A life facilitator who says she can talk to animals will visit Dubbo in October to offer livestock producers an opportunity to better understand their animals needs.
Sunshine Coast based woman Viv Adcock will visit the property of Merino sheep breeders, the Coddington family, from October 11 to 13 to talk to their animals about a range of topics including nutrition, handling and welfare. Her work is based on building a connection with animals, along with using body language, to perceive an animal's behaviour.
Ms Adcock said often failure to fall pregnant, lack of production or low yields for either meat or fleece were signals of bigger problems.
"It's more about connecting with the animal as an energetic being rather than just a dog or a cat or your horse," she said.
"The animal kingdom has a totally different way of communicating and connecting with each other and it's learning that energetic language."
Ms Adcock is fully aware her work will bring sceptics.
She has experience working with dairy cattle in Norway and has spent most of her time working with horses and domestic animals.
Ms Adcock's partner had family connections to a sheep property in Armidale some years ago and she was attracted to helping those on the land currently battling dry conditions.
Using her tools, processes and exercises, Ms Adcock said livestock producers, particularly woolgrowers, could improve their stock handling, quality of wool and the animals' happiness.
"There might be something in the ground that's upset them, it could be an electrical interference, it could be animals in the next paddock," she said.
"It could be how they are housed, it could be the shearer's energy, it could be absolutely anything."
Hosts Matthew and Cherie Coddington said they were open minded to the teachings and were curious to learn more.
"For me it will be interesting trying to work out what the sheep are thinking with their dietary requirements, and if they are deficient with vitamins and nutrients," Mr Coddington said.
Ms Adcock isn't the only person to attempt alternative livestock management tactics.
American professor and livestock industry consultant Temple Grandin used her connection with livestock to demonstrate the impacts of stress handling to weight gains.
Ms Adcock believed the same positive impacts could be applied in the current dry times.
"There is a massive shift of awareness with people with how they handle their livestock and yet there is still so many people doing it in an old fashioned way that doesn't produce the best for the stock, it doesn't produce the best for their dollar at the end of the day," she said.
"What people will take away from this weekend is there ability to perceive if something isn't working and being able to improve on a situation."
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
