Congratulations to the 2020 Bob Hawke Landcare Award Winner
Andrew Stewart
In 1991, Victorian farmer Andrew Stewart developed a whole farm plan to regenerate Yan Yan Gurt West Farm- a 230-hectare regenerative grazing and agroforestry property. Over 30 years he and his family established 50,000 trees and shrubs, forming a network of wildlife corridors meandering across the farming landscape providing soil, pasture and livestock protection, nutrient cycling, waterway protection, and improved mental well-being for people who live, work and visit the farm.
Passionate about supporting sustainable agriculture as a way to benefit future generations and address the climate emergency, after winning the 2020 Bob Hawke Landcare Award, Andrew has broadened his advocacy for landcare and agroforestry including educating future generations of landcarers through webinars and tours for schools, universities and other tertiary institutions.
Learn more about the finalists
Justin Kirkby
Sixteen years after buying his Gravesend property on the North West Slopes, 50kms outside Moree, Justin Kirkby has revitalised hid land which once boasted rundown cropping blocks with scarce groundcover and poor nutritional grasses. Now, thanks to measures taken, the landholder has decreased farms carbon footprint with the revegetation of up to twenty per cent of the property, with native tree species specific to the region. Planting trees and fodder shrubs has added to wildlife corridors and bio-link habitats for insects and birds to work as one in the ecosystem with Justin’s innovative farming practices.
James Walker
Operating Camden Park, a 20,000-acre organic, global animal partnership (GAP) accredited cattle station outside Longreach, James Walker has focused on tackling land degradation, carbon emissions and climate change through unique industry approaches. In actively researching executing ways of improving the environmental, financial and production performance of his property, James has created the Agrihive Farmecco digital platform to help other farmers understand and implement sustainable Landcare goals; developed an innovative ‘Floating Lease’ to reflect seasonal conditions that is being prototyped commercially and addressed emissions through an off-grid solution for the power supply on his property
Camden Park has also completed extensive water developments and utilised ag technologies for water monitoring to save their fuel and pumping costs whilst doing a comprehensive QFF energy audit whereby they have a trial solar / battery array fueling the farms energy requirements.