May 11th

Day Four Blog Post –

 We started day four of our trip at Baanga, it’s a first-generation farm owned by Caroline Balderstone. The 30-year-old 2,000 hectare farm is located in southern Victoria. The unique part of the operation was that there haven’t been herbicides, fertilizers or insecticides used in the past 16 years. Their operation practices regenerative agriculture.

Cows calving are located in a different pen than others. 

One machine that they utilize for this practice is the soil seeder renovator. The renovator breaks down compaction in the ground and releases nutrient matter within soil while simultaneously planting a variety of seeds. The tires seen on the back of this machine act as tools to further fluff up the ground and disperse the seeds. The clumps of soil that the machine leaves behind are eventually broken down as the plants grow.

The seed renovator is used to lightly work the field to promote soil health.

A sample of the variety of seeds used in the seed mix on their operation.

For them, monoculture pastures are vulnerable to damage by disease and pests, so instead they plant a multi-species seed mix. Within this diverse seed mix there are four family groups: grasses, legumes, brassicas, and herbs. The reason they plant such a diverse mix is to ensure that even if pre-requisite soil conditions don’t activate certain plants to thrive, there are still other varieties for the cattle to consume. This acts as a form of crop and feed insurance. Caroline doesn’t include grain seeds into the mixes as she prefers to allow the grass varieties to seed, keeping the cattle marketed as grass-fed beef.

Angus cattle

One particular grass species is Phalaris Aquatica, also known as harding grass, is included in that mix. This species copes well with extremely wet and dry conditions. New varieties that she is planting have softer leaves that are more palatable for her cattle. She doesn’t experience difficulties when trying to keep cattle within the fences as they are moved five times a day. This allows them to graze the most desirable parts of the pasture within moderation.

Ben showcasing the root development after the seed renovator has passed through

Baanga puts emphasis on using a diverse seed mix to benefit the health and viability of the whole operation. The varieties of grasses and other plants grown from nutrient filled soil stimulates the cattle’s digestive tracts. The nutrients from the cattle’s gut material are reintroduced to the soil, replenishing the soil’s carbon profile. The owners use the animal’s dung as indicators to the amount of protein intake their cattle are receiving on pasture. If the cattle’s dung pile is piled, rather than flattened, that means the microbes in the cattle’s stomach aren’t getting enough protein to break down the roughage they consume.

Caroline works with a group called Mosswood Wildlife to rehabilitate injured koalas into the trees of her 2,000-acre property.  While exploring their pastures, we had the opportunity to see a mob of kangaroos as well as a large male koala in a Eucalyptus tree that had been rehabilitated and placed onto her property by Mosswood Wildlife. The tour volunteers, that consisted of local farmers, were more than happy to indulge us in their knowledge of native wildlife.

The koala that the students got to see while on the farm! They also spotted a mob of kangaroos.

They believe by practicing regenerative agriculture they are reducing their labor and machinery cost while still operating a high-quality sustainable beef operation. A sign that their regenerative agriculture is working is the roots of their plants are growing straight down, signifying low compaction. It is evident that Caroline is surrounded by a strong community of farmers that can rely on each other and build each other up. We are very thankful that this community opened their arms to us to teach us about this unique style of cattle farming.