Schulz Agri Farms, Parratte, South West Victoria

Simon Schulz is third generation on the farm which was established in 1972 (53 years). It has been organic since the very beginning with a farm cheese factory built in 1984. Simon’s focus is on strategy and strategy, not operational.

They describe their system as regenerative organic with a key focus on biodiversity in pasture species but also in shelterbelts. They have other diverse income streams such as branded meat sales, honey production and of course on farm dairy products.

Being organic, they did not have access to synthetic fertilizers and therefore wanted to extend the growing seasons due to winter/summer growth restrictions. This led them to consider how to grow multispecies without fully cultivating the soil each time and its limitations during wet periods.

The shift to regenerative dairy farming was prompted by a few things:

Increased home grown feed that reduced the cost of bought in feeds.
Increased biodiversity had shown to unlock more nutrients in the soil, which for organic farmers is difficult to source and more expensive than conventional inputs.
Longer growing season with deeper root systems (and plant growing seasons) offering reduced feed costs.
Claimed animal health improvements and less need for mineral supplements.
Enough pioneers and soil scientists that have written and advocated for the benefits for regenerative farming has given them confidence that this is the best direction to take

Simon found the book by Nicole Masters “For the Love of Soil” the most inspiring for his understanding of what is happening to our soil and how it works. Networking with local farmers who are likewise inspired is how he has learnt the more practical aspects of regenerative farming. The Corangamite Landcare network with Jade Killoran and Tony Evans has also been instrumental in this change.

Farming Practices

Multispecies planting yearly across the entire farm (ideally twice but a least once) using a SoilKee renovator and their recommended seed mixes
Planting shelter belts of natives with also some agroforestry target species at a rate of 2Ha per year with the aim to increase the land % from 7 to 10 percent
Hives – they have added approximately 12 hives to the farm to increase pollination as well as a product to sell
Compost - they produce around 1500t of compost using their own waste as well as bought in chicken manure.
Future considerations towards mobile chicken/duck coops for pest control and fertilizer inputs.

Being organic, they are quite different to a conventional system with zero synthetic fertilisers, insecticides or herbicides. What has changed is the focus on more plant diversity where previous generations had stuck with a ryegrass clover base and monoculture summer crops.

Grazing Management / Feed

Current rotation length is 45 days, tho they aim to shift this in coming years to 90 days, however, due to current drought conditions, the last two they have struggled to move at all.

Once planted, the paddocks are rested a minimum of 60 days but aim for 90 to 120 days in ideal circumstances.

They plant slightly different mixes in autumn and spring however they are largely the same, just a variation in % in mix:

Wheat, barley, triticale, oats, ryecorn, millet, sunflower, peas, vetch, faba bean, ryegrass – perennial, chicory – perennial, plantain, brassica, turnip, tillage radish, clover-sub, clover-crimson, clover-red

The focus is on multispecies that cover multiple plant groups and ranging from annuals to perennials.

External feed

Grain: feed between 6 and 9kg of Wheat, Barley and Linseed mix,
Hay: purchase about 500t of hay per year which has been a significant increase since moving to multispecies pastures
Silage: purchase around 600rolls but hope to reduce this as they lengthen rotation and increase the yields of the multispecies

Soil and Fertility

Every paddock on the farm has been tested in the last 4 years - the soil pH is the best in the district, although P is down as is N. What they wish to do next is to conduct a totals test to see what nutrients are locked up and target biology and pasture species to help unlock these.

They apply an annual application of compost at 5t/ha - 30% of the material is bought in chicken manure. They start the turning process at least 8 weeks prior to paddock application and turn it at least once per week during the time. It is made on farm using a 40t excavator to do the turning and contractors to spread.

Changes / Benefits

They have seen some slight changes in overall soil structure and health, however, they are only a couple of years in and would not wish to claim success yet. The greatest change they do see is on pastures that have not been touched for many years. The renovator they use also aerates the soil and this aeration seems to have as much positive effect as the multispecies.

Have noticed no measurable change in animal health aspects yet.

This is certainly a work in progress as they are only beginning, and the current drought has meant little to no profitability. They are, however, seeing more resilient pastures and improved productivity from the multispecies pastures.

Above: Drought year vs Non-drought Year

Environmental Stewardship

All the wetlands are fenced off and they have slowly increased our native biodiversity to 7% with an aim of increasing to 10% at 2ha per year until reached.

They are currently upgrading infrastructure to improve effluent holding capacity and to move it further around the farm. This capacity will also assist in nutrient management more evenly across the farm and moisture availability on the shoulder seasons through irrigation.

Looking Ahead

Currently transitioning to a robotic dairy system from a 40-year-old 40 bale rotary
Improved water infrastructure, stock water storage dams and removing small dams
Virtual fencing to better manage over grazing
Mobile chicken coups for pest management and source of NPKS
Green Lightning as a source of natural N

Simon would like to try biological brews with a focus on fungi.

Biggest challenge

Asking the right questions of other farmers who have done this all before and understanding your own context and how their answers may or may not be relevant for your farm and in your climate.

Trying to gain enough of a feed wedge to allow the multispecies pastures to grow to full potential at beyond 90 days

What’s one thing you’ve learned that surprised you?

How little ROI (return on investment) there is in agriculture compared to manufacturing

What would you do differently if you started again?

I would visit more farms and speak to others more before I started.

Advice to others considering the transition

Visit as many farmers as you possibly can before spending a cent.

Find out more

www.schulzorganicdairy.com.au or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SchulzOrganicDairy