What Does Regenerative Farming Look Like at Bunya Grove?

Regenerative farming is one of those terms that gets used a lot these days, but what does it actually mean when you are standing on a farm?

At Bunya Grove, Kylie and Mick don't see it as a set of rules or something they have perfected. It is much more practical than that. It is about paying attention to the land, understanding how the animals fit into it and making decisions that will hopefully leave the farm in better condition than they found it.

Across Bunya Grove's 400 acres, that means looking at the whole farm rather than each part in isolation. The cattle, goats, pigs and chickens all have a role. So do the grass, soil, trees, water, insects and wildlife. What happens in one paddock can affect another part of the farm, so Kylie and Mick are constantly watching, learning and adjusting how they manage it.

It starts with observation

Walk around Bunya Grove and there is plenty to look at, but some of the most important things are happening underfoot. Is the soil covered? What grasses are growing? How quickly is a paddock recovering after animals have been through it? Where is the water going when it rains? Are insects and birds returning? These are the sorts of things that help tell the story of whether the land is improving.

The animals are part of that story too. Moving animals through different areas gives paddocks time to rest and recover. Chickens scratch, graze and fertilise as they move across pasture. Cattle and goats graze differently. Even the pigs have a place in the system. It isn't about leaving the land untouched. Bunya Grove is a productive farm and needs to produce food and provide an income. The challenge is working out how to do that while improving the land at the same time.

There is no perfect formula for it. Some ideas work well, others need changing and occasionally something that sounded brilliant doesn't work at all. Kylie and Mick are still learning and expect they always will be. Seasons change, rainfall changes, animals behave differently and the land has a habit of reminding farmers that they are never completely in charge.

That is probably the simplest way to explain regenerative farming at Bunya Grove. Look at what is happening, learn from it, make a change and look again.

For Kylie and Mick, the aim is not simply to produce eggs, beef, pork, goat meat or persimmons. It is to produce good food while caring for the place it comes from, so that years from now Bunya Grove is healthier, more productive and more alive than it is today.

And when people visit the farm, they get to see that process for themselves.

Not a perfect farm.

A working one that is still learning.