless they
ran a dog/cat food factory.

Camels, as someone else suggested might be more useful but then I've never
eaten camel and don't fancy Camel milk either. At current rates it would
seem that the marketing has been successful in one person out of 20 million.
That is not encouraging.

They do tail-docking of lambs and some dogs, and I am wondering about
the result on its speed of tail-docking a roo as a joey. Anyone ever
seen a 'roo without a tail, perhaps as the result of an accident, and
can say how this affected its ability to leap?

They use their tail as a counterweight/balance mechanism in flight and they
use it to push back and rest on during grooming etc. They would have great
difficulties I imagine but could certainly shuffle around a bit - it
wouldn't be something I'd like to see even though they aren't my flavour of
the month at the moment.

Anyway, GM experimentation should soon be able to create the ideal farm
animal for any region!

I can see you've got those pigs fed, suited up and ready for take off.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"John Savage" wrote in message
om...

The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land.
Hoofed animals pound grassless trails, the start of soil erosion,
along.....
(excellent stuff there!!!!!)


How come we're not doing this? I've heard several politcians and land groups
talk about these sorts of things but nothing ever gets done.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"S.. McLaren" wrote in message
"John Savage" wrote in message
news:021226000090313.26Dec02

The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of
zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing
land.
Hoofed animals pound grassless trails, the start of soil erosion,
along.....
(excellent stuff there!!!!!)


How come we're not doing this? I've heard several politcians and land
groups
talk about these sorts of things but nothing ever gets done.

A few of the reasons why it is not done:

Unimproved grazing land is usually owned or leased by individuals not
governments or land groups. Attitudinally, not too many owners of anything
take kindly to people making suggestions or legislating on something that
will cost the owner's in terms of their money and/or their effort.

Soft footed animals are not seen by anyone who owns or leases unimproved
grazing lands as being harvestable and having a commercial value. Since
owners and leaseholders have invested money they seek a return on investment
so that they can live.

Excluding hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land will do nothing to
bring more rain if there is no rain to fall.

Rainfall or degradation will not improve if stocking rates of soft footed
animals is high as they are themselves are part of the problem.

Land groups and politicians understand that there even in most bad times
there are still huge economic returns from unimproved grazing land that
feeds stock. If these returns do not find their way into regional Australia
from the land owners then the money has to come from somewhere. Regional
Australia is not well these days and Joe Public and Federal and State
governments are not keen to cough up to support services that most
Australians in the Eastern seaboard expect to be available.

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"SG1" wrote:
Camels!!! Supply MILK & MEAT

Leather, too, and fibre (maybe we could call it strong wool).
But you know...we'd still need to farm some cattle for gelatin!
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

In article ,
"SG1" wrote:

Carr's a pinko? I suppose he might look like one to a banana bender.

He IS in the (HARD) Labor party eh?????

Well, John Howard's in the Liberal Party, and he looks pretty conservative to
me!

Carr is in the NSW Right faction. Perhaps you've herd of them. He's on the
nose with unionists, mostly because of the changes that have been put through
in workers' comp. Dunno what his garden's like.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

Once long ago, against her breast, a mother hush'd a babe to rest
Who was the Prince of heav'n above, the Lord of gentleness and love...
John Wheeler, 'The Silver Stars are in the Sky'

Solving the Drought and Bushfire crisis
 

"Fran Higham" writes:
"John Savage" wrote in message
and the ox, selective breeding over generations could give us a heavy-set
less-athletic 'roo---more tractable and less flighty---and ultimately more
manageable.

But why would one want to? They taste like shite (unless you get an
extremely young one) and only small sections of them are worth eating IMHO.

Taste is a matter of, well, ..... taste! There was a time when housewives
shunned the mass-produced chicken in favour of their home-reared chook
because of the comparatively bland, tasteless flavour of the former. Now
that the population is accustomed to the cardboard chicken, most would not
find favour in the strongly-flavoured chewy texture of the home-bred chook.
Perhaps we could come to accept a strongly flavoured farmed very dark red
meat? Modified recipes might be in order, making meat but one component of
the meal rather than the central feature. The popularity of our game meat
in Europe (Germany in particular, including it in their sausages), shows
that there are those who value meat with strong flavour. I believe Germany
will take as much game meat as we can export: wild pig, horse, roo, etc.
Didn't the Poms turn to roo meat when that Mad Cow disease scare was
running rampant? I am sure that the collective national taste can adapt,
it just takes time and appropriate encouragement (such as an economical
price). Much has been made of roo meat being healthier because of its
very low fat level. (I think I would take longer than most to adapt to
eating a strongly-flavoured meat, so I understand your misgivings.)

Camels, as someone else suggested might be more useful but then I've never
eaten camel and don't fancy Camel milk either. At current rates it would
seem that the marketing has been successful in one person out of 20 million.
That is not encouraging.

On the contrary. The Islamic world is a vast untapped market! We just need
a whole drove of halal butchers.

They do tail-docking of lambs and some dogs, and I am wondering about
the result on its speed of tail-docking a roo as a joey. Anyone ever
seen a 'roo without a tail, perhaps as the result of an accident, and
can say how this affected its ability to leap?

I wouldn't want to slow them down a lot, as sudden speed from a standing
start is their main defence against the dingo. (Now there's another soft-
footed bundle of edible protein: dog meat. Hmmm ....)

Anyway, GM experimentation should soon be able to create the ideal farm
animal for any region!

I can see you've got those pigs fed, suited up and ready for take off.

We are well advanced in our plans, Fran. Not only is the flock of porcine
fliers fed and kitted out, but they are flapping their little wings and
doing tentative practice jumps into the breeze. First circuits of the
airstrip will happen any day soon. Expect to see marinated pork wings on
your supermarket shelves by next Christmas!!! And remember--you read it
first here.
--
John Savage, keeping under wraps another of his GM projects: a rabbit that
lays eggs! Expect to see it in the news before Easter ....