In Central Australia's arid zone, pastoralists navigate the narrow line of running cattle in some of the very best of country and the very toughest.
Key points:
- The largest sustainability study ever conducted in Australia's red meat industry is underway in Central Australia
- Researchers have tested 70 soil samples and created soil maps for more than four million hectares of land
- The study will engage producers across 10 million hectares
For Willy Brown, whose job is to look after a massive conglomerate of four stations for Hewitt Australia's largest organic meat producer, it's all about planning
"In the good seasons this country is second to none, cattle grow here out of sight, but you've also got to be prepared for the worst and have a good plan for when things do get dry," he said.
Combined, the Narwietooma, Glen Helen, Napperby and Derwent stations comprise 2.7 million acres and 35,000 head of cattle.
It's hailed as the largest continuous organic parcel of farming land in the world and is part of a suite of other farms and agricultural investments across the country, founded by the Hewitt family.
"We have an obligation to future generations," said Mick Hewitt, the company's group CEO and managing director.
"We're the custodians of massive pieces of land and therefore we must commit to sustainable practices that ensure it's available for many years to come."
A greener future
Scientists and environmentalists have been given unique access to measure and report on how Hewitt has been refining its production practices and land management with a greener focus.
Bush Heritage Australia, Integrity AG and Environment, Soil Land Food, and Meat and Livestock Australia are also involved.
Mick's brother Ben Hewitt, the company's executive director and chief executive of agribusiness, says all these elements are helping to create the right balance.
"We are really getting to a point where we can match the science and the production and how that works together to quantify what we've been doing," he said.
The Food for Future project will take three years of documenting best practices in reducing and offsetting carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity, improving natural capital, and deploying regenerative agriculture practices.
In simple terms, it will show what works on the ground.
Grand scale
The scope is enormous. So far the project has conducted 700 drone flights covering the equivalent of 2,000 MCG ovals, taken and tested 70 soil samples and created soil maps for more than four million hectares of land.
Preliminary results show the growth in market opportunities can be as high as 50 per cent when meat is grown in a farming system where natural assets and sustainable practices are an investment focus.
With Meat and Livestock Australia a co-investor in the study, MLA's manager director Jason Strong, says this type of project has wide-ranging benefits.
"It gives us that geographical spread, scale, [and] the spread across cattle and sheep. It gives us the ability to then share that information more broadly as well and demonstrate a range of options and opportunities for them."
But it's also about answering critics and heading off possible regulation.
"We absolutely don't want to be in a position where somebody has a perception that we negatively impact the environment and they try and force us to do things," he said.
"There are so many good things that we already do as an industry and we want to be able to demonstrate that so that we can show we actually didn't create the problem."
The study has captured the attention of dozens of pastoralists, drought advisors, scientists and Indigenous rangers gathering at a recent field day on a Hewitt property to gain insight into sustainability, particularly around soil and rehydration.
Soil health focus
Soil health isn't just top of mind for desert pastoralists or producers in Australia.
The United Nations has declared that, globally, one-third of soils around the world are degraded. But the good news is that it also estimates that sustainably managed soils have the potential to offset as much as 34 per cent of global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions annually. That's more than half a billion tonnes of carbon sequestered.
The Hewitt brothers are committed to putting their money firmly in the land, with a view to being here for generations.
And the gains will be found in sustainability, says Ben Hewitt.
"It's about doing all the things that we're doing right now – not having to push the land so hard to get the production, concentrate on the land being in good health, and then the actual animals will be able to follow and maintain good health themselves."
Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or on iview.