FARMERS seeing crop yields hit by kangaroos are looking for solutions to protect future harvest.
Inglewood’s Brett McEwan said there had been a big spike in kangaroo numbers across the district after three wet winters.
“They have been breeding and are now eating whatever they can find ... wheat, barley,” he said after a fencing field day at Campbells Forest last Wednesday.
“And they are laying in crops before harvest. That can do as much damage as eating it and certainly cuts the yield.”
Mr McEwan was among farmers and fencing contractors learning about the Westonfence developed and manufactured at Parkes, New South Wales.
It’s one possible solution that has taken the eye of Mr McEwan.
Bridgewater Farmware’s Dave Edwards brought the Westonfence team to the region.
“It’s becoming harder for local farmers to control wild pigs, dogs, roos,” Mr Edwards said.
“Roos are a massive problem now. Where you would see tens, you are now seeing hundreds.”
Mr Edwards said he had seen benefits in using the Westonfence system - fences up to 1.5 metres high, partly electrified and with flexibility to stop animals pushing through the wires.
““This fencing system is training animals to be deterred,” he said.
Westonfence’s Duncan Abbey said the fencing system was similarly priced to conventional fencing.
The posts are manufactured from recycled Drumaster drums.
“We collect the drums, crush and return them to resin that makes the droppers,” he said.
“The full 1.65-metre fence has flexibility to absorb pressure from roos.
“We’ve now rolled out 27,000km of the fencing on farms across Australia.”
“The idea came from owner Peter Weston who wanted to improved his pastures and here we are 30 years later with a product helping farmers everywhere do that.”
Mr Edwards said the Campbells Forest had been one of the first to install Westonfence.
“The farm adjoins bushland and where kangaroos would eat away at crops, starting on the boundary, crop yield and growth has improved because roos are not coming on the farm,” he said.