OPEN DAY 2026 ~ productivity for profit and environment

on 20th August 2026

Most of us would dearly love to simply concentrate on managing cattle — and looking at the next generation of bulls certainly makes that an appealing option. The reality, though, is that running a grazing business now involves many more layers. Environmental regulation, carbon, biodiversity, pasture monitoring, genetics and productivity are all becoming increasingly intertwined.

One of the aims of the Open Day was to bring some of those conversations together and give landholders access to people and tools that may help make sense of it all.

A particular area of discussion was the increasing responsibility on landholders to understand the environmental attributes of their properties before undertaking activities such as clearing or infrastructure development. The important message for me was that there are now some very useful tools available to help us better understand what is on our country, document its condition and make more informed decisions.

We heard from Phil Tickle from Cibo Labs about pasture monitoring and the development of tools such as LandLens. I have been particularly impressed by the accuracy of LandLens across a number of locations and can see considerable value in using this type of technology to document country before works are undertaken, as well as monitoring how landscapes change over time.

We also discussed the value of property-specific environmental mapping through AgCarE’s Nature Ledger. For us, the real benefit is being able to identify areas that may warrant further investigation before making management decisions, rather than finding out afterwards that there is an issue.

For landholders needing more detailed interpretation, there are also people working in this space who can help translate increasingly complex information into something that can actually be used in a grazing business. That is important. Most producers do not have either the time or the specialist knowledge to become experts in every new area that affects their business.

The day also included discussion around soil carbon and the opportunities — and complexities — associated with carbon projects. This is another area where having access to people who understand both the technical detail and agricultural businesses is valuable.

Importantly, the Open Day was not simply about regulation, carbon or environmental management. At the centre of our business remains the same fundamental objective: producing more efficient, fertile cattle that perform in their environment and meet the market.

And on that point, Ben Hewitt finished the day with a message that I think is worth keeping front of mind.

A key part of his message was that if we are improving productivity on farm — and better genetics is part of that — we are going a long way towards improving our carbon balance as well.

More fertility, better growth and cattle that consistently meet market carcase requirements remain some of our best tools for both making money and maintaining agriculture’s social license.

That is a fairly simple message in what is becoming an increasingly complicated operating environment, and probably a good one to finish on.

Thank you again to everyone who attended, contributed to the discussions and helped make the day worthwhile.

Useful resources for landholders

A number of organisations and individuals involved with the Open Day may be useful starting points for landholders wanting to explore these areas further.

AgCarE – Mark Pawsey
AgCarE provides property-specific environmental information through its Nature Ledger service, helping landholders identify areas that may require closer consideration under environmental legislation.

Cibo Labs – Phil Tickle
Cibo Labs develops satellite-based pasture monitoring and decision-support tools for grazing businesses, including LandLens and other technologies designed to better understand pasture condition and landscape change.

Isidore Agri + Eco Solutions – James Henderson and team
Isidore provides more detailed environmental and agricultural consultancy services, including interpretation of environmental data, biodiversity considerations and practical pathways for landholders navigating increasingly complex requirements.

Dawson Catchment Coordinating Association – Charisse Anderson and team
DCCA provides local support to landholders across a broad range of environmental, land-management and natural-resource matters and remains a useful regional source of knowledge and connections.

Elders Soil Carbon – Dr Thakur Bhattarai
Dr Bhattarai works with landholders considering soil carbon projects and provides specialist advice around carbon farming, project development and the practical implications for agricultural businesses.