Knowledge To Practice

13/10/2026

Most of us are used to thinking about the year as four seasons. However, when it comes to managing a farm, Nature doesn’t always follow the calendar.

That’s why we use Six Seasons as a practical way to recognise what’s actually happening on the land:
🌱 Jacaranda Storm
🌱 Hot & Humid / Hot & Dry
🌱 Bunya Bounty
🌱 ANZAC Bickie
🌱 Frosty Fireside
🌱 Wattle & Peach

Each season brings different signals, challenges and opportunities. There are times to grow and build pasture reserves, times to carefully budget the feed you already have, and times to prepare for drought, fire, storms or the season ahead.

Rather than saying, “It’s spring, so this should be happening,” the Six Seasons encourages us to look outside and ask:

What is Nature actually telling us?

When we combine these observations with the F.A.R.M.S. Framework, we can make decisions based on the conditions in front of us rather than the date on the calendar.

Because the seasons won’t always arrive at exactly the same time each year.

Observe the signs. Understand what they mean. Plan ahead. Work with Nature.

11/10/2026

Applications are open for 2027 Red Earth Community Leadership Program- are you someone (or do you know someone) who wants to contribute to your community or organisation? Apply now ✨

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧!🥳

Are you someone who wants to contribute more effectively to your community or organisation?

The Red Earth Community Leadership Program is about growing confidence, capability and connections; about further developing your skills as you make a difference in your family, your town, your team, your organisation and your region.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁?

Find out more and apply via our website:
https://www.redearth.org.au/community-leadership

💬
“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯. 𝘙𝘌𝘊𝘓𝘗 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴.” ~Georgie Somerset, Red Earth Chair

09/10/2026

There’s so much more happening on your farm than what you can see above the ground.

When Ruth from Maleny joined us for the I Bought A Farm Bootcamp, one of her biggest takeaways was discovering just how interconnected everything on the land really is.

From understanding plant biology and what’s happening beneath the soil, to recognising the important role fungi play in supporting healthy, productive pastures, Ruth gained a new perspective on how Nature works.
Because good farm management isn’t just about growing grass or looking after livestock. It’s about understanding the relationships between soil, plants, animals and the decisions we make every day.
When you begin to understand those connections, you can start working with Nature rather than against her.
Thank you, Ruth, for sharing your experience with us!

If you’re new to farming or considering buying your first property, our I Bought A Farm Bootcamp is designed to help you build the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about your land.

Simple grazing. Peace of mind.

Learn more about our upcoming Bootcamps: https://www.knowledgetopractice.com.au/i-bought-a-farm

08/10/2026

Come along- I can’t wait to hear these two amazing women speak next Wednesday 😀

📣 LAST MINUTE REGISTRATIONS | A Future of Your Design

There’s still time to join us for A Future of Your Design in Murgon!
This is more than just an event. It’s a story, a conversation, a perspective and something practical to take home.
Join Hayley Webster and Jill Rigney for a day of honest conversation, reflection and practical tools designed to help each of us:

🌿 Get clearer about what matters most
🌿 Recognise when someone may be struggling
🌿 Listen deeply and have meaningful conversations
🌿 Find ways to reset and move forward with purpose and hope

📅 Wednesday 14 October 2026
⏰ 9am to 4pm
📍 Murgon Services Club, 70 Gore Street
🎟 Just $20 per person, including lunch

If you’ve been thinking about coming along, now’s the time to register! Bring a friend, colleague or family member and join us for what promises to be a valuable day of conversation and connection.

👉 Register here: https://www.trybooking.com/DOQXR

For more information, contact Ann on 0448 440 226 or [email protected].

We’d love to see you there! 💚

Please note: this day will contain references to su***de.

07/10/2026

Owning a small farm doesn’t mean there’s only a small amount to learn.

You buy the property, put a few animals in the paddock and think, "We’ll work the rest out as we go.”

Then the seasons change.

The grass isn’t recovering as quickly as you expected. The animals need more feed. Weeds start appearing. You’re getting advice from neighbours, Facebook groups, YouTube and anyone else willing to offer an opinion.

Suddenly, you’re spending every weekend doing more, but you’re not necessarily moving forward.

And that’s where I think we need to change the conversation.

Good farming isn’t about how busy you are. It’s about understanding what deserves your attention.

Farming has a slow feedback loop. A grazing decision you make today might not show its consequences tomorrow. It can take weeks or even months before you realise the pasture hasn’t recovered, animal performance has changed or you’re heading towards a feed shortage.

By then, fixing the problem can be harder and more expensive than preventing it in the first place.

Experienced farmers don’t have some magical ability to always know what to do.

They’ve learnt to observe, interpret and act early.

They understand a few important foundations:

🌱 Give pasture the recovery time it needs.
🌱 Match animal numbers to the grass actually available.
🌱 Respond to the season in front of you, not the one you hope is coming.
🌱 Make decisions early, before your options become limited.

And they keep learning.

Some have spent a lifetime absorbing knowledge from parents and grandparents. Others have built it through mentors, field days, courses, specialists and years of observation.

If you’re a first-time farmer, you don’t need to become an expert overnight.

And you probably don’t need another list of jobs for Saturday morning.

You need a simple way to understand what’s happening on your farm and decide what matters next.

That’s why we created the I Bought A Farm Bootcamp and our F.A.R.M.S. Framework:

Feed. Animals. Restore. Management. Safety.

Not so you can learn everything there is to know about farming in one weekend.

But so you can build the foundations to ask better questions, recognise problems earlier and make decisions with greater confidence.

Because the goal isn’t to spend every spare moment working on the farm.

It’s to build a healthier farm that you actually have the time and peace of mind to enjoy.

Simple grazing. Peace of mind.

05/10/2026

A farm can look simple from the outside... Grass, animals, fences and a bit of rain.

But once you’re responsible for managing it, the questions start coming pretty quickly.

"How much grass do I actually have?"
"How many animals can I run?"
"When should I move them?"
"How long does a paddock need to recover?"
"What should I be planning for before conditions change?"

That’s why our I Bought A Farm Bootcamp isn’t about giving you a long list of jobs to do. It’s about helping you understand the foundations behind the decisions you’ll make on your farm.

We use our F.A.R.M.S. Framework — Feed, Animals, Restore, Management and Safety, to help you start looking at your property as a whole system.

You’ll learn more about how grass grows throughout the year, how to match animal numbers to the feed you have available, how to work with Nature to build resilience, how to plan for your property and grazing, and how safety fits across the entire farm system.

The goal isn’t to leave Bootcamp knowing everything.

It’s to leave knowing what to look for, what questions to ask and how to make more informed decisions when you get home.

If you’ve recently bought a farm, or you’re thinking about buying one, the foundations you learn early can make a big difference to what happens next.

Simple grazing. Peace of mind.

02/10/2026

What’s the goal for your farm?

It sounds like a simple question, but it’s one we think every new or aspiring farmer should spend some time thinking about.

For some, the goal might be to create an income. For others, it’s raising a family on the land, producing their own food, improving the landscape, running livestock, building something for the next generation. or simply creating a lifestyle they’ve always wanted.

There’s no single right answer, but knowing what you’re trying to achieve helps shape the decisions you make along the way.

The challenge when you’re starting out is that you don’t know what you don’t know.

You can have a clear picture of what you want your farm to become without yet understanding everything involved in getting there. That’s completely normal, farming is something you continue learning through observation, experience and asking better questions.

Andrew spoke about this recently at the Kewpie Rural Round Up.

Before getting caught up in livestock, fencing, equipment and the never-ending list of farm jobs, start with the bigger question:

What is your prize?

Once you know what you’re working towards, you can start identifying the knowledge you need and making decisions that actually move you closer to it.

Because you don’t need to know everything on day one.

But you do need to keep learning what you don’t yet know.

30/09/2026

Some of the best conversations in farming happen at a local event.

Big thanks to Kewpie Stockfeeds in Kingaroy for the Rural Round Up Field Day. Great initiative. It’s the kind of event that gets people together and talking.

It was great to catchup with Cynthia (Cindy) Godden from QRIDA, South Burnett Rural Ambassador Matthew McCauley, the team from Burnett Mary Regional Group, and meeting Lucy & Jack Reardon from HazSafe Solutions Pty Ltd.

Loved having a chat to event emcee Larry Cann about Knowledge To Practice and the FARMS Framework.

Katie and I had plenty of conversations about I Bought A Farm Boots & All. Nearly all of them started from the same place, relatively new to owning a farm, a lot of advice coming from every direction and no clear picture of what to do first (or then after that, …).

That’s where I come in. I help first-time farmers with simple grazing so they get peace of mind and momentum.

If that sounds like where you’re at, send me a message. Happy to have a yarn about what the I Bought A Farm: Bootcamp, or Boots & All looks like for your individual situation.

Not sure what success looks like? Then take our scorecard, The 12-Month Farm Success Predictor. https://12monthfarmsuccesspredictor.scoreapp.com/

30/09/2026

We are excited to be one of the landholder case studies for this project. Thanks Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management

29/09/2026

There is a stage of learning that’s more dangerous than being a total beginner.

It’s called unconscious incompetence, the stage where you don’t know what you don’t know. You’re making decisions, and you feel fine about them, because you genuinely can’t see the gaps yet. The mistakes aren’t obvious to you. They’re only obvious in hindsight, sometimes a few seasons later, once they’ve already cost you something.

Every skill moves through four stages; unconscious incompetence (you don’t know what you don’t know), conscious incompetence (you start to see the gaps), conscious competence (you can do it, but it takes effort and thought), and unconscious competence (it becomes second nature). Farming is no different, except the feedback loop can be slow. A grazing decision or a purchasing decision made in stage one might not show its true cost until well into year one or two.

I’ve been working on something to help with exactly that. It’s a free scorecard, 23 quick questions, takes about 5 min, that shows you where you’re already set up well, and where your blind spots might be hiding. You get customised results instantly.

Even if you haven’t bought a farm yet, take it as if you have. It’ll show you exactly where your current knowledge sits, stage by stage.
https://12monthfarmsuccesspredictor.scoreapp.com/