In this story, RCS graduate Ben Simpson of Thistlebank, QLD shares his journey of transformation. It begins when taking over a 22,830 HA cattle enterprise in 2014.
Michael brings the practical day-to-day experience of running a grazing business, as well as the skills and knowledge of working in the DPI/NRM bodies. A graduate of Farming & GrazingforProfit in 2018 and alongside his wife, Heloise, and three children, they operate their cattle breeding property in the Riverina.
Michael provides remote and on-farm business and grazing management advice to RCS clients. Michael works with a variety of NSW based agricultural businesses to develop personalised, drought resilience focused business plans under a Future Drought Fund initiative.
Michael grew up on a mixed cropping, irrigation and livestock farm in the Riverina, Southern NSW. After spending a couple of years as a Jackaroo in the Riverina he attended Marcus Oldham College, Geelong and completed his Mid-Year working in a grazing business near Hamilton in the Western District.
He joined the family business upon graduation in 2004 and in 2010 he completed Holistic Management training with Bruce Ward. From here, Michael started planned grazing in 2011. Having a love of breeding cattle, he established an Angus cattle stud in 2016. Michael and his wife are also part of a management group consisting of 8 families that practice holistic management, meeting every six weeks since 2012.
Employed as the first Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator for Riverina Local Land Services in 2018, Michael facilitated and coordinated training programs providing land managers opportunities to transition mixed farming business to regenerative agriculture.
Michael’s specialties include:
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In this story, RCS graduate Ben Simpson of Thistlebank, QLD shares his journey of transformation. It begins when taking over a 22,830 HA cattle enterprise in 2014.
Dennis Donohoe, farm manager with Aminya Pastoral, is a seasoned producer with decades of experience, and his story is a testament to how even minor changes in farming practices can lead to significant improvements in productivity and land health.
Once you have ownership as to why planning is important, the next ingredient is to work out where and how you will do your planning. When you write something down you change your relationship with the content. I cannot emphasise enough the power of getting your thoughts and plans out of your head onto paper or the computer.
The season in SA and Tassie is particularly tight right now with little or no useful rain since early January and a generally failed 2023 spring prior to that. Right now, across southern Australia and much of the eastern NSW, you won’t need to drive far out into the countryside to see cattle and sheep grazing (and lying on) hay and silage trails lined across paddocks.
Martha Lindstad and partner Robert James are farm managers on ‘Karalee’, Enngonia NSW. Both have travelled different paths to being where they are. Martha is originally from Norway, growing up on a three hectare farm before travelling to New Zealand and eventually the Pilbara in Western Australia. It was here that she saw the benefits of sustainable farming for the country and livestock.
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