A Dream of Greener Pastures – A GRASS Project
Posted on December 19th, 2024
Fifteen years ago, Geoff Nicol had a vision: a property where diverse pastures thrived alongside sustainable cattle grazing. Originally from Northern New South Wales, Geoff had spent years farming in a way that didn’t sit right with him.
“I never enjoyed farming before moving here,” Geoff reflects. “It felt like I was damaging the soil. Every year, I was using more chemicals, it was monoculture farming with no trees, no grass—it just didn’t feel sustainable.”
Ready to make a change, Geoff set the wheels in motion.
“I said to my Dad I wanted to make a change and started looking around at places and when I saw this place it was like a knee-jerk reaction.
It was the total opposite of what I knew so I
made a quick decision and bought it at auction and then I met Lyndal through a neighbour so it couldn’t have been more perfect,” continued Geoff.
The property is Ninderra, a sprawling 10,800 acre property near Injune. 8,000 of those acres are usable and 2,800 is virgin range land.
Geoff explained, “The closer you get to the range the better the soil is because it’s basalt
soil and because of the range we get more rainfall.”
Geoff and Lyndal were determined to make Ninderra the best it could be while running their beef cattle.
“The first few years we were here, we were set stocked, but it rained and rained so everything was easy. But then it turned dry and all the holes appeared. All the overgrazed areas really stood out and that was the start of the journey for us to keep learning and improving what we were doing,” said Geoff.
As they continued on their journey of improvement, the opportunity to purchase 2,000 acres from a neighbouring property arose. Keen to incorporate their new land into their existing grazing and land management plan, Lyndal reached out to FBA and got in contact with Land Management Officer, Sheree Johnston.
“When we purchased the 2,000 acres off the neighbour, it had two fences and a small dam but for the productivity we wanted to get out of the block we knew we had to implement some more infrastructure to manage our grazing. We knew we needed more water to be able to put in more fences and control where the animals were grazing,” Lyndal said.
Sheree introduced Lyndal to the Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions (GRASS) program.
The GRASS program supports graziers to develop and implement tailor-made action plans for land management. The plan assists graziers to implement actions that improve and then maintain their land condition with a specific focus on improving ground cover. The GRASS program supports good land management practices which limits soil loss and sediment run-off to waterways that flow to the Great Barrier Reef.
“The whole process was so easy with FBA, I sent an email with all our information then Sheree came out and did a plan and some reports then she came out with soil expert, John Day to look at the erosion issues,” Lyndal said.
From there Sheree was able to put together a custom plan that helped Geoff and Lyndal install essential infrastructure to improve water distribution and grazing control.
“It’s still early days, but we’re confident the results will come,” said Geoff.
For Geoff, the mantra is simple: “Grass first. Every decision we make comes back to that.” This philosophy is the backbone of the couple’s approach to land management.
By prioritising soil health and vegetation, they’re creating a resilient ecosystem that supports both their cattle and the broader environment.
Sheree added, “Lyndal and Geoff had a clear vision for their property and a commitment to the results they aimed to achieve. This clarity and drive not only made the process smoother but also makes it incredibly rewarding to know that the outcomes will be genuinely valued. Their dedication ensures the work will continue to evolve and improve over time.”
Geoff and Lyndal are quick to encourage others to explore programs like GRASS.
“There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Lyndal says.
Contact the team at FBA today if you would like to find our more about the GRASS program and how you can get involved.
The Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions (GRASS) program is funded through the Queensland
Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Fitzroy Basin Association, Burnett Mary Regional Group, and NQ Dry Tropics.
