Digging the dirt on regenerative farming

There’s a radical idea sweeping the Fleurieu. It’s called regenerative farming and it presents the startling proposition that agriculture is one of our best bets against climate change and a suite of other social and ecological challenges.

Scott Binns’ farming lineage goes back four generations and all he ever wanted was to follow in his family’s footsteps. But the reality didn’t initially live up to the dream. ‘I got sick of dipping into my pocket to degrade the land. The animals were causing damage and I couldn’t cope with it. Every time it rained, the creek would run brown from erosion. Last year, I completely changed my ways and now when it rains, the creek’s running clear,’ Scott grins. ‘I’m not losing my topsoil anymore.’

I’ve been taught that our ancient soils and low rainfall make hard-hoofed animals unsuited to the fragile Australian environment. So, how did Scott manage to retain his stock and eliminate erosion in less than two years?

First, he decided to change his perspective: ‘I went from feeling stressed and seeing profit as my primary motivator to thinking more about the long-term sustainability of my land and business and my personal