Jack and Celia Tucker run Rhynie Pastoral, a 2,000-ha mixed farming enterprise in Willaura North, Western Victoria. With their two young sons, they manage a 3,000-head Dorper sheep flock on 1,000 ha, with the other 1,000 ha used for growing canola, wheat, barley, fava beans and oats.
Jack's family bought their first block of land in 1980 and have expanded the property since then, while Celia grew up on a farm further south, near Warrnambool. She has been on the farm since 2008. Having farmed together for 15 years, they've spent the past 5 years honing in on regenerative practices with the aim of building a resilient farming system that will be productive well into the future. 'Conventional agriculture certainly isn't all bad; we're just taking the best bits of both conventional and regenerative practices so we can be profitable and increase natural capital in the long run,' Celia says.
Changes have included implementing a timed rotational grazing system on improved pastures to better manage feed and regular sap testing throughout the growing season to diagnose nutrient deficiencies. 'We're all about creating resilient systems, rather than prescription agriculture whereby there is a quick fix to tackle a problem once it arises,' Jack says. The Tuckers have also been involved in a soil carbon project since 2021.
Increasing biodiversity across the whole farm landscape is at the centre of everything the Tuckers do. Whether it's in the soils or in the vegetation, improving biodiversity helps to build healthier soils, has positive effects on pest and disease control and leads to increased resilience of the farming system as a whole. As part of their effort to predator-proof biodiversity, Jack and Celia created a 56-ha sanctuary in the centre of their property, which is rotationally grazed like the rest of the grazing areas but also protects wildlife from cats and foxes. They've also purchased 80 ha of native vegetation in the foothills of the Grampians purely for conservation purposes.
The Tuckers place great importance on surrounding themselves with people who are willing to think outside the box and try new things. 'Our employees and our agronomist all have curious minds; they're happy to play devil's advocate rather than just being on the ride and doing what we say,' Celia says. 'That is a real asset to us.'
