“The arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax
than anything that has been enacted by our legislatures.”
Warren Buffett (Fortune magazine,1977)
Breakfast on the veranda with the sun shining our backs, evening meals by the fire that drives our hot-water system…
Such, dear Friends, characterises winter on Kachana.
Our total rainfall for the last season was 1080 mm - approximately 330 mm higher than our hoped-for average. All that rain fell between 25th of September and 25th of March.
For a moment we thought we might be getting some winter rain, but then the clouds dispersed.
Nature remaining asleep allows us to occasionally enjoy the company of guests and to also get some building work out of the way. With more dry months ahead we also prepare for the unpredictable months later in the year.
Greetings from Kachana
Photos of the Month
News & Views
A few weeks ago, a guest asked me what are my constraints on Kachana?
A short answer is:
- Insufficient herbivores to keep healthy and cycle the vegetation that grows each year.
(This is mirrored in soil-loss as fires claim far too much vegetation each year at the expense of soilbuilding and rehydration.)
-
A lack of understanding at community and department levels of how the thriving of all societies ultimately depends on the functioning of the landscapes that should supply clean air, purified
water and abundant food with high nutritional integrity.
(Current legislation allows for price-signals that attract commercial innovation at the expense of regenerative custodianship. - Unintended consequences include dehydration, erosion and
biodiversity-loss in remote watersheds.) –
Whilst sharing our frustrations we do acknowledge how difficult it sometimes may be for those whose job it is to enforce legislation with insufficient understanding of local
contexts.
- Commitment.
(The motto of my old high school comes to mind: tot facienda, parum factum)
Stable climate could be a result that reflects well-hydrated, biodiverse, resilient and ultimately self-regulating landscapes. I feel that it is not yet too late to participate in striving for such outcomes!
- Does Australia therefore need more herbivores (behaving in ways that lead to rehydration of landscapes and soilbuilding)?
Chris Henggeler outlines the challenge at the ‘Farming Matters Conference’. (2021) - At a WA State level: Do new wild megafauna really present us with a “biosecurity threat” or could they instead contribute to genuine biosecurity?
Chris Henggeler presents to members of the ministerial advisory committee in Perth (2018)