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Banyula: The Journey to Regenerative Agriculture

Meet Matt and Shae Bleakley, the managers of Banyula, a 900-acre farm at Clunes in Northern NSW. They run cattle and grow macadamias, finger limes, and Davidson plums, and have been working with Climate Friendly, WWF-Australia and ReForest Now to create koala habitat, restore Big Scrub rainforest and take better care of their land.

Banyula is at the start of its regenerative journey. The team is facing the challenges head-on, with an appetite for knowledge and collaboration, combined with plenty of passion.

They are deeply connected to the land and its past, with a vision to create something truly special for generations to come. 

Myrtle Trading Co: Innovative and regenerative lemon myrtle farming

The Myrtle Trading Co is located on Bundjalung country on the Northern Rivers - the home of lemon myrtle. 

The property is 100% Australian owned, entirely organic and based exclusively on regenerative agricultural principles.

CEO Darren McCoy and head of horticulture Myles Young have a philosophy is to create a healthier and more sustainable local environment by preventing soil degradation, enhancing soil fertility naturally and retaining moisture.

They are also finding new and innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint, such as tree planting programs, creating wildlife shelterbelts, closed-loop mulch production, and best-practice harvesting. 

Zentvelds Coffee: Benefits of cover cropping

A regenerative agriculture applied research project at Zentvelds Coffee and Roastery in the Northern Rivers hinterland has seen cover crops flourish, creating important insectaries and establishing good ground cover. 

The three-year project was conducted through Southern Cross University and the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, with the support of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. 

Research findings have shown that multispecies cover crops in subtropical horticultural plantations have the ability to sequester carbon, break up the soil with large tap roots and improve biodiversity on farms.