Victorian farmer sows seeds for a greener future

Key points

• Gippsland farmers Bill and Deb Bray run sheep and cattle on 600ha of land they own and lease at Walkerville, South Gippsland

• Bill Bray has always been at the forefront of agricultural change. He was the first Australian farmer to be officially granted quality assurance accreditation for his sheep flock and cattle herd and was one of the founding members of the Gippsland environmental beef group, Gipps Beef

• Over the past 20 years, the Bray family have planted more than 30,000 native trees, fenced off 10 per cent of their property to protect remnant vegetation and begun fencing off water courses to establish wetlands with native species

History of tree clearing in Victoria

Forty years ago, Bill Bray and his family were among up to 70,000 farmers across Victoria who were offered financial incentives to clear land for rural development.

So enticing were these loans and tax concessions for land clearing that they contributed to Victoria's dubious honour - the fact that relative to its size, Victoria has cleared more land than any other state or territory after European settlement.

History also suggests that coastal Gippsland, where Bill and Deb Bray run sheep and cattle, was one of the regions of Victoria where clearing was most prevalent.

Commitment to improving the land and water

Yet to look over the Brays' stunning property now, with its extensive strips of native vegetation buffering undulating green pastures and sweeping views of Wilson's Promontory, it is obviousus that agricultural policy and farming practices have turned full circle.

Over the past 20 years, the Bray family have planted more than 30,000 native trees, fenced off 10 per cent of their property to protect remnant vegetation and begun fencing off

water courses to establish wetlands with native species.

They also operate according to strict self-imposed guidelines, which ensure all of their farming activities enhance rather than compromise the land, protect native flora and fauna, encourage biodiversity and minimise waste and pollution.

"I think most producers now are thinking a lot more about their environment - not only are consumers encouraging it in markets, but State and Federal Government are also driving a change in land practices," Bill says.

"In the early days when our family first started farming here in Gippsland, my parents were given incentives to clear all this country. But by the late 1970s, we were fencing off gullies to protect the native vegetation. Now we're given incentives to re-establish the vegetation."

One such government initiative to protect bushland is Bush Tender, whereby farmers such as the Brays can be given financial incentives to fence off and protect remnant vegetation on their land in order to give a company offsets for their proposed development.

Bill believes the government rewards for protecting bushland are very important for farmers struggling with reduced profit margins but is quick to point out that the benefits from having dedicated areas of native vegetation are multiple.

"The native vegetation improves the aesthetic value of the land and research shows that livestock are more productive in a warmer, sheltered environment. Their growth rates are better and their birth rates are better."

"The Government talks about making sure there is "no net loss" in native vegetation across the State - and this is something we want to ensure on our farm as well," Bill says.

"Now our two daughters, Millie and Lucy, have left school and are in their 20s, we're thinking about how we want to leave the land. We're conscious of how we want to leave it for future generations."

The Bray's journey to an environmental management system (EMS)

Although he spent his childhood in metropolitan Melbourne, as a farmer Bill has always been at the forefront of change in the agricultural sector, always trying to anticipate and meet the changing desires of the public and, in particular, consumers.

Fifteen years ago, Bill was the first Australian farmer to be officially granted quality assurance accreditation for his sheep flock and cattle herd.

And five years ago, Bill and Deb implemented the most rigorous international environmental management system (EMS) available - which is ISO14001-aligned - for the 600 hectares of farming land they own and lease.

As part of this commitment, they assess the environmental impact of their farming activities and introduce action plans to reduce their footprint and greenhouse emissions. It not only extends to protecting native bushland and water ways but also to recycling farm materials, minimising chemicals, feeding nutrients back into the soils after grazing, reducing erosion and controlling pests and weeds.

Developing an environmental brand of meat

Crucially, the Brays' environmental activities have always been motivated by implications for the final product - the meat.

In 1998, the Brays were among a savvy group of about 30 Gippsland producers who saw a niche market for high quality, natural, grass-fed beef and produced Gippsland Natural.

After seeing the international demand for environmentally-friendly food five years later, these producers used the ISO14001 certification to underpin a second beef brand, Enviromeat, which is now sold directly to leading butchers in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

"We want to say to customers of our meat, this is what we are doing to protect the environment on my farm,"

"Primarily, consumers want to know their food is safe, healthy and of good quality. But they are also becoming a lot more conscious of where it is produced."

"Working as a livestock agent and meat buyer when I first left school taught me the importance of making sure we produce a product that the consumer wants. I learnt that there are a lot of things I can do on our farm which will affect the final product."

"I have always considered producing safe, high quality food as part of our responsibility as producers."

And as a farmer who has a wide network of contacts on cattle and sheep properties across Australia, Bill is confident that the grazing industry, as a whole, recognises this responsibility and is being proactive about managing the environment.

"Certainly times have been tough for sheep and cattle producers and the ones who are going to survive are the ones who look after their environment," Bill says.