In a nutshell, regenerative farming is about working in harmony with nature. The focus is on rehabilitating and nurturing the soil that grows our food, encouraging biodiversity and ensuring that our natural resources can continue to support our needs, now and well into the future. And the results speak (and taste) for themselves.
Burraduc Buffalo is a regeneratively managed dairy farm in the NSW Myall. Harvey Norman Produce Award winners Elena and Andrei Swegen are renowned for their exquisite dairy products, made from buffalo that are not separated from their calves until weaning. But the lengths the Swegens go to at their 100-acre property extend far beyond caring for their livestock. Elena has a background in soil science, and their lush pastures are proof of her careful management. “For us, it has always been about working with the ecosystem, restoring the natural balance,” Elena says. “Not to cause damage; to fit in with the environment rather than changing it to suit.” One important aspect to the Swegens’ methods is their approach to predators – particularly dingoes. “We use non-lethal control,” Elena says, explaining that they do not use poisons; instead utilising guardian dogs. “At the very bottom of farming is the soil,” she says. “At the top is the predator (the dingo) who looks after the land. Because of them, we don’t have rabbits or kangaroos eating our pastures. We coexist. From the top to the bottom, it’s how the ecosystem works. We fit somewhere in the middle. If you don’t consider all the components of the ecosystem, and just take from the land and take from the soil, you’re taking from the environment, where other wild things live. You can’t compensate with artificial means.”
