Raelands Farm near Barrington has been owned by the McRae family since the 1860s.

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Chris learned the basics of the business on the job, although he attended many courses.

His son, James, studied agriculture/business management at university before focusing on the dairy farm about ten years ago.

The farm comprises 450 acres made up of irrigated pasture, dry run and remnant bushland.

It carries about 175 head of cattle.

It was in the early 1990s, particularly after the 1994 drought, when Chris began to realise that some parts of the farm had become degraded.

“We had one badly washed-out gully that had vertical sides and I thought that we could do better, and so I got some advice from Landcare,” said Chris.

“Once you fence an eroded gully to keep out the cows, the grass and other plants start to grow, which slows the flow of the water and prevents erosion.”

“Tree planting and gully fencing provides much needed shade and cools the surrounding areas, and they are very important in improving water quality,” said James.

On Raelands dairy farm, computer programs and technology are more vital than gumboots.

They employ aerial mapping to track everything that’s going on, and to help them plan where fencing and planting should be carried out, and where water troughs should be located.

Chris and James have noticed a significant improvement of the farm’s biodiversity over the last 20 years, particularly its birdlife, insects, frogs, reptiles and wallabies.

A recent survey found a significant amount of koala activity in the forested areas.

The forested part of the farm has now been dedicated as a biodiversity conservation site with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust.

Despite the success, Chris and James say Raelands Farm is still a work in progress.

“While we seem to have done a lot, I think we are only really scratching the surface,” said Chris.

“We are now looking at further ways to reduce the emissions generated by our cows, such as the use of seaweed supplements and we have a 24kw solar system, and are working towards net zero emissions.

“And in November we will be planting hundreds more trees.”

By John WATTS