GROUND LEVEL

GUYRA, ON THE NORTHERN tablelands of NSW, is desperately dry, unlike anything Derek and Fiona Smith have previously experienced on their 121-hectare farm Kenilworth just north-east of town. They have sold off their cattle, except for 12 head, which are now fed sprouted barley. Otherwise, all that remains on the basalt hills are 2000 Isa Brown laying hens that range freely through the paddocks and are fed with a pelleted ration and barley sprouts; they are guarded by three faithful maremma dogs.

The Smiths are optimistic that once it rains, their paddocks will respond, given that the chickens contribute to the nutrient cycle by fertilising the paddocks. Sheltered in three mobile sheds, the chickens usually follow the cattle rotating through the pasture, scratching up