What it means
to be holistic
The holistic approach encompasses the entire process - from the soil, to the pasture, to the animals, to the milk, to the humans who live and work on the farm.
The Soil
Everything starts from the soil.
When our soil is thriving, with a diversity of microbes, insects and organic matter, it grows healthier and produces more plentiful feed for our cows to eat.
Optimal soil conditions produce the most flavourful, unique milk that is an expression of the cow's environment and a true taste of place or, in French (as there’s no equivalent word in English) the terroir.
The microbiome in the ground reflects the microbiome in an animal's digestive tract. This is a fascinating area we’re coming to better understand and discovering exciting new ways to farm that challenge traditional practices.
We start with a soil test to evaluate the nutrient profile of our soil. Then we try to give it what it needs and avoid adding anything that will disrupt the natural processes.
We re-use the effluent from the dairy and spray it directly onto the pasture with our Nevada slurry tanker (in preference to synthetic fertiliser).
We try to follow regenerative principles and avoid bare ground by moving cattle regularly, allowing sufficient recovery time between grazing and planting trees for the synergistic benefits that deep tree roots promote in soil.
We minimise chemical sprays and herbicides and rotate grazing, meaning recovery time for our pastures.
Plants
Growing good pasture is at the heart of our cows' diet.
We grow many different plants together in our paddocks, not just one type of grass - a cornerstone of regenerative farming.
It also helps to promote biodiversity in the soil - the different types and lengths of plant roots interact at different levels in the soil. That improves water penetration and retention and forming mycorrhizal networks - the connection between plant roots and soil fungi.
Having a wide variety of plant species ensures different plants mature and flower, then peak in nutritional value at different times of the year. That provides a more even spread of nutrition, rather than everything flowering, seeding and dying at the same time.
For us, plants also mean the trees and shrubs, vital to providing habitat for the wildlife that share our land.
We’ve planted hundreds of trees on the farm since Jason's parents moved here in 1990, both native eucalypts and shrubs.
As well, plenty of deciduous poplars, that are renowned for being fire resistant, capturing carbon and providing excellent shade for the cows in the summertime.
People
Our workers are precious too.
They're the ones who go the extra mile, for the sick calf, or notice the cow with a sore foot so we can treat her straight away.
They're the ones monitoring the cows when they give birth.
They work efficiently, tirelessly and quietly in the dairy so that milking time is relaxed and calm.
They're the ones getting pooped on (yes this happens most milkings) but still manage to laugh about it.
When our people are happy and calm – so are our cows and that benefits everyone.
We need to make sure our workers are safe, content, motivated and challenged - but not stressed out.
We need the whole operation to satisfy us, the farmers, on every level, so we can keep solving problems and finding solutions.
Finally, we need to make this a profitable operation.
The financial side of the dairy business is challenging, but by connecting directly with customers and producing quality, local, minimally-processed dairy products straight from the farm - we hope we can add value back to the community and the bottom line.
Animals
Our milking cows are the heroes of the farm.
Every single day they miraculously turn grass into creamy deliciousness.
The welfare of our animals lies at the core of what we do.
Low stress handling, free ranging on pasture every day, close observation by dedicated workers, and commitment to innovation and improvement means we make the comfort and wellbeing of our animals our highest priority.
We know that the best milk can only be made by healthy and happy cows.
On the whole they’re docile, calm and amaze us with their work ethic.
Even though, there's always one who gives us an occasional headbutt just to let us know who’s in charge.
They can take some encouraging to get moving at 5 am on a dark winter's morning… but so do I!