There is a famous Australian poem that speaks of “droughts and flooding rains”.
Many people around the world think of the Australian outback as dry and desert-like. However, every few years, weather patterns deliver heavy rainfall that changes the entire landscape, even in the most remote parts of the country.
Welcome to Channel Country
Right near the centre of Australia lie millions of hectares of land that are referred to as ‘Channel Country’ or the ‘Rangelands’.
This region crosses the borders of South Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales. The name comes from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region, covering 150,000 km².
Channel Country can become dry during times of drought but when the water does come, the countryside is transformed from a harsh and hostile landscape into a thriving ecosystem of grasses, herbs and wildflowers.
What’s fascinating is that Channel Country can flood without it even raining. Often, heavy deluges in other parts of the country will result in water making its way down the natural channels for thousands of kilometres. Local residents have the chance to prepare for the arrival of floodwaters, and the resulting liquid can bring benefits for up to two years.
Visit Channel Country at the right time and you will literally see the floodwaters creeping down the ancient water channels before spilling across the land and bringing it to life overnight. When this happens, an abundance of plant life springs forth, creating a genuine ‘oasis in the outback’.
As well as creating a beautiful vista, when rain comes to Channel Country, it makes the land some of the best in the world for farming cattle.
Water and agriculture
Whether you farm cattle, produce grains or raise other livestock, water is of course an essential resource.
At OBE Organic, we are lucky to have nature as our main supplier. Floodwaters can deliver up to two years’ worth of water at a time. This allows cattle to be farmed in a more natural, sustainable way.
The result of the channels flooding is that the ground becomes rich and moist. This nourishes local plant life, meaning that cows farmed in the area can be ‘grass-fed’ and dine to their heart’s content from ‘nature’s salad bowl’. The term ‘free range’ is applied quite literally here, with most herds allowed to roam and feed as they please.
Because of the unique location, the farms in the Channel Country can also rely on bore water that comes from underground. This doesn’t need to be pumped, it rises to the surface under pressure.
Nourishment for people and animals
People who live in the Channel Country have an immense amount of respect for Mother Nature. It is their intention to use nature’s gifts to raise some of the world’s best quality organic livestock.
When you source and stock beef from OBE Organic, you’re sharing high-quality, free-range meat produced from livestock that live a natural life.
You and your customers will taste the difference and appreciate knowing your beef has been sustainably produced in some of the very best parts of Australia.