Using the herd as a land regeneration tool

Leanne and Barry O’Sullivan at Top Sandy Dam on Glenalpine

Leanne and Barry O’Sullivan

Barry and Leanne O’Sullivan have created a system on Glenalpine Station that meets community needs, while being amenable to the needs of nature.

They have been able to regenerate pasture through drought, while growing the productivity and profitability of their business. Using cattle as a herd, and through a system of management acknowledging what nature presents and utilising it with regeneration in mind, they move the herd across the landscape.

These grazing principles allow the land to regenerate and business to grow, the cattle have highly palatable pasture to graze, which aids in maintaining good calving rates, increased weight gain and a higher quality of feed further into the dry season.

Barry and Leanne continue to engage in projects outside of their pasture system. These projects have involved several years of monitoring wildlife, gully remediation, fencing dams and wetland areas, followed by public field days onsite.

Barry and Leanne completed a Holistic Management training course supported by NQ Dry Tropics and implemented highly intensive grazing practices to manage weed infestations, halt gullying, improve pasture composition and improve water quality, and are members of the Grazing BMP advisory board looking for solutions to implement industry wide best management practices.

Sunrise at Glenalpine Station… a wonderful diversity of birdlife on show