Activity Title: 'Ringer for a Day'

Subject Area: Math

Grade Levels: 5th + 6th

Using addition and/or multiplication skills, students will apply prior knowledge of math applications to solve a math situation in cattle management. Practical application of this math problem can be a whole class lesson or incorporated into one of several classroom stations. As a group activity, students may work ingroups of two-five members. It is recommended to comprise each group of a range of abilities and learning levels. Close monitoring of these groups keeps a balance within the group participation so that one student is notdominate in completing the work at the station while others are uninvolved.

Each member is required to document work completed in their journals with feedback and calculations. The groups are given twenty minutes per station to complete their research and work before moving on to the next station.

Materials:

• Examples/pictures of mustering (gathering) cattle on a large cattle station
• Journals/pencils for computation process
• Supplementary materials: Website resources/click for video footage.

Background and Procedure: Your job is to hire a crew to muster a large paddock (gather cattle from a large pasture). Not only is efficiency important, but you must complete the work in the most economical way possible. The paddock is 300 square kilometres, extremely rocky, and the cattle are scattered throughout. The options are to hire seven ringers (drovers) on horseback, or to hire a heli-mustering company using single pilot helicopters. Which do you think would be the most economical? Let’s take a look…

A ringer gets $100/day so a crew of nine would cost a station $900\day to employ. Cost of food for the crew, fuel for vehicles and assorted expenses can run an additional $100/day. Total: Cow camp costs: $1000\day. Due to the paddock’s size and rockiness, it will take approximately one week for the ringers to muster it. Total cost to complete the muster: $7000.

To hire one helicopter to muster the paddock would cost a station $240/hour. This includes the use and maintenance of the helicopter and pilot’s fee of $60/hour. Helicopter fuel is another expense at $60/hour. Total: $300/hour. For a ten-hour day of work, one helicopter would cost $3000. Due to the quickness of travel and the ease with which a helicopter can move about the paddock, mustering time is considerably reduced as horses would have to negotiate the rough terrain, which would take longer to muster?

As a cattle station manager, which do you think would be the most efficient way to complete the mustering?

Analyze and Conclude:

• Compare the costs of the mustering techniques, predicting the length of time each would take to muster the paddock.
• Analyse your costs for each and select the most efficient way to complete this job. (Hint: two helicopters mustered this pasture in five hours).
• What would be the total costs involved and which is the most economical way to complete this job?

Lesson Extensions:

Students may create a heli-mustering company.

• Research costs to assemble a fleet of three/four single pilot helicopters, fuel, pilot costs, etc.
• Brainstorm ideas within the group as to supplies needed for your company.
• Compute hourly costs for hire by local cattle stations for mustering jobs. (Remember to plan yearly as work during the ‘dry’ season is at a premium, whereas ‘wet’ season work is minimal at best due to adverse weather conditions).