Melinee and Rob Leather own and operate Leather Cattle Company, an organic, grass fed and certified humane cattle enterprise across several properties in Central Queensland.
The Leathers are a multi-generational farming family, so Rob and Melinee are ever-aware of their responsibility to their children and grandchildren. For that reason, they are focused on future-proofing each of their properties in order to keep the land productive, profitable and resilient for future generations.
To achieve this goal of ensuring long-term sustainability, the Leathers are always open and enthusiastic about undertaking projects on their properties. They have worked extensively with DAF, their local NRM group, the Fitsroy Basin Association, and other organisations like RCS, Accounting for Nature, and Landcare Farming. The projects that they undertake, are all for the continued support and regeneration of their landscapes.
Melinee highlights that they are seeing consistently hotter and dryer conditions, so much of the work they undertake, is to protect their land and livestock from these climactic extremes.
In 2021, the Leathers were the first recipients of NAB's Agri Green Loan. They used this loan to plant 1200ha of Leucaena, a high-protein woody legume that stabilises soil, improves weight gains, and reduces emissions intensity of livestock by 20-40%.
Similarly, they have worked with Accounting for Nature to baseline their Banana property's natural capital. Since baselining, they have focussed on improving their score by planting tree corridors and using rotational grazing and rest to encourage pasture biodiversity.
All of the works they undertake on their properties showcase the Leather's belief that productive cattle enterprises can go hand in hand with addressing climate change. 'Beef producers manage over 50% of Australia's land mass.' says Melinee, 'So we've got a huge responsibility to make sure that we're doing that job well.''
