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Soils for Life Case Studies

Soils for Life has been publishing case studies since 2011.

These case studies showcase farmers’ inspiring stories of transition from conventional farming practice to regenerating their soils and landscapes and to share learnings and insights of innovative, adaptive approaches to agricultural land management. Each case study is a story supported by evidence about how the land has changed the land manager and how the land manager has changed the land. The case studies focus on ecological, social and economic factors and change, particularly looking at the importance of peer-to-peer support.

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Balala Station – Richard Daugherty and Sarah Burrows

Richard Daugherty and Sarah Burrows set out to find a property that provided the lifestyle and outdoor experiences they so desired.

With a young family they chose to move from South Africa and settle in the New England district of northern NSW. Having done their research they settled on Balala Station which just happened to be up for sale for only the second time since establishment.

8-Families Group

Located around the Eastern Riverina in NSW, the ‘8 families’ group first formed in 2008 after attending the same Holistic Management course in Holbrook.

Over the last decade, the 8 families have become a strong community of practice for regenerative farming, and continue to help each other make major changes in managing their landscapes and their businesses. This story demonstrates what is possible when regenerative farmers sharing the same landscape come together to support one another.

Jillamatong – Martin Royds

This is the story of Jillamatong, a grazing property in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands with a history going back to 1951.

In 1985, Martin Royds – the third-generation family member to manage Jillamatong – took over the running of the property. And he was forced to make big changes.

Winona – Col Seis

Colin Seis’ property Winona, north of Gulgong in the NSW Central Highlands, was one of the original case studies in regenerative agriculture conducted by Soils for Life in 2012.

Our profile of Winona at that time told an incredible story of recovery. It detailed how the landscape, recovering from the effects of a devastating bushfire, plus suffering from salinity, declining soil quality, dying trees, and insect attack has been rehabilitated under Colin Seis’ innovative management, in particular his development of pasture cropping.

CSIRO debunks cattle myths

farmonline.com.au December 2021

The typical Australian grain-fed beef production system contributes almost twice the human-edible protein its cattle consume, while grass-fed systems contribute almost 1600 times.

Farmers turn back on harsh chemicals, improve biodiversity and lower costs

ABC Rural May 2019

"We don't use a tractor, we don't spray chemicals, fertiliser, we don't feed hay — it's all gone," Ms Coughlan said. They rely on nature to do the heavy lifting.

Vegan brings back cows

The Northern Star November 2012

‘The perception that livestock is bad for the environment is now being relegated to the dustbin with a new holistic management approach which is teaching farmers and environmentalists to emulate nature's use of cattle to rehabilitate land, and improve their bottom line’

Cattle are Part of the Climate Solution

A conversation with rangeland ecologist Richard Teague, PhD, analyzing the role that adaptive multi-paddock cattle grazing plays in sequestering carbon.

How to Stop Two Thirds of the Earth From Turning Into a Desert

About a third of the land on earth is humid and moist year-round.

On this kind of land, you could burn ten thousand acres to the ground, wait until grass grows on it and then overgraze it until the land is spent and dead, and if you then simply left it alone, the jungle would grow right back.

Banks Peninsula farmer tries holistic farming to boost his bottom-line

Back in the early 1990s Tim Wilson was twice a finalist in the Young Farmer of the Year and he strived to maximise production on the irrigated Waitaki Valley property he'd taken over from his parents but as his neighbours there sold their farms for conversion to dairying, he decided to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Holistic grazing regime at Mangarara follows Zimbabwe example

The grazing regime on Mangarara Station is based on a holistic system originating from Zimbabwe with cattle grazed on a long rotation.

How we can solve climate change with cows (maybe)

IN THE UNITED STATES, there is famously little consensus on the topic of climate change.

But among the community most concerned about it, certain convictions are widely shared: Fossil fuel emissions deserve nearly all the blame for warming our planet. Meat—especially from flatulent cattle—is an environmental scourge. The Koch brothers, with their campaigns against solar power and cap-and-trade legislation, are (to avoid a less printable word) jerks. And we are probably all doomed.

Roaring Springs Ranch doubles its herd thanks to Holistic Management

On Pasture, July 2017

‘Eat Less Meat’ Ignores the Role of Animals in the Ecosystem

Civil Eats, Jan 2018

A grazier argues that this popular sentiment misses the point, and distracts us from the opportunity to adopt a diet that will restore ecosystems while nourishing people

Competitive pasture the best defence

Brian Wehlburg

Healthy grasslands vital to world food production: holistic management expert tells graziers The Land April 2021 ‘We've basically destroyed that through our agriculture and our decisions, and if we can reverse that and get those grasslands productive and full of carbon again, there is huge potential to feed people and keep people gainfully employed.’

Introduction to Holistic management and regenerative agriculture ABC Rural Sep 2015 ‘The concept behind the Holistic Management philosophy is to improve the long-term viability of farming businesses through landscape regeneration.’

Allan Savory and Holistic Management

Holistic farming guru visits Australia World renowned environmentalist and educator, Allan Savory says under-grazing is one of the key reasons for desertification across the world's grasslands, which cover 60 per cent of the planet.

Top end pastoralists meet Holistic pioneer Around 100 people turned out to hear holistic management pioneer Allan Savory speak in the small Northern Territory town of Mataranka in August 2013.

Using Primeval Methods to Fight Modern Abuses of Agricultural Lands Allan Savory's project, titled "Operation Hope," is an ongoing effort to reverse the desertification that is spreading across the world's savannas and grasslands like a disease. It is rapidly changing farmland into deserts.

Method That Turns Wastelands Green Wins 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge FastCompany.com June 2010

The Buckminster Fuller Institute announced the winner of its 2010 Challenge: Allan Savory, who has spent the last 50 years refining and evangelizing for a method of reversing desertification that he calls “holistic management.”

BOOKS

Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment 3rd edition by Allan Savory and Jody Butterfield

Holistic Management explained June 2019

Call of the Reed Warbler: Revised Edition: Revised Edition Paperback by Charles Massy

Charles Massy tells the stories of innovative farmers doing things, regenerating their land and seeing positive results.

September 2020

Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey into Regenerative Agriculture Paperback by Gabe Brown

A telling of Gabe Brown’s farming amazing journey, including many innovative solutions to restoring soil health.

May 2019

For the Love of Soil: Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems by Nicole Masters

Insights into the regeneration of ecosystem health and growing farm/ranch profits

October 2019

Defending Beef: The Ecological and Nutritional Case for Meat, 2nd Edition Paperback by Nicolette Hahn Niman

Environmental lawyer turned cattle farmer Nicolette Hahn Niman delivers an argument for responsible grassfed, meat production and consumption.

July 2021

Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat: Why Well-Raised Meat Is Good for You and Good for the Planet by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf

An investigation into the nutritional claims against meat, why cattle raised well are actually good for the environment, and the ethical considerations surrounding killing animals for food.

July 2020

Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth by Judith Schwartz

A look at the vital role of soil in our ecology and economy

May 2013

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

An exploration of our food choices, and how those choices impact our health, environment and future survival.

September 2007

Should Meat be on the Menu? by David Mason-Jones

This book explores the widely held misconception that sheep, cattle and other grazing animals are responsible for an enormous net production of new global warming gases. The reality is that livestock are part of a closed atmospheric carbon cycle where the carbon they emit is equal to the carbon they take in.

August 2012

Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom by Fred Provenza

The complexity of nutrition

November 2018

The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of The Lake District by James Rebanks

James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year, an account of rural life and deep connection with the land.

April 2016

Grass Productivity by Andre Voisin

Understanding grazing – where cattle and pasture meet.

December 1988

Who Moved My Cheese Paperback by Spencer Johnson

A look at our resistance and / or acceptance of change

April 1999

Man's Search for Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust by Viktor E Frankl

Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl came to believe that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose after enduring time incarcerated in Auschwitz during World War Two.

April 2008

Ripples from the Zambezi: Passion, Entrepreneurship, and the Rebirth of Local Economies by Ernesto Sirolli

The revitalisation of urban and rural economies

April 1999

First Things First by Stephen R. Covey

A look at managing priorities

January 1996

Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin

Salatin has many thoughts on what normal is and shares ideas for changing our lives in small ways that have big impact reflecting his experience of living close to the land.

October 2011

The Water Wizard: The Extraordinary Properties of Natural Water: 1 by Viktor Schauberger

Observations and study of water

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Articles

Soils for Life Case Studies

Soils for Life has been publishing case studies since 2011.

Balala Station – Richard Daugherty and Sarah Burrows

Richard Daugherty and Sarah Burrows set out to find a property that provided the lifestyle and outdoor experiences they so desired.

8-Families Group

Located around the Eastern Riverina in NSW, the ‘8 families’ group first formed in 2008 after attending the same Holistic Management course in Holbrook.

Jillamatong – Martin Royds

This is the story of Jillamatong, a grazing property in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands with a history going back to 1951.

Winona – Col Seis

Colin Seis’ property Winona, north of Gulgong in the NSW Central Highlands, was one of the original case studies in regenerative agriculture conducted by Soils for Life in 2012.

CSIRO debunks cattle myths

farmonline.com.au December 2021

Farmers turn back on harsh chemicals, improve biodiversity and lower costs

ABC Rural May 2019

Vegan brings back cows

The Northern Star November 2012

Cattle are Part of the Climate Solution

How to Stop Two Thirds of the Earth From Turning Into a Desert

About a third of the land on earth is humid and moist year-round.

Banks Peninsula farmer tries holistic farming to boost his bottom-line

Holistic grazing regime at Mangarara follows Zimbabwe example

How we can solve climate change with cows (maybe)

IN THE UNITED STATES, there is famously little consensus on the topic of climate change.

Roaring Springs Ranch doubles its herd thanks to Holistic Management

On Pasture, July 2017

‘Eat Less Meat’ Ignores the Role of Animals in the Ecosystem

Civil Eats, Jan 2018

Competitive pasture the best defence

Brian Wehlburg

Allan Savory and Holistic Management

BOOKS

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