Another excellent Yarn on a Farm has recently taken place, this time with young couple Bodie and Emilie and Bodie’s Dad Brad on their 105 acre property in Goolman, Ipswich.
They run small numbers of cattle, pigs and goats which are also the driving force for scrub clearing. They’re also working intently on repairing and improving the water cycle and soil health of their pastures.
When Bodie and Emilie moved there three years ago, there were tussocks of grass with bare ground in between. Now there are very few patches of bare soil through grazing management and mulching. They shared a number of other changes and developments since embarking on this journey.Some of the topics discussed at the Yarn included management decisions and how these decisions are really about energy management. So sun, water flow, plant and animal converters.
Guests heard about experiences with pasture ploughing with pigs, rotational grazing and lantana poisoning.
Bodie recently purchased a Yeoman’s Plough and invited Yeoman’s Plow Co to the event. Yeoman’s Trevor Carter joined us and gave us expert insight.
Trevor discussed utilising minimum till and non-inversion ploughing to slow water movement, allowing water penetration and retention, breaking up the soil and getting oxygen into lower subsoil while reducing root structure disturbance.
Tips for their farm were shared such as keeping pasture above ankles for effective grazing management of cattle and using pigs to plough up the soil after lantana removal.
Discussions also had a big focus on harnessing what we get for free – sunlight, rainfall and nitrogen.Attendees included Marc Lehman (Healthy Land & Water), Anna Shera (Scenic Rim Regional Council / Bremer Catchment Association) and Michael Bond (QWALC). They were there as BaDL members in ‘civvies’ but, as always, keen to further discussion and insight into management decisions.
Guests travelled from the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Tarome (just to name a few places) for this inspiring event.
We are impressed by the hard work and enthusiasm of Bodie, Emilie and Brad.
A great deal of rich discussion was had. This is what makes Yarn on a Farm so special; casual conversation right on the farm (not in a seminar room or from a video) and folk keen to share and learn over a cuppa.
We hope you’ll be able to make our next Yarn on a Farm which is going to be in July. Details of that will be available very soon!
