By realising there are many ways to erect a fence, employ different methods of animal husbandry, learning to work on and maintain equipment, his learning experiences have shaped his landcare philosophy.
The decision to cease cropping was fundamental to giving the farm a new lease of life. Restoring arable land back to pasture is a solid undertaking, but Mark felt it was the right decision financially and environmentally.
Mark and a neighbour developed an effective method to tackle ‘onion weed’ and after running field days this technique has been adopted to tackle high density areas of this problem weed.
Back in 2013 he established stands of” Wallaby” Grass. This native seed was sown into a paddock and rested from livestock for 12 months to assist its germination and growth. With support from Trees for Life he has planted more than 4000 tubestock and three significant stands of Saltbush. Each row was watered in through the first summer then left to their own devices, with a very pleasing success rate.
Mark has worked with Dr Hugh Pringle, a renowned expert in ecological sustainability leading to ”deep ripping” of paddocks to improve water retention so paddocks worked like” sponges” rather than water skip across the flat paddock. Constructing” leaky weirs” slows water intensity down as it flows through shallow creeks and has reduced erosion.
Gumbowie is fortunate to have colonies of the rare ”Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard” and Mark works closely with Adelaide University and Landscapes SA in preserving and expanding their habitat. Keen entomologists discovered a new species of Butterfly and a moth not thought to inhabit this region.
If you happen to be travelling past Gumbowie, you might even spot him keeping the bitumen frontage of the farm (which is a few km!) clear of litter some people through from their car windows.