“Malgarai”, Boggabilla

Enterprise at a glance: A total of 8,000 acres, with 1200 acres alluvial soils and 6800 acres black clay soils. Historically about half this area was under conventional tillage (dry-land cereal crops) and about 60-70% depleted native grasses. A major objective over the past 8 years has been to ensure farm management outcomes are in line with life-style expectations; this revolves around management is targeted toward ecological benefits as well as farm profitability. This enterprise represents an early stage use of Pasture Cropping for gain production in a summer dominant rainfall area and incorporation of cell grazing over the past eight years.

Key elements:

• Native pasture regeneration has been achieved through the use of cell grazing and/or pasture cropping, although the latter is in its early stages of implementation. Richard and Janet have seen increased proportions of short-lived (e.g. Austrostipa spp. and Panicum sp.) and long-lived perennial grasses (e.g. Astrebla spp) in paddocks under cell grazing
• The incorporation of Pasture Cropping for grain production is seen as integral to farm profitability
• Pasture Cropping is also viewed as a mechanism for removing chemical fallow from the enterprise
• Stock numbers have varied from 850 to 1200 live stock units, depending on seasonal conditions and animal. Importantly, their enterprise has moved away from breeding herds toward
• Richard and Janet have also undertaken extensive riparian revegetation activities