Rob and Jenny Warburton
Project Profile
| Nominee | Rob and Jenny Warburton |
| State | Western Australia |
| Award Ceremony | 2010 National Landcare Awards |
| Category | Primary Producer Award |
Issues
With a vision of ‘everlasting agriculture’, Rob and Jenny Warburton are leading advocates for Landcare, recognised for their work and innovation within sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) in the Great Southern Region on and off the farm over the past eight years.
Project Detail
West Australian farmers, Rob and Jenny Warburton have been nominated for a National Landcare Award for their work in developing and implementing a sustainable farming system on their Kojonup property.
With a vision of ‘everlasting agriculture’, Rob and Jenny Warburton are leading advocates for the environment and recognised for their work and innovation within sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) in the Great Southern Region both on and off the farm.
Over the past eight years, the Warburtons have developed a farming system on their 3000 hectare farming property “Korellup”, South West of Kojonup that delivers a high commercial return and has improved the condition of land and water resources. By integrating a high performing annual cropping enterprise with perennial based systems, they have significantly improved the hydrological balance at farm scale.
Rob and Jenny have employed a wide variety of innovative processes, techniques and strategies to further develop NRM, generating enormous interest and enthusiasm from local and regional research bodies, and farmers alike, due to their practical and environmental benefits. The couple have hosted on-farm training for businesses including Elders, Landmark, Evergreen, DAFWA and agencies for staff and their clients based around the ‘everlasting agriculture’ system. Rob & Jenny have also provided many Research and Development groups with scope for experimentation at “Korellup” based on their work.
The farm now has some of the most productive crop and pasture land in the state but this land is also some of the most hydrologically active. As a consequence Rob and Jenny have invested strongly in achieving a farm-scape water balance. Another element of Rob and Jenny’s selective land use system is their wildflower seed production area which employs four people and is currently providing seeds to over 100 shops across the state and nationally.
The Warburtons are highly involved in the community with Rob sitting on various boards and speaking at conferences across the state. Jenny leads the delivery of NRM initiatives to agribusinesses in the area, hosting NRM conferences and workshops as well as working closely with schools in the South West, Great Southern and the Wheatbelt regions promoting her NRM ethics.
The Warburton’s are 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.
