This month we caught up with Dave and Nick, who manage Gilgal near Cootamundra, to talk about the realities of transitioning a mixed farm to regenerative management. A step-change from our usual Insights, it’s a look at the day-to-day work of making change happen: gathering data, testing ideas, and refining as they go – all while keeping a sharp eye on long-term performance.
An Impact Ag Australia conversation with Dave Hardie and Nick Carr.
Q: When Impact Ag Australia took over management, this was a conventionally run mixed farm. How did you approach the transition to regen?
Dave: For us, regenerative management starts with function – understanding how the land, water, and production systems interact. Every decision aims to improve ecological condition while growing productivity. That means looking at soil health, plant growth, water cycles, biodiversity, and designing production systems that support and reinforce those outcomes over time.
We began by getting the lay of the land: what was here, what had worked, and what we could build on. This property’s better suited to grazing, so we started subdividing paddocks, boxing mobs of sheep and cattle, and introducing rotations to manage pastures more effectively.
Nick: The previous owners had done some soil mapping and started preparing for improved pasture, so we picked up from there, putting in a diverse mix of perennials, sub clovers, and annuals. If we do it right, those pastures will last indefinitely, not seven or eight years like they might under set stocking.
Q: What’s the production mix today?
Dave: We’ve kept a bit of cropping (around 200 hectares of wheat) and plan to cut hay this year. But the main enterprise is livestock: a self-replacing composite flock and a self-replacing Angus herd. We’ve added cattle trading to our enterprise mix and reduced our breeding herd. This gives us more flexibility to manage pastures – lowering stocking rates in the non-growing seasons and increasing them during the growing seasons.
Q: How did you align as a team around a new way of managing?
Dave: Nick and I came from different backgrounds, so Impact Ag signed us up for the RCS [Resource Consulting Services] course, which really helped us get on the same page.
For me, it’s been a mindset shift. Instinct tells you that when you see a problem like weed control, you want to jump to eradication straight away. But what if every plant has a purpose? Maybe it’s got a big taproot that can fix soil compaction, or address a trace element issue. It’s about observing, understanding the ‘why,’ and seeing how nature responds.
Q: What role does measurement play?
Dave: Measurement is essential. As part of our Ecological Outcome Verification program, we do annual monitoring of ecosystem health. The penny dropped for me on perenniality during this year’s monitoring. Gilgal used to be a very annual-dominant system. With more perennials, we should start to see the results: longer growing seasons, more biodiversity, healthier trees, clearer creeks because the increased groundcover is limiting runoff.
Those are the physical changes you can see. And programs like Maia Grazing make it measurable. We do monthly feed budgets, track our carrying capacity, and can show how productivity is growing with ecological health.
Q: When Dr Susan Orgill, Impact Ag’s Chief Scientist, was on farm recently, she dug a few soil pits. Did you get any surprises?
Dave: Some good ones, especially in the southern paddocks where the challenge just sits in the top layer. Once we fix that, there’s good structure we can work with. The soil pits were an eye-opener – because from the ground-level, it looks like we’re sitting on a big pile of granite.
Q: How important is patience – not just for financial returns, but for seeing how the landscape responds?
Dave: Patience is key. Transitioning any land management system (whether conventional to regenerative grazing, or a full production shift) can mean a trade off in short-term return. But the benefits are clear: healthier soils retain more moisture, perennial pastures reduce the need for replanting, rotational grazing increases carrying capacity, and the system is more resilient to drought.
Nick: When it started getting dry this year, we destocked. Conventional thinking is to hold on and feed. Now that we’ve had rain, we’re in a good position because we’ve got a body of feed that’ll pay us back in the years ahead.
Q: Destocking is a good example of the tension in balancing short- and long-term returns.
Dave: It was a hard call. People who aren’t regen-focused questioned us, for sure. Traditionally, a dry spell sees people offload stock, so prices drop. Then rain comes and grass grows, and livestock prices rocket (nothing drives prices like grass!) People are forced to buy back in a rising market.
We wanted to break that cycle. Our goal is to always have around 90 days of feed in front of us, so we can take advantage of opportunities when they occur and not be in a position to have to force sell when things start to dry off. Having investors who understand that helps. If they didn’t, we’d probably have to containment feed and run the place harder, which works against what we’re trying to build.
Nick: We work with investors to show how the decisions we make and the money we’re spending on pastures and water infrastructure is lifting carrying capacity. But we’re just like every other farm business: budgets and the seasons set the parameters for what we can and can’t do. The key is to plan within those boundaries, not react to them.
Q: Dave, you came to Impact Ag from the Western Districts. Nick, your commute was a bit shorter?
Nick: I’ve worked on and off this farm for almost 12 years. I knew there’d be change with Impact Ag’s management and the shift to regenerative practices, but when I first sat down with Operations Manager Tom Archer, the way he explained regen was the way I thought farming should be. I enjoy helping Impact Ag progress it as a practice here.
I’ve got a real attachment to this property, so looking after it matters to me.
Q: Do you feel pressure to fly the flag for regenerative approaches, given it’s still not the norm?
Nick: We’re lucky to have good neighbours who understand what we’re trying to achieve. Others might look over the fence and wonder we aren’t blanket spraying every paddock.
Like any change in farming systems, the proof is in the pudding. We just focus on doing it well – and if we’ve got more grass, that’s the best way to show there are alternatives to conventional practice.
Q: Two years in, what advice do you have for others thinking about a regen transition?
Dave: Education’s the big one. Keep learning, understanding your system, and trust that with the science behind it, things will fall into place.
Nick: We’re always questioning whether what we’re doing is right. That’s farming. The important part is to keep learning, observing, and building confidence as you go.
This conversation was recorded on farm at Gilgal in October 2025.
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