2014 NSW Farmer of the Year award runner up Scott Beaumont

Scott Beaumont runs a 635 hectare diversified enterprise, spread over three properties near Dorrigo on the NSW mid north coast.

The farm enterprise involves:

• producing Woolworths yearling cattle from a 400 cow breeding herd'.
• a potato growing business, producing 700 tonnes of crisping potatoes per annum, grown under contract to a major company, and.
• a contract planting business, providing services to north coast and Dorrigo plateau farmers

The business is a partnership with Scott's father Neville, and Scott's role is to both manage the day to day activities and make decisions for the business in-line with a succession plan.

The cattle business produces cattle 0-2 teeth weighing 220-280 Kg at 15 months of age with 5-17 mm fat. Crossbreeding is used with a 3 way Euro, British, Bos indicus program to ensure progeny meet the required degree of muscling, fat cover, weight and age to meet the market grid. An on farm feedlot is used to finish the slaughter cattle using maize silage grown on the farm under centre pivot irrigation, as the main component of the ration.

The potato business is conducted on 25 hectares and produces crisping potatoes. Potatoes are produced under contract to Smiths crisps and are produced to Smiths market specifications. The crisping production system suits the business model of a high value low labour production system, helping to keep costs down. Bulk handling reduces costs associated with packing and labour. Growing and selling under contract helps provide certainty in the budgeting process, and avoids fluctuations that can occur in the marketplace. Potatoes are grown under the HACCP Quality assurance program for food safety.

The contract planting business is conducted using the latest John Deere tractors fitted with GPS guidance and steering. A Kuhn air vacuum precision row crop planter is used for row crops such as maize, while a specialist designed planter is used for pasture planting. The business can also supply associated operations such as ground preparation and spraying.

Scott's aim is to balance profitability and sustainability by ensuring that the latest production techniques are used to maximise productivity, while staying within the production capacity of the land. To achieve this, cropping activities are only carried out on areas with suitable soils and slope for the crop. Areas not suitable for crop production are utilised for grazing, while timbered areas are retained for stock shelter, conservation and aesthetic values.

Scott uses the NLIS system to monitor animal performance with regular 3 weekly weighing for animals in the feedlot. NLIS Rotational grazing is employed to maximise feed quality, maximise animal production, ensure pasture longevity and maintain ground cover.

An innovative pasture planter, consisting of an aerator fitted with a small seeds box ensures adequate ground disturbance for pasture seed germination but retains sufficient soil and ground cover integrity to minimise soil loss due to high rainfall. This is particularly important in the Dorrigo plateau environment which is one of the wettest parts of NSW.

Minimal soil disturbance also ensures that the soil profile retains sufficient strength to allow follow up grazing during wet periods

The farm is designed around a contour bank system to control erosion in the potato growing paddocks with ground cover maintained on contour discharge areas to minimise offsite impacts.

The uneven distribution of seasonal rainfall which can result in extended dry periods, usually in spring, has been offset this risk with a large investments in irrigation infrastructure, including a centre pivot irrigator.

A large amount of underground mains have been installed and several off stream storages constructed to guarantee water supply.

The irrigation helps to ensure two parts of our business, (the potato production and fodder production for the cattle finishing operation).

Scott is part of the organisation team for the Dorrigo Potato festival, President of the Dorrigo Campdraft committee and involved in Dorrigo pony club.