Growing up on a station in Deniliquin, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Simon Falkiner has always loved the land.<\/p>\n
Now 50-plus years later, the Freshwater Creek farmer was a top-three finalist in this year\u2019s Bob Hawke National Landcare Awards.<\/p>\n
Mr Falkiner was nominated by colleagues for the award presented every two years; honouring those with a remarkable commitment to caring for the land; champions better practices; and shares knowledge with others so that they too can prosper.<\/p>\n
Simon, a fourth-generation farmer runs a 600-acre mixed enterprise farm that produces meat merinos, cereals and
\noilseed crops; while prioritising farming techniques that preserve the lands biodiversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been a farmer. I finished school, went jackarooing for a year and moved down here in 1970 where I complete a Farm Management Diploma at Marcus Oldham,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Simon\u2019s focus on maintaining soil health and his integrated pest and grazing management has made him a leading advocate for best-practice Landcare; his farm has hosted longterm trials testing everything from soil acidification and biology to pasture cover and cropping.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to clothe and feed the world and agriculture is at the centre of that.<\/p>\n
One of the appeals to me is the diverse nature of farming and what it leads to. There\u2019s something for everyone in agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the beginning Simon\u2019s farming philosophy was based solely around production.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started, production was at the forefront of my decisions \u2013 producing as much as you could for as little cost as possible. Now when I look at how I produce things, I look at the consequences of that production system.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ask, \u2018Am I polluting the waterways?\u2019,<\/p>\n
\u2018Am I polluting the environment?\u2019, \u2018Am I improving the soil?\u2019 and that\u2019s what drives my decisions now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can find a soft way of achieving production goals then I\u2019ll do that. I utilise integrated pest management on our
\nfarm, we have a predator nursery. It sounds like science fiction, but it\u2019s native grassland designed to house an army of natural predators (spiders, wasps).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen insect pests fly in the cavalry are already here to attack them. We haven\u2019t had to use pesticide for over 10
\nyears.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus Oldham students regularly visit his farm to learn about the various techniques implemented in order to reduce the carbon footprint and impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mindset change was triggered by a concern about the reliance on chemicals of farming systems. Whether
\nit be livestock or cropping, chemicals have become the cornerstone of our production systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always felt there was a better way, once you start ameliorating the subsoil, putting in predator nurseries etc,
\nyou realise there are natural ways to overcome the challenges to agriculture in high rainfall zones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis award was a great recognition, not only for myself, but for the Corangamite region and what we are doing here. It showed we are right up there in Australia with innovative farming practices.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Growing up on a station in Deniliquin, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Simon Falkiner has always loved the land. Now 50-plus years later, the Freshwater Creek farmer was a top-three finalist in this year\u2019s Bob Hawke National Landcare Awards. Mr Falkiner was nominated by colleagues for the award presented every two years; […]<\/p>\n