Regenerative ag raises profit, lowers cost at Cootamundra

Premium grass-fed beef producer Chris Main is farming for profit in the South West Slopes of NSW, with zero fertiliser, pesticide or tractor costs. See how he does it.

Cootamundra beef producer Chris Main. Picture: Rachael Lenehan

A holistic approach to farm management and a committed grazing routine has allowed Chris Main to keep his inputs and cost of production low while increasing profits and soil carbon levels.

The Cootamundra, NSW, based beef producer was inspired to return to his family farm in 2016 after working in the regenerative agriculture space and realising not only its ecological but personal benefits.

“Farming as a child was always negative with the seasons and prices and a lot of family farmers have gone in my area,” Chris said.

“But when I started going onto these regenerative farms – they were really positive, they were happy with their farms and the changes financially and ecologically, and their kids were enthusiastic about what they were doing and were keen to come back on the farm.

“It blew me away how awesome this different side of agriculture was because back in the 1990s, kids like me had a one-way ticket to the cities.”

THE HOME RUN

Chris’ family farms, “Retreat” and “Tree-Tops”, total 1013ha. Retreat was leased for more than 30 years before Chris, his wife Lucy and two children returned eight years ago.

The farms are still owned by Chris’ parents but a farm succession plan has been implemented with his two siblings.

His brother George and partner Sean run a pastured egg business, Junee Pastured Eggs, from the farm that complements Chris’ beef business by having chook caravans that follow where the cattle have grazed.

“It is really good ecologically because the chooks help turn over the soil and help with grass growth,” Chris said.

“It’s a really good set up – their business benefits mine and mine benefits theirs – to be on the same land but not competing, it works really well.”

PREMIUM TARGET MARKET

Chris and Lucy’s Pinchgut Creek Pastoral Company produces ethically farmed beef for premium grass-fed markets.

They run an autumn calving Poll Hereford breeding herd of 180 cows, and while they continue to build breeding numbers also have an additional 200 Angus-Wagyu on agistment as part of Greenham’s Never Ever Beef Program.

The grass-fed assurance program requires stringent animal welfare and quality management practises so fits in well with Chris’ farming with nature, low input ethos.

It involves agisting young stock that arrive on the property at 250kg-320kg liveweight and depart at 400kg-450kg.

Chris also intends to start supplying Highland Beef in coming months, a similar collaborative beef supply chain model where producers get paid on weight gain and the product is exported.

He also has accreditation with the Teys Group Grasslands pasture-fed program.

“The last time I sold cattle to Teys there was a 30c/kg premium for grass-fed cattle over and above anything else,” Chris said.

“To me, it makes sense to be involved in as many of those grass-fed programs as possible.”

The agistment cattle are on farm for 200 to 250 days.

“They are weighed when they arrive and again when they leave and the difference paid is based on those figures,” Chris said.

“We are also able to get progress payments. We weighed some the other day and the gain was 0.9kg so I invoiced them for 0.4kg per head per day so there is still a buffer there and if they go backwards then I haven’t been overpaid.

“I really like it. The incentive is there to put as much weight on as possible in a short amount of time.”

A Longhorn steer is kept in the paddock with weaner and trade cattle to guide them on where water points are and to keep them calm on Chris Main’s regenerative farm. Picture: Rachael Lenehan

LOCK IN, LOCKS OUT

Chris, who currently works off farm for Australian Soil Management, hopes to build the farm business to a point where it can sustain his family on a permanent basis.

He is part of a regenerative agriculture group, 2AM, and has undertaken training in holistic farm management, grazing for profit and KLR Marketing.

Chris targets the high-end beef markets but has sold cattle via Wagga Wagga saleyards and AuctionsPlus when seasonal and market conditions have been conducive.

“With our grazing management system you always have options,” Chris said.

“We did some trading recently because we had the grass and could take advantage of those swings a bit. We were buying for $500 a head and selling for $1200 a head.”

A KLR Marketing course highlighted the three inventories of his farm business; livestock, grass and money – with the aim of not depleting one at the expense of another.

“It changed the way I look at how to sell livestock and part of it is not locking in any particular market,” Chris said.

“It’s about having options and being open to selling steers as weaners straight off mum if there is not the grass, or keeping them on to slaughter weight and selling direct to a processor, or keeping them to a lighter weight and selling to a backgrounder.

“My grass is hugely important. I’m not going to keep an animal on at the detriment of my grass inventory.”

RECOVERY TIME

As part of their grazing strategy, cattle are moved ideally every day onto fresh grass by manager Jim Alexander, and each paddock is given a six to 12 month recovery period.

Grazing plans and feed budgets are created through MaiaGrazing Plus, which can keep track of animals and pasture yields.

The property had previously been used for broadacre cropping with high input, high fertiliser use and cultivation but when Chris returned to the farm he stopped all that.

“I let the ground recover, then I bought livestock and did planned grazing on the place,” he said.

“My only tools have been livestock and controlled grazing. I don’t even have a tractor, just a ute.”

The paddocks have been subdivided and electric fences are used to get daily moves onto fresh grass.

Water points have been upgraded. The Mains have access to metered water from the Goldenfields Water system, which is sourced from the Murrumbidgee River. The average rainfall is 450-650mm across the properties.

“We are lucky where we are, even in the peak of drought the lowest rainfall we got was 220mm on Retreat,” Chris said.

“It’s not a huge amount but when you have most of the property in recovery you will always get grass growing when you have rain.

“I’ve worked out 380 head is my carrying capacity on Retreat based around one dry sheep equivalent/ha per 100mm of rain.”

While some older grass can go to seed, fresh new pick grows underneath providing a diversity of mixed feed important for animal health.

ECOLOGY WIN-WIN

Tree planting, creek rehabilitation, rehydration of the land and biological fertiliser trials are also part of the additional environmental management works being undertaken on the family farms, while an independent group Land to Market is conducting regular monitoring of the ecological health.

The Mains never have to feed supplementary hay or apply fertiliser. Pastures include native wallaby and red grass as well as Lucerne, phalaris, clover, cocksfoot and paspalum.

“Grazing management is the key to increased diversity, more grass growth, root growth and more carbon in the soil,” Chris said.

The switch from cropping to grazing has already increased soil carbon levels from 0.8 per cent to 0.89 per cent in 12 months of testing despite rolling rainfall dropping from 704mm to 583mm, with the aim of reaching two per cent over 25 years.

This image was taken in 2023 on the day Chris Main did the baseline measurement for the Soil Carbon project, and there had been a rolling rainfall of 704mm.

This image was taken in the same spot one year later after 583mm rolling rainfall.

“If I increase my soil carbon levels by one per cent in the top 30cm of soil, I get roughly 100 carbon credits and they are currently trading at $55 so that gives an idea of the potential,” Chris said.

“The beauty of soil carbon is that it is putting back – it increases productivity, water holding capacity and the health of pastures and animals. It provides another economic incentive to manage land in this way. Having soil carbon as a viable market and second form of income to farmers makes it easier to transition to this type of management, which has other ecological benefits too, it’s a win-win.”

LOW COST, HIGH GAIN

The lack of inputs such as fertiliser, machinery and supplementary feed – means their cost of production is only $90 a hectare.

In comparison, a consultant’s report for the region showed the average production cost was $450/ha for cropping and grazing operations.

“We focus on what we can control,” Chris said.

“Pricing – I can influence that by being eligible for premium programs – but at the end of the day I have no impact on cattle markets and the wild swings. I can control my cost of production though and this style of farming is low cost.

“Regenerative farmers have better mental health and I can see why because a lot of the stressors of agriculture are removed when you are doing it this way and that’s a good thing.”