Farmer Profile

Andy Benton

Andy Benton

 Jerramungup WA 6337, Australia
 1
 Western Australia
All Areas
 National Park Ranger & Farm Contractor
 Farm Manager Farm hand Station hand Livestock Officer Dog Trainer

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-benton-27435154/
 15-25 Years

Farming Preferences:

1 = no skill level, 4 = most skill level

  • Sheep 4
  • Beef 4
  • Other livestock 3
  • Goats 3
  • Chickens 3
  • Horse Breeding 1
  • Market garden 1
  • Sugar Cane 1
  • Pig Farming 1
  • Cotton 1
  • Viticulture 1
  • Specialty Crops 1
  • Dairy 1
  • Aquaculture 1
  • Mixed Farming 1
  • Orchard 1
  • Rice 1
  • Broad Acre Cropping 1
  • Other Farming Preferences: None

Farming Skills:

1 = no skill level, 4 = most skill level

  • Livestock Mustering 4
  • Fencing 4
  • Animal Husbandry 4
  • Business Management 3
  • Human Resources 3
  • Marketing 3
  • Sales 3
  • Agronomy 3
  • Book Keeping 3
  • Planning 3
  • Accounting 3
  • Machinery Operation 3
  • Orcharding 2
  • Cropping 2
  • Other Farming Skills: None

Farming Methods:

1 = no skill level, 4 = most skill level

  • Regenerative 4
  • Grass fed 4
  • Organic 3
  • Biodynamic 3
  • Permaculture 3
  • Conventional 2
  • Urban 1
  • Other Farming Methods: None

Farm Opportunities Sought:

  • Share Farm
  • Vendor Finance

What have you been doing to get farm ready?

I have grown up on a farm and have spent most of my life working towards either being a farm owner or a farm manager. I have worked in different types of farming from grazing to feedlot over a broad range of animals. Kathrin grew up in Germany but has spent most of her life here on farms and working with animals. We have attended as many relevant workshops on farming operations as possible and will continue to update our knowledge with more events and by liaising with knowledgable professionals and people. We were managing a rotational grazing operation up til 2018 before having to take a position with Parks and Wildlife due to the farm downsizing.

Why are you passionate about farming?

We both have a love for the land and rural lifestyle. We are big believers in a well managed operation with a focus on building soil fertility through grasslands carbon sequestering management practices. We have a real passion for getting things running right with strong attention to details such as data collection and use in management decisions. We believe that a well managed grazing operation can benefit the land and surrounding environment in the long term and can be a carbon negative influence. We feel all operations benefit when they are value added by multiple enterprises on the property. "What else?" is our first thought on seeing an operation. "How can we add to this?" "Can we streamline/make this easier for ourselves?" Looking for the better way is in our blood with family influences of vision and inventiveness.

Best days of being a farmer:

We have no real place where we would want to farm, however we do like mountains and lightly timbered country. Our farm would be a well thought out and planned affair with technology embraced where it will benefit us with a touch of the old ways to keep us grounded. We would want to work on the soil to achieve carbon build up and boost fertility and increase yield. It would always be a work in progress with improvements added all the time to benefit the operation or the aesthetics of the place. Our dream farm would look more parkland than open plains, but if that is what is there then thats ok. We don't mind the cold and the heat doesn't worry us, however we hate humidity especially if its hot! Our best days would then be every day as we are chasing our dreams, even when everything goes wrong. :))