Galong mixed farmer Danny Flanery, whose decades-long commitment to restoring the landscape at “Boorowa Flats” has earned him one of the inaugural Rabobank Land Stewardship Awards. Photo: Rabobank.
A $50 helicopter joy flight at the Boorowa Show changed the way Galong farmer Danny Flanery saw his family’s land.
He used the opportunity to take photos of his property from the air.
Boorowa and the surrounding area had been in an intense period of drought for 10 years, and while Danny was already concerned by the soil erosion he could see on the property, when he got the photos developed, he was shocked by what he saw.
From the photos, Danny could see salt flats forming on the ground, significant patches of erosion, a large number of dead and dying trees and substantial areas covered in serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma).
“I very quickly realized that our farm was in a lot of trouble,” said Danny.
“We couldn’t even farm it. Nothing grew in there so stock couldn’t graze it. It was just dead to us.
“I thought those things need to be addressed or we won’t be here in five years’ time,” he recalled.
More than two decades later, that moment has led to national recognition, with Mr Flanery recently named one of two recipients of the inaugural Rabobank Land Stewardship Award.
Mr Flanery, who runs the mixed grazing and cropping operation “Boorowa Flats” at Galong, shares the honour with Queensland pastoralist Ardie Lord.
The award, launched this year, recognises Australian farmers who are putting practical land stewardship into action to strengthen their businesses while delivering environmental benefits.
Announcing the winners, Rabobank Australia executive Marcel van Doremaele, who heads the bank’s Country Banking division, said both men had distinguished themselves through their commitment to healthy and productive landscapes.
“Both Danny and Ardie have successfully demonstrated they have put in place very practical actions that strengthen the long-term performance of their businesses and the health of the land they manage,” he said.
Mr Flanery’s journey towards regeneration began after years of drought and overgrazing had taken their toll on the 2000-hectare fine wool and mixed cropping family property, which has been farmed by the Flanery family for around a century.
He turned to Harden-Murrumburrah Landcare for advice and embarked on a long-term restoration program that has transformed both the landscape and the business.
“The first thing I did was the creeks because there was a lot of erosion on our creeks because the stock were just always in and out,” Mr Flanery said.
He then tackled the rocky outcrops.
“And what was meant to be just a couple of years of ‘let’s just fix a few problems’, I fixed all my problems and then I’d run out of things to fix and kept going.”
Over the years, about 350 hectares have been set aside for environmental works, including the planting of more than 300,000 trees and shrubs and the installation of 40 kilometres of fencing to protect creeks, remnant vegetation and revegetated areas.
Landcare Australia says the restoration work has delivered environmental and production benefits, reducing erosion, improving soil health and increasing biodiversity while lifting lambing percentages from 85 per cent to 117 per cent and improving wool quality.
Mr Flanery and his wife Samantha have also diversified the family business in recent years.
In 2019 they purchased a second property with an established cherry orchard and have since expanded production, combining sheep, wool, broadacre cropping and cherries to spread risk and create new opportunities.
Previously recognised for his work through Landcare, Mr Flanery was named NSW Primary Producer Landcarer of the Year in 2011 and won the National Landcare Primary Producer Award the following year.
Mr van Doremaele said farmers around Australia were increasingly investing in soil health, biodiversity and water management because healthy landscapes underpinned resilient businesses.
“The expectation is that improving the condition of the land will support productivity, reduce risk and strengthen long-term business performance,” he said.
“As a food and agribusiness bank, our success is closely connected to the success of Australia’s farmers.
“This award is an opportunity to recognise and share those stories and to showcase what land stewardship looks like in practice across different regions, sectors and farming systems.”
The winners were chosen from 40 applicants across Australia and a shortlist of six finalists.
As part of the award, Mr Flanery will receive a fully funded place in Rabobank’s Executive Development Program, a course valued at about $16,500 that helps progressive producers strengthen strategic planning, leadership and commercial management skills.
Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.
