An Overview Of Our Solution
Farming systems need to be profitable in three ways, Financially, environmentally and socially. With that as a primary principle we have utilised Holistic Management and Planned Grazing to redesign why we farm, what we farm and how we farm. We don’t see nature as an enemy to combat but as an ally to work with, a subtle paradigm shift that has huge implications and results on the ground. What drives us is getting tangible, physical improvements in landscape function not just talking about it.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Oceania
General Information
Organization type
individual
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Grasslands
Population impacted
100,000 people (GHCMA region) and upwards (Austral
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
1329 ha
Production quantity
60,046 kg Liveweight cattle sold
People employed
4 people
Solution
Describe your solution
What started out as a trial quickly became how we farm. Holistic Management was developed by Alan Savory, a respected biologist and farming consultant and is now used by farmers across the world. Holistic Management is a decision making framework which aims to drive better decision making outcomes by taking into account social, biological and financial impacts of decisions. Literally taking into account the whole entity under management and how each decision can impact on different aspects of that entity and also the impact outside the entity to our wider community. Within Holistic Management is a system of managing land, one component of which is planned grazing. Using livestock and management to drive increases in landscape function and environmental outcomes. The tool (livestock) that we use to increase groundcover and organic matter in the soil, lower salinity, increase water and mineral cycling and reduce erosion and at the same time increasing financial profitability and viability is the same tool used differently that created the problems. Holistic Management has taught us that our management is the key tool to driving change, to improving our ecosystem processes and changing from a drain on our resources to building a more resilient environment and community.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
Each enterprise on the farm was assessed financially using gross profit analysis to determine where the income and expenses were actually coming from. Impacts of the enterprises on social, biological and financial aspects were tested and the sustainability determined. We determined that a self-replacing cattle operation was going to be the best enterprise to move forward for our situation.
We then set out how that enterprise would function over the year by matching the breeding cycle to the climatic conditions. We determined when best to calve, join, sell, etc. based on what our average environmental conditions would allow. In essence we matched the enterprise to the environment.
We changed how we manage the enterprise. We began using a grazing chart to plan our paddock moves months in advance by assessing available feed and paddock conditions. Mob numbers were reduced and stock were grazed in smaller areas to increase animal impact through stock density. The animals are merely a tool to achieve trampling of plant material, dung/urine fertilization and stimulation of perennial plant growth. Grazed paddocks are then allowed to fully recover around 180 days in our area but dependent on stage of grass before stock are again introduced.Business decisions are done using the Holistic Management framework and testing questions. We use a feedback loop to assess all decisions, Plan-Monitor-Control-Replan and look for continues improvement of our farming enterprise.We regularly assess landscape function, biodiversity within the farm, financial budget and enterprise design to ensure that we are heading towards our goals of financial, environmental and social profitability.
The outcome on the ground in dramatic and positive. We are managing for constant groundcover which in turn has improved our water and mineral cycling, kick started the biological activity of the soil and extended our growing season.
External connections
Involvement of the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority has been an integral part of our change in farming practices. Financial assistance from GHCMA has allowed us to fence off all waterways and erosion prone areas on the farm and gain access to educational resources to further our knowledge and training in Holistic Management. We work with the GHCMA to continuously improve water quality outcomes for the river system on our property and Justin now sits on the GHCMA Advisory group, helping drive community consultation.
South West Holistic Farmers is a Landcare group formed with assistance from GHCMA of like-minded farmers also undergoing the transition from conventional to Holistic Management farming practices. This group has provided a sounding board for ideas and focuses on providing peer to peer support and training opportunities. It allows farmers to connect socially and gain support during the stressful times that change can bring. Justin has taken on the role of president to help grow the group and further build on the resources available to assist other farmers.
The improvements in our on farm resource has also led to improvements in the products that we sell. Less reliance on chemical inputs means that the cattle are also cleaner and safer for the food chain as a whole. What we are doing on farm impacts all the way to the beef consumers living both here and overseas.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
The challenge is to farm in a way that builds environmental and social resilience. Agriculture in our region has been dependent on farming systems and practices that deplete the natural environment. A declining and aging population in the region, increasing farm debt levels and lowering terms of trade further erodes services and is driving young people out of the area. Rising land values leaves farm ownership out of reach of the next generation of farmers, slowing down generational change. Agriculture is the greatest user of land area in South West Victoria, therefore it has a huge impact on environmental health and social wellbeing. We are seeing loss of carbon in farm soils due to grazing and cropping practices leading to lower water infiltration and holding capacity, exacerbating drought and flooding risk. Deforestation, over-grazing, erosion and rising water tables degrading large areas of land from salinity.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Our property “Woodlands” is located in the upper reaches of the Glenelg River below Rocklands Reservoir in western Victoria, Australia. The region is considered to be in a safe rainfall belt with low rainfall variation by Australian standards. The property was originally cleared and farming began in the 1860’s with sheep and cattle. We purchased the property in 2009 following 10-12 years of drought at our previous farm in Northern Victoria. We wanted a property with more reliable rainfall, better access to water and were moving away from cropping. “Woodlands” had a history of over-grazing, overuse of artificial fertilisers, no waterways management, erosion and declining productivity. But “Woodlands” also had access to a water pipeline from Rocklands reservoir, around 20km of waterways frontage, large areas of native timber, varied topography from river flats to buckshot rises, good road access and facilities. What we needed to do was turn this asset into a business capable of supporting two families and rebuild the farms capacity and health in order to continue to support our family into the future.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
A prime example of how our methods have improved biodiversity and the local environment can be seen by looking at the Glenelg River that flows through the property. When we first took over in 2009 the river was unfenced and surrounding paddocks continuously grazed meaning that livestock had eroded the banks, bared out the surrounding area, pugged the river base and dramatically reduced the range of species from uncontrolled grazing. Water quality was low with high levels of salinity, dirty due to soil and faecal material and prone to flooding and erosion, similar conditions further up the catchment meant large amounts of sand and debris were coming down exacerbating the problems. Frasers swamp forms on the river and was a dead zone due to salinity.
Now all waterways are fenced to exclude livestock. Livestock management and landscape monitoring is used periodically when conditions are right to enhance vegetation density and biodiversity but only with certain stock and for set periods of time. Better hydrological control has been achieved by working and lobbying for GHCMA environmental water releases from the reservoir during the dry season. These simple things have resulted in a waterway that enters dirty and leaves clean. Water plant and animal life has returned on a massive scale, where once the water’s edge was bare, now the ribbon weed and cumbungi grows like a forest. Fish such as Tupong and Eel that haven’t been seen in our section for decades are coming back.
Language(s)
Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?
Water
As a major junction point in the Glenelg River, works done on “Woodlands” significantly impact on the flood hazard of the surrounding area including the town of Balmoral. Less run off from the property and greater water holding capacity of the soil doesn’t add to storm flows. The improvements in the plant life both in and surrounding the river’s edge slows down the water flow reducing the damage done during flooding.
Food Security/Nutrition
For us food security applies more to our cattle than to ourselves. Traditionally farmers here graze stock during the growing season and then over the dry summer graze out the dry feed and begin hand feeding with grain and hay. The changes we have made using Holistic Management have resulted in our growing season being longer due to stored moisture and perennial pasture species rather than annual.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Higher levels of production combined with improvements in environmental landscape function seen on our property have the potential to change the way the district farms. Multiplication of the same results would see a big injection of capital into the region and open up employment opportunities. Rather than money constantly leaving the district for the purchase of farm inputs we would see more money stay within the community building financial resilience and allowing further investment.
Climate
A key aspect of the training we have received in Holistic Management is that management is the key. Management determines the outcomes of droughts and floods not the climatic condition itself. Management techniques such as grazing plans and monitoring set us looking forward allowing us to make decisions before we are forced to such as on stock numbers and paddock recovery periods. Holistic Management allows us to cope with climatic variability and actually utilise the opportunities that it br
Sustainability
Whilst grant funding has been applied for in the past to subsidies fencing costs on the waterways the ongoing need for grants or subsidy to run a farm holistically isn’t there. A key aspect of Holistic Management is proper financial controls, budgeting and planning for a profit from the beginning. What pays for the ecological and social improvements is the more profitable farming system.
Return on investment
The cost to convert to Holistic Management was the cost of educating ourselves. The costs were more in time than financial as it takes a while to make the new procedures and decision making processes a habit and instinctual. Developmental costs like fencing gear and additional stock numbers are factored into the budget and need to be paid for with increased profitability. We have utilised reference books, online training, a local HM Educator through SWHF thereby offsetting the cost across multiple farms, field trips to other HM farmers and practice.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
It’s already being replicated across hundreds of thousands of acres worldwide. HMI and the Savory institute conduct education and training across every continent except Antarctica. However even in a first world country like Australia with higher education levels and access to more training opportunities there is resistance. The main barriers are that of tradition, fear and pressure. However the most effective method to get replication I have seen is by doing, if your successful then neighbours want to know how you are doing it. Promotion of your achievements through case studies and by providing access of the property to anyone that is interested costs next to nothing.