Case Study: Galloway Springs

Galloway Springs Farm Fact File:

• Owners: Murray and Raquel Johnson
• Location: South of Bridgetown in the south west of WA
• Size: 200 acres (150 grazing, some native forest, small orchard + 2 dams)
• Water: reticulated all over the farm from the large dams
• Livestock: cows, sheep, goats, pigs, alpacas bees Marron
• Climate: Winters are cold (June can go below freezing with June temperatures reaching a minimum of -5 degrees) and wet (average rainfall around 150mm in June and July). Summers are hot (can reach around 40 degrees in Dec/Jan/Feb) and dry (less than 20mm in the same months)

Background:

Galloway Springs is a dynamic and diverse farm, growing nutritious food for the local community.

Although Murray has worked in the agricultural industry he hadn't owned or operated a farm before. Raquel was worried she didn't know anything about farming...but realised there was more to regen than traditional farming techniques...

"Murray was the head, but I feel like I am the heart of Galloway Springs" - Raquel

To Murray and Raquel regenerative farming has a unique meaning. It is being part of something big and wonderful - not trying to control it.

Traditional views on farming were initially hard to let go, but the animals won Raquel over early in her regen journey.

"It was a wild and blustery night, and our ewes were lambing. Previously I had thought of them as just 'part of the farm', but that night I knew we had to go out and help them. I realised that we were all in it together. They help the soil, we help them. It was when the true meaning of holistic farming really hit me."

Farm Structure:

As well as a diverse range of livestock, Galloway Springs has some 'stacked enterprises'. People lease land and office space; Quinn is a horticultural gardener, Jesse works with indigenous planting principles, and Rob leases shed space to develop his mechanical guided weeding system.

'Stacking' (a term coined by Joel Salatin) refers to the possibility of adding profitable new farm ventures to an existing operation with minimal added cost. There are numerous efficiencies to be gained, e.g. cost of labour, real estate, equipment and marketing can be shared by multiple enterprises.

Diversification is a key driving factor for the farm too. As well as farming they have invested in the increasingly popular Agrotourism sector. Their pretty 'tiny home' overlooks the dam, and is stylishly furnished to appeal to the city based tourists.

What does Regenerative Agriculture Mean to You?

To the Johnsons, Regenerative Farming is a whole farm system - everything under and above the soil. It includes people, pastures, community and livestock. To them, all of these different personalities and enterprises form a community on and off the farm, which is vital to the emotional and financial survival of the organisation.

Raquel likens traditional farming to the industrial model - a single person with a machine and chemicals, whereas she sees regenerative agriculture as bringing together people with different skills working together towards a bigger picture.

An example is their experience with garlic growing. When another local grower sold out, he happily shared the details of his main buyer with the Johnsons, allowing them to sell significant quantities of their crop and giving a big boost to their business.

Emily's Chickens

Murray's vision was always to have the family together and working on the farm.

Emily has always loved the farm, and when she finished school was keen to run her own business there. And what better choice than chickens!

But as Raquel points out, it took a local community of support - part of the Regen Ag philosophy - to help Emily's Pasturised Poultry dream come true.

That community included a local internship with Southampton Homestead (a pasture raised poultry farm), Goodies Farm's grains and pulses, family support with developing her coops and feeding systems and local shoppers keen to buy her locally raised chickens.

Emily's chickens are now being sold through 'Dirty Clean Food' a local regen farming food delivery service.

Quinn's Horticulture

Quinn is a horticulture specialist who leases a segment of the farm to nurture his own venture. He specialises in organic produce, using extensive cover crops to encourage nutrition dense fruits and vegetables. and additional crops to support the nutrition needs of the livestock on the farm.

Farm Shop

The farm shop stocks fruit and vegetables fresh from the farm - and have started to take on produce from other farmers too. Packed with old world charm and nutritious goodies (as well as heirloom seeds collected straight from the farm) the shop has become a local favourite.

"I feel like the Farm Shop gets people excited about food and their food health." - Raquel

Goals:

Sharing their story

The Johnsons believe that education is vital to the success of the regenerative agriculture evolution. They believe that many people have become disconnected from the food production system, and their goal is to share their story, reminding people that the health of the soil is the foundation for healthy animals and healthy humans.

Agrotourism, encouraging visitors to their farm, welcoming new enterprises onto their land and sharing their nutritious produce are just some of their strategies to reach that goal.

Greener pastures...

Galloway Springs is currently struggling against an annual pasture cycle. The long, dry summer means there's no green growth, and the soil biology suffers. The goal is to encourage a mix of perennial grasses to grow over that season, improving the soil quality and moisture retention. Ultimately, their vision is for rolling green pastures throughout the year...but the challenge is working out the best way to get there!

Diversity

More plants, more diversity and building soil health is a guiding principle for the Johnsons. Committed to the regenerative agriculture journey, their goal is to build a farm that is resilient enough to grow year-round crops, sustain healthy animals and has a long term future as a commercial success.