Our regenerative farming practices.
It was obvious to us during the 2018-2019 drought that the conventional farming strategies we’d been using, particularly spraying out paddocks followed by sowing of oats or barley for winter feed, were detrimental to the longevity of our land, soil and our enterprise. We knew there had to be a better, more sustainable way to provide a resilient, more productive future.
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Game Changers: Woonooka Angus' regenerative approach pays dividends →
The Land. Written by Billy Jupp.
FOR decades, regeneration has been at the heart of Nigel Smith's cattle operation.
Along with his wife Sue, the couple have implemented a variety of measures to improve their land as well as their livestock since beginning their cattle stud Woonooka Angus near Daruka on Tamworth's outskirts.
They continued those methods after selling their land at Daruka in 2000 and moving to Springhill, Nemingha, also on Tamworth's outskirts.
Most recently, the Smiths utilised a rock picker during the drought to help allow their pastures to survive the brutal conditions as well as preserve ground cover.
Now the drought has broken, they have looked to capitalise on the surviving ground cover and have turned to multi-species pastures, coupled with rotational grazing, to ensure the best results for their Angus stud.
"We have 1052 hectares that borders the Peel River flats and right up to the base of the mountains. It goes from about 420m in height up to about 900m at the top, which is a fair range and in between it is bisected by a range of hills with a valley on the other side.
"As a result you almost have two different types of country, some of which was fairly heavily cultivated in the past, and so we had to look at ways to try and regenerate that country a little bit.
"We started with a rock picker back in 2018 to help clean everything out a bit and let it basically start from scratch, which was really successful and helped us really hit the ground running once it started raining again."
The approach led to the Smiths implementing a "whole farm ecosystem model" on their property, which encompasses soil, plants, animals, water, soil biota and the enterprise itself.
As well as multi-species pastures, the operation had got approval to develop leaky weirs on the waterways that go through Springhill, which Mr Smith said was crucial in promoting healthier eco systems as well as retaining water on the property.
"In terms of the whole model, we are confident by enhancing the soil microbe diversity, biodiversity of plant species and the interaction between animals, we can greatly increase the photosynthetic capacity of our pastures," Mr Smith said.
"The creation of feedback loops has and will continue to result in the increased production and health of our cattle and the resilience of our farm to drought.
"We are also confident there will be a better economic outcome for us and an enhanced environmental outcome for the planet.
"When it comes to the leaky weirs, gullies that were once dry two hours after rain have become semi-permanent streams complete with water reeds and more permanent pools with their own freshwater ecosystems.
"Numerous springs have developed and we are aware that this is largely the function of a very wet season but the results have been so spectacular we will expand the number of leaky weirs using excess rock and fallen timber.
"We intend to expand the multi-species annual pasture programs to two autumn phases in each paddock followed by a perennial multi-species pasture mix that we hope with the goal of creating a permanent annual-perennial pasture of at least 20 introduced self-seeding species."
WORDS BY BILLY JUPP.
