A MANTRA of "working with nature instead of against it" has helped a third-generation farming family in the state's North West take a new approach to farm management.
The Hickson family has spent nearly two decades exploring ways to regenerate pastures and soils on its Boomi property Eural.
Beginning as a grazing property, the Hicksons under the supervision of Eural Pastoral Company directors John and Sam Hickson have since moved to broadacre cropping before a recent shift back towards sheep breeding, which is complemented by trading cattle.
However, more drastic shifts in climate and weed control inspired a change in the way the family ran it's operation.
"There are some global figures around the amount and quality of productive soil left on the planet that make us think about our role," John Hickson said.
"What we were doing didn't seem to us to be sustainable in the longer term: as cropping took over so did our reliance on herbicides and inorganic fertilisers."
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It was almost 20 years ago that John first considered a more sustainable approach to his operation, after he attended a Grazing for Profit workshop hosted by North West Local Land Services (NWLLS).
Since then, the family has implemented a number of measures such as planting more native grass species to help cut down on weeds as well as moving stock from larger paddocks to small.
"Under the traditional agricultural systems, inputs would only continue to grow until finally a point would be reached where they would no longer be profitable," Mr Hickson said.
"We grew tired of fighting the losing battle against big issues caused by climate variability and weed management. In our grazing operation we could see loss of native pastures and declining soil health, which of course has a major impact on productivity.
"Even with good management we were very exposed to drought."
Since those early days, John has continued to learn from other producers, scientists and LLS to improve his operation and to help guide what he refers to as a "holistic-management" approach.
More recently, the Hicksons have teamed up with NWLLS to take their vision of holistic management to the next level.
The Hicksons have accessed funding via LLS' Check, Ready, Grow program, which allows producers to access funding for measures aimed at sustainable practices including fencing, multi-species planting and saltbush establishment.
The program also helps landholders complete a self-assessment to identify their strengths, opportunities, and guide project proposals through LLS.
Under the program, funding was made available to support the Hicksons to further improve soil health.
So far, the Hicksons have used the funding for the construction of fences to help convert larger paddocks into 30 hectare blocks, add extra water points, as well planting different pasture species, which has helped the return of native grasses such as: Queensland blue grass, curly windmill and Mitchell grass, while also supressing weeds.
"Considering the usual size of our paddocks, this is quite a change for us, but the fencing and extra watering points we've put in is making management easier and less stressful," Mr Hickson said.
"Taking a holistic approach has lower costs attached, it requires less labour and the gains we see are in increased profit, not necessarily productivity.
"Putting this management in place and the flexibility it affords allows us to bring our production and natural assets together.
"We are breaking the cycle of flogging paddocks then spraying the weeds that replaced the grasses.
"We used to chip and spray Bathurst burrs but now I don't worry about them: with rest incorporated into our managed grazing regime we have very little bare ground which leaves no room for the burrs to establish."
NWLLS senior land officer Keith Mitchell, Goondiwindi, said more producers were moving towards more holistic management of their properties.
"I think people are starting to really look at the possibilities that this sort of management can provide," Mr Mitchell said.
"Since I started with LLS in 2016, I have certainly seen more people look to change the way they did things and I have no doubt the drought helped fast-track that approach.
"Producers were really starting to consider what was good for not just the economic side of their business but their pastures as well and I think the fact they are quite closely connected really started to sink in with people.
"People of all ages are really starting to weigh up their options and I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they make a move and it is important for them to know that whenever that happens there is support available."
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