Shine Awards 2022: Arcadia Valley’s Bloss Hickson on her permaculture operation
Bloss Hickson acquired her Arcadia Valley land via ballot in the 1980s when there wasn’t space on the form for women to apply. Now she’s leading it further into the future.
Bloss Hickson is a nominee in The Weekly Times Shine Awards, supported by Harvey Norman. If you know a rural woman who deserves recognition, nominate her in the form below and learn more about the Shine Awards here.
When cattle producer Bloss Hickson entered an application in the Queensland government’s ballot for a brigalow block in the Arcadia Valley in 1987, the form didn’t even have a space for women to apply.
“With the application, it always had male applicants, and there was an area for a spouse,” said the organic farmer and permaculture devotee, who has spent the past 35 years developing a 5000ha block called Huntly, near Rolleston.
“I put an ‘FE’ in front of my name and thought I would never hear from them again. Lo and behold I was the lucky winner out of 2000 people. It was such a privilege and opportunity to be able to (manage the land) my way.”
Bloss’s block was the final parcel allocated of more than one million hectares balloted from the mid-1960s to 1980s.
While much of the land in Queensland’s brigalow belt was cleared for agricultural production, Bloss approaching things differently.
“I just decided I was going to keep the brigalow in the landscape,” she said. “I did a permaculture course with Bill Mollison in the early ‘90s. He talked about leaving strips, perpendicular to prevailing winds. I did that.”
Her efforts resulted in better shade for her 1000 head of cattle and maintaining 40 per cent coverage of native vegetation, 1000ha of which is part of a carbon offset program. She has become so passionate about regenerative farming and the benefits of trees in a grazing operation, she founded a local Landcare group and also hosts permaculture workshops on Huntly.
“I like to share my information because I think it is relevant to all farmers,” she said. “My passion is definitely with the landscape.”
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