Father and sons Graeme, Alex and Joe Norman continue to push forward with on farm improvements and investments in new technologies to maximise crop yields on the Liverpool Plains.
From left: Kelvin Miller (Farm Manager), Graeme Norman, Joe Norman and Alex Norman
Located across prime cropping country in the heart of the Liverpool Plains, near Carroll NSW, are Norman Pastoral Co., a family-run broadacre cropping operation who exemplifies the resilience and innovation of Australian farming. As farmers in New South Wales continue to face and overcome evolving challenges, Norman Pastoral, as with many others across the Liverpool Plains, are testament to the dedication and adaptability of farmers committed to sustainable practices, nurturing the land for future success.
Building for Broadacre
Norman Pastoral spans multiple blocks located on the floodplains of Carroll NSW, near Gunnedah, totaling almost 3300 hectares of cropping country suited to both summer and winter cropping. Graeme Norman purchased his first 224-hectare block of land, just a stones through from the property where he was raised, in 1984 whilst still working as a vet in Bowral NSW. Though his veterinary vocation was not to last and before long he found his way back to Carroll to begin a career as a broadacre farmer that would span the coming decades.
Graeme worked in farming alongside his father and brother. When the opportunity arose, additional blocks of land would be purchased, slowly expanding the productive capacity of the Norman's farming operation and cultivating a regular rotation of winter cropping wheat, canola and barley, as well as summer crops, in irrigated and dryland cotton, sorghum and a small amount of irrigated corn. Today Graeme works the broadacre operation alongside sons Alex and Joe, as well as farm manager, Kelvin Miller.
A dedicated labour core
Keeping the labour core at Norman Pastoral limited to just four employees, three of these being Norman family members, has enabled Graeme to invest in more specialised equipment over the years, minimising dependence on outside contractors and increasing their independence. Being located on the floodplain has pushed this independent approach, but Graeme says he wouldn’t have it any other way, having the ability to get their crop off at just the right time, assessing the situation regularly and acting in their best interests, without having the rely on the availability of a contractor, is invaluable to operations at Norman Pastoral.
Naturally, the labour core is supplemented by seasonal workers at busier times such as harvest. But essentially, Norman Pastoral functions with each member of the four-man team bringing their own set of skills to the table, especially Farm Manager Kelvin who, by Graeme’s admissions, is quite the whiz in the workshop, keeping on top of all the maintenance of the packed machinery shed so that the labour core always function to the best of their ability.
Being a family business means that striking the work-life balance can be tough especially for Alex, Joe and Kelvin who juggle the demands of a large broadacre operation with young families. Over the course of our talk, they all stressed the importance of striking that balance, and Graeme says he found peace in checking the paddocks himself over the weekend.
from left: Alex Norman, Joe Norman and Graeme Norman
It’s all in the soil
Over the last 40 years of farming, Norman Pastoral have honed their techniques and practices to achieve the highest yields in their winter and summer cropping plans. A commitment to no till farming for the past 20 years of operations has seen an improvement in soil carbon levels across the paddocks, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sustainable practices that farmers are considering investing time and money into.
For Graeme and the team at Norman Pastoral, a simple diversification strategy has led to a more drought proofed approach to cropping on the Liverpool Plains. Though the rich black soils of the floodplain naturally yield the best results, the ability to extract just 85% of the moisture limits the black soil’s capacity in a drier season. This is compared to the red soils as you move away from the flood pain which give the capacity to extract around 95% of the moisture, though not being as productive as the black soil country, it is more forgiving in a drier season and recovers remarkably well from drought conditions. And so, over the past few years Norman Pastoral have invested in blocks with a variety of soil types to limit the impact to productivity during drier seasons.
image provided by Norman Pastoral
They also take a more tailored approach to their irrigation set up on-farm, looking to their yield per megalitre of water as opposed to yield per hectare. Norman Pastoral have seen improved yields through the use of bubbler irrigation in which they look for the cracks forming in the soil to direct water to the root of the plant, down the cracks where it is protected from warm and windy conditions. They are seeing higher returns per ML of water applied via this approach compared to furrows. Graeme spoke to the more immediate response of the plant when using the bubbler system, drip feeding water to the plant more directly, rather than the water logging effect incurred by their previous irrigation set up.
Investment in T3ERRA Cutta and other tech
Norman Pastoral have been investing in various technologies for several years now, one key part of this being Weed-It camera spray technology, which has become an integral part of their on-farm operations. Alongside their Pursehouse Rural Agronomist, Ben Leys, Graeme and the team at Norman Pastoral have worked on varying chemical application rates using the Weed-It camera, focusing on spot spraying. Additionally they have placed greater emphasis on their work to maintain ground cover aimed to maximise fallow efficiencies and conserve soil moisture.
Norman Pastoral have taken their investments into water security one step further this year with an investment in the T3ERRA Cutta system, an in-cab land forming system that enables farms to survey, design, and optimize paddock drainage systems. For Norman Pastoral, this has led to the improvement of less productive areas and better crop yields in those paddocks where the T3ERRA Cutta system has been put to use. By focusing on improving problem areas water can be made to drain from low-lying areas in a more timely manner, leading to better germinations, more even plant populations and boosting crop yields. Additionally, it has been seen to maximise irrigation efficiency and conserve water resources, all key goals that Norman Pastoral continue to work to improve across their land aggregation.
Norman Pastoral are a family-run business who continue to invest in more sustainable processes and technologies on farm. By doing so they are not only addressing immediate challenges but also paving the way for a more sustainable agricultural future. Their proactive approach to water management underscores the critical role that family farms play in shaping our agricultural landscape.
This story is taken from edition eight of the Your Rural Success Magazine. Read the full edition at www.pursehouserural.com.au/your-rural-success-magazine