Col Beasley – Innovation in Sustainable Farm Practices

Project Profile

Issues

Col Beasley is a visionary and leader in his field. Starting out 40 years ago as a dry land farmer on marginal country near Mildura, Col converted part of his farming enterprise to irrigation as well as trialling various horticulture pursuits. Today, Col is working towards a fully-sustainable business with a strong sustainability philosophy underpinning his diversified farming operation which produces fresh fish and fruit; recycles waste into fertiliser, fuel and energy; protects natural waterways and biodiversity and reuses urban water.

Project Detail

Col Beasley has been nominated for a National Landcare Award for developing a diversified farming enterprise based on sustainability.

Col is a visionary and leader in his field. Starting out 40 years ago as a dry land farmer on marginal country near Mildura, Col converted part of his farming enterprise to irrigation as well as trialling various horticultural pursuits. Today, Col is working towards a fully-sustainable business with a strong sustainability philosophy underpinning his diversified farming operation which produces fresh fish and fruit; recycles waste into fertiliser, fuel and energy; protects natural waterways and biodiversity and reuses urban water.

After visiting Israel in 1995 as part of an Irrigation Management tour and observing the country’s water practices including the reuse of water numerous times before applying it to grow crops and the use of water for aquaculture, Col returned with a vision of creating an underwater feedlot system. Soon after, Col began trialling production of Murray Cod in the water storage dam on his property to enhance the multiple use of water. The aquaculture operation uses nutrient-rich stored irrigation water as a result of the fish-farming activity, and allows fertiliser use to be reduced.
With the rising costs of fertilisers and other production inputs, profitable farming is difficult, but by producing fertilisers and fish feed on farm, utilising existing nutrients and using water far more efficiently than conventional farm systems, Col can decrease water use, inputs and waste while increasing productivity.

Col and his sons have now grown this enterprise, designing and patenting the modular ‘underwater feedlot’ system for growing the cod. Following two years of commercial production with strong domestic buyer demand for a reliable and sustainable supply of fish-farmed Murray Cod, Col began exports into Asia. More recently Col has negotiated a 50 year contract with Sunraysia Rural Water Authority to pipe nutrient-rich ‘Class C’ treated waste water for drip irrigation of an expanded horticultural zone, and root zone irrigation of fruit, nut, grain, cereal and fodder crops to fertilise and water over 1,200 hectares of land.

As an active member of the farming community, Col has organised and spoken at several seminars around Victoria and hosts frequent tours on his property which attract busloads of people from all over Australia. He is a long standing member of the Millewa-Carwarp Landcare Group and has been involved in many Landcare activities on and off farm. He has also partnered with the Department of Primary Industries to conduct on site trials and these findings are shared across government agencies and the broader communities through reports, case studies and other publications that are available in hard copy and online.

Looking ahead, Col is now planning with the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE to have students undertake training at his property as part of their Aquaculture course.

Col Beasley is one of 88 finalists in the National Landcare Awards to be announced in Canberra on 24 June 2010. Commencing in 1991, the Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups that make a valuable contribution to the land and coast where they live and work.

Photography

Col Beasley