The 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award finalist Bruce Maynard is championing farming innovation

This year's Landcare Award named after the former prime minister Bob Hawke who established Landcare in 1989 is a plum trophy for innovators in managing natural resources and sustainable agriculture with Mr Maynard among three finalists.

"I am very humbled and pleased to be nominated for this award," said Mr Maynard, a fourth-generation farmer in his family when he learned he was being considered for the award.

"This recognition will assist in helping people adopt these techniques more widely."

For decades, Mr Maynard's innovative work had seen him travel across the country, from the mountains to the valleys and coasts, speaking at events and conducting seminars and workshops to teach farmers keen to adopt the systems.

His invention of No Kill Cropping spurred his fellow farmers to try the method that is basically about "farming crops that retains everything growing on the paddock" and "aimed at keeping full grassland intact".

He argued that "old ways of farming that required digging the ground and tillage, killing weeds and chopping down trees to grow the maximum amount of crops" are unnecessarily destroying natural environments instead of enhancing them.

Thus, his methods came about in an attempt "to grow nature naturally as well as grow plants for us to eat" without necessarily making a choice between farming and conserving plants and animals to achieve productivity.

"It has always been a choice [unfortunately] but I have proposed these systems to show that we can do both and achieve," Mr Maynard said.

On the Maynard family's property, Willydah, they planted over 200,000 trees and tens of thousands of saltbushes to regenerate the farm regularly visited by farmers and representatives of industries learning his farming systems.

He developed Self Herding and Self Shepherding with Dr Dean Revell following extensive research around Australia's pastoral farms as well as overseas as a method of raising livestock as a business that works for both the grazier and the animal.

"We've got to be effective [in agriculture production] but the trouble is we have two big matters to address in agriculture right now," Mr Maynard said.

"Climate change and species decline, in other words, the loss of animals and organisms are linked together. We can't do things about climate change if we are losing too many species.

"As we go forward, we must enhance the natural processes that happen on our farms as best as possible."

Australia's agriculture industry should be "heading towards new directions" by looking out for farming innovations that will "measurably address climate change challenges and species decline", Mr Maynard said.

"We have to head towards new paths [even if] not everybody is motivated to do good things for their natural surroundings and community...we should try and give people the best opportunity that they can benefit economically while looking after their community and country."

The Landcare Award is now in its 10^th year and the winner of the $50,000 prize package will be announced at a gala dinner on August 24.

The other finalists are agroecologist and scientist Dr Mary Retallack of South Australia and founder of Farm Mojo, farmer Geoff Bassett, of NSW.

Agriculture minister Murray Watt said that he was impressed by the caliber of this year's finalists and their groundbreaking accomplishments in Landcare.

"The work of Dr Retallack, Mr Maynard and Mr Bassett could not be more important. These finalists are the Landcare leaders and innovators that are paving the way for Australia's sustainable farming future.

"Their achievements show exactly why farmers, graziers, and land managers across Australia need to be part of the conversation on how to address the climate crisis and improve sustainability.

"Their forward-thinking approach to agriculture is exactly what we need to build resilience and improve environmental outcomes."