Jake Ryan, Australia
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Nominated by Danielle Park, AUSVEG
“Farmers learn best from other farmers, especially when they can see the results in person. Through this program, I will help demonstrate to other farmers that regenerative practices not only will improve their land but increase productivity and lead to potential financial gains.”
Climate Positive Practices
Jake Ryan is a mixed cropping/livestock producer in Manjimup, Western Australia, using holistic grazing, minimal tillage, cover cropping, and mineral nutrition to produce a wide variety of winter vegetables, cereal and oilseed commodity crops, ewes for wool and lamb production, first cross Angus Friesian heifers, and pasture-raised laying hens. He has implemented a strip-tilling and cover crop process for his vegetable crops, ensuring there is a living root feeding carbon into the soil and stimulating soil microbes for healthy. Acres are rotated with one year of vegetable production, followed by four years of pasture production for livestock and soil regeneration. Cover crops are planted on the entire operation to improve soil, then are grazed or cut for silage.
In addition to traditional cover crops, Jake has recently begun intercropping with flowering cover crops to increase the population of beneficial insects and reduce the amount of predatory insects which are damaging to crops and livestock. With the adoption of holistic grazing and a focus on mineral nutrition, and trace minerals proportions, he has been able to dramatically reduce the need for nitrogen base fertilizers from the pasture/cover/vegetable crops as well as reducing the phosphorous requirements. Profits have increased consistently five to 10 percent annually.